More festivities scheduled as Covid-19 contained

Quang Ninh Province, home to the world heritage Ha Long Bay, will hold tourism events to celebrate the nation’s Reunification Day (April 30) and bolster local tourism after months of Covid-19 impacts.

At Tuan Chau International Tourism and Recreation Complex, around 120 kilometers from Hanoi, there will be music and cultural shows on April 30 and May 1.

Tuan Chau golf course, Hon Gai public beach and a tourism site in Ba Deo Hill will make their debut on this occasion.

The northern province will also set off low-altitude fireworks for 15 minutes on the night of April 30 at three venues in Cam Pha, Ha Long and Dong Trieu.

Quang Ninh was one of Covid-19 hotspots in the country's latest outbreak that started in late January, prompting authorities to impose lockdown measures and close all tourist destinations.

A cruise boat on Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province. Photo by Pham Huy Trung.

The port city of Hai Phong, around two hours east of Hanoi, will host its annual Red Flamboyant Flower Festival 2021 from May 11 to 13.

The festival will feature up to 66 cultural, tourism and sporting events and activities, including a poster exhibition, a Xam folk singing festival, and a golf tourney.

There will a 15-minute firework display at the northern city’s Opera House on May 11.

Hai Phong, home to Do Son beach and Lan Ha Bay on Cat Ba Island, the largest in the Cat Ba Archipelago, is a popular weekend destination.

Lan Ha Bay on Cat Ba Islands in the coastal city of Hai Phong. Photo by Pham Huy Trung.

In Thanh Hoa Province, the opening ceremony of a beach tourism festival took place on Saturday in Sam Son beach town, one of central Vietnam’s most popular sea-side destinations.

The festival that will run until July features cultural and arts performances, a kite flying festival, music shows and a motor festival.

Another highlight is a weekly street carnival that will depart from the Le Loi and Ho Xuan Huong intersection and pass along a 2.4-kilometer-long route skirting the beach.

This is the third time the festival takes place in Sam Son, first exploited for tourism by French colonialists in 1907. The town boasts long beaches with strong waves, beautiful mountains like Truong Le, Trong Mai Islet, and Doc Cuoc Temple.

Vietnam's latest Covid-19 outbreak in late January came just a few weeks before the Lunar New Year (Tet), its biggest holiday, forcing many people to cancel travel plans.