On September 12, 2026, Loon Eyes Studio flew 500 drones over Vinh City, Vietnam, for an audience of about 32,000 people. The launch site was about 8 km (5 miles) from an airport, and the week was marked by rain and unsettled weather. This drone show Vietnam case study explains how we handled airspace coordination, a last-minute schedule change and a rain shower, and why we chose to delay the show by 100 minutes rather than fly on the original schedule.
About this case study: This article was written by Loon Eyes Studio, the company that planned and operated the show. The timeline and figures come from our own operation records. We also describe what did not go to plan.
Drone Show Vietnam Case Study: Project at a Glance
| Item | Details |
| Event | Mid-Autumn Festival “Mang Hội Trăng Trở Về” |
| Date | September 12, 2026 |
| Location | Ho Chi Minh Square, Vinh City, Nghệ An Province, Vietnam |
| Operator | Loon Eyes Studio |
| Client brands | WinMart、MAMA HY |
| Drones | 500 (all 500 completed the flight) |
| Audience | about 32,000 (estimated) |
| Main challenges | Launch site 8 km from an airport, rain during rehearsal week and show night, last-minute schedule change |
Background: Mid-Autumn Festival and the Vinh Show
Mid-Autumn Festival, or Tết Trung Thu, is Vietnam’s festival for children and families. Streets fill with paper lanterns, lion dance troupes and moon cakes, and the full moon gives the whole neighborhood a reason to step outside together. This year, WinMart, one of Vietnam’s largest supermarket chains, brought that spirit to several provinces with a touring festival series called “Mang Hội Trăng Trở Về” (“Bring the Moon Festival Back”).
Vinh, the capital of Nghệ An Province in north-central Vietnam, was the second stop after Tuyen Quang, and the first time a drone show had been staged there as part of the series. Loon Eyes Studio operated both shows.
Above Ho Chi Minh Square, the show opened with a greeting, “WinMart welcomes Nghệ An,” and then told a Mid-Autumn story in light: Chú Cuội, the legendary boy of the moon; the Moon Lady, Chị Hằng; and President Ho Chi Minh walking hand in hand with children. The sponsors’ logos appeared.
The creative story is only half of this project. What makes it worth studying is the environment the show had to be flown in, which we describe below.
Challenge: Running a Drone Show Near an Airport in Bad Weather
Two of the three constraints were clear as soon as the project was confirmed, and we built the plan around them: continuous weather monitoring, direct coordination with aviation stakeholders, and a timeline synchronized with the organizer. The third, a short-notice change on the night, is something no plan can rule out, so we prepared contingency scenarios for it.
Airspace: a launch site 8 km from an airport
The launch site sat about 8 km from an airport, close to commercial flight paths. At this distance, arriving and departing aircraft always have priority, so the flight plan was designed around the ability to give way at any time. Every minute of flight time was coordinated with aviation stakeholders in advance.
Weather: rain throughout rehearsal week
Rehearsals and the show fell between September 6 and 12, a period of rain and unsettled weather. Central Vietnam is known for wind that shifts direction within minutes and rain that arrives in waves, conditions that directly affect a fleet relying on centimeter-level positioning. We tracked the forecast throughout rehearsal week and planned each flight window around it.
Schedule: short-notice changes on show day
Even with a plan agreed in advance, aviation operations can change at short notice. Shortly before the planned launch, we were notified that an aircraft needed to land urgently, and the launch window had to be revisited.
Response Protocol: A Chronological Analysis of Drone Show Safety Management
Pre-Event Preparation
The corporate headquarters team established three core operating principles:
- Continuously monitor weather updates.
- Maintain direct communication with relevant aviation stakeholders.
- Keep operational progress synchronized with the organizers’ program schedule, milestone by milestone.
Event Day Timeline
| Phase | Situation | Response |
| ① Preparations complete | Preparations are finished and the team is ready to proceed at the scheduled time | Confirm the scheduled time |
| ② Emergency notification received | Just before takeoff, the team receives word of an emergency aircraft landing | Pause takeoff and adjust the schedule |
| ③ Information update | Aviation stakeholders confirm that no takeoffs or landings are planned during the relevant time window | Coordinate with the organizers to agree on when operations can proceed |
| ④ Light rain begins | Light rain starts while preparations resume | Reassess on-site conditions; do not launch automatically just because the airspace has been cleared |
| ⑤ Safety assessment | Flight engineers and drone management personnel review weather developments, equipment status, and information exchanged with stakeholders | Make a go/no-go decision |
| ⑥ Show proceeds | Conditions are judged to meet operating standards | Carry out the show; confirm the actual takeoff time |
Decision-Making Principles
Timing adjustments (Phases ② and ③)
The team does not treat sticking to the original show time as the top priority. Instead, it prioritizes the latest information and re-establishes when it is safe to proceed.
