“Singing amidst wonders”

Tran Thi Hoai (from Hanoi) said that every year she chooses to go to Ha Long twice for vacation. In the spring, she will take her children on a trip to some tourist-spiritual destinations, such as Yen Tu, Cua Ong, and Ba Vang. This year, she has another destination to enjoy music at the stage “The Sound beside the Pines”.

“My family loves music and enjoys the outdoor music atmosphere like in Da Lat. However, the cost of both plane tickets and food in Da Lat is very expensive, so when there is “The Sound beside the Pines”, on the weekend, my family comes to Ha Long and enjoys both seafood and a music night with my favourite singers. I also tried listening to music on the yacht, but my family prefers listening to music on the hills because it brings a very special feeling,” Hoai shared.

Like Hoai's family, Nguyen Thi Huyen (in Uong Bi City of Quang Ninh Province) is a very busy doctor, but when she learned about "Music Night on the Pines", she spent her weekends off duty and travelled 40 kilometres to Ha Long, to enjoy the music. “The distance is not very far and my high school daughter loves young singers who are difficult to see in real life. Therefore, when we had free time, my family travelled to Ha Long to enjoy the weekend, beside the romantic Ha Long Bay. It has been nearly six months since Ha Long launched its special products, and my family has enjoyed four shows”, Huyen said.

Ngo Thanh Tung, a pioneer in featuring music in Ha Long as a tourism product, said he had never been to Da Lat, but the model of “May Lang Thang” (Wandering Clouds) in this land made him think of a different direction for his business path.

Tung said Ha Long has three summer months for bustling tourism activities, but the city is quiet during the remaining nine months. “I want to develop a certain product to attract tourists to this coastal land, creating a new product for the tourism industry. The music tourism model is cultural, civilised and suitable to the tastes of current tourists. Ha Long is blessed with beautiful scenery by nature, so why not try to develop this model?”, added Tung.

I want to develop a certain product to attract tourists to this coastal land, creating a new product for the tourism industry.

-- NGO THANH TUNG --

For nearly two years, Tung and his colleagues have developed a production team, trained human resources, discussed with Vo Hoang Viet, the developer of the “Wandering Clouds” model in Da Lat, and learned about audiences’ tastes and ticket sales channels.

In May 2022, Tung opened the ticket sale channel for the first concert at the Air Defence - Air Force’s Guest Room. However, this stage was temporarily suspended due to legal procedures.

Then Tung began to think about music stage projects on the hills, where the audiences could see the sea and admire the beauty of Ha Long Bay. As a result, the stage “The Sound beside the Pines” at the Sun Hill restaurant was formed. Gradually, he opened more stages at Ha Long International Cruise Port, to provide each audience segment with a variety of music products. After Thanh Tung's stages, many businesses have followed this direction to create a "red address" for out-of-province tourists to Ha Long.

The attraction of music tourism in Ha Long

Music tourism - a model combining outdoor tourism and music, with a focus on enjoying music shows mainly in outdoor spaces, has become an emerging tourism product in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The advantage of the natural landscape is the highlight for businesses to invest in music shows.

Da Lat is a successful and pioneer locality in this music tourism model. From that success, Nguyen Thanh Tung launched the first similar show in Ha Long, at the right time, when Ha Long people were “hungry” for cultural activities after the pandemic. Initially, Tung just thought of bringing a unique service to the people of Ha Long. Tourists only accounted for a very small percentage of those who bought tickets to the music show.

But gradually, the fame of shows like Thanh am ben Thong, La Luna, Cang tau quoc te, Harmony Hill, Pacific cruise and Paradise Delight, have attracted many audiences from neighbouring cities, such as Hai Phong and Hai Duong.

In Da Lat, audiences enjoy music on the hills, with rows of hills close together and thousands of greenhouses growing vegetables and fruits, while audiences can breathe in the ripe rice fields in Yen Bai. In Ha Long, the audience can enjoy art in a vast space of sea breezes and shimmering lights from cruises, where they can also view the entire romantic coastal city of Ha Long.

Although it is a mini stage, the number of visitors is also very admirable because each stage brings visitors different amenities and emotions.

Doi Mat Troi (Sun Hill) is a diverse complex built in a Mediterranean style, divided into three floors, with a completely open space. From here, the audience can feel the breath of the sea, the sun, the wind, and the chill of early autumn.

In particular, in this space, visitors can have a panoramic view of Ha Long International Cruise Port and Bai Chay tourist site, with pine hills and a sun wheel behind. Sun Hill is a poetic and romantic destination, especially when the sun disappears from the sea, giving way to the lamp’s light shining from the sea.

On the stage of the Ha Long International Cruise Port located in the middle of the sea, music fuses with natural scenery to create a unique atmosphere. The stage is wide open, with the main building featuring classical design and a luxurious European-style interior.

These music products on cruise ships also provide added value for tourists, who can enjoy cruises around the bay while listening to music and savouring foods characteristic of Quang Ninh.

