In Nha Trang, a resort city in south-central Vietnam, the first sea festival in two years has opened. Hosted by Khanh Hoa Province, theKhanh Hoa Sea Festival 2026 (Festival Biển Khánh Hòa)opened on the night of July 17 at Nha Trang's April 2 Square. The theme is "Colours of the Ocean – Reaching Out to the World," and the festival's core was concentrated in the three days of July 17–19. But the festival doesn't end with those three days. Related events run for about a month, from July 10 to August 10, so Japanese travelers planning a summer trip to Nha Trang still have room to line up their dates.
AR, 3D mapping, and high-altitude fireworks marked the opening
What stood out at this festival was the opening ceremony's staging. Beginning at 20:00 on July 17, it combined real-time augmented reality (AR) compositing, 3D mapping that turned buildings and the shoreline into pictures of light, lasers, and high-altitude fireworks. Local media report that more than 600 artists from Vietnam and abroad performed. Staging an open-air plaza backed by the sea with video and light, this night became the festival's centerpiece.
On the 18th, from the evening (announced to start at 5 p.m.), a carnival and float parade were held along Tran Phu Street. This time, for the first time, nine floats carrying "moving stages" rolled out, so just walking along the street you'd come across a performance. At 8 p.m. on the 19th, the strongly international finale music festival "Unite the Continents" wrapped up the main event.
Not over in three days—a festival running through August 10
The Khanh Hoa Sea Festival, the province's largest tourism event running since 2003, was held in 2026 as "the whole province's flagship" following an administrative reorganization. Organizers expected 600,000 to 800,000 visitors across the run. What stands out is that beyond the three opening and closing days, more than 40 events—showcases of bird's-nest culture, an ao dai celebration, a food market, kite-flying and various sports tournaments—continue at spots across the city until August 10. Even with the festival's peak past, the city keeps running through summer in festival mode.
Dates and key programs at a glance
| Date | Time | Program | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, July 17 | 20:00 | Opening ceremony (AR, 3D mapping, high-altitude fireworks) | April 2 Square |
| Saturday, July 18 | Evening (announced from 17:00) | Carnival and float parade (nine moving stages) | Tran Phu Street |
| July 19 (Sun) | 20:00 | Closing ceremony plus the music festival "Unite the Continents" | April 2 Square |
| 7/10〜8/10 | Ongoing | Bird's-nest culture, ao dai, a food market, kite-flying, sports and more | Various locations in the city |
The opening ceremony's light show and fireworks, the main event's highlight, ended on July 17. What travelers arriving from here should aim for is the period of related events running through August 10. Skip the three-day peak and hotels and the eateries along Tran Phu Street ease up, and prices settle too. Lightly layering the city's food markets and sports events onto standard Nha Trang activities like swimming and island hopping—that kind of plan becomes realistic.
The venue runs along the city beach—no long trips needed
In Nha Trang a long beach stretches right in front of the city, and the main venue, April 2 Square, sits along the beach on Tran Phu Street. You don't need to travel far to watch the events—walk along the beach from your hotel and you're in the thick of things, which is the advantage of this city's festival. It's easy to spend your time on the beach and seafood by day and the city's related events by night.
For a multi-night stay that reaches into the mountains, held in the same Khanh Hoa Province isThe Lam Son fruit festival, where you can pick fruit and bathe in mountain streams at onceThere's also the option of combining it withDa Nang's new summer: 500 glowing kites dancing over the night seaCompare it with this and the different characters of each central-coast city's summer festival come into view.
Access and practical information
The gateway is Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR), about 35 km from central Nha Trang-45-60 minutes by car, 50-60 by public bus. As of July 2026, scheduled direct flights from major Japanese airports to Cam Ranh are hard to confirm, so the basic route is a domestic connection via Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi or Da Nang. During the stretch of festival events, both transfers and taxis get crowded, so book your arriving flight and hotel pickup early.
| Event name | Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2026 (Festival Biển Khánh Hòa) |
|---|---|
| Main event | July 17–19, 2026 (related events July 10 – August 10) |
| Main venue | April 2 Square (Quảng trường 2/4), around Tran Phu Street |
| Nearest airport | Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR) / about 35km to the city, roughly 45-60 minutes by car |
| Getting from the airport to the city | Taxi about 300,000 to 400,000 VND (about 1,800 to 2,350 yen) / route bus about 50,000 VND (about 290 yen). *About 170 VND to the yen |
| Admission | The outdoor opening ceremony, fireworks and parade are basically free (paid seats and individual performances excepted) |
Summary: if you're going, build around the related events through August 10
The Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2026 lit up its three main days with a July 17 opening ceremony bundling AR, 3D mapping and high-altitude fireworks, and a carnival of nine moving floats. The peak light displays are over, but the festival runs through August 10. Japanese travelers heading to Nha Trang can first lock in a flight connecting through Cam Ranh and steer their dates into the related-event window through early August to enjoy the festival's afterglow while dodging crowds and prices. To taste sea and mountains at once, add the province's Lam Son fruit festival to your itinerary; to compare central-coast summer festivals, add Da Nang's glowing kites.
