In just a few days, the 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival - the province's premier cultural, sports, and tourism event - will officially take place. With the theme "Colors of the Ocean - Reaching International Heights," this year's sea festival promises to bring new and exciting experiences to residents and visitors alike.
More than 40 vibrant and unique events
As announced by the Provincial People's Committee, the 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival will officially take place from July 17 to 19; additionally, supporting activities will be held from July 10 through August 10 at 2/4 Square (Nha Trang ward) and other locations across the province. The festival features over 40 cultural, artistic, sports, and tourism activities. Highlights include: the Opening Ceremony (8:00 PM, July 17); the Carnival and Float Parade (5:00 PM, July 18); and the Closing Ceremony combined with the "Unite the Continents" Grand Music Festival (8:00 PM, July 19), all taking place at 2/4 Square and along Tran Phu Street. Supporting activities across culture, cuisine, arts, sports, and tourism are also incredibly diverse and engaging, such as: the Khanh Hoa Swiftlet Nest Festival; the "Taste of the Coastal City - Summer Melodies" program; the Vietnam Ao Dai Festival; the 2026 Khanh Hoa Agricultural Products, OCOP, and Local Products Week; the Lam Son Fruit Festival; various exhibitions, street art performances, and artistic kite flying; the 2026 VPS Cup International Nha Trang Sailing Regatta; the 2026 Nha Trang City Trail; the 2026 Anara Championship Khanh Hoa golf tournament; the "Hello Khanh Hoa" international cultural exchange program; the Khanh Hoa Beach Soccer Tournament; and displays and demonstrations of Bau Truc pottery heritage, My Nghiep brocade weaving, and the agarwood craft...
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| Float parade during the Carnival program of the 2025 Sea Culture and Tourism Festival. |
The festival expects to welcome 800,000 domestic and international visitors. This is an opportunity for Khanh Hoa to continue promoting its image as a "Safe, high-quality, attractive, and friendly" destination; to honor cultural and marine island natural values; to promote sustainable development of tourism, the marine economy, trade, and services; and to strengthen domestic and international exchange and cooperation.
Ms. THAI THI LE HANG - Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, stated: The 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival holds special significance as it takes place during the one-year anniversary of the province's merger, the one-year progress review of the two-level local government, and simultaneously creates a vibrant summer atmosphere. Preparation for the event is now basically complete. The highlight of this year's festival is the opening night, which will take place on a vibrant, large-scale, and spectacular stage that is deeply infused with marine and island character, asserting an international standard. Additionally, the carnival night and float parade promise to be extremely unique, as each float is designed and decorated as a mobile stage for artists and singers to perform live. Through this, residents and visitors can break down all distances and immerse themselves in a vibrant and accessible festival space.
Shining cultural values
The 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival does not stop at honoring and promoting the beauty of nature and islands or stirring up a vibrant summer; it also delves into characteristic and representative cultural values to create a multi-colored and deeply profound festival. There, visitors and residents will see the unique cultural heritage values of the Cham people from traditional craft villages, such as pottery making and brocade weaving, to traditional folk songs, dances, and music skillfully integrated into the programs and art performances. The images of ancient towers and temples, as well as the province's iconic scenic spots, will also appear frequently in the programs and activities. During the three main days of the 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival, performance activities conducted by the Provincial Traditional Art Theater will also take place at April 16 Square (Dong Hai Ward).
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| An art performance during the 2025 Sea Culture and Tourism Festival. |
Notably, the opening ceremony of the 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival will be broadcast live on VTV1 of Vietnam Television, relayed on the KTV channel of the Khanh Hoa Newspaper and Radio & Television Station, along with over 20 local television channels and digital platforms across the country. To serve the audience watching in person as well as those following via television in the most impressive way, the opening program will apply modern performance technologies such as AR Realtime and 3D Mapping, combined with low and high-altitude fireworks. At April 16 Square specifically, a large-scale LED screen system has been installed for the public to watch the festival's opening and closing ceremonies via live television broadcast.
The opening ceremony script consists of three parts: The Convergence of Essence - Motherland in Harmony; The Green Symphony - The Shining Pearl Bay; The Aspiration to Reach Out - A Radiant Era. Through elaborately and grandly staged scenes, the night will fully recreate the values and beauty of nature, the sea, islands, people, traditions, and the local culture. The opening night promises to be explosive and impressive with the participation of hundreds of artists, singers, and actors, including big-name stars such as Hoa Minzy, Dong Hung, Pham Anh Khoa, Lam Bao Ngoc, Truong Thuy Duong, Duc Phuc...
According to Mr. Le Van Hoa - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Khanh Hoa possesses many famous monuments, scenic spots, and cultural heritage sites. Therefore, the script for the opening of the 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival focuses on expressing these cultural values. These are the highlights that the scriptwriters have painstakingly researched to realize through the language of performing arts.
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| Float parade during the Carnival program of the 2025 Sea Culture and Tourism Festival. |
Mr. Pham Xuan Hai - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gia Pham Trading Joint Stock Company (the event consulting unit) shared: "To assert international status and serve the audience in the best possible way, this year's Sea Festival brings together many international art troupes and artists. Currently, the lead artists and actors are training in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; by the end of June, they will be in Nha Trang to rehearse with the extras, ready for an impressive and explosive performance."
Source: Khanh Hoa online
