Ministry proposes 11 cultural relics for national ranking

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has submitted to the National Cultural Heritage Council a request for national ranking of 11 cultural relics in 12 provinces and cities of Vietnam.

Ba Be lake - Bac Kan

The list includes beautiful tourist spots, attractions, landmarks and monuments. Among them are:

Ba Be Lake in Ba Be District in Bac Kan Province

Historical site Yen Tu in Uong Bi City in Dong Trieu District of Quang Ninh Province

Historical site to mark Bach Dang victory in 1288 in Quang Yen Town in Uong Bi City of Quang Ninh Province

Historical and architectural site of Tran dynasty’s Temple and Pho Minh Pagoda in Nam Dinh City in Nam Dinh Province

Architectural monument of the Keo Pagoda in Vu Thu District in Thai Binh Province

Historical and architectural relic Lam Kinh in Ngoc Lac District of Thanh Hoa Province

Historical relic of poet Nguyen Du Nghi in Xuan District of Ha Tinh Province

Ancient archeological and architectural site Oc Eo-Ba The in Thoai Son Commune of Hon Dat District of An Giang Province

Historical and archaeological relic Go Thap in Thap Muoi District in Dong Thap Province

Historical, architectural and archaeological heritage Co Loa in Dong Anh District in Ha Noi

And the Cat Tien National Park, in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, and Lam Dong.

(Source: SGGP)

It’s boom time in Sa Pa’s hills

Sapa town

  Around10,000 visitors are expected to travel to the highlands of Sapa on the coming September 2rd holidays this weekend, said Lao Cai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism director Tran Huu Son.

  Situated in a picturesque part of the northern province of Lao Cai, Sapa was the site of a French resort during colonial times, and has since become one of the most popular travel destinations in the country, said Son.

  He added that visitors to Sapa Township were increasing thanks to expanding homestay services; about 40% of visitors had registered tours to Sapa’s villages, a 20% increase compared to the same period of 2010.

  About 100,000 visitors came to the area during the first six months of 2012, which is as high as the total number of visitors throughout 2008.

  Son said nearly 100 households in Sapa were running homestay services which can serve a total of 1,000 guests. Communes with homestay services include Ta Van, Ta Phin, Ban Ho and Cat Cat.

  Nong Van San, who has been running a homestay service for 3 years, said visitors staying at his home had helped to increase his family’s income. The service had actually brought the family more than incomes from other traditional jobs.

  Communes in Bat Xat and Bac Ha districts located 20kilometers and 70kilometers from Sapa have recently developed homestay services and can serve up to 100 guests at a time.

  According to Luc Xuan Thuong, a senior official of Bac Ha’s Ta Van Chu Commune, running a homestay service isn’t difficult, and about 70 households in the commune are running the business. ”Traditional wooden houses which are equipped with mattresses, blankets, pillows and a clean toilette can be used for a homestay,” said Thuong.

  Lo Thi Mao, a tourguide from the Viettravelmate company, said many foreign tourists were also opting to stay at ethnic people’s houses in villages to get an insight into rural life.

(Source: VNS)

Vietnam Airlines add more flights for Sep-2nd holiday

  To meet increasing high demand, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on Aug-27th announced its plan to increase services for the Sep-2nd holiday.

  Accordingly, Vietnam Airlines (VNA) will provide more flights between Aug-30th and Sep-4th, including HCMC and Hanoi to Danang; Nha Trang, Da Lat and Hanoi to Vinh; Danang and Dong Hoi to Hai Phong; and HCMC to Phu Quoc and Buon Ma Thuot. Especially, HCMC – Nha Trang, Hanoi – Nha Trang, Hanoi – Danang can be the busiest routes.

  A total of 84,000 tickets will be available during this time, an increase of 12% against regular flights and 6% compared to the same period of 2011.

  With these increased flights, VNA expects to solve crowding issues during the holiday, because it wants to offer the best holiday to its passengers.

  All information is available at www.vietnamairlines.com, or every VNA’ ticket office and agent nationwide.

(Source: qdnd)

Peak season in Vietnam for Japanese tourists

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam received around 525,300 international tourists in August.

  In the first eight months of the year, the country also greeted 4.38 million foreign tourists, presenting a year-on-year increase of 9.4%.

  The most number of international visitors were from South Korea, showing an increase of 35%; Malaysia came next with an increase by 23%; followed by Japan and Thailand that were up 19%.

  Nguyen Van Tran, director of Apex Travel Company said that Vietnam is in its peak season for receiving Japanese tourists from now until the end of the year.

