Impressive Figures After the Preliminary Rounds of the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival – DIFF 2026

Impressive Figures 

After five preliminary nights featuring fireworks performances widely regarded as among the most spectacular and thrilling in the festival’s history, DIFF 2026 - co-organised by the Da Nang People’s Committee and Sun Group - has entered its final stretch. Beyond captivating audiences with world-class fireworks artistry and a large-scale music stage, the festival continues to affirm its role as a powerful “magnet” for Da Nang tourism.

Across the five competition nights on May 30, June 6, June 13, June 20 and June 27, the city recorded more than 557,000 overnight visitors, up 34% compared with the same period last year. Each fireworks night welcomed more than 100,000 overnight guests, with the fifth night on June 27 reaching around 117,400 - the highest figure since the start of the season.

This is a highly positive signal for Da Nang’s tourism sector. Rather than creating a short-lived “fever” over a single weekend, DIFF is helping maintain a steady flow of visitors over several consecutive weeks, enabling hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, transport providers and entertainment venues to operate proactively, optimise capacity and boost revenue.

The visitor structure also reflects the festival’s growing international reach. Of the total overnight visitors, more than 233,000 were international travellers, accounting for around 42%. According to a survey by the DIFF 2026 Organising Committee, international visitors attending DIFF came from a wide range of countries, including India, Kazakhstan, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Netherlands. These are visitor groups with strong spending potential, often using multiple services such as accommodation, resorts, dining and experiential activities, thereby making a significant contribution to tourism revenue.

Meanwhile, more than 324,000 domestic visitors show that DIFF continues to maintain its appeal among the local market. Families, groups of young travellers and weekend holidaymakers are choosing Da Nang not only to enjoy the fireworks, but also to combine their trips with relaxation, entertainment and city exploration.

In fact, on festival nights, beyond the grandstands, both banks of the Han River, central streets, hotels, restaurants, cafés, cruises and entertainment venues are filled with visitors from early in the evening. Before and after the brilliant fireworks displays, many continue their journeys to explore Sun World Ba Na Hills, My Khe Beach, Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary and more. This diverse chain of experiences has helped DIFF become an important highlight in Da Nang’s strategy to extend visitor stays, increase spending and spread tourism benefits across multiple sectors.

What Makes DIFF So Attractive?

If the figures reflect DIFF’s effectiveness, constant innovation is the key factor that has helped the festival sustain its appeal for nearly two decades. This year is especially notable as DIFF was voted one of the world’s top nine must-experience festivals by leading global travel magazine Travel Leisure.

The heat surrounding DIFF 2026 is not a short-term phenomenon. It is the result of a long journey in which the festival has been continuously invested in, upgraded and refreshed, becoming an experience that travellers want to return to year after year.

From an international fireworks competition first held in 2008, DIFF after Sun Group joined hands with the Da Nang People’s Committee as co-organiser in 2017 has grown into a festival season lasting more than a month. It brings together leading fireworks teams from around the world, alongside large-scale art, music and performance technology programmes. More importantly, the festival’s reputation has been steadily strengthened through each edition.

In the past, visitors often decided to watch the fireworks close to the event date. Today, hunting for DIFF tickets has become part of summer travel planning. The sharp increase in demand year after year shows that DIFF has moved beyond the role of a mere performance event to become an “experience brand”. This year, instead of opening grandstand A4 only for the final night as initially planned, the Organising Committee had to open it from the fifth competition night to meet visitor demand amid repeated sell-outs.

Amid the crowds flocking to the Han River on the fifth competition night, Khanh Linh from Nghe An could not hide her excitement: “I was truly overwhelmed by the performances. From the festive atmosphere and the music to the bursts of fireworks lighting up the sky, everything brought a very special feeling. For me, DIFF has become an indispensable ‘specialty’ whenever Da Nang is mentioned.”

From a professional perspective, musician Nguyen Duc Trinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Musicians’ Association, a member of the jury and a long-time companion of DIFF, said: “DIFF 2026 continues to affirm the appeal of an international-level fireworks festival. A highlight of this year’s edition is the spirit of creativity and the desire of the competing teams to surpass themselves. Even teams that have won many international titles do not simply repeat past success, but continue to seek new ideas, bringing increasingly distinctive performances to the audience.”

Looking at the global context, Nadia Shakira Wong, CEO of Global2000 and advisor to the DIFF jury, said the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival has created a point of difference from major fireworks festivals around the world, such as Cannes or Montreal. Each night is designed as a complete artistic programme, combining storytelling, music, lighting, cultural elements and fireworks to create an emotional journey.

“It is this balance between what the audience sees and what they feel that gives DIFF its uniqueness in the global fireworks industry,” Nadia shared.

As Da Nang positions itself as a city of events, festivals and resort tourism, DIFF increasingly demonstrates value far beyond that of a fireworks competition. With strategic investment, continuous renewal and close connection with the city’s tourism ecosystem, the festival not only creates radiant summer nights, but also becomes a driving force for service-sector growth, tourism spending and the elevation of Da Nang’s destination image.

Following the impressive figures recorded over five competition nights, DIFF’s momentum is expected to continue building toward the grand finale on the evening of July 11, when the two outstanding fireworks teams from China and Portugal will deliver their most elaborate performances to win over the jury and tens of thousands of spectators along the Han River. More than a contest to determine the champion, the final night promises to be an international-standard feast of art, music and fireworks, bringing a successful DIFF season to a close while further extending the appeal of Da Nang’s summer tourism season.