The festival was attended by Nguyen Hai Ninh, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of Khanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee, along with leaders of central departments, ministries and branches; leaders of some provinces and cities in the country; Ambassadors and Consuls General of India, China, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Laos, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan; leaders of Hiroshima Province (Japan), Saint Petersburg City (Russia), and Richmond City (Canada); leaders of Khanh Hoa Province; representatives of departments, agencies, unions, and localities; and a large number of people and tourists.
The event, the second of its kind, aims to honour the beauty of Nha Trang Bay, contributing to popularising the beauty, potential, and strengths of Nha Trang towards attracting more holiday-makers and domestic and international investors, thus contributing to the locality’s socio-economic development.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, highlighted the vital role played by the tourism industry, calling it an important comprehensive economic sector for promoting the development of cooperation, cultural exchange, and international integration.
He noted that Vietnam's tourism sector has recorded breakthroughs in recent years, become a highlight of the global tourism map, and has been recognised by the international community with numerous top awards.
In the first five months of this year, Vietnam has welcomed about 7.6 million international visitors and served 52.5 million domestic tourists, earning an estimated 352 trillion VND.
Nha Trang is emerging as an attractive coastal tourist city for both domestic and international visitors, serving as the gateway and heart of the south-central coast and central highlands regions, Khanh said, adding that the locality is also a premier location for hosting international events.
In his opening speech, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dinh Van Thieu said that with many cultural activities and festivals reflecting traditional and contemporary culture values, the festival is part of the locality’s efforts to preserve and promote the cultural essence of the nation, especially the Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa region.
The four-day festival features a string of cultural and sports activities, including a 200-pavilion fair showcasing tourism products and cuisine.
This year’s festival is expected to welcome 350,000 – 400,000 local and international visitors.