  Apex Travel Company received more than 4,000 Japanese visitors in July and 5,000 in the first three weeks of August.

  In related news, provinces in the North Central Coastal Region including Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue received nearly 8.3 million holiday makers in the first eight months, earning a turnover of VND4,000 billion.

  The provinces attracted a huge number of visitors with a wide range of activities in response to ‘National Tourism Year-Hue 2012’, such as Hue Festival 2012; Vietnam-Lao Friendship and Solidarity Year; 40th anniversary of Quang Tri’s Liberation Day; ceremony receiving the prestigious UNESCO Certificate; and recognizing Ho Dynasty Citadel as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

(Source: SGGP)

Hue’s An Dinh Palace to be restored

The Hue Relics Preservation Centre and its partners are working on a project to showcase several areas of An Dinh Palace, one of the city’s most well-known historic sites.

  “Our staff of cultural researchers, in co-operation with architects and interior designers, have worked several months on this project,” the centre’s director Phan Thanh Hai said.

  Old artefacts and art works that depict the royal lifestyle under the Nguyen Dynasty will be on display.

  Hai’s centre has worked with local hotels to develop tours to the palace for both foreign and local visitors.

  The architecture of the palace, located on the bank of An Cuu River in Phu Nhuan Commune, is characteristic of the residences of the Nguyen Dynasty. Built by King Dong Khanh in the early 20th century, the palace housed Viet Nam’s last king Bao Dai, his mother Tu Cung and his wife Nam Phuong for years.

  The project is part of the centre’s long-term programme to preserve and expand the values of Hue’s history, culture and architecture.

  This year, the centre completed a project to produce 3D images that feature historic architecture, marking a new step forward in restoration work for Viet Nam.

  The images use real-time rendering technology to depict Vo Thanh Temple, a well-known site built in 1835 under the Minh Mang reign. The images contain sound and light effects.

  Touchscreens on computers can be used to sketch highlights and give feedback during users’ real-time discussions.

(Source: tuoitre)

Saigon’s 100 Exciting Things are named

The list of Ho Chi Minh City’s 100 exciting things was made public on Aug-21st. The list includes famous architectural works and special cuisines.

Nguyen Hue flower road

  Earlier, on Jun-14th, 2012, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City launched a campaign that seeks and votes on 100 “exciting things” about Ho Chi Minh City. The campaign aims to recognize and promote the city’s outstanding cultural values and prominent tourism products and services.

  The campaign was launched after 6 months of preparations. Its advisory board gathered and short-listed 218 “candidates” that people would vote on to decide the final list of 100 things.

  The “candidates” were categorized under 20 groups, consists of luxury hotels, business hotels, tourist restaurants, exhibition-conference centers, travel tours, tourism events, beauty and health care, by-night entertainment locations, sightseeing locations, historic vestiges and cultural ,artistic, transport companies, art performance locations, Southern delicacies, varieties of fruit, museums, architecture, markets, coffee shops, shopping centers and souvenir products.

  People contributed to this campaign by vote on these “things” from Jun-14th to Jul-30th, 2012. Beside the online voting, 2,500 ballot papers for each category were sent to experts in the mail and distributed to tourists via travel companies.

  According to the organizing board, they received 29,000 paper votes and over 6,200 online votes.

A similar vote was organized two years ago.

The voting results

Five outstanding museums: Ho Chi Minh City History Museum, War Remnant Museum, Ho Chi Minh Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Art Museum and Ho Chi Minh City Museum.

Five outstanding architectural works: Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, Giac Lam Temple, Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street, Ho Chi Minh City Post Office and Ho Chi Minh City Opera House.

Five outstanding historical and cultural relics: Independence Palace, Thien Hau temple, Ngoc Hoang Palace, Cu Chi tunnel Rung Sac-Can and Gio military base.

Five interesting entertainment sites: Dam Sen Park, Suoi Tien Park, Binh Quoi Tourist Site, Saigon zoological and botanical garden and Mot Thoang Viet Nam tourist site.

Five typical traditional markets: Ben Thanh, Binh Tay, An Dong, Soai Kinh Lam and Tan Dinh.

Five outstanding forms of tourism: shopping, gastronomic tourism, waterway tourism, ecological tourism and city tour.

Five typical tourism events: Nguyen Hue flower road, Ho Chi Minh City tourism festival, Southern fruit festival, Tao Dan New-year flower festival, international food festival.

Five luxurious hotels: Sheraton, Majestic, Caravelle, Park Hyatt Saigon and REX.

