For Nha Trang to become city of cultural events

With its many existing strengths, Nha Trang City has become a destination of numerous national and international cultural events. However, in order to turn Nha Trang into a city of events, it requires investment in modern cultural facilities and policies to attract big units in cultural industry.

Destination of many big events

With its advantageous geographic location, transportation, and long-standing history, Nha Trang City has long become a political, economic and cultural center not only in Khanh Hoa Province but also in the south central coastal and highland regions. The coastal city has quite well-planned, developed infrastructure, clearly establishing itself as a major service and tourism center in the country. Currently, Nha Trang City is home to numerous high-class hotels, resorts, shopping centers, and entertainment venues to serve both tourists and local people. Additionally, the city has many reputable research institutions such as the Institute of Oceanography, Pasteur Institute Nha Trang, Nha Trang University, and Telecommunications University, which can be the venues for scientific conferences and seminars.

Singer Duc Phuc performing in Ever Glamour Nha Trang Festival 2024

Nha Trang has been chosen as the venue for many major events over the years, especially cultural and tourism events. In addition to Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa Sea Festival, which is held every two years (since 2003), the coastal city has hosted significant cultural events such as the 16th Vietnam charming art program (2006), national and international beauty pageants (Miss Universe 2008 and Miss Earth 2010), APEC 2017, and Visit Vietnam Year 2019.

After COVID-19 pandemic, Nha Trang has consistently been chosen as the venue for major national and international cultural and tourism events, such as the 2023 joint program on connecting to develop Vietnam’s tourism brand through cinema, Golden Kite Awards in 2022, 2023, and 2024 (the latter scheduled for early September 2024), the 8Wonder Music Festival at Vinpearl featuring the world-renowned singer Charlie Puth, and the first international jazz festival 2024. Most recently, the province successfully hosted Ever Glamour Nha Trang Festival 2024, which captured international media attention.

Many experts believe that Nha Trang has become an event city and should leverage this status for the city to develop more strongly and sustainably. At a scientific conference on 100 years of Nha Trang, Associate Professor Dr. Lưu Trang, former principal of Da Nang University of Education, stated that the development of Nha Trang should start with its cultural foundation. In order to ensure sustainable development for Nha Trang, it is essential to preserve the city’s existing cultural values and characteristics while leveraging its strengths to make Nha Trang a destination for national and international cultural events. Also at the conference, Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc from the Communist Review emphasized that Nha Trang's strength lies not in being an industrial city but in being a city of resort and tourism, cultural and scientific exchanges. Therefore, Nha Trang should focus on becoming a destination for major international cultural and entertainment events.

Need for promoting development of cultural industryIn reality, Nha Trang has significant potential and strengths for hosting national and international cultural events. The city is not only the central city of Khanh Hoa Province but also a big international tourist destination, attracting around 6 million visitors per year. A cultural event held in Nha Trang serves not only the local people but also domestic and international tourists. Many international visitors came to Nha Trang to attend Ever Glamour Nha Trang Festival 2024.

Director Dao Ba Son once said that he hopes Nha Trang will become a second Cannes (France). “I recall that Nha Trang once aimed to become a city of events. So, from now, the city needs a comprehensive plan to align with that goal, with a focus on establishing an international film festival in Nha Trang,” said Son. 

Nguyen Van Minh, Deputy Chairman of Nha Trang City People's Committee, stated that Nha Trang is being guided to become a green, smart, modern, prosperous, and happy city. Nha Trang City Party Committee has issued Resolution No. 30 on promoting the cultural values and people of Nha Trang in building and developing the city. This resolution identifies cultural and human development as a goal and a driving force throughout the city's development progress. In the future, alongside preserving and promoting Nha Trang’s cultural characteristics and people, the city will focus on investing in cultural facilities; invite domestic and international organizations and individuals to invest in cultural projects and typical works in Nha Trang; align cultural investment with the city's goals of economic and social development, especially green and sustainable tourism.

Currently, the province plans to invest in building A. Yersin Museum, Provincial Museum, and Provincial Conference Center, which are expected to attract cultural events at national and international scales to Nha Trang -Khanh Hoa. In addition to the Nha Trang Sea Festival, the province plans to make Ever Glamour Nha Trang Festival an annual event. These initiatives are aimed at turning Nha Trang into a city of events.

Xuan Thanh
Translated by H.N