General rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the "Lotus Village Festival" 2026.
On the morning of May 18th, at the Lang Sen Stadium in Kim Lien commune, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism conducted a dress rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2026 Lang Sen Festival. This is one of the meaningful activities commemorating the 136th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birth.
The program is implemented by the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports and the Ho Chi Minh City Drama Theatre.
According to the plan, the opening ceremony will take place at 8:10 PM tonight (May 18th) at Lang Sen Stadium and will be broadcast live on NTV, HTV1, and many newspapers and radio and television stations nationwide.
In addition to the ceremonial part, the artistic program, and the high-altitude fireworks display, the opening night will announce the Decision of the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to award the First Class Labor Order to the Kim Lien Historical Site.
In addition, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will announce the Decision on Recognition.Kim Lien National Tourist AreaThis event is of significant importance to the development of local tourism, contributing to promoting the image of President Ho Chi Minh's homeland to domestic and international tourists.
The highlight of the opening night was a special art program staged in a large-scale semi-live performance format, directed by Binh Hung and with artistic commentary written by People's Artist Nguyen An Ninh.
The art program consists of three chapters: "Lotus Blossoms in the Homeland," "Footprints of the Era," and "Enduring Fragrance," recording the journey from his hometown of Lang Sen to President Ho Chi Minh's aspiration for national independence; the spirit of great unity and the aspiration for national development in the new era.
Chapter I, "Lotus Blossoms in My Homeland," recreates President Ho Chi Minh's childhood through performances such as "Lullaby Amidst the Lotus Blossoms," "The Sound of the Kite Flute in Childhood," "A Letter from My Homeland," and "From Lullabies to Great Ambitions," featuring various theatrical scenes combining folk songs, contemporary dance, and images of the old Nam Dan countryside.
Chapter II, "Footprints of the Era," recreates President Ho Chi Minh's journey to find a way to save the country and his deep affection for the South through performances such as "Visiting Nha Rong Wharf," "The South in His Heart," and "The Century-Old Path He Walked," which combine traditional and modern music, dramatic scenes, and historical documents.
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The program concluded with Chapter III, "Enduring Beauty," featuring modern performances such as "The Quintessence of Vietnam," "Uncle Ho's Words Shine Forever," "The Song of Ho Chi Minh," and "Vietnam Proudly Stepping Towards the Future," expressing aspirations for development and national pride in the new era.
The art night brought together numerous famous artists such as People's Artist Hong Luu, People's Artist Tien Dung, Meritorious Artist Van Khanh, Meritorious Artist Vu Thang Loi, Tung Duong, Quoc Thien, Van Mai Huong, Bui Cong Nam, Duong Hoang Yen… along with hundreds of actors, artists, students from Vinh University and children from Nghe An participating in the performance.
Through the opening ceremony of the 2026 Lotus Village Festival, Nghe An province continues to affirm the significance and widespread influence of a special cultural and political event, expressing the profound respect and gratitude of the Party Committee, government, and people of the whole country towards the beloved President Ho Chi Minh.
At the same time, this is also an opportunity to promote and educate about patriotic traditions, spread the ideological, moral, and stylistic values of Ho Chi Minh; contribute to promoting the image of Nghe An province and the Kim Lien Historical Site to domestic and foreign tourists, thereby promoting cultural and tourism development and inspiring aspirations for the development of the homeland and the country in the new era.
Following the dress rehearsal, representatives from the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports highly appreciated the sense of responsibility shown by the participating units, especially the directing team, artists, actors, and the logistics and technical support staff.
At the same time, the units have also thoroughly reviewed all the content, script, sound, lighting, and visuals to ensure that tonight's program takes place in a dignified and safe manner, leaving many beautiful impressions in the hearts of the people and tourists.