Five business hotels: InterContinental, Windsor Plaza, Asianna Saigon, Legend Saigon and Continental.

Five exhibition-conference centers: White Palace, Saigon Fair and Exhibition Center, Phu Tho Sports House, Van Thanh Tourist Zone, Tan Binh Conference and Exhibition Center.

Five favorite shopping sites: Tax Trading Center, Vincom, Cresent Mall, Miss Ao Dai, Minh Phuong lacquare and fine-art shop.

Five favorite restaurants of tourists: Muoi Xiem banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe) restaurant, Cham Charm, Com nieu Saigon, Mandarin, Ngon.

Five typical souvenirs: ao dai, non la (conical hat), manually embroidery items, silk and sandy paintings.

Five favorite southern cuisines: banh xeo, goi cuon, com tam (broken rice), cha gio and caramel fish.

Five interesting entertainment sites at night: Semi-circle Lake, Pham Ngu Lao Street, Hard Rock Café, Megastar and Saigon Saigon Bar.

Five top beauty salons and spas: Ngọc Anh Spa, Sen Spa, La Cochinchine, Authentic Spa and Anam QT Spa.

Five interesting coffee shops: Highlands, Trung Nguyen, Gloria Jeans, Central, Windows.

Five typical transport firms: Taxi Mai Linh, Taxi Vinasun, Phuong Trang, Vietravel, Hoa Binh Travel.

Five favorite fruits: mangosteen, mango, star apple, pomelo and pitaya.

(Source: vietnamnet)

1,000-year-old Cham tower unearthed

The remains of a unique Cham tower have been found in Phong Le Village, Cam Le District in the central city of Da Nang, an area not known for Cham relics.

  Archaeologists from the city’s Museum of Cham Sculpture and Faculty of History at the University of Social Sciences and Humanity discovered the site last year and earlier this month found the foundations of the structure, which measure 16m by 16m, said Vo Van Thang, director of the museum.

  “We have unearthed this vestige dating back 1,000 years ago and the foundations are still intact,” he said. “Experts were surprised because this is the first archaeological vestige relating to Cham culture found in Da Nang and it’s different from other Cham relics found in other regions.”

  “The discovery is very important,” he said.

  The excavation was prompted by the discovery of many valuable Cham artefacts at the same site last year.

  The Champa Kingdom reigned the central coast of modern-day Viet Nam between the 4th and 13th centuries. Cham culture, including towers, folk songs and dances and traditional festivals, are an important part of Viet Nam’s cultural diversity.

Holy place

  Last week, the archaeologists found a square well built with Cham bricks under the remains of the tower, which is considered as the main tower at the site. The well, which is 4.25m-by-4.25m and 1.8m in depth, is thought to have been used to store holy water.

  Archaeologists found eight small depressions surrounding the bottom of the well and a round pit with a diameter of 1m at the centre and strange arrangement of stone and sand, which haven’t been seen before at any Cham tower, said archaeologist Nguyen Chieu from the University of Social Sciences and Humanity.

  The arrangement of a square brick on a cylindrical stone in each depression could have been a linga and yoni, male and female sexual organs, which were popular worshipping objects in Cham religion and culture symbolising creative and reproductive energy. White quartz stones placed in front of the depressions also puzzled experts.

  “We found 32 layers of sand and stone covering the mouth of the holy well,” he said. “They were arranged carefully, one layer of white sand overlapping one layer of stones, without any different material.”

  Chieu said the layers were compressed to help ensure the stability of the tower, a special technique used in Cham architecture.

  “We assume that the square hole is a holy part of the temple and the eight depressions at its bottom symbolise eight gods guarding the site, but research has begun into this and we don’t want to jump to any conclusions,” he said.

  Archaeologists will expand the excavation site to an area of about 500sq.m in a bid to better understand the tower’s structure and purpose. They plan to finish the excavation and announce the results of their research next month.

  City authorities have asked relevant agencies to continue excavating the site with a view to future restoration work. A plan to protect the site and its artefacts is also being discussed as many curious residents gather at the area in the hope of finding valuable antiques.

(Source: tuoitre)

How to “globalize” Vietnamese wrap and roll

  Travelers are very interested in the cuisine of different countries they visit because there is no better way to begin their traveling experience by offering a mouthwatering meal to their friends. In this way, along with other well-known Vietnamese dishes, Vietnamese wrap and roll dishes have become popular.

  In fact, wrap and roll dishes are processed differently in many countries, including Japan’s famous sushi or Korea’s charming kimbap. However, Vietnamese wrap and roll dishes are favored due to their exquisite beauty and aromatic flavor.

