Da Nang International Fireworks Festival 2025 kicks off

The Da Nang People’s Committee and Sun Group on Wednesday held a press meeting to kick off the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) 2025 and its accompanying events.

This year’s festival promises to make Da Nang a vibrant hub of summer activities once again. DIFF 2025 will take place from May 31 to July 12, 2025, under the theme “Danang - The New Rising Era.”

Marking the 50th anniversary of Da Nang’s liberation, the festival symbolizes a turning point, highlighting the city’s aspirations and determination in a new era. It reflects Da Nang’s vision for prosperous growth and its ongoing efforts to secure a prominent position on the global tourism map.

At the press meeting held at Novotel Danang Premier Han River, Vice Chairwoman of the city Nguyen Anh Thi emphasized: “We believe that with the determination and responsibility of the city’s agencies, along with the passion, experience, and resources of Sun Group and our partners, DIFF 2025 will continue to create its new successful milestones.”

The DIFF of differences

Unlike any other DIFF season, DIFF 2025 will be the longest and largest fireworks festival in the history of the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival, featuring six nights of spectacular displays with the participation of 10 teams from Vietnam, Finland, the UK, Portugal, Poland, South Korea, Italy, Canada, and China.

The opening night of DIFF 2025 is set to take place on May 31, with a match between Vietnam 1 and Finland, themed "Cultural Essence." This will also be the first year with two teams from Vietnam competing at DIFF.

Fireworks nights will be held every Saturday evening in the following weeks (with a one-week break before the final night), featuring themes and participating teams as follows: Night 2 (June 7): Creative Arts – Vietnam 2 vs. Poland; Night 3 (June 14): Connecting Journeys – Canada vs. China; Night 4 (June 21): Sustainable Development – Portugal vs. the UK; Night 5 (June 28): Leading Technology – South Korea vs. Italy; Night 6 (July 12): Embracing the New Era – Grand Final.

This year, DIFF promises not only impressive fireworks performances but also extraordinary experiences for visitors, blending art, music, sports, and cutting-edge technology.

Each night will feature a lively live concert with popular domestic and international artists, combined with fireworks, music, and state-of-the-art technology, offering guests an experience that exceeds expectations.

Notably, augmented reality (AR) will be integrated into the Sun Paradise Land (SPL) app, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in a world of endless imagination and creativity alongside the Da Nang fireworks sky, creating a powerful ripple effect. Through these unique technological effects, this year’s fireworks experience promises to be elevated to a whole new level.

The event will take place at the same locations as DIFF 2024, including the Han River Port area (firework launch site) and the pavement along Tran Hung Dao street (for artistic performances). Each night, teams will have 20 minutes to perform fireworks displays based on the agreed-upon theme.

Sharing her ideas for what promises to be a standout highlight of DIFF 2025, Cao Ngan Ha, head of marketing at Sun Group, said: “This year’s artistic program format will be particularly young, vibrant, and trend-forward. We plan to partner with leading event organizers in Vietnam to bring large-scale music concerts that are beloved by audiences, along with collaborations with brands to host artistic events combined with the fireworks nights.”

Additionally, technology will play a key role in making DIFF 2025 truly memorable for audiences with virtual reality fireworks displays lasting 30-60 seconds, combining visuals and music to extend the fireworks experience throughout the summer.

Audiences will also have unique virtual reality interactive experiences using the DIFF kit, creating a one-of-a-kind collection theme never seen before. For young people, DIFF will be a fun space for pairing, where they can connect with other singles present in Da Nang through AR-based spatial experiences.

Moreover, with the Sun Paradise Land app, audiences can hunt for early bird discounts, enjoy flash sales, or vote for their favorite team. A wide range of exciting technological experiences will complement the real-world experience, making DIFF 2025 a season of fireworks that’s both unforgettable and immersive,” added Ha.

A representative from Sun Group also shared that this year, the size of the grandstand and the number of seating will be equivalent to DIFF 2024. Ticket prices for the fireworks show will start from VND1 million ($39.4) per ticket, depending on the seating location.

The main ticket distribution channels will focus mainly on travel agencies, tourism platforms, online booking systems, the official website diff.vn, and the Sun Paradise Land app.

Specifically, the earlier you purchase your ticket, the higher the discount. Tran Nguyen, deputy general director of Sun World, Sun Group's entertainment brand, said: “The discount for early bird ticket buyers can be up to 20% off,” and revealed: “To celebrate the city's important anniversary, each fireworks night, the organizers will also offer 50 free tickets at various grandstand locations during the golden hour on the Sun Paradise Land app. The total value of free tickets will amount to nearly VND500 million ($19,699).”

