Binh Dinh to hold first-ever hot-air balloon festival

Binh Dinh Province in south-central Vietnam will organize its first-ever hot-air balloon festival from April 24 to May 5 as part of an effort to attract domestic and foreign tourists.

The festival, entitled 'Quy Nhon – Sea Paradise – Brilliant Colors,' will be held at Quy Nhon Square in the namesake city in Binh Dinh Province, deputy director of the provincial Department of Tourism Huynh Cao Nhat said on Wednesday.​

Visitors to Binh Dinh Province can parasail at Ky Co Beach. Photo: Lam Thien / Tuoi Tre

Twelve colorful hot-air balloons, each measuring 25-28 meters in diameter, will float above the city throughout the festival.

The hot-air balloons can rise 300-500 meters into the air and carry two to five passengers each flight.

Tourists can opt for either tethered or free-floating balloon as they explore the beautiful sea city from above.

Free-floating rides will start at 6:00 am every day with two passengers and a pilot on the balloons. These rides last 45-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, the tethered balloon rides will open from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm daily. Each balloon can accommodate two to three passengers and a pilot for five-minute rides.

“This is the first time Binh Dinh has held a hot-air balloon festival. It will be a key tourism activity for the province in 2023 and will help to woo local and international travelers,” said Nhat.

Binh Dinh will also hold a photo exhibition to display its tourism offerings, the final round of the Miss World Vietnam 2023, a convention for the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program and traditional craft villages in Binh Dinh, and a martial arts fest, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

The province served 1.26 million tourists in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 33 percent.

Its tourism revenue reached VND2.6 trillion (US$111 million) last quarter, double the figure from the same period last year.

Binh Dinh set targets of welcoming five million visitors and generating tourism revenue of VND16.4 trillion ($700 million) this year, Nhan Dan (People) newspaper reported.

(Source: TTO)