  The exquisite beauty and aromatic flavor

  The exquisite beauty of Vietnamese wrap and roll dishes is obviously seen in their delicate, soft form and size, whether they are fried or fresh. Customers can enjoy these dishes deliberately, at leisure.

  Technically, Vietnamese wrap and roll dishes are made from the harmonic combination of meat, fish and shrimp with numerous sorts of herbs and finally rolled up in vegetables, a thin omellette, or rice paper. This combination can vary from region to region in Vietnam, in addition, each wrap and roll dish is served with a suitable type of sauce which creates the special aromatic flavor of each dish.

  Moreover, Vietnamese people also contribute to this grand variety of wrap and roll dishes by creating a great number of food to wrap up and roll in.

“Unhappy” Spring Rolls

  After a trip to Vietnam, foreign tourists who are impressed by the exotic taste of Vietnamese spring rolls sometimes go to Asian food stores to buy raw materials in order to roll it themselves. A large number of Vietnamese expats also want spring rolls to become as popular as Japanese sushi.

  Vietnamese spring rolls are quite easy to make because the raw materials are always available and they do not cost much; furthermore this dish can easily fit in with different cultures. Unfortunately spring rolls, as well as other Vietnamese dishes, are not yet on sale in world—famous supermarket chains, unlike sushi, Korean kim chee, or Thai tom yam.

  Therefore, we need to find solutions to help Vietnamese wrap and roll dishes become globally popular, such as publishing Vietnamese cook books or creating new recipes for spring rolls.

  Then, perhaps one day Vietnamese spring rolls will be available globally like Japanese sushi.

(Source: tuoitre)

Foreigners working and living in Vietnam

Around 75,000 foreigners from over 60 nations are living and working in Vietnam, according to recent statistics.

The main reason is living cost in this Asian country is cheaper than in many other countries. And it’s relatively easy to find a job elsewhere.

Noel, an English teacher from Ireland said that: “I like working and experiencing new food here. Vietnamese people are usually very friendly, I have the chance to make friends with many Vietnamese and other foreigners,”.

Of course, there remain certain differences, either interesting or not. For example, “visas and work permits” in Vietnam are expensive and difficult to get. It is very noisy here. Sometimes it’s also difficult to get a straight answer from employers,” Noel said.

Jeffreyson Liu, who is from China said “I find Vietnamese people very hardworking; the food is good and suitable for my taste. Some staff members can speak fluent English and other foreign languages.”

Having run a travel agency for five years, he agreed that “Vietnam is an emerging economy, and there is great potential growth. Living in Vietnam is relatively safe”. Besides, he also mentioned some difficulties he has met while doing business in Vietnam such as complicated procedures and unclear policies that tend to overlap.”

In Vietnam, many foreigners have actively engaged in social activities. James Rhodes, Fulbright scholar at the Academy of Journalism and Communication (AJC) said, “I love working with the Friendship Village, my book on my personal war and AO experience should be out soon with all proceeds going to the FV to assist Vietnamese victims of herbicidal poisoning.”

When asked about his impression of Vietnam, James Rhodes said “Vietnamese are friendly and hard working; I love being among them even though their culture, tradition and manners are quite different.”

James Rhodes shared the same opinion with Noel, “Vietnamese people aren’t direct in many of their responses to foreigners and many times don’t express their true and real feelings, we hate that. They think they are polite but we look upon that as being dishonest. This is a huge cultural difference.” He cited “the common thing foreigners find frustrating about working in Vietnam, that is many Vietnamese are afraid to make a decision in fear of displeasing someone higher up.

Therefore, he stressed, nothing seems to get done on a timely manner for fear if something isn’t right they will be blamed. Foreigners find this process to be extremely irritating.” James then added, “We love people to ‘take the bull by the horns’ and ‘run with it’-if it was a mistake, learn by it and keep going ahead without anything amiss.”

VOV

Phu Quoc in’l airport to be operational the end of this year

  According to the Kien Giang provincial People’s Committee, Phu Quoc international airport will be put into operation in December this year.

  The airport built in a site of more than 900 hectares in Duong To commune in Phuc Quoc distric, including a runway, a passenger terminal, and a VHF omnidirectional range station (VOR).

  This project began in in November 2008 at a total cost of VND16.2 trillion(US$775 million).

  This airport helps Phu Quoc island make full use of its strong points and economic potential, especially in maritime and island tourism and trade and become a top eco-tourism area in the country and the region.

