Portugal's Macedos Pirotecnia was crowned champion of the Danang International Fireworks Festival (DIFF) 2026 on the evening of July 11, following a closely fought final against China's Jiangxi Yangfeng Art Display Co., Ltd.
The Portuguese team received the championship prize of USD 20,000, while the Chinese team finished runner-up and was awarded USD 10,000.
In the final, Macedos Pirotecnia showcased its signature storytelling style, using fireworks to portray Danang as a city where nature, culture and innovation converge.
The Portuguese team's fireworks display (Photo: Hoai Son).
Its performance featured a wide range of pyrotechnic effects, including comet shells, spherical fireworks, Roman candles and fountains, synchronised with music to create an emotional narrative that built from quiet reflection to a dramatic finale.
China's team, competing in the DIFF final for the third consecutive year, staged a display choreographed to 10 well-known songs, including three Vietnamese tracks.
The performance highlighted advanced multi-layer firing techniques and recreated the iconic Han River Bridge in fireworks, reinforcing the festival's 2026 theme, "Connecting Horizons".
The Chinese team's fireworks display (Photo: Hoai Son).
According to organisers, the winner was selected based on criteria including originality, creativity, adherence to the festival theme, pyrotechnic effects, synchronisation with music, the finale and the overall impression of the performance.
In addition to the two main awards, Italy received the Creativity Award, Japan won the Promising Team Award, and Danang's representative from Vietnam was voted the Audience Favourite. Each award carried a prize of USD 5,000.
Fernando Manuel Machado Da Silva Macedo, captain of the Portuguese team, said the victory was a great honour and a source of pride for the entire group.
He attributed the team's success to the seamless integration of music and fireworks, which allowed audiences to become fully immersed in the story conveyed by the performance.
The DIFF 2026 title went to Macedos Pirotecnia of Portugal (Photo: A Nui).
The conclusion of the festival marked the end of more than two months of events, further cementing DIFF's reputation as one of Danang's flagship tourism attractions. Organisers said the five qualifying nights attracted more than 557,000 overnight visitors, a 34 per cent increase compared with the previous year. Each fireworks night welcomed more than 100,000 spectators, while the June 27 event drew about 117,400 visitors.
Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, vice chairwoman of the Danang People's Committee, said the Danang International Fireworks Festival had continued to strengthen the city's reputation as "Asia's leading festival and event destination".
She added that the international community had recognised DIFF as one of the world's nine must-experience festivals, describing the achievement as a source of pride not only for Danang but also for Vietnam in promoting the country to global audiences.
