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)