(Source: VOV)

Hanoi, Hoi An among the attractive travel destinations in Asia

Hoi An ancient town

  The capital of Hanoi and Hoi An ancient town have been listed in the 2012 top-ten attractive travel destinations in Asia.

  The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Aug-22 that Hong Kong-based Smart Travel Asia, a leading online travel magazine, Hanoi remains in 6th position, as recorded last year, while Hoi An is rated 7th.

  On the top of the list is Bali island in Indonesia, followed by Phuket in Thailand, then Hong Kong.

  The honour also means the capital of Hanoi and Hoi An ancient town will have new opportunities to promote its image and prestige to international tourism and business.

(Source: VOV)

EWEC 2012 Fair attracts 30,000 visitors

  The 2012 In’l East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) Trade and Tourism Fair in DaNang city has drawn 30,000 visitors and fetched more than VND3 billion.

  There were 300 stalls put up by nearly 200 domestic and foreign businesses, including those from Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Finland, to showcase different kinds of products such as wood furniture, household commodities, cosmetics, coffee, electronic spare parts and high-technology equipment.

  The fair successfully closed on Aug-21, creating favourable conditions for domestic and foreign businesses to seek trade and investment chances and promote tourism services.

(Source: VOV)

Unusual foods from Central Vietnam

Central Vietnam may be a barren land but it has given the country many delectable food items.

  Among them are fermented fish intestine and fermented squid.

Fermented fish intestine

  There are some kinds of fish whose intestines too are delicious. Tuna, for instance. But normally you would expect the intestine to be cooked and eaten just like the flesh. But, strangely, the intestine is turned into a delightful paste in Binh Dinh Province. To make it, get the intestine of triggerfish or tuna, ensuring it is large and fresh.

Fermented fish intestine eaten with boiled pork, herbs and vegetables

  It isn’t necessary to wash it because it isn’t dirty and does not contain any toxic substance. But remove the gall bladder to make sure the paste is not bitter. With a sharp knife make a delicate cut to drain the viscous substance inside.

  Then cut it into small pieces, put in a container or glass jar, and add salt, with one portion of salt for two portions of intestine. Cover the jar tightly and put it in the sun for 3-7 days. The intestine shrinks and becomes a paste.

  15 days later, after soaking up the salt, it produces a dark liquid. It takes another 2-3 months to get the extract, which no longer smells fishy. Throw away the intestine and use only the thick sauce.

  It is very tasty and fragrant, delicious when eaten with hot rice, vermicelli, bánh hỏi (fine rice vermicelli), or bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls).

  To make it even tastier, put a pan over low heat, add some oil and chopped garlic for fragrance, and then the sauce. Stir it well and add some sugar and seasoning to get a greasy dark sauce that smells good. You can add chilli to make it spicier.

Fermented squid

Fermented squid

  Cuttlefish paste is made in a similar manner. Choose fresh fish with firm flesh, and wash but not clean its intestine.

  To prepare the paste, a specialty of Quang Ngai Province, mix one bowl of salt with three bowls of the intestine, mix well, and put in a container.

  It ferments and usually turns black because of the internal ink bag. It is advisable not to discard the bag because locals think it is the extract of the squid. If it is removed, the fermented squid turns lighter but also less tasty.

  The fermented squid can be eaten raw, but the texture is somewhat tough. So people often chop it into small pieces and put it in a bowl of chopped ginger, chili, and garlic. Then, add some chopped pineapple and one will have delicious sauce. It is eaten with hot rice and herbs and vegetables.

  Unless you do fancy raw fermented fish intestine or fermented squid, add pork belly and braise to get a delicious dish.

  Mix the pork belly with the paste, add some seasoning and sugar, then put in a pan over low heat. Braise until the meat soaks much of the paste and the latter turns thicker.

Vietnamnet

Tourism in Sapa impacted by bad sales tactics

While the tourism industry has been growing quickly in recent years, there have been some hurdles that potentially impact the prestige of the destination.

  In the streets and alleys of Sapa it isn’t uncommon for travellers to hear phrases like, “no money, no photo,” or, “no money, no talk”. Beggars and street vendors also seem to be a put-off to potential tourists.

  There has been an increasing number of children on the street selling trinkets or asking for handouts from foreign travellers.

  Even though the tourism industry has brought increased economic development to the region, the image of Sapa’s wild beauty, at least in the eyes of many travellers, has become overshadowed by aggressive selling tactics, many of them carried out by children and erased the sense of friendliness and hospitality.

