Following resounding successes in Phu Quoc and Da Nang, the Sun Group-invested jetski show is set to “arrive” in Cat Ba with a completely new version titled “Symphony of the Green Island”. Not only will it awaken the bay with a series of spectacular performances, the program also promises to set a Guinness World Record with a formation of jetskis firing fireworks right on the water’s surface. This will be a unique entertainment highlight, a breathtaking combination of technology, extreme sports, and local culture, elevating Northern tourism to the international stage.
1. What is Jetski? Why is this performance so overwhelming to the audience?
Jetski – also known as a personal watercraft – is a type of sports vehicle designed for high-speed movement on water. Unlike traditional motorboats, jetskis are compact, powerful, and extremely agile, allowing athletes to perform spins, jumps, and even acrobatics on the water. In recent years, jetskiing has not only become a popular extreme sport but also a performance art material in many global-scale shows.
Speed "artists" glide on the waves, turning jetski techniques into spectacular performances (Image: collected)
What makes the jetski show special is the combination of the athletes’ skillful techniques and the elaborately staged artistry. Each wave glide, each spin, or each jump dozens of meters high is calculated and blended with music, lights, fireworks, and cultural elements – creating a "speed dance" that is both thrilling and captivating.
While light shows are often limited to indoor venues or fixed stages, the jetski show opens up an endless performance space in the heart of the ocean. The athletes – likened to "speed artists" – control the jetski like a brush, painting vibrant curves on the water’s surface. When fireworks burst from the machine, when laser lights illuminate each movement, when the entire movement is staged according to a characteristic cultural theme – it is no longer just sports, but a comprehensive, multi-sensory artistic experience.
Not only impressive in terms of technique and scale, the jetski show is also a new symbol of contemporary performing arts, where technology, sports, and culture come together to tell a vivid story – without a screen, without dialogue, but through the movement of water and light.
2. When the jetski show reaches the level of art: The symphonies that made a name for themselves in Da Nang and Phu Quoc
In Vietnam, Sun Group pioneered the integration of jetski shows as a highlight in outdoor art festivals, initiating a trend of combining adventurous sports with multimedia performances. Two shows that captivated audiences were “Symphony of the Sea” in Phu Quoc and “Symphony of River” in Da Nang – these symphonies of light and speed left an unforgettable impression on tourists.
2.1. Ocean Symphony – Symphony of the Sea
On Phu Quoc Island, the art show “Symphony of the Sea” has become a signature event of the year-end festival season since its debut in 2023. This was the first show in Vietnam to combine adventurous water sports performances with artistic fireworks, creating a unique visual and emotional feast for tourists.
The first show to feature special water fireworks on stage, creating an erupting firework effect from the ocean floor (Image: collected)
In 2023, “Symphony of the Sea” impressed audiences with its high-level jetski and flyboard performances, combined with vibrant lighting and music. Continuing this success, in 2024, the show further enhanced the experience by being the first in Vietnam to use special water fireworks, creating the effect of fireworks erupting from the ocean floor, illuminating the southern sky of the island.
LED-lit jetskis paraded, soaring across the sea, launching fireworks from their bodies – all recreating a miniature Hollywood amidst the sea and sky of Phu Quoc. With electronic music infused with World Music, laser lights, water fireworks and special fireworks, the show immerses the audience in an "entertainment universe" where emotions continuously soar.
2.2. River Symphony – Symphony of River
Meanwhile, in Da Nang – a city famous for its illuminated rivers – the Symphony of River show has become a new highlight for the city’s nighttime tourism. No longer confined to the boundaries of a traditional concert hall, the show takes the audience into a "multi-sensory symphony" in an outdoor venue with a capacity of over 2,000 seats in the heart of Da Nang Downtown – the city’s new entertainment hub.
Outdoor jetski show with a capacity of over 2,000 seats right in Da Nang Downtown (Image: collected)
Performed on the water, Symphony of the River brings together nearly 100 international artists, offering a diverse artistic experience with ballet, hiphop, contemporary dance, malambo, combined with modern circus, magic and top-level water sports performances. The highlight of the program is the highly technical performance of over 20 Jetski and Flyboard athletes from H2O - a unit that has collaborated with Hollywood blockbusters such as James Bond, Mission Impossible. The flyboard swirls create a magical light painting in the sky; the jetskis tear through the night with flares; and the fireworks explode at the end - all blending into the vibrant "Dancing Queen" music, concluding a program that makes the Han River seem to awaken.
Although different in space and style, its appeal has proven that the jetski show is not just a purely speed-based game, but has risen to become a top-level performing art form. And from Da Nang, Phu Quoc, that journey is about to write a whole new chapter in Cat Ba - the green island paradise possessing miraculous nature and distinctive cultural value.
3. Symphony of the Green Island: When jetskis, fireworks and nature harmonize
If Symphony of the Sea is a vibrant ocean of colors and Symphony of the River is an epic on the river, then Symphony of the Green Island will be the triumphant piece that awakens the majestic beauty of Cat Ba Bay. Combining cutting-edge performance technology, distinctive local elements and a breathtaking natural setting, Symphony of the Green Island promises to be the most spectacular and captivating show in the North.
Cat Ba is about to launch an unprecedentedly large-scale jetski and fireworks show (Image: collected)
Scheduled to officially debut on May 23, maintaining a schedule of 5 nights a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), lasting until September 2, the jetski show Symphony of the Green Island will be performed on a stage that is a sea area of over 50,000m² - an unlimited space where the sea is the stage, the sky is the dome, and the waves are an unparalleled natural stage effect. The audience will be able to stand before a true visual masterpiece, instead of just sitting and watching like traditional stages.
This open stage is created using a system of 18 laser light poles floating on the water, 16 lighting towers on the shore and a three-dimensional surround sound system. As the jetski athletes glide by, firing fireworks simultaneously from the machines, blending with the vibrant sound and laser light effects projected onto the sky, all the audience's senses will be fully awakened.
In particular, the opening night on May 23 will be a Guinness World Record setting event with the largest fireworks-firing jetski formation: 20 athletes performing simultaneously on the sea, controlling in a synchronized formation, creating perfect swirls, absolutely precise turns, combined with bursts of fireworks exploding in the air. This is the first time in Vietnam that a jetski show has reached such a grand scale and level of staging.
Athletes training intensely for the opening night (Photo: collected)
More than just an entertainment experience, Symphony of the Green Island is also a work of art that tells stories in a modern language. Through the image of the crane fairy – a cultural symbol associated with Cat Ba legend – the show leads the audience into the flow of the Five Elements: from Wood – the green light recreating the primeval forest; Fire – vibrant fireworks and jet skis crossing the fire column; Metal – the glittering silver of the concentric circles reflecting the water; Water – the glowing mist blending with the smooth gliding movements; and Earth – the majestic golden light ending with the image of the crane fairy flying into the sky, connecting heaven, earth, and humanity.
It is the combination of magnificent nature, unique culture, and cutting-edge technology that has taken Symphony of the Green Island beyond the limits of an ordinary jetski show, becoming a new artistic symbol of Cat Ba – where every night is a universe of emotions, every movement is a program "written" with waves and light.
