Sun Group continues Danang partnership for DIFF 2024

Presented in collaboration with Danang People's Committee and Sun Group, blazing fireworks are set to illuminate the sky over the coastal city with beautiful explosive colours once more.

Danang People's Committee held a working session with various departments and major developer Sun Group on December 19 to discuss several aspects related to the planning of DIFF 2024.

Sun Group will remain a corporate partner for the organisation of the festival and its sideline events, with the venue set to be similar to that of 2023, with the Han River Port area earmarked for the fireworks display and Tran Hung Dao street designated for the artistic performances.

DIFF 2024 is set to host eight participating teams, comprising seven international teams: France, Italy, the United States, Germany, Poland, China, and Finland, with the Danang team representing Vietnam. The US, Germany, and China are new to the event.

DIFF 2024 will follow the same format as the previous year, consisting of five competition nights, with four qualifying rounds and one final night.

The opening night is planned for June 8, with a fireworks display scheduled for every Saturday evening in each of the following weeks, except for the week before the final night. The teams will each perform a 20-minute display according to the theme decided upon by the event organisers. The anticipated date for the final night is July 13.

While the key theme has yet to be chosen, Danang leaders have emphasised that the aim of DIFF 2024 is to convey a message for a peaceful, fair, harmonious, and compassionate world.

Last year's DIFF served as a significant boost for Danang's tourism post-pandemic, surpassing growth expectations. In the first six months of 2023, Danang welcomed nearly 3.5 million visitors, showing a 116 per cent jump on-year. Among these were 930,000 international visitors, a more than 11-fold rise from the previous year, while the number of domestic visitors approached 2.6 million, reflecting a nearly 68 per cent increase over the same period.

During the event, the number of flights to Danang International Airport reached 150 per day at certain times, an increase of about 50 per cent.

The city's room occupancy grew by about 70 per cent, with 4-5-star hotels reaching 80-85 per cent, representing significant growth compared to DIFF 2019, when the city's overall room occupancy was 65-70 per cent, and 4-5-star hotels ranged from 75-85 per cent.

2024 marks the 12^th year of the DIFF event, with the first-ever Danang International Fireworks Competition being held in 2008 as part of the city's liberation celebrations, offering many locals and tourists their first experience of fireworks choreographed to music.

In 2017, the city renamed the contest to the DIFF and shifted its funding to a social-financial approach, thanks to the sponsorship and partnership of Sun Group.

Throughout that journey, the DIFF has emerged as a popular event, making the city a highlight for those seeking family-friendly festivities in the summer months.

2024 an optimistic year for tourism & hospitality Vietnamese tourism has exceeded the goals set for 2023, with the number of international tourists in 2023 reaching over 12 million, equivalent to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

A strategy fit for success to ensure 2024 targets are met Vietnam’s economy grew at a lower-than-expected rate in 2023. Shantanu Chakraborty, Vietnam country director for the Asian Development Bank, talked with VIR’s Thanh Tung about how the economy has performed and key impetuses for the next 12 months.

E-commerce’s bumper plans for 2024 The rapid growth rate of e-commerce has made Vietnam a potential destination for international platforms.