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For many years, the exploitation and development of natural and cultural resources into unique tourism products, as a form of promotion and attraction for tourists, has been successfully adopted by many countries around the world.
To maximize the inherent potential and exploit the economic, cultural, and tourism value of the Saigon River – a river closely associated with the history and development of the city – Ho Chi Minh City will organize the first-ever "Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2023" from August 4-6, 2023. This event will be held on a regional scale and with many unique and distinctive activities.
The grand spectacle "Saigon - The River Tells Stories," part of the first-ever River Festival held in Ho Chi Minh City, is expected to create a unique and unprecedented tourism product.
The 1st Ho Chi Minh City River Festival in 2023 is a series of unique cultural, entertainment, and artistic activities taking place along the river, combined with experiential activities, shopping promotions, and other stimulus programs in the city. The highlight of the festival is the live performance art program at 8 PM on August 6th, 2023, with the theme: "Saigon – The River Tells Stories".
“Saigon – The River That Tells Stories” is a massive live performance featuring over 600 actors, taking place for the first time on the Saigon River itself – a river full of nostalgia, connected to the history of the formation and development of Gia Dinh – Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City, and associated with the image of the largest international trading port in Vietnam. It is also a vivid symbol of the history of land reclamation and territorial expansion of the Vietnamese people.
The program is expected to consist of five chapters, each titled: Land Reclamation, Opening the Territory, On the Waterways, The Pearl of the Far East, and The Glorious City by the River… Through each chapter, the history of Saigon's formation and development will gradually unfold in a vivid, subtle, and distinctive manner, like a cinematic film.
With meticulous investment and the participation of a team of leading directors, experts, consultants, and artists in the art industry today, such as: General Director Le Hai Yen, Technical Consultant - Lighting Director Pham Hoang Nam, General Choreographer: Meritorious Artist Thanh Hang, Music Director - Composer Manh Tien, Costume Consultant - Designer Viet Hung, Literary Consultant - Journalist Pham Cong Luan…
The live performance art program "Saigon - The River Tells Stories" will encompass both the historical flow spanning centuries and the rich cultural and artistic heritage, engaging all the senses of the viewer and bringing the purest, most original, and unique essence of Gia Dinh - Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City to a wide audience of domestic and international tourists.
The river festival promotes the image, land, people, cultural identity, tourism activities, and distinctive cuisine of Ho Chi Minh City.
Sharing about the program, General Director Le Hai Yen said that she spent a whole year researching the history of Ho Chi Minh City through numerous history books and studies, and met with experts and renowned historians of the city such as: Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung - former Rector of Hong Bang University, journalist Pham Cong Luan (dubbed the "Keeper of Saigon's City Memories" - with dozens of books written about this land), along with a council of experts consisting of heads/deputy heads of departments from universities of Culture, Social Sciences and Humanities invited by the Department of Tourism to advise on the program.
Director Le Hai Yen shared: "I spent nearly a year traveling along the rivers, meeting with 'Saigon scholars' and listening to the historical stories of this land. From that, the name 'Saigon - The River Tells Stories' was born. The grand spectacle takes place on a real river, a real trading port, with real boats, real people, a real setting, and real stories, along with the most genuine emotions elevated to art."
Taking culture and history as its starting point, and making humanistic values the unifying thread, the River Festival and its first-ever live river-themed art performance in Vietnam will create a unique and unprecedented tourism product. This tourism product is linked to the preservation and promotion of the heritage and distinct cultural and historical identity of Gia Dinh – Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City, and contributes to building a prominent brand for Ho Chi Minh City tourism on the map of international tourist destinations.
