Cua Lo Tourism Festival and a new direction for beach tourism.

Try your hand at the festival model.

Around the world, and in Vietnam as well, a festival is generally understood as a series of cultural, artistic, and tourism events organized over a specific period, bringing together diverse activities to celebrate the distinctive cultural values ​​of a locality and attract tourists.

Unlike traditional festivals, which are often associated with religious rituals or community activities, festivals are usually larger in scale, more creative, and connect many fields such as art, cuisine, tourism, sports, or commerce.

Following this trend, Nghe An province has also begun to gradually approach the festival model as a way to revitalize cultural and tourism activities. The event that best exemplifies this is the Nghe Tinh Folk Song Festival in 2023, held in the former Vinh city. The festival brought together many unique cultural activities such as a large-scale opening art program, the "Sparkling Heritage Land" street festival, the Folk Song Festival, the Three Regions Folk Song Performance, and the "Returning to the Land of Folk Songs" marathon.

However, as it was the first time it was organized, the festival also revealed some limitations. The series of activities was not very dense; the time intervals between programs were disjointed; most activities were more performance-oriented than experiential; and the level of direct participation from visitors was not high…

These experiences demonstrate that building a successful festival requires thorough preparation, a long-term vision, and the participation of many stakeholders, from management agencies and tourism businesses to the local community. However, these initial experiences also provide important lessons for Nghe An to continue trying its hand at larger-scale festivals in the future.

Opening up more opportunities for beach tourism.

While the 2023 Nghe Tinh Folk Song Festival focused on honoring cultural heritage, the 2026 Cua Lo Tourism Festival is expected to become a comprehensive tourism event, connecting many experiential activities related to the sea and culture of Nghe An province.

According to the draft plan, the festival is intended to be held throughout the year with a series of activities linked to the characteristics of each season, thereby creating a continuous stream of events and gradually changing the way beach tourism is exploited, which has long been mainly focused on the summer.

The event kicks off with the "Cua Lo Welcomes Spring" series of activities, featuring cultural and artistic programs, folk games, and some traditional festivals of the coastal residents, such as the fishing prayer ceremony. This is seen as an opportunity to showcase the unique maritime culture and create additional tourism products during the early part of the year – a time when tourism activities in Cua Lo are generally less active.

As summer approaches – the peak season for beach tourism – large-scale activities such as the opening ceremony, outdoor art performances, the North Central Vietnam food festival, and the hot air balloon festival are expected to create highlights for the Cua Lo tourism season and provide additional experiences for visitors.

During the autumn season, the "Cua Lo in Autumn" series of activities will continue to maintain the festive atmosphere with art programs, mini-shows, and various entertainment events at tourist areas and amusement parks in the area. Maintaining these activities during this period is expected to contribute to extending the length of stay for tourists and revitalize tourism services after the peak season.

Notably, during the winter – a time traditionally considered the "low season" for beach tourism – the organizers plan to create a series of activities themed "Cua Lo – a seaside city without winter," including art programs, music concerts, and a New Year's Eve countdown event.

The design of a series of events spanning all four seasons is considered a notable new feature of the Cua Lo Tourism Festival 2026 compared to many previous tourism activities. For many years, tourism events in Cua Lo have mainly focused on the opening of the beach tourism season and programs taking place during the summer months, while the rest of the year has been relatively quiet. The four-season festival model is therefore expected to gradually create a continuous stream of events throughout the year, contributing to a shift from seasonal tourism to the development of a year-round beach destination.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Hong, Head of the Tourism Management Department (Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism), building tourism festivals is one of the solutions to diversify the province's tourism products.

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The festival will create a space to connect various types of tourism such as beach, culture, cuisine, and community experiences. If organized properly, this could become a branded tourism event for Nghe An, contributing to promoting the local image and attracting tourists.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Hong – Head of Tourism Management Department (Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism)

From a local perspective, the Cua Lo authorities also hope the festival will open up new opportunities for beach tourism. Mr. Phung Duc Nhan – Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Lo Ward, said: “If the festival is organized on a large scale and is attractive, it will help promote the image of Cua Lo beach more strongly. Not only will it attract tourists, but the event will also create more opportunities for the development of local services, trade, and tourism.”

However, according to Dr. Pham Trung Luong, former Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research, for the festival to truly become a boost for Nghe An tourism, many factors need to be carefully prepared.

First and foremost, it's crucial to create a compelling overall scenario, with the most important element being the creation of a "story" for the event. A festival shouldn't just be a collection of disparate activities; it needs to convey a message about cultural identity and the image of the destination. For Cua Lo, that story could begin with the sea and the culture of Nghe An province: from the lives of fishermen, the fishing festival, the folk songs of the region, to seafood cuisine and the rhythm of modern tourism.

According to Associate Professor Pham Trung Luong, festivals need to enhance experiential aspects and community participation instead of focusing solely on stage performances. Activities such as street festivals, water sports, tourist night markets, or culinary spaces can create a vibrant festival atmosphere, attracting tourists to directly participate and experience local cultural life.

In addition, communication and promotion play a particularly important role. For a festival to be successful, it not only needs an attractive program but also widespread communication on modern platforms, thereby creating a ripple effect and attracting tourists.

It can be said that organizing the Cua Lo Tourism Festival is an important test run for Nghe An to gradually build large-scale cultural and tourism events with brand recognition. If successfully organized and maintained annually, the festival will not only contribute to stimulating tourism but also open up opportunities for Nghe An to position itself as an attractive destination on the Vietnamese tourism map.