A gala night called Hai Phong Vuon Ra Bien Lon (Hai Phong reaching out to the sea) is scheduled to take place on May 12 at the Opera House Square in the city centre to celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the city’s Liberation Day, which falls on May 13.

Particularly, the festival will also include a carnival parade and art performances by both domestic and foreign troupes.

A low-range display of fireworks will be organised during the opening ceremony of the festival on the first day.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Khac Nam said this year’s event had received support from various sectors and companies in the city.

The official revealed at a press conference on April 18 that financial support worth about 7 billion VND (310,000 USD) had been collected on the first day alone to launch a promotional campaign for the festival.

The annual cultural and tourism event was initiated in 2011, through the idea of showcasing the city’s abundant and beautiful flower blossoms, and to promote and boost tourism and enhance the image of Hai Phong.

Over the last seasons, the Flamboyant Flower Festival has become a recognised festival of the port city, symbolising and praising its people and land.

Renowned as the city of flamboyant flower, Hai Phong is a peaceful city of wide boulevards dovetailed with organised tree rows. As one of the important commercial and industrial hub in northern Vietnam, the city is striving to make tourism a spearhead economic sector and turn itself into one of the nation’s key tourism destinations.

According to the municipal People’s Committee’s action programme on tourism development from 2017–2020 with a vision through 2030, the city hopes to receive 8 million tourists and earn 3.5 trillion VND (154 million USD) with expected annual average growth rates of between 8.2 percent and 8.9 percent.-VNA