  It has long been a tradition for the minorities in the area to bring out their goods for sale in the town. H’mong souvenirs attract travellers, but they are often overwhelmed by children asking for money for photos that the travellers have already taken. Besides, if there is no exchange of money, a traveller may be made to feel obviously unwelcome.

  Many of these children are surprisingly fluent in English and other foreign languages, which they haven’t learned in schools, which are quite sparse in the area, but through interaction with foreigners.

  The market adjacent from the town cathedral is a place where groups of tourist are often hoarded by people wanting to sell their wares.

The other side

  One souvenir sales woman commented, “I’m selling these trinkets to earn enough money so that my two children do not have to do this.” Another woman said, “We are only here to sell our products. We do not mean to be impolite at all.”

  However the aggressiveness of the salesmanship has put many off.

  Asked about local habits, Dr. Tran Huu Son, Director of Lao Cai Province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, admitted, “This a definite concern, and should be carefully addressed. On the other hand the benefits seen by the local people by the development of tourism is quite evident and is not something to be ignored. It is only right that the people of Sapa benefit from the tourist trade. The challenge is to come up with reforms that keep up with that development.”

  He added that, over the last 25 years, the benefits of tourism in the region were largely seen by people who were not ethnic minorities, adding that it has also been the cause of a larger divide between rich and poor.

Long-term sight for tourism development

  Home-stay services development has initially brought benefits to people in Cat Cat, Ta Phin, Lao Chai, Ta Van, Ban Ho and Ban Den villages specifically.

  According to Dr. Son, Vietnam should learn from experiences in tourism development from foreign countries. People in Sapa shouldn’t abandon agricultural work, he said, adding that the profits from tourism should be more equally distributed. He cited parts of Africa, where up to 70 percent of tourism revenue is shared.

  He gave a specific example of a tour where visitors was taken to Ta Phin by a tour guide. They were offered locally-made brocades, but because the guide wasn’t paid a commission they received ones made in China instead. He said that this is a good indication of how tourists interests should be kept a top priority when it comes to the industry’s development.

  The People’s Committee of Sapa District has put into place measures that would mitigate the bad impacts of tourism and urbanisation there, which could affect the whole tourism industry of the area. It is also hoped that these measures will preserve the cultural integrity of the town itself.

(Source: Lao dong)

Sponsors sign up for first Vietnam International balloon festival

  Three sponsors have signed commitments to provide for Vietnam’s first ever international hot air balloon festival, planned to take place in the southern province of Binh Thuan from Aug-29th to Sep-3rd.

  The sponsorship agreement was signed o­n Aug-15th at SeaHorse resort of Binh Thuan province between the event’s organiser, including the Chien Thang Service Ltd, and Vietnam Airlines, Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and the fully foreign invested life insurer Manulife.

  The festival will cost an estimated VND20 billion (nearly US$1million), said Hoang Ngoc Nam, Chien Thang company’s vice general director.

  Speaking at the ceremony, Nguyen Thanh Tam, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Binh Thuan said that the festival is expected to promote the country’s image in general and the local tourism sector in particular.

  There are more than 50 pilots and international balloonists from 12 countries and territories will feature at the show, with around 30 colourful balloons taking to skies above Phan Thiet.

  At present, facilities supporting the festival are at the final stage of completion.

(Source: hanoitimes)

Travel firms still expand networks in spite of tourist slowdown

Many tour operators have still expanded their networks nationwide, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, despite the fact that the ongoing economic hardship has resulted in a slowdown in the number of tourists, especially the inbound segment.

  Ho Chi Minh City-based Vietravel late this month will inaugurate its transaction office in District 10 and it is also going to open another office in Thu Duc District soon. Similarly, Viet Travel Media JSC early this month also put a new office into operation in the same district.

  Besides, Vietravel in June this year established a representative office in San Francisco after opening the first office in Los Angeles about three years ago. The two offices now are in charge of serving tourists to and from the cities which are home to large numbers of Vietnamese-American citizens.

  Over one month ago, Saigontourist Holding Company also opened the Saigontourist travel center in District 5 and new branches in Dong Nai province.

  The travel firm in the first half of this year had inaugurated one branch, two offices and one travel center in Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi and Long Xuyen City in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. It now has been in preparation for launching a number of new offices into operation in Ha Noi and the country’s south in the next time.

  Every company has its own reasons to expand the network in the context of the current economic slump but most of firms expect the new networks will make it easier for them to attract customers and promote their brands’ images as well. For instance, Saigontourist has operated the new travel center as its own facility for human resources training and customer services in the whole system.

