Located on the lower reaches of the Dong Nai River and the Saigon River, Ho Chi Minh City has 23 km of coastline and a network of rivers. The channel is quite dense and has a density of up to 3.38 km/km2; The Saigon River is the largest river, flowing through the city for 80 km, which can accommodate marine and large cruise ships, and has the potential to develop ecotourism, urban waterways, as well as waterways that connect the southeastern provinces, the Mekong River delta provinces, and Cambodia.

Utilizing the above advantages, promote the development of Ho Chi Minh City's distinctive tourism products, diversify the events and festivals that are beneficial to residents and visitors, and promote the image of Ho Chi Minh City's tourism destination as "Attractive, Lively, and Modern". The people’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has issued plans to organize the first Ho Chi Minh City River Festival in 2023. The purpose of the festival is to promote the image, land, people, cultural identity, tourism activities and cuisine characteristic of Ho Chi Minh City, thereby spreading pride and love for the city and contributing to inspiring the discovery of tourist destination cities to domestic and international visitors.

Overview of the 1st Ho Chi Minh City River Festival Press Conference in 2023

The first Ho Chi Minh City Water River Festival 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City is led by the people's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of tourism chaired in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Sports and the departments and industries implemented. The festival will take place in 03 days, from 4th to 6th August 2023 in locations: Saigon port - Cruise Passenger Port, Ben Bach Dang Park, Nhieu Loc Canal area - Thi Nghe, Ben Binh Dong, Suoi Tien cultural tourism area and other tourist destinations in Thu Duc city and others districts of Ho Chi Minh City.

The first Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2023 is a series of cultural – entertainment – art activities that take place on the Saigon River, combined with experiential activities, shopping promotions, stimulating discounted fare programs Performing Arts and various other responsive activities.

(1) Opening of the 1st Ho Chi Minh City River and Water Festival 2023, on 4 of August, 2023, at Thu Ngu Flagpole Monument, District 1.

(2) The highlight of the event is the Art Program of the First Ho Chi Minh City River Festival in 2023 with the theme “Saigon- The River Tells a Story” at 20g00 on 6th of August, 2023 at Saigon Port- Cruise of Passenger Port. This is not only the first real scene program of Ho Chi Minh City but also the real scene program that recreates the formation of nature, and people through the development period of Gia Dinh – Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City and the river is a “witness”. The story will be told through a combination of art forms from folk to contemporary, music, dance, Light, Cinema, cultural-artistic Colors, and Entertainment combined with modern performance technologies, which takes place on a real River, a real Port, real boats, real people, real context and true stories and the most authentic emotions are elevated to art.

This is the first time in Vietnam, the historical story of a Saigon-Gia Dinh-Ho Chi Minh City stretching in space and time, a historical flow of thousands of years of this land is told in 5 chapters of Art urgent wild - open realm - on the Marina - Pearl Far East - brilliant city by the river with the participation of 700 actors and folk artists with a team of leading directors, experts, advisors, artists in the art industry.

Taking culture - history as the starting point, turning human values into a rope throughout, the River Festival and the real art program of the water river scene for the first time held in Vietnam will create an unprecedented unique tourism product, SIGNATURE SHOW – MUST SEE SHOW in Ho Chi Minh City associated with preserving, promoting the value of cultural heritage and identity, the distinct history of Gia Dinh – Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City and contribute to creating a prominent brand of Tourism Ho Chi Minh City Calendar on the destination map of international visitors.

Real art night scene will use 3D technology, mapping up the entire floor of the onshore scene; Water Music system programmed according to music; with professional light systems, detailed according to each repertoire. To create the most realistic images, in the desolation, the director team must go to search for ancient gourds from the Central Region, reconstructing the old sails. To the floating market, the team also mobilized more than 40 three-leaf and three-Edition canoes to recreate the scenery of Ben Binh Dong Flower Market on Tet. The parade with more than 30 tourist boats of all kinds: from canoe, sailboat, restaurant ship, cruise ship, water bus...will be a metaphor for the prosperous development that the tourism industry will bring to the Saigon River. The final chapter will be a full-fledged party of the most modern demonstration technologies with a large lazer system, a distinctive flyboard display, combined with a drone show and fireworks in the sky and light from dozens of large boats on

