The Da Nang People’s Committee January 25 held a press conference to announce plans and sign sponsorship contracts for the 2010 International Fireworks Competition, which will take place in Da Nang City March 27-28.
This year’s event will be themed “Legend of the Han River” and will see participation from US, Japanese, French, and Portuguese teams in addition to a group representing Da Nang City.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has selected the fireworks competition as one of the seven most prestigious events in the country to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.
According to the competition’s management board, the city will build a grandstand with capacity for 25,000 people to serve spectators this year.
A fund has also been established to raise money for the upcoming event.
The Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced that several other activities will be held around the time of the fireworks competition including a flower boat procession, kite-flying competition, and night festival.
This year, Sai Gon Giai Phong and Dan Tri will be the official reporters of news about the event.
During the press conference, leaders of the Da Nang People’s Committee and enterprises signed sponsorship contracts worth over VND11 billion (US$580,000).
At the 2009 International Fireworks Competition, first prize went to the Chinese team, followed by Australia and the Philippines. Host Vietnam was awarded a consolation prize.
Da Nang City received 60,000 visitors during last year’s event, a year-on-year increase of 20 percent.