A year full of lively events and attractive promotions

With the aim of injecting a vibrant and unprecedented atmosphere into Da Nang's tourism industry, after kicking off with DIFF 2025, Sun World parks and Sun Group’s resorts and entertainment destinations in Da Nang will host a series of exciting, multi-experience events to attract visitors.

At the top of Ba Na, visitors will immerse themselves in colorful flower festivals such as the Sunflower Festival and the Rose Festival; indulge in the Fresh Beer Festival and Sun Kraft Beer 2025, enjoy delightful cuisine at the newly renovated Beer Plaza restaurant with a seating capacity of 2,000, and explore unique culinary experiences such as wine cellars, French bakery workshops, and ice cream factories - promising unforgettable experiences for tourists.

In Danang Downtown, 2025 will be marked by countless traditional and modern festivals, as well as spectacular music concerts, promising to keep the city’s nightlife vibrant and shining.

Alongside these events, Sun Group's ecosystem in Da Nang will launch numerous promotions and bundled packages for Sun World tickets and accommodations throughout the year, as part of the celebration for the 50th anniversary of Da Nang’s Liberation.

For example, at Novotel Danang, guests staying for two nights will enjoy a 20% discount on room rates, receive two cable car tickets, and have free access to the Wow Pass (worth VND300,000) without waiting.

If you choose to stay at Premier Village Danang, in addition to the breakfast and minibar package, guests will also receive Sun World Ba Na Hills tickets, a Ba Na buffet lunch ticket, and free Wow Pass access (worth VND300,000).

Moreover, in alignment with Da Nang's milestones this year, Sun World Ba Na Hills and Danang Downtown will offer up to 50% discounts during special appreciation programs for domestic tourists from Quang Nam - Da Nang and residents from Central Highlands and Central Vietnam.

DIFF 2025 and great expectations

At the press conference, Truong Hong Hanh, director of the Da Nang Department of Tourism, emphasized the city's expectations for an international fireworks complex: “Da Nang’s Department of Tourism is proposing to the city an international fireworks complex. This will be one of the three breakthroughs to boost the tourism industry in 2025, in terms of new tourism products, market promotion, flight routes, and service quality.

"For the new tourism product, the city will have solutions to accelerate progress and begin construction early for this international fireworks complex proposal. Our department is highly focused and closely monitoring this progress.”

To prepare for a longer DIFF 2025, the city’s Tourism Association and Travel Association are also planning separately to attract more tourists, expand tours, and enhance collaboration to ensure Da Nang has a memorable 50th Liberation Anniversary tourism year.

Cao Tri Dung, chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association, said: “With this event, we have called on hotel associations, travel agencies, transportation companies, and tour guides to proactively develop unique, tailor-made packages for DIFF. We estimate that in 2025, the number of international visitors to Da Nang will increase by 20-25% compared to 2024 to 5 million. Meanwhile, domestic visitors will rise by 10% to around 8 million.

Ho Thanh Tu, chairman of the Da Nang Travel Association, noted: “We will create more combo packages and organize various culinary activities, as well as event series during the summer, giving tourists the chance to experience these alongside other events at DIFF. Additionally, night-time activities and new products will be launched to celebrate the 50th Liberation Anniversary of Da Nang.”

At the press meeting, Huynh Nam Thang, vice chairman and CEO of Sun Group Central Region, raised longer-term expectations to turn DIFF into a world-class event for tourism in Da Nang and Vietnam.

Thang commented: "Having been involved with DIFF for the past five seasons, we see that DIFF is not just a short summer light show, but also opens up long-term development opportunities across all service industries and subsequent investments, contributing to attracting investment, creating jobs, improving the quality of life for people.

"Furthermore, to maintain Da Nang’s status as the central tourism hub and continuously rise on the international tourism map, the city needs to have a strategic investment plan with a larger, more modern stage, along with a 'fireworks ecosystem' that includes resorts, gastronomy, shopping, and entertainment."

He added that this is especially the case in the context where many destinations in the country are making positive investments in fireworks, such as Phu Quoc, which has become a 365-day fireworks destination.

In agreement with the potential fireworks ecosystem, Nadia Shakira Wong, director of consulting company Global 2000, the event producer of DIFF for many years, emphasized: "Building a well-integrated infrastructure for the fireworks festival is very important. If there are more places for tourists to shop, enjoy entertainment, etc., visitors will spend more time in Da Nang."

A vibrant DIFF 2025 is now being launched, filled with charm and promises to continue stirring up the summer of Da Nang, creating a memorable highlight in the city's Han River anniversary year.