Awakening the potential of Ha Long Bay’s music tourism
From singing under the lighthouse to elaborate stages on the shore of the bay, today, tourists come to Ha Long not only to admire the majestic natural wonders but also to enjoy unique art programs with the participation of a series of top Vietnamese music stars. The model of “singing in the middle of wonders”, drifting with music on cruise ships, has created a new momentum for the tourism industry of the entire city.
FROM THE MUSIC STAGE THAT ONLY HA LONG HAS...
As the sunset falls at the foot of the 55.5m high lighthouse in Bai Chay, to the resounding music of the orchestra, singer Trung Quan Idol sings the first notes in the sky of Ha Long. Together with female singer Hien Thuc, his mini concert “Nguoi dang yeu” (People in love) is the event to kick off the summer of 2024, which the “Sound on the Pine” crew has worked hard to prepare.
On the shore of the poetic Ha Long Bay, singer Trung Quan Idol brought soulful love songs. Closing the performance, he sent his sincere thanks to the audience and the program for allowing him to fully live every moment with music. For him, this stage is very special. Each song is sung in a poetic space, with the sky, the sea, the lighthouse and majestic nature, all of which have created a wonderful catalyst for the artist to reach closer to the audience's hearts.
Singing among heritage - a new and effective form of tourism in Ha Long.
Singing among heritage - a new and effective form of tourism in Ha Long.
Loving the singing of Trung Quan Idol, Tran An Huy (26 years old, residing in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City) did not hesitate to travel nearly 1,800 km to Quang Ninh to enjoy the “Sound on the Pine” music programme. Huy said he had previously travelled to many localities in the North, but this was the first time he had the opportunity to set foot in Ha Long Bay.
“Passionate about music and travelling, I spend a lot of time enjoying art during my travels. Every month, I usually arrange my work and take a few days off to go somewhere with my family and friends. And Da Lat, a place quite close to Ho Chi Minh City, is my top choice. Many people like me come to Da Lat to listen to ‘May Lang Thang’ music shows, immersing ourselves in the music and forgetting all the hustle and bustle of everyday life”, An Huy shared.
At first, Huy came to Ha Long just for the music night of singer Trung Quan Idol. “However, the more I explore, the more I love the beautiful scenery and people in this city. The same song, the same singer, but the music when played in Ha Long and Da Lat is completely different”, An Huy affirmed.
As a pioneer in bringing music to Ha Long to develop tourism, Ngo Thanh Tung said that each singer has a story to tell, and music will be the thread that helps them awaken the public's soul.
"My journey to bring music to Ha Long as a tourist product comes from my love for this art form. I also realised that the living conditions of Ha Long people are very prosperous. They are willing to pay a reasonable amount of money for tourism and entertainment services. Above all, I want to bring a suitable tourism model to Ha Long to attract visitors to this coastal land", Tung recalled the time when he came up with the idea for the music night ‘Thanh am tren Thong’.
After nearly two years of struggling to learn from the May lang thang musical show in Da Lat, Ngo Thanh Tung wondered how to build a unique music stage that only Ha Long has. With that determination, he started building a stage at the Sun Hill restaurant, where the audience could listen to music, with the stage looking out to the sea, admiring the beauty of Ha Long Bay.
Thinking of Vietnam’s tallest lighthouse (55.5m) in the Bai Chay area, Tung leveraged the scenic advantage of the location to organise a music night called “Thanh am tren Thong” (Sounds on the Pines). His ideas and ambitions grew, leading him to collaborate with various businesses to expand the concept. He added a stage at the Ha Long International Cruise Port, bringing music to luxurious yachts. This unique approach allowed “Thanh am tren Thong” to captivate a wide audience across different service segments, contributing to creating new tourism experiences in Quang Ninh Province.
As its appeal and effectiveness were proven, many businesses in Ha Long gradually adopted the music tourism model. Beyond listening to singers perform at fixed venues, tourists can now enjoy music while cruising and marvelling at the breathtaking nighttime scenery of Ha Long Bay from yachts.
Catching up with the trend of integrating music into night cruise experiences, the Paradise Delight yacht, despite its capacity of up to 360 guests, often operates at full capacity. With this innovative combination, tourists can enjoy a delightful culinary experience with live artistic performances directed by Hoang Nhat Nam as the yacht sails through 18 sightseeing spots in Ha Long Bay.