  Director of Viet Travel Media, Tran Van Long, said transacting with customers is mainly performed at the main office in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 and via online services but the tour operator will still set up more offices in the city and the central region. The main job of these offices is to take care of customers as well as making the company’s brand more popular among locals, Long said. “We hope to win the confidence of customers thanks to the popular brand and the presence of offices nationwide,” he noted.

  PR relation director of Vietravel, Nguyen Minh Man, said his firm now is having 10 transaction offices in Ho Chi Minh City dealing with individual customers. The offices with 30 staff members in January and June had contributed up to VND100 billion in sales to Vietravel, Man revealed, adding his business in the near future will continue expanding the network to remote areas in the country. “It is better for us to build up the brand and win the hearts of local customers before the struggling economy is revived by penetrating the market from the central area to suburb regions,” Man explained.

  A report of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism states the number of local tourism companies had sharply marked up in the first six months of the year. The city has 784 firms active in the tourism industry, up 45 companies against the end of last year.

  Many local travel firms have reported a sharp fall in the number of domestic tourists in the past few months. For the inbound segment, the number of international arrivals is also on the downtrend.

  Data from the General Statistics Office shows international arrivals in June was estimated at 417,400 arrivals, decreasing by 8.6 percent over last month and 6.6 percent over the same period last year. In July, the number was estimated at 466,000 arrivals, increasing by 11.6 percent over last month but still decreasing by 7.9 percent over the same period last year.

  The total international arrivals in the first 7 months reached 3,832,400 representing a 10.8 percent growth over the same period last year.

(Source: SGT)

Cultural festival features Mong wedding ceremony

  The wedding ceremony of the Mong ethnic will be a highlight of the 2012 National Cultural, Sports and Tourism Festival Week in Yen Bai province from September 14th to 20th.

  Visitors will feel the happiness of the bride’s and bridegroom’s families and known how the Mong prepare for the wedding banquet and worship their ancestors. Especially, they can also join the group that goes to the bride’s family to escort her to the husband’s home.

  There are a wide range of other activities, including a mountain market fair, a traditional sports contest, and a trade-tourism exhibition displaying images of beautiful tourist sites and terraced rice fields will also be held during the festival.

  The event aims to promote the Mu Cang Chai terraced rice fields, a national beauty spot, and the unique cultures of the indigenous people to foreign and domestic visitors.

(Source: VOV)

Hue’s nature wasting for tourism development

The ancient capital city of Hue has been warned that it may not have a sustainable tourism development if it continues wasting Hue’s nature and characteristics.

  It’s obvious that Hue has become a famous tourism destination. Visitors to Hue can try food specialties, enjoy the Huong romantic river’s landscapes and have meals in kingly manner. Especially, they can wear kings’ clothes or take pictures with the “kings.”

  However, experts have warned that the king-style services have been overexploited, which would make the Vietnamese kings’ images turn trivial in the eyes of visitors.

Kings getting commonplace

  It seems that no country with Oriental traditional culture has exploited the kings’ lifestyle to design tourism products.

  Meanwhile, the kings’ lifestyle in the Nguyen dynasties has been abused by the travel firms in Hue City to attract tourists. Thrones, imperial mantle, royal meals and imperial boat have all been used as the methods to lure travelers.

  Tourists just need to spend 45,000 dong to become a king to sit on a throne. In the last 2012 Hue Festival, some travelers even took pictures in the imperial mantle in a ridiculous manner outside the Royal Palace. Especially, a European woman had her photo taken while she was sitting on the king’s thigh in pants.

  As a result, the image of the Vietnamese kings has become trivial in the eyes of foreign travelers.

  Travelers would only have to spend certain sums of money to be served with imperial meals with the dishes in the Nguyen dynasties. The images of western men and women in imperial mantles trying “the kings’ dishes” have distorted the westerners’ knowledge and understanding about Vietnamese kings.

  Meanwhile, the thing Hue should do is to maintain its imposing characteristics of a capital city and protect the images of the sacred imperial city in the eyes of Vietnamese and foreign people, even though it is no more the center of feudal dynasties.

Overcharging spoils Hue’s tourism

  The visitors to Hue would have the opportunities to travel on boat on the Huong River and listen to Hue’s traditional lyrics. However, the tickets to the traditional lyrics performances sold at many hotels in Hue are “illegal tickets,” not the tickets issued by the competent agencies.