(3) The space “On the wharf under the boat” in District 1 (at Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, Dien Bien Phu bridge to Thi Nghe Bridge) and District 8 (area along the embankment of Ben Binh Dong route, Ward 13, District 8) from 04 to 6 August 2023. Exhibiting, introducing agricultural products, specialties and fruits of the regions for residents and visitors to visit shopping; contributing to supporting farmers to promote and consume products; organizing folk art activities (daytime) and the art program of Chau Tu (evening of 4th and 5th August 2023); organizing decorative lighting art along the canal.; organize pavilions to introduce regional cuisine, folk cakes, delicious fruits, typical products...for people, visitors to visit and shop; organize folk art activities and art performances on the evening of 4 and 5 of August, 2023.

(4) Water sports activities from 05 to 6 of August 2023 in Ben Bach Dang, No. 02, Ton Duc Thang Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City promises to bring people and visitors interesting experience.

(5) Parade on the river from 19h00 – 19h40 on 04, 05 August and from 21h00 – 21h40 on 06 of August 2023. From Saigon port to Landmark 81, there will be 30-40 boats of the units that are exploiting tourism on the Saigon River.

(6) Cultural space, arts, folk games, from 04 to 06 of August 2023, in Ben Bach Dang Park; Lam Son Park will organize a demonstration of the art forms of national cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage and organize folk games.

(7) Decorate artistic lighting of piers and wharfs in Bach Dang Park and along the Nhieu Loc banks – Thi Nghe Canal: at the pier, Wharf in Bach Dang Park; along the Nhieu Loc banks-Thi Nghe Canal. with festive responsive themes.

(8) Announce and Promo Waterways tourism and boost Ho Chi Minh City tourism: announce 30-50 tour programs to promo tourism and introduce new waterway tourism products and organize survey programs for businesses and potential customers to experience products.

(9) Decorating the model, the miniature cluster bearing the symbol of Ho Chi Minh City in the downtown area, from 04 to 6 of August 2023 at Lam Son Park, 30/4 Park, Saigon Port – passenger port of sea, Nhieu Loc Thi Nghe Canal, and festival venues to create new street works, attracting a large number of City residents and visitors to visit, experience and photograph.

(10) Other Festival activities such as: shopping promotions for visitors and residents during the festival in the city; fare reduction stimulus programs for Performing Arts, Southern Fruit Festival; documentary film exhibition celebrating 160 years of establishment, development of Saigon Port and activities in response to the festival of districts in the city.

It can be said that the 1st Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2023 is an occasion to arouse the love of the homeland and the pride of Ho Chi Minh residents about the millennial history of his father on this land. Bring inspiration and exciting experiences to people and visitors about cultural identity, about the most special things of Ho Chi Minh City through the period. The festival will help promote the inherent potential and maximize the economic, cultural and tourism value of the Saigon River; promoting communication and promotion of traditional villages, tourism symbols and cultural and entertainment destinations most characteristic of the city, helping to locate the urban brand river water rich identity of Ho Chi Minh City.

Some photos recorded at the morning of the press conference on 12 of July , 2023

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa speaks at the press conference the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival in 2023

The event program received the coordination and support of many departments, branches, military districts and Thu Duc City. Speaking about the event, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Department of Tourism emphasized: "The program not only promotes the history and cultural characteristics of the City but also exploits the values from the City's river and sea resources, contributing to the brand positioning of the City - A PROSPEROUS RIVER CITY AND CHARACTERISTICS. Thereby spreading pride and love for the City as well as inspiring tourism and exploring the City destination to domestic and international tourists, contributing to promoting and developing the socio-economic of the City". 

Contributing to the success of the first Ho Chi Minh City River Festival event is the co-sponsorship of Vingroup and IPP Group.

The official press conference of first Ho Chi Minh City River Festival in 2023 will be held at 08.30 12 of July, 2023, at Majestic Hotel to inform you about the purpose, content and meaning of the series of activities during the river festival, we look forward to the communication support of the units and press agencies contributing to the success of the event.

ORGANIZATION BOARD

HO CHI MINH CITY RIVER FESTIVAL 2023