Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2026 Opens, Promoting Sustainable Marine Development

With its coastline, islands and diverse landscapes, Khanh Hoa has become one of Vietnam's leading tourism destinations, particularly for international visitors. However, while visitor numbers continue to grow, night-time tourism remains largely fragmented and lacks comprehensive planning, requiring more efforts to further exploit this potential sector. Indian arrivals to Vietnam have risen sharply from around 100,000 before 2016 to 750,000 in 2025, 4.5 times higher than in 2019, driven by expanding direct air routes. The number of Vietnamese visitors to India has also maintained an average annual growth rate of 17–20%. The main festival activities will take place from July 17-19 in Nha Trang, while related events will be held across the province from July 10 to August 10. This year's festival will feature 12 sports, introducing several new events such as national youth triathlon and beach tennis championship, while expanding its international scope by bringing together clubs, athletes, and police forces from ASEAN countries for events such as the ASEAN Police Open Golf Tournament 2026. Truong Tuoi Dong Nai FC have continued to make waves in the transfer market, with reports that the club has completed the signing of Serbian midfielder Milos Vulic ahead of the 2026/27 V.League 1 season. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee approved the extension of Ha Long Bay to include the Cat Ba Archipelago in September 2023, marking Vietnam’s first trans-provincial heritage model. The designation has created new opportunities, but also poses challenges in harmonising management across administrative boundaries. Dr. Nguyen Thu Hanh, Director of the Centre for Research and Development of Vietnam Cultural Industry (SDCI), said Vietnam has traditionally focused on preserving heritage rather than creating new value from it. The key obstacle, she noted, is the weak connection between heritage and science, technology, education, design, communications and the marketplace, limiting its economic, educational and social impact despite the country's abundant cultural resources. In 2025 alone, more than 1.1 million Vietnamese and Thai tourists visited each other's countries, reflecting the steadily expanding connections between the two societies. Rather than choosing a destination first, many travellers now plan their trips around concerts and music festivals, turning music tourism from a niche trend into a powerful driver of travel demand across Southeast Asia. A screening of the special Vietnamese feature film Mua Do (Red Rain) was held in Vientiane on July 16 to mark the 49th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (July 18, 1977–2026), reaffirming the two countries' strategic cohesion through cultural exchange. Artists and cultural experts shared the view that the top leader's guidance at the second meeting of the Central Steering Committee for the Development of Vietnamese Culture not only reviewed the initial implementation of the Politburo's Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW but also identified four major gaps requiring urgent action and three strategic shifts to unlock the full potential of culture. The regatta is part of the 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival and is jointly organised by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Seanata Sailing Yacht and Technical Services Company. Digital transformation in the heritage sector should adopt a people-centred approach, ensuring the meaningful participation of communities at every stage-from documentation and preservation to the management, use and dissemination of cultural data. Jonathan Baker, Representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) told the Vietnam News Agency during an interview on July 8. The initiative brought together eight leading Vietnamese chefs and culinary experts, who introduced pho and other traditional dishes at eight destinations – Prague, Warsaw, Trnava, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest, Bochum and Berlin. Each stop celebrated a different facet of Vietnam's culinary heritage while fostering professional exchanges and discussions on the future of Vietnamese cuisine. The booth of the Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong has attracted considerable attention with a vibrant display featuring traditional conical hats painted with Vietnamese landscapes, red lanterns and large images of popular destinations such as Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa, Hue and Da Nang. Hanoi will host its inaugural International Martial Arts Festival from August 7–9 at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel and other venues across the capital, bringing together thousands of martial arts practitioners from Vietnam and overseas. As Vietnam's digital transformation continues, technology is opening new avenues for religious communities to share their teachings more quickly, more broadly and with more diverse audiences than ever before. Yet these opportunities also bring responsibilities: safeguarding the authenticity of religious teachings, cultivating a healthy and trustworthy digital environment, and equipping religious communities with the digital literacy needed to navigate the online world responsibly. Drawing on Party General Secretary and State President To Lam's detailed and practical guidance, artists and researchers voiced confidence that Vietnamese culture will undergo a sharp transformation and truly become both a spiritual foundation and a key driver of sustainable development in the new era. Jonathan Wallace Baker, UNESCO representative to Vietnam, confirmed that UNESCO stands ready to work alongside the culture ministry throughout the planning and implementation of the Photography City project, helping identify effective solutions to ensure its success. Tourism experts said integrating local heritage and cultural identity into hotels, homestays and other lodging facilities can enhance visitor experiences while creating greater value for local communities. After more than 800 years, the towers have suffered damage from weather, time and plant growth. In late 2025, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched a restoration project worth more than 90 billion VND (3.4 million USD). Scheduled to last 10 months, the project now sees 40% of its workload completed. In Hanoi, many historical and cultural landmarks have successfully enhanced their value through creative artistic activities. The Thang Long Imperial Citadel regularly hosts historical re-enactments, exhibitions and cultural experiences, while popular night tours at Hoa Lo Prison relic site demonstrate the effectiveness of storytelling through the combination of sound, light and performance. The DIFF 2026 festival has been one of the most successful editions in its history. Over the past weeks, hundreds of thousands of visitors have flocked to Da Nang to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere. Copyright, VietnamPlus, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Editor-in-chief, Mr.