Hai Phong (VNA) – Agala night was held at the Opera House Square in the northern port city of HaiPhong on May 12 as the first out of more than 50 activities within the HoaPhuong Do (Red Flamboyant Flower) Festival.

PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, along with around 3,000 domestic and foreigndelegates, attended the event.

Addressingthe gala night, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tungsaid thanks to drastic actions, Hai Phong completed many set targets.

In thefirst four months of 2018, the city’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew over 15percent, the highest-ever level and doubling the national average, the officialsaid.

Of note,Hai Phong ranked ninth among 63 cities and provinces nationwide in theprovincial competitiveness index in 2017, up 19 places as compared with 2015. Therefore,the city continued to be listed in the top ten attractive destinations forinvestors in the country.

Many majorprojects have been completed in the city such as Hanoi-Hai Phong Expressway,Cat Bi International Airport, Tan Vu-Lach Huyen- the longest bridge in Vietnam,and Hai Phong International Gateway Port .

The citywill invest in many other important projects like Aeon mall, Tan Vu-Lach HuyenBridge 2, terminal 2 of Cat Bi International Airport and other wharfs of HaiPhong International Gateway Port.

The galanight themed Hai Phong Vuon Ra Bien Lon (Hai Phong reaching out to thesea) demonstrated the city’s determination to carry forward traditions andutilise its potential to develop and integrate into the world.


Apart fromthe gala, the festival will feature a boat race in Gia River in Thuy Nguyendistrict, women’s beach volleyball tournament, a culinary exchange, paintingand photo exhibitions, an ancient motorbike festival and a groundbreakingceremony of Hai Phong-Le Chan Aeon mall, among others.

The annualcultural and tourism event was initiated in 2011, through the idea ofshowcasing the city’s abundant and beautiful flower blossoms, and to promoteand boost tourism and enhance the image of Hai Phong.

Over the last seasons, the Flamboyant FlowerFestival has become a recognised festival of the port city, symbolising andpraising its people and land.

Renowned as the city of flamboyant flower, HaiPhong is a peaceful city of wide boulevards dovetailed with organised treerows. As one of the important commercial and industrial hub in northernVietnam, the city is striving to make tourism a spearhead economic sector andturn itself into one of the nation’s key tourism destinations.

According to the municipal People’s Committee’saction programme on tourism development from 2017–2020 with a vision through2030, the city hopes to receive 8 million tourists and earn 3.5 trillion VND(154 million USD) with expected annual average growth rates of between 8.2percent and 8.9 percent.-VNA