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)