Ho Chi Minh City River Festival won 2 Gold Awards at the 2025 IBA International Awards

Specifically, the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival was honored in the category of Arts, Entertainment and Public Festival. Meanwhile, the opening art program Legendary Train won the Gold Award in the category of Cultural Event. The award ceremony will take place on October 10 in Portugal.

IBA, dubbed the "Oscars of the economic field", this year attracted more than 3,800 applications from 78 countries and territories. The applications were evaluated according to 4 criteria: Reason for establishment, objectives, implementation method, results and practical impact.

The 2024 Ho Chi Minh City River Festival was assessed by the jury as a pioneering model, combining heritage - tourism - economy, creating a unique urban cultural mark of Vietnam.

Launched in 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival was initiated by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, to honor cultural and historical values and promote the image of the river city.

The highlight of the 2024 Ho Chi Minh City River Festival is the grand musical Legendary Train with nearly 1,000 actors and artists participating, recreating the journey from a small trading port to a modern metropolis. The opening night was attended by leaders of the Central Government and Ho Chi Minh City, along with nearly 9,000 live audiences and tens of millions of online viewers.

During the 10 days, the festival attracted more than 4.5 million participants, welcomed 1,301 million visitors, including 121,000 international visitors, bringing in an estimated tourism revenue of VND4,250 billion for the city.

Accommodation occupancy in the central area of Ho Chi Minh City (old District 1) increased by 20%, waterway tourism businesses grew by 20% during the festival and remained at 25-40% thereafter. Some destinations recorded strong increases such as Cu Chi Tunnels increased by 423%, Ho Chi Minh Museum increased by 103%.

The closing night of the festival with the theme Ho Chi Minh City - Sparkling singing river impressed with 1,100 drones performing light shows, affirming the unique, modern and rich identity of the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival brand.

The double success at IBA 2025 not only enhances the image of Ho Chi Minh City as a leading festival-cultural destination in the region, but also contributes to affirming Vietnam's position on the international creative map.

Following the success, the 3rd Ho Chi Minh City River Festival 2025 will take place from November 29 to December 31 at many locations related to rivers and canals in the city. The program will include art, sports, culinary activities, fireworks and model boat light shows.

In particular, the opening night with the program Cross-Space Bridge this year will connect the past, present and future with live musicals combining modern technology, paying tribute to the historical milestones of 50 years of National Unification, 80 years of August Revolution, 80 years of National Day September 2, while expressing the aspiration for sustainable development of Ho Chi Minh City in the new era.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/le-hoi-song-nuoc-tphcm-gianh-2-giai-vang-tai-giai-thuong-quoc-te-iba-2025-20250927002117049.htm