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Vietnam Open Tour News & EventsMONDAY 01 JUNE, 2009 |
 Vietnam will issue tourist visas ‘on arrival’
At present, visas are issued on arrival only in exceptional cases, when foreign visitors have hired local travel companies to complete visa procedures before flying to This month, the Government has agreed to charge no visa fees on foreigners who enter the country under the national tourism promotion ‘Impressive Vietnam” program’ until September 30 or until the end of this promotion. Binh said that the national tourism department would decide when to end the program based on results. Tour operators have praised the exemption of visa fees, saying that the tourism authority needs to continue this policy for the long term in order to attract international visitors. “This is a good rule but needs to run for a long time, six months to a year, to attract guests because foreign tourists need time to prepare for their trip to Vietnam,” said Nguyen Viet Hung, general director of Fiditourist. Bui Viet Thuy Tien, director of Asian Trails Co. Ltd., said that the national tourism agency should advertise the new policies because many international tourists do not know that they it is possible to receive a visa at entry points or from which website they can download visa applications. Tran Xuan Hung, director of Viking Travel and Media Company, said that the new policies ought to be continued, and that along with the promotion program it would help the country’s tourism to promote its image to the world. “We hope that it’s a first step for the country’s tourism to help foreign tourists,” Hung said. Many local hotels behind the times Only 30% of three to five star hotels in the country are equipped with global booking and web-based booking technology and only 8% of them use online marketing solutions, according to a survey conducted by a hotel marketing organization. The survey found that 30% of tourists booked hotels via websites last year and another 30% booked rooms at travel agencies after reading online information. As a result, around 70% of Vietnamese hotels have lost opportunities to serve international travelers, If hotels are not equipped with comprehensive facilities and services, Phan Duc Man, vice chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that Foreign experts suggested VietNamNet/SGT Journeys to past and present attractions in central Vietnam
Going fishing in basket boat is one of the summer tours of The Nam Hai. On another part of the tour in Quang Nam Province, family members will be ferried to Cu Lao Cham (Cham Island), a small group of islands 25 nautical miles off the coast from the ancient site of Hoi An. The appeal of Cham Islands is its intact old pagodas and other architectural sites that date back to the 18th century. But Cu Lao Cham has more to offer. Lovely beaches beckon visitors and color corals shine under the water for divers to discover. Back on shore the staff of The Nam Hai accompany guests on a trip around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hoi An, which is known at home and abroad for its many old houses and historic port which was bustling with trade around 400 years ago. “The program to Hoi An will allow them (guests) to experience one of the most unique areas in Vietnam, a piece of its history still functioning and thriving,” said explained Baron R. Ah Moo, chief executive officer of Indochina Hotels and Resorts - the owner of The Nam Hai. Other UNESCO-listed sites and places of interest on the Nam Hai tours are the Marble Mountains of pagodas and caves located about eight kilometers from the heart of Danang, the My Son Complex of Cham-architecture towers in Quang