Until the necessary confirmations are in, the team does not assume the original time slot is still available.
Reassessing weather conditions (Phases ④ and ⑤)
Even once airspace coordination is complete, weather remains an independent condition that must be assessed separately.
When light rain begins, the team reassesses the situation against the equipment’s operating limits. The basis for the decision is not how far behind schedule the program is, but whether the operating conditions at that moment meet the required standards.
Additional information needed: If the specific criteria used in the assessment can be shared, such as wind speed, rainfall, GPS signal, or battery status, please add them here. Concrete figures would make the article more convincing.
Roles and Responsibilities
| Team | Role |
| Technical team | Monitors equipment status and flight conditions |
| Drone management personnel | Provides updates on preparation progress |
| Organizers | Adjust the program on the day of the event |
| Aviation stakeholders | Confirm when operations can proceed |
Whenever the situation changes, so do the information that needs to be shared and the items in the program that need to be adjusted.
As a result, operational quality depends heavily on clear information sharing, timely updates, and agreement on a course of action among all parties involved.
Results
Despite adverse conditions, the show went ahead as planned, thanks to repeated schedule adjustments and on-site decisions.
- Estimated attendance: approximately 32,000
- Number of drones and any in-flight issues: 500 drones (all 500 completed their flights)
- Actual takeoff time and delay from the original schedule: originally scheduled for 8:00 p.m.; actual takeoff at 9:40 p.m. (a delay of about 100 minutes)
- Social media reactions: Below are some of the most-engaged posts from attendees.
The organizer, WinMart, again entrusted the Group’s headquarters with operations in Vinh, following Tuyên Quang. In a multi-location series, conditions differ from one venue to the next. We take this repeat commission as recognition of our operating framework, which maintains quality while adapting to each region’s conditions.
Explore more drone light show projects by Loon Eyes Studio
Planning for uncertainty
From the moment the venue was confirmed, we advised the client that the area was complex to operate in, mainly because of its proximity to an airport. The client chose it anyway: Ho Chi Minh Square is a central location that reaches the largest possible audience. We agreed to plan the show around the constraints rather than avoid them.
Rain was part of the plan from the start. We followed the forecast hour by hour to work out which time windows were realistic for flight. No forecast gives an absolute answer, so we also prepared alternative plans that would let us deliver the show successfully however conditions developed.
On the night, both factors came into play at once. Our flight engineers, the drone management team, the organizer and aviation stakeholders worked from one continuously updated picture of the situation. Every change in airspace status or weather was shared immediately, and every decision was agreed with all parties before the next step. That coordination is what turned a 100-minute delay into a show that still went ahead for about 32,000 people.
Loon Eyes Studio: Professional Drone Show Company
Loon Eyes Studio is a professional drone light show company headquartered in Vietnam and a pioneer of large-scale drone shows in the country. With more than 68 successful projects, we have delivered shows for cultural festivals, sporting events, national celebrations and brand campaigns, in Vietnam and abroad. Our most notable achievement is a Guinness World Records title for the most remote controlled multirotors/drones airborne simultaneously: 10,500 drones over Ho Chi Minh City on April 28, 2025.
We work as one integrated team of creative and technical specialists, from concept development and show design to 3D simulation, flight programming and on-site operations. Every venue brings its own airspace, weather and crowd conditions, so each show is built around local realities: a standardized checklist covering both legal and technical requirements, direct coordination with aviation stakeholders, and contingency plans ready for show day.
Why organizers choose Loon Eyes Studio
- Record-setting scale. A fleet of thousands of drones, a Guinness World Records performance with 10,500 drones, and systems scalable to 30,000.
- Precision flight control. RTK GPS positioning keeps formations accurate and consistent, with a high success rate in complex show environments.
- Proven in demanding conditions. The Vinh show, flown 8 km from an airport in rain and unsettled weather, is one example.
- Flexibility on show day. Our intelligent fast-charging system can support up to three consecutive flights in a single event, depending on show scale and on-site conditions.
- Honest advice before you commit. We help clients weigh a drone show against fireworks based on objectives, venue, audience and budget, and we tell them early when a venue is complex to operate in.
- International reach. Having previously staged drone shows in China.
Plan Your Drone Show
If you are planning a drone show, talk to Loon Eyes Studio. We can help you assess feasibility before you commit.
- Request a quote: +84 79 513 84 91
- Email: infor@looneyesstudio.com
