With huge investment of nearly VND100 billion (nearly $5 million), this four-month cultural extravaganza will feature a series of dazzling shows.

The event, organized by Sun Group - the country’s premier developer of luxury resorts, world class entertainment complexes and tourism real estate, attracts the participation of more than 200 international.

According to the organizers, performances are crafted by general director Pham Hoang Nam, known as “the magician stage director” in Vietnam, musical director Huy Tuan, a highly-acclaimed composer in Vietnam, and fashion designer Tom Trandt, voted one of the 15 young and talented designers in the world by magazine 1-D 2019, and many other young talents.

Other members include Chief Choreographer Hani Abaza, who used to work as a choreographer and performer at Disneyland, Cirque Du Soleil and the show So You Think You Can Dance (Vietnamese, Canadian and American versions), choreographer Sabra Johnson, a former champion of So You Think You Can Dance America and Operating System Specialist Cara Volchoff.

General Director Pham Hoang Nam revealed that Sunshine Carnival will tell a specially written story called Sunshine Kingdom, based on a classic Vietnamese folk tale about how a young prince became king after cooking banh chung (sticky rice cake) for his father, who challenged all of his sons to come up with a dish that showed their love of their homeland and, thus, would indicate they would be a worthy ruler of the people.

For Sunshine Kingdom, the ‘king’ will also summon all people from the seven regions of the land to attend Sunshine Carnival and show their love of their homeland and to please the king, not with a dish, but with a special artistic performance. After the competition rounds are held, the "Sunflower Crown" will be offered to the region deemed to have made the best performance. This crown will belong to the region for one year only, and the lord of that region will enjoy many special privileges.

As one of the largest art shows to be ever held in Vietnam, Sunshine Carnival will offer visitors many wonderful opportunities to learn more about the myths, customs and fun-loving spirit of these seven regions in the Sunshine Kingdom. The audience can expect dazzling production and light shows with award winning choreography, world-class dancers, elaborate costumes and show-stopping performances.

According to the directors, the aim is not simply to entertain visitors with an exciting show, but also to transform how people view art performances in Vietnam and show that ‘traditional entertainment’ can be thrilling and modern, too.

Each of the seven regions will showcase seven distinct artistic personalities with one-of-a-kind performances. The audience will see the flamboyant artistry of magicians in the show Land of Magic, beautiful, romantic dancing on ice in Land of Snow, and rhythmic dancing and percussion in Land of Joy, and much more besides.

Regarding this project, chief choreographer Hani Abaza said: “I have worked on countless TV shows, music videos and live shows, but this is a whole new challenge as we are creating a whole magical and fantastical world. Creating a world is never easy. It is a bigger challenge that requires a great amount of effort and time. If we want to expand our reach on an international level, we need to shape our unique voice in an international way. That’s a difficult task, but that’s also what I want to bring to Sun World Ba Na Hills via Sunshine Carnival”.

Before the officially launch of Sunshine Carnival this June, three mini-shows, each featuring some of the unique colors from the three most special regions in the Sunshine Kingdom, were held in Sun World Ba Na Hills during May 2019 to coincide with B’estival 2019, which is known as the Vietnamese version of Oktoberfest.

Uncovering the reasons for investing in such a large-scale art show, Sun Group Chairman Dang Minh Truong said: “With a dream of delivering world-class entertainment to Vietnam we will never hesitate investing a large amount of money and putting in a tremendous effort to produce a four-month-long cultural showpiece such as Sunshine Carnival, which will feature many thrilling performances through the summer.”

“Naturally, we wish to offer tourists many exciting experiences and fun-filled activities when they visit Sun World Ba Na Hills. We also wish to continually ‘raise the bar’ and make Ba Na Hills a venue for the most amazing cultural events that will impress visitors from all over the world. With Sunshine Carnival, Sun World Ba Na Hills will hit new heights.”  

Besides Sunshine Carnival, Truong promised the Sun World complex system, including Sun World Fansipan Legend in Sa Pa, Sun World Ha Long Complex in HaLong, Sun World Danang Wonders in Da Nang, Sun World Hon Thom Nature Park in South Phu Quoc, would soon be “light up” with many more artistic extravaganzas planned for the rest of 2019.

Adding to the celebratory atmosphere this summer, Sunshine Carnival coincides with the 10th anniversary of Sun World Ba Na Hills, which has been one the top tourist destinations in Vietnam since opening in 2009.

Home to Vietnam’s newest must-see tourist attraction, the Golden Bridge, a charming ‘French Village’, flower gardens and much much more, Sun World Ba Na Hills, developed by Sun Group, has helped to make Da Nang and Vietnam an exciting, global destination in the eyes of both domestic and foreign tourists.

Thanh Van