Around 70,000 people will come to Da Nang to admire firework shows during the Da Nang International Firework Festival from March 27-28. All hotel rooms and inns are booked.

Firework show on the Han River at the Da Nang International Firework Festival 2009.

Several days before the firework festival, almost all hotels and guest houses in this city and the neighbouring areas like Hoi An ancient town (Quang Nam), Lang Co (Thua Thien- Hue city) have been fully booked.

The Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism expects around 70,000 visitors, 10,000 more than last year.

Ngo Thi Hoang Anh from the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that the city has 312 hotels and inns totaling 6110 rooms, sufficient for about 10,000 visitors. The department has cooperated with 76 hotels in Hoi An and 20 in Lang Co to serve tourists. Some tourism firms will organize tours to Hoi An and Lang Co during the day and bring visitors back to Da Nang at night to watch firework shows.

Most hotels in Hoi An and Lang Co were fully booked in late March even though they are 40 kilometers from Da Nang. Many people, thus, are scrambling to find a place to stay.

Nguyen Van An from Quang Ngai decided to hire a car to drive to Da Nang for the firework festival and he plans to sleep in the car too. Many others said that they will bring canvases and hammocks to sleep in along the banks of the Han River.

By March 22, viewing stands for over 25,000 visitors were nearly finished.

The festival would host competitors from the US, Portugal, Japan and France. The event, named The Legend of Han River, was selected by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to be one of seven major events nationwide this year, which would be held to prepare for the 1,000th anniversary of the Thang Long – Hanoi capital. It would also celebrate Da Nang’s 35th year of its liberation day.

The occasion would also see flower garland and coloured lantern performances, Vietnamese trade village and drawing exhibitions, and kite flying and marine sport contests.

The first international firework festival was held in Da Nang in 2008.

PV