There will be many interesting activities within the Song nuoc Tam Giang Festival. 

An opportunity for tourism development

The “Song Nuoc Tam Giang” Festival 2024 will span three days from June 8th to 10th, organized into four main sections: ceremonial activities, festival events, tourism activities, and other supportive activities. The central location of the festival will be the picturesque Tam Giang lagoon, with the main venue at Con Toc park (Quang Loi Commune). The beaches of Tan My (Quang Ngan) and Cuong Giang (Quang Cong) will host a variety of distinctive cultural, artistic, and sports activities showcasing the rural charm of Quang Dien.

The “Song Nuoc Tam Giang” Festival will feature numerous vibrant activities. The opening ceremony, held on a floating stage by Tam Giang lagoon, will showcase cultural and artistic performances by renowned in and outside province singers. Within the festival, the “Quang Dien rural market cuisine” program will immerse visitors in a nostalgic rural village atmosphere. Diners here can enjoy many rustic, typical, traditional dishes selected and restored based on local specialties.

A trade fair will be held during the festival, aiming to attract numerous stalls showcasing local specialties from the One Commune One Products (OCOP) program to promote trade. These booths will exhibit and introduce products from traditional craft villages and unique culinary delights of the riverine countryside, especially the seafood from Tam Giang lagoon. This fair will also facilitate business connections between the Tam Giang Quang Loi Community Tourism Cooperative, and travel companies inside and outside of the province. Along the lagoon's shores, the organizers will also display and award dozens of selected works from the 2nd edition of the “Beauty of Quang Dien through photography” contest in 2024.

Traditional singing performances, such as “hát bả trạo”, a combination of singing, dancing, and recitation originating from generations of fishermen for village festivals and ceremonies honoring the deities who blessed the people with land to live on and passed down the waterway trades to them, will be revived and presented to visitors. Through these, the Organizing committee aims to enrich the cultural and spiritual life and enhance cultural enjoyment for locals and tourists alike.

The “Song Nuoc Tam Giang” Festival 2024 will also include various sports activities such as boat racing on the Tam Giang lagoon, beach volleyball, traditional wrestling, petanque, and water tug-of-war. Visitors can also participate in folk games like stick pushing, blindfolded pottery beating, kite flying competitions, and balance beam challenges.

Creating unique impressions for visitors

During the festival, Quang Dien District will also organize “Sea Tourism Season” and Tam Giang lagoon tourism activities. Highlights include tours and experiences around the Tam Giang lagoon, visits to the traditional bamboo and rattan weaving village of Thuy Lap (Quang Loi Commune) by motorboat, paddle boarding, and cycling. Visitors can also check-in at various tourist spots and participate in creating products from bamboo and rattan at various workshops of Thuy Lap village. The organizing committee aims to combine cultural and tourism activities with high community involvement to create a compelling attraction that leaves a lasting impression on visitors to Quang Dien.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Vice Chairman of the Quang Dien District People's Committee and Head of the Festival Organizing Committee, emphasized that the “Song Nuoc Tam Giang” Festival is an opportunity to honor the cultural and historical values of the district. It aims to introduce and promote the unique features of Quang Dien's land and people to both domestic and international friends. The festival also seeks to highlight Quang Dien's potential for tourism and service development, showcasing its rich cultural heritage, its ancient land with many famous historical and cultural relics, as well as the abundant and attractive products of the rural Quang Dien and the vast potential of the Tam Giang lagoon system”.

“Besides coordinating the assigned tasks, it is crucial for departments and localities to focus on media publicity. Activities should thoroughly make use of the traditional and folk cultural elements of Quảng Điền. Events must be safe, economical, practical, and effective, providing a lively, exciting, and appealing environment to attract tourists to Quang Dien,” shared Vice Chairman Nguyen Tuan Anh.

Story and photo: THAI BINH