The ongoing Ho Chi Minh City River Festival, taking place from Friday to Sunday this week, features a boat parade every night with the participation of some 40 cruise ships, yachts, floating restaurants, canoes operated by tourism businesses on the Saigon River.

This waterway parade is expected to be one of the highlights of the three-day festival, hosted by the municipal Department of Tourism, in coordination with  the municipal Department of Culture and Sports as well as relevant agencies.

The boat parade starts from the Saigon Cruise Port in District 4 to the waters near the Landmark 81 building, the highest skyscraper in the country, with the participating ships decorated with colorful lights to attract festival-goers.

The boat parade will take place between 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm on Saturday and from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Sunday this week.

Illuminated boats stage a parade on the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City, August 4, 2023. Photo: T.T.D / Tuoi Tre

Aside from watching the boat parade, festival-goers can access some 150 special deals offered by over 100 travel firms at the event.

They can also explore riverside cultural space, take part in a wide range of traditional folk games, and enjoy various traditional music and dance shows.

These activities are scheduled to take place at the Saigon Cruise Port, the Bach Dang Wharf Park, the Binh Dong Wharf, along the banks of Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal, and in various tourist sites.

Below are some photos of a boat parade held on Friday night:

Illuminated boats are on parade near the Ba Son Bridge, which spans over the Saigon River and links District 1 with Thu Duc City in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

The boat parade is seen at the Vinhomes Central Park Tan Cang area. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

Cruise ship guests enjoy the spectacular scenery of Ho Chi Minh City at night. Photo: T.T.D / Tuoi Tre

A sparkling riverside view of the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival. Photo: Phuong Quyen / Tuoi Tre

A drone light art performance at the festival. Photo: T.T.D / Tuoi Tre

A drone light art performance at the festival. Photo: T.T.D / Tuoi Tre

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A group of students from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology have successfully created edible food wrap from shrimp shells, crab shells, and guava leaves after two years of research.

The group won first prize for their research at Bach Khoa Innovation 2023, an innovation and entrepreneurship competition hosted by their university.

The group collected shrimp and crab shells from seafood processing companies and guava leaves from guava gardens to develop their food wrap.

Shrimp shells consist of chitin which can be converted into chitosan after being processed, according to Le Y Nhi, a third-year food technology major at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and a member of the group which created the food wrap.

“Chitosan can inhibit many types of microbes. Extract from guava leaves is also antibacterial,” she said.

“As a result, the food wrap is antibacterial, has good oxidation resistance, and uses materials that are safe for people. However, the durability of the product should be improved.”

The student group drew up a plan to survey material resources, solutions, and equipment for their research since their first year at university, said Dinh Thiet Anh, a third-year chemical engineering student and also a member of the group.

“This is a premise for us to confidently take part in academic and startup competitions, and put the product into use,” Anh said.

Two remarkable characteristics of the food wrap are that it is edible and antibacterial, according to Associate Professor Dr. Huynh Ky Phuong Ha from the chemical engineering faculty of the university.

“The group’s research can be expanded, specifically adding denatured starch to improve the viscosity of the food wrap and adjusting ingredients to meet the preservation demand for different kinds of food,” Ha recommended.

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Local people and visitors will access some 150 special deals offered by over 100 travel firms at Ho Chi Minh City’s first-ever River Festival, scheduled to take place between Friday and Sunday this week.

The festival will feature a series of activities to serve locals and visitors to the southern metropolis while offering them a great source of inspiration and interesting experience about the city through different times, Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, director of the municipal Department of Tourism, told a meeting on Tuesday.

Two local carriers under Vietnam Airlines Group will offer airfare discounts of up to 82 percent on domestic flights to/from the city until December 23 this year to travel businesses so that they can develop package tours.

Vietnam’s low-cost carrier Vietjet Air will roll out promotional fares between 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm every day on all domestic routes, with airfares starting from VND0 (excluding taxes and fees) for domestic flights to Ho Chi Minh City.

Those flying with Vietjet on international flights to the southern Vietnamese city on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays will enjoy promotional fares from VND0 (excluding taxes and fees), in addition to discounts on double-date days such as August 8 (8-8) and September 9 (9-9).

As for tour programs, travel enthusiasts will receive discounts of up to 31 percent when booking city tours operated by seven travel businesses, namely Ben Thanh Tourist, Chim Canh Cut, Saco, Saigontourist, TST, Vietravel, and Vietluxtour.

Visitors can explore the city on a new means of transport, with tour prices starting from VND250,000 (US$10.57) per person through city tours operated by Chim Canh Cut, Saco, Saigontourist, TST, and Vietravel.

These travel firms will also offer tours to the outlying district of Can Gio, dubbed the ‘green lungs’ of the city, by road or water, with discounts of 5-40 percent.

In addition, visitors can benefit from 10-50-percent discounts when booking tickets, services to explore 10 tourist attractions citywide, including the Museum of Vietnamese History, Cu Chi Tunnels, Suoi Tien Theme Park, Dam Sen Theme Park, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and the Green Park picnic area.

Foodies should not miss out on 5-50-percent discounts offered by 21 restaurants in the city, including Michelin-starred ones, at the three-day event.

Besides, 38 lodging establishments will give 10-52-percent discounts and gifts to festival-goers.

Aside from launching a large number of travel deals, the festival will feature cultural, entertainment, art, and sports activities to serve participants, including the opening ceremony held at the Thu Ngu flagpole heritage site in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

These activities will take place at the Saigon Cruise Port, the Bach Dang Wharf Park, the Binh Dong Wharf, along the banks of Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal, and in various tourist sites.

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