Nguyen Thi Huyen, head of Administration and Personnel for Paradise Delight, shared that the yacht is meticulously designed with an open layout and large glass walls, providing sweeping views of the bay. From this yacht, visitors can immerse themselves in the beauty of nature and the grandeur of Ha Long City.
“What sets us apart from other products in the same segment is that our artistic performances are custom-designed and choreographed. This project has attracted many international and out-of-province visitors to experience it,” Huyen added.
In addition to the impressive performances on the Paradise Delight, Pacific, the music night "Love in the Bay - Crossroads of Time" recently attracted the public’s attention. With the participation of famous singers, 500 audience members on the Ambassador Cruise immersed themselves in every emotional melody in the middle of majestic Ha Long.
According to Nguyen Hong Nhat, General Director of Asia Premier Cruise (APC) Corporation, the operator of the Ambassador Cruise, to enhance the music enjoyment experience for the audience, the show has just been repositioned with a unique and new theme, as well as changing the way of organisation to be more methodical. It is known that in 2023, more than 10,000 tourists enjoyed this impressive music night.
It can be seen that now, the special music stages in Ha Long Bay have been mentioned by domestic and foreign tourists as a destination or an experience not to be missed on the bay, attracting more and more visitors to explore the world’s natural heritage at night.
….TO NEW TOURISM THINKING AND NON-STOP EFFORTS AFTER STORM YAGI
“Quang Ninh is one of the localities that suffered the most damage after storm Yagi made landfall in early September. Under the great sweep, many businesses exploiting tourism services were seriously affected. “I almost ‘lost’ two businesses, the music programmes prepared months before were also cancelled”, Ngo Thanh Tung, author of the music night “Music Night on the Pines”, confided.
After the storm, Ngo Thanh Tung had to rebuild two service locations that he owned, urgently overcoming the damage caused by the storm. Despite the difficulties, for him, this was also an opportunity to renew the music tourism product, changing the appearance of the music night “Music Night on the Pines”.
Understanding the circumstances, given the impacts of natural disasters, people’s spiritual lives will be affected to some extent, and their spending will also decrease. The effect and spread of music programmes will also diminish. The music tourism model is likely to stagnate. At this point, Tung raised the question of how to create a quality product at a reasonable price to attract tourists. Gathering all resources, he renovated the stage and set new, more appropriate directions for the concert.
The majority of the audience for “Sound of Pine Trees” are residents of Quang Ninh and neighbouring provinces. However, by accurately capturing public taste and selecting an impressive lineup of artists, the programme has attracted many young people across the country to Ha Long to enjoy the music.
As audience demands grow, tourism products need to be of higher quality and more diverse. Although Ha Long possesses many beautiful venues, such as the stage at the lighthouse or sun hill, where audiences can enjoy music and scenery, if these endowed advantages are not properly utilised, these musical products will gradually be forgotten over time.
“Beyond the pure enjoyment of music, utilising the landscape for performance spaces will create more emotional connections for artists and audiences. In my opinion, we need to further enhance the wonderful synergy between tourism and music to deliver valuable, distinctive products,” shared Tung.
In 2025, Tung plans to collaborate with Luna Cruise to launch a series of “Singing among Wonders” programmes. He also hopes to bring this model to many other localities across the country, transforming naturally beautiful but lesser-known areas into vibrant tourist destinations.
Discussing the effectiveness of the music tourism model, Dr Nguyen Thu Thuy, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Arts and Design at the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), analysed: “In essence, music tourism is a form of event tourism. As such, this type of programme will attract large crowds of event enthusiasts to the tourist destination.”
Globally, many singers have conducted tours across multiple countries. The venues where they perform often attract hundreds of thousands of fans, directly generating record-breaking revenue for local tourism industries.
In Vietnam, Ha Long is not the first locality to implement a music tourism model. However, with its innovative tourism mindset, the city has quickly distinguished itself by successfully building the "Singing Amidst the Wonders" brand.
"This transformation has brought new vitality to Ha Long City's tourism industry. However, relying solely on music will not sustain the model's appeal in the long run", Dr Nguyen Thu Thuy cautioned. “Businesses need to incorporate more diverse performance elements such as dance and circus acts and fully leverage the beauty of heritage sites as backdrops and stage settings. When combined with the allure of the artists, music can easily evoke profound emotions in the audience. The performances will leave a lasting impression, compelling visitors to return and experience the magnificent tourism atmosphere once more.”
Published: December 2024
Content: NGOC KHANH
Design: SON BACH
Photos courtesy of characters
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