  The hotels in the city cooperate with transport firms to look for clients. The owners of the boats who serve the travelers’ trip on the Huong River and organize artistic shows earn 40,000 dong from every traveler, while the hotels get the other 40,000 dong.

  Meanwhile, Nguyen Tan Thuong, Director of the Center for Hue Lyrics Performance has affirmed that since 2006, the center has been the only unit allowed to sell tickets to Hue traditional lyrics shows.

  It is the pagodas, palaces and the “Hue’s characteristics” which has beautified the city, attracted tourists and built up a tourism brand to Hue. However, the city has been wasting the Hue’s characteristics. If the characteristics disappear one day, Hue wouldn’t be the attractive destination in the eyes of tourists any more.

  What does “Hue’s characteristics” mean? The question proves to be very difficult even for Dr Thai Kim Lan. However, in people’s thoughts, Hue’s characteristics mean the specific manners that only exist in Hue.

  At present, tourism is a key economic branch of Thua Hien-Hue province, which makes up 45% of the locality’s GDP, the proportion higher than that of any other cities and provinces in Vietnam.

  According to Phan Tien Dung, Director of the provincial Department for Culture, Sports and Tourism, the proportion would be raised to 50% by 2015.

(Source: To Quoc)

Vietnam Airlines seeks 80% cut in profit target

State-run carrier Vietnam Airlines (VNA) is seeking approval from the Ministry of Transport for reducing its profit target for 2012 by a whopping 80% following less than expected earnings in the first five month.

  The carrier now projects net profit for the year at around VND69 billion (US$3.3 million), which is VND300 billion lower than the original target.

  Anticipated overall revenues this year will reduce by 4.6% to VND52.4 trillion, according to a VnExpress report.

  The carrier will also have to cut its spending by an extra VND244 billion to achieve the revised reduction target of VND2.08 trillion.

  Pham Viet Thanh, VNA chairman said that revenues in the first five months of the year was VND21.08 trillion, just 38.7% of the annual target. The carrier holds more than 75% of the domestic market.

  Revenues from the domestic market in July, considered the peak of the high season for air travel, fell by 2.5% over last year and was much lower than expected, according to the airline.

  Airline officials attributed the decline in demand for the national carrier’s services to the economic downturn and increased competition from private budget carrier VietJetAir. They said it will have to set aside more than $6 million as loss provisions for low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific, which it took over in February.

  Experts say the airline’s decision to lower its profit target could put more pressure on its initial public offering (IPO) through which it hopes to raise at least $200 million. The IPO is scheduled for the second half of 2013.

  VNA also plans to issue more shares to raise its charter capital. The government is expected to have a 70-80% stake in the carrier after the equitization.

  Equitization, as privatization is referred to in Vietnam, is said to be an initial step in the carrier’s planned restructuring process. It aims to become the third largest carrier in Southeast Asia in 2015.

  The carrier submitted its restructuring plan to the Ministry of Transport in April, aiming to increase its capital to $1.41 billion by 2020 and gross profits to $1.08 billion, the Dien dan doanh nghiep newswire reported.

(Source: thanhnien)

Vietnam’s images promoted at Germany

Hue Relic - a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO

  Germany Friendship Association (VGFA) on Aug-16th launched an information website – www.hoivietnamduc.vn, aiming to share current activities related to Vietnamese and German people and support a ‘live’ online platform for everyone to exchange information.

  The website will supply VGFA’s activities and images of the two countries. It serves not only a forum for the Vietnamese community in Germany but also those who used to work and study in the country, Hoang Van Huay, VGFA President said.

  According to the German Statistics Office, at present, there are around 100,000 Vietnamese are studying and living in Germany.

(Source: VOV)

Fly Ho Chi Minh City – HaiPhong only VND19,000 with VietJetAir

VietJet Air has announced a big discounted promotion for domestic flights on its newly-launched Ho Chi Minh City-Hai Phong route, with a one-way ticket costing only VND19,000 (90 US cents).

  Three thousands tickets will be sold from 9pm to midnight on Aug-22 for flights from Oct-1 to Dec-31, 2012. Passengers can book tickets on the VietJetAir website-www.vietjetair.com, or contact your nearest VietJetAir ticket office nationwide.

  Flights from Ho Chi Minh City will depart at 9:50am and arrive in Hai Phong at 11:45am, while the return flight taking off at 12:20pm.Daily, there is one flight operate for every route.

  VietJetAir plans to develop its Airbus A320 fleet to increase quality flight services both domestic and international flights. Besides, there will more flights to connect with other airports in Viet Nam and international.

(Source: VNS)