From the early days when tickets did not sell well, Nguyen Thanh Tung has gradually found the key to organising music nights that appeal to the audience’s taste by featuring names such as Trung Quan, Tang Phuc, Van Mai Huong and Vu Cat Tuong. Tung said “The audience’s taste accounts for 80% of the programme’s success. I notice that the audience in Ha Long do not necessarily like young singers who are trending on the market, but those who have established their names.”

According to the operator of Pacific – a food cruise ship with a capacity of 500 passengers, since March 2023, the ship has included music programmes in its offerings to enhance the service experience of tourists staying overnight in the ship.

He said “My biggest wish is that customers nationwide as well as international visitors will know that Ha Long Bay is not only a natural world wonder but it also offers music tourism products. Therefore, we have yet to place an emphasis on profits but mainly promote music programmes as a unique product of Ha Long’s tourism. In the past six months, the number of tourists, especially from outside Quang Ninh, has increased substantially.”

To date, the Pacific operator has invited famous singers such as Dam Vinh Hung, Tuan Hung, Le Quyen, Issac, Ho Quynh Huong, Noo Phuoc Thinh, Quang Ha, Jimmy Nguyen and Lam Truong to perform on the cruise ship.

Paradise Delight ¬— another cruise ship with a capacity of 360 passengers — is also frequently full. Put into service since April, this cruise ship has asserted its position as the first cruise ship recognised as a specialised restaurant by the Quang Ninh government.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen, Head of the cruise's Human Resources Administration Department, said that compared to other units, the competition in music products is that every art show is staged and specifically designed by director Hoang Nhat Nam. “After a few months of operation, we received very good feedback. Recently, our cruise was trusted by the Provincial People’s Committee with the task of serving the global Young Parliamentarians delegation,” Huyen said.

According to her, the passenger segment on the cruise is mainly people from out of province and foreigners. Initially, local customers were somewhat curious, but later, the most durable number of customers were from outside the province.

Affirming the position of music tourism in the land of wonders

In just over a year, bringing music to Ha Long as a unique tourism product, just as Da Lat has been successful with, Ha Long has had 7 music stages so far. Tourists from neighbouring localities, such as Hai Phong, Hai Duong, and Bac Ninh, and people from within the province of Mong Cai also choose Ha Long as a weekend destination to enjoy music.

According to Ms. Vu Thi Van Oanh, Deputy Department of Culture and Information in Ha Long City, there are currently two show organisers with four stages on the shore: “Sound in the Pines” at Sun Hill, International Passenger Port at SunWorld, Harmony Hill stage in Tuan Chau, and La Luna. Exploiting the segment of tourists enjoying food and music on cruise ships, there are currently three show production units, of which Ha Long Pacific Joint Stock Company has 99.8% of out-of-province tour guests.

Thanks to the direction that hits the audience's tastes, now, Thanh Tung owns 3 stages including: Sun Hill, Ha Long International Passenger Port, and 5-star cruise ship Sea Octopus, with a very steady average number of visitors at approximately 700 spectators per music night.

Although the stages are more competitive than before, Tung is still very confident: “Experience, quality and hitting the audience's tastes are still the right path for me. The big mark of each programme is choosing the singer the audience is waiting for.”

That’s why it took him nearly a year to invite Noo Phuoc Thinh and he was thinking of inviting the most demanding singers on the market — singers who have never sold tickets at small stages.

Experience, quality and hitting the audience's tastes are still the right path for me. The big mark of each programme is choosing the singer the audience is waiting for.

-- Ngo Thanh Tung --

“I am working to persuade celebrated Vietnamese singers, such as My Tam, Ha Anh Tuan, Ho Ngoc Ha, and Den Vau, to join hands to boost music tourism in Ha Long. Many singers have just organised their live shows rather than joining other concerts. It is challenging to convince them to join us, but we are determined to do it to create the most unique products for Ha Long audiences,” Tung said.

This young man is working with Sun Group to set up a new stage named Hai Dang (Lighthouse), which is located at the wharf. The stage is expected to launch in mid-December, with a capacity of serving up to 4,000 people.

As a product that was initially launched in Ha Long to serve cruise passengers, music tourism is now being developed to serve different groups of audiences.

“If a singer works alone to advertise their music show, it would be very expensive. If 10 units provide music shows and invite diverse singers, it will help to diversify the music market in Ha Long. As a result, tourists will decide to go to Ha Long first, then select the music show they like the most."

Nguyen Thanh Tung and many businesses in Ha Long have awakened the tourism potential of Ha Long City so that the name Ha Long not only refers to Ha Long Bay and street festivals but is also a music destination with beautiful natural scenery.

However, to make music tourism become an attractive tourism product like it is in Da Lat, representatives from Pacific Cruise hope to receive bold investment from businesses, as well as favourable conditions from management agencies.

“Performance spaces in Quang Ninh are still limited, with only 6-7 performance spaces serving around 1,000 people, much lower than other localities. Quang Ninh still does not have any products that can attract customers compared to the regional and international levels. This is an open door for Ha Long businesses. I hope that the authorities will create more favourable mechanisms and dialogues with businesses so that the two sides can jointly carry out a campaign to turn music tourism into a unique product of Quang Ninh province’s hospitality sector,” the representative from Pacific Cruise said.

Published: October 2023
Content: NDO