Many travel agencies said that they have almost sold out tours to Thailand to see the Songkran festival taking place from April 12-16. The price of a 5-day, 4-night tour to Bangkok - Pattaya, departing from Hanoi, is about 8.5-10 million VND, departing from Ho Chi Minh City from 8.7 million VND, 10% higher than last year and 35% higher than normal days - depending on the company's policy.
Agoda’s survey shows that Vietnamese tourists are among the top 9 foreign markets most interested in Bangkok during Songkran, while the top 5 include South Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan. The number of searches for accommodation by Vietnamese tourists in Bangkok during Songkran is also 17% higher than the same period last year.
UNESCO lists Thailand's Songkran Festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage
According to Thai beliefs, give to receive. Sprinkling water on others is to wish them luck, to receive luck from others for yourself.
Songkran marks the Thai New Year, a time to celebrate family values, pay respect to elders and hold traditional ceremonies at temples across the country. During this time, people often splash water on each other for good luck. The festival takes place across the country, but the atmosphere is especially lively in Bangkok, where the Guinness World Record for the "World's Largest Water Gun Fight" (nearly 3,500 people shooting water guns at each other for 10 minutes) was set in 2011.
The Cultural Promotion Department of the Thai Ministry of Culture has selected Anntonia Porsild, the first runner-up at the Miss Universe 2023 pageant, to play Mahodhara Devi, the Songkran goddess of 2024. The Thai Ministry of Culture has also commissioned the production of Songkran songs in Thai, English, Chinese and French to widely promote the festival.
Sanam Luang will be the main venue for the 2024 Maha Songkran World Water Festival over the course of five days. Traditional theatre performances such as Khon and Nora dance dramas, as well as contemporary music festivals, will take place. Water splashing, Muay Thai performances, drone displays, and visits to food and local product fairs are among the activities that organizers expect to attract a large number of visitors.
