Besides being known as the “city of bridges”, Da Nang is also known as the “fireworks capital of Vietnam” thanks to the more than a decade-long success of DIFF.

17 years have passed with 12 times of organization, Da Nang International Fireworks Festival - DIFF is always the focal point of every summer when people mention Da Nang. This period of time is also long enough for each tourist and Da Nang citizen to witness and feel the strong changes of the Han River city.

From gathering poor fishing villages, messy stilt houses, Han River - the annual venue of DIFF has risen to dramatically transform into a poetic river, a river of light… DIFF is one of the reasons why the number of visitors to Da Nang has continuously increased every year. 2008 - the first year DIFC (Da Nang International Fireworks Competition - the predecessor of DIFF) took place, Da Nang welcomed more than 1.2 million tourists, achieving a revenue of over 810 billion VND.

DIFF with more than a decade of “lighting up the Han River”

Those who were present along the banks of the Han River at that time could not forget the feeling of “holding their breath” when the first fireworks flew into the sky to the music. For the first time in Vietnam, tourists were able to watch fireworks displays in a competitive and themed format. From “Fairy Dance”, DIFF has created a decade of fireworks for Da Nang tourism, becoming an indispensable flavor whenever people mention the Han River city.

2017 was a memorable milestone when DIFF was socialized, the People’s Committee of Da Nang City assigned Sun Group to organize it with the expectation of creating a strong impression for Da Nang in 2017 and in the future will affirm DIFF as a “must-go festival” with friends from all over the world. With the theme “Shining Ngu Hanh Son” and naming the shooting nights according to each natural element, the opening night of Fire at that time was considered to be the most magnificent in scale since DIFF was organized.

With investment in changing both technology and performance techniques, the host fireworks team in the opening night brought a spectacular performance on the music background with many climaxes and traditional Vietnamese ceremonial drums. The Han River city had a “sleepless night” because of thousands of colors from fireworks. At times, the whole sky of Da Nang seemed to be “burned” with vibrant and lively red fireworks… Sometimes gentle, sophisticated with white and gold.

Explaining the role of the fireworks festival in the development of the local tourism industry, Ms. Nadia Shakira Wong, Director of Global 2000 Fireworks Organizing Consulting Company, said: “The role of the fireworks festival is to stimulate demand, bringing many tourists to the destination. When organizing annual fireworks festivals, people will know in advance and plan regularly. In addition, tourism units are also very important, for example, launching combo tickets for watching fireworks combined with cruises.”

By 2019, Da Nang welcomed 8.6 million tourists, with revenue reaching nearly 31,000 billion VND, an increase of 38 times after more than 10 years of organizing DIFF.

Huge stands of DIFF 2019, with tens of thousands of tourists. Photo: Kim Lien

According to statistics, in more than a month of DIFF 2019, the number of visitors to Da Nang reached nearly 1 million, and revenue from the tourism and commerce industry reached nearly 3,245,000 billion VND. The occupancy rate of hotels during the festival always reached 65-70%, notably 4-5 star hotels, with occupancy reaching 75-85%. DIFF has created a strong impetus for commercial and service business activities, while also creating more jobs and revenue for people and businesses during the event.

In 2024 - the most recent organization, with the participation of businesses and the decisive involvement of the local government, DIFF 2024 continued to be a magnet attracting visitors to Da Nang. According to data from the Da Nang Department of Tourism, the total number of visitors served by tourism accommodation establishments during the 5 days of DIFF 2024 reached 360,662 (up 12% compared to DIFF 2023), including 138,037 international visitors (up 33% year-on-year) and 222,625 domestic visitors (up 2% year-on-year).

The number of visitors served by tourism accommodation establishments over more than a month of the DIFF 2024 event reached more than 1.5 million, up 60% compared to DIFF 2023.

With a large number of visitors pouring in for more than a month of DIFF 2024, Da Nang tourism recorded significant revenue growth. Revenue from accommodation, food and beverage, and travel services in June 2024 is estimated at 16,344 billion VND, up 28.2% year-on-year. These are truly enviable figures for many destinations.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of DIFF 2024, Mr. Le Trung Chinh - Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee affirmed that DIFF is one of the events that embodies the dreams and hopes of the city's people: “Organized from 2008 to now, the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival has become an event with its own brand, attracting Da Nang city.”

With the dazzling fireworks displays illuminating the sky, we will think about the joys, the good things, and the hopes. Throughout the development journey, the city's Party Committee, government, and people have always cherished and strived to realize the dream of building and developing the city into a peaceful, prosperous, and happy city.”

This year, DIFF 2025 promises many improvements compared to the annual event, to further affirm the attractiveness and value of Da Nang's most characteristic event. Even, according to the organizers' revelation, blockbuster music programs such as Anh trai vuot ngan chong gai, Anh trai say Hi… are expected to be brought to DIFF. If this becomes a reality, DIFF 2025 will truly be more than just fireworks shows, but also a “playground” for top art events nationwide, and even internationally in the future.

DIFF 2025 is expected to have many improvements and continue to be a magnet attracting visitors to Da Nang in the summer.

Many experts predict that DIFF 2025 will continue to set records for the number of visitors to the Han River city this summer, as 2025 also marks an important milestone - the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Da Nang. Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the Da Nang City Tourism Association, predicts that international visitors will increase by about 20-25%, while domestic visitors will increase by around 10%.

“DIFF promises to continue to be a magnet, helping to rapidly increase the number of visitors both domestically and internationally,” Dung affirmed. He believes that after the highly anticipated events planned for DIFF are officially announced and the international fireworks complex project is completed, the festival will continue to gain momentum. DIFF will not simply be a fireworks festival, but in the future will be a venue for the most spectacular events.”