Ha Long City possesses very rich and unique cultural and historical tourism resources with 96 historical-cultural-scenic relics, 13 traditional and modern festivals.
Among them, the most prominent is Ha Long Bay, which has been recognised by UNESCO three times as a World Natural Heritage.
In recent years, Ha Long has devoted resources, paid attention to and done well in organising traditional festivals and holidays in a systematic and large-scale manner, bearing the mark, cultural beauty, and people of the heritage land, and are gradually becoming products that attract tourists each time they are organised.
Notably, Ha Long Carnaval is one of the most unique tourism products, the most impressive street festival every summer that has been maintained and developed by the city and province for many years.
With a theme each year with unique, elaborate and impressive art performances, Ha Long Carnaval has created a new vitality, a unique appearance and left many good impressions on visitors about the beauty of the heritage land; thereby, contributing to linking culture with tourism, turning festival activities into unique cultural spaces, confluencing the quintessence of tradition and modernity, at the same time, demonstrating creativity based on cultural resources to promote the cultural industry in Ha Long in particular and Quang Ninh in general.
With the goal of promoting traditional cultural values and intangible cultural heritages in the area through organising festivals and events, associated with the goal of building Ha Long into a festival city, a national tourism centre, of international stature, recently, the People’s Committee of Ha Long City issued Decision No.7556/QD-UBND approving the Project entitled “Ha Long – the City of Festivals”.
The project demonstrates the vision and creative approach of the locality in preserving and honoring traditional festivals, developing new festivals to meet the entertainment and cultural enjoyment needs of the people, thereby, gradually forming a brand for cultural and tourism festivals unique to the city on the edge of heritage.
To implement the Project, Ha Long City will preserve and promote traditional festivals with typical and unique cultural identities, at the same time, upgrade some valuable festivals and typical events to organise annually at the city level and select to restore some traditional festivals with typical values; effectively mobilise resources (sponsorship, socialisation) to organise festivals and events.
In 2025, Ha Long city will restore and reorganise some traditional festivals such as the New Rice Celebration Festival of the Tay ethnic people in Dan Chu commune; Dai Phan Festival of the San Diu ethnic group in Ha Long city; Loi Am Pagoda Festival; Cai Lan Temple Festival; Long Tien Pagoda Festival.
In addition, the city will also upgrade the scale of some traditional festivals: Bang Ca Village Festival, King Le Thai To Temple Festival, with a focus on building a scientific dossier to propose the ranking of National Intangible Cultural Heritage for the Festival of Duc Ong Tran Quoc Nghien Temple (in 2025), King Le Thai To Temple Festival (in 2027).
The city will also organise a number of new festivals and cultural tourism events: Ha Long City Traditional Dragon Boat and Sports Sailing Festival; Cherry Blossom Festival and Japanese Cultural Week in Ha Long; Motorised Parachute and Paragliding Festival; Full Moon Festival and Artistic Light Show by Heritage Bay; Ha Long Bay Heritage Day; Ha Long Spring Flower Festival; Quang La Flower Paradise Flower Festival; Ripe Guava Season Festival...
There are expected to be 16 city-level cultural festivals and events; 14 commune and ward-level tourism festivals.
In particular, during the implementation of the Project, the city will create conditions and attract investors to stage and organize film production programs, music, entertainment, live performances associated with the culture of the sea, islands, and traditional cultures of ethnic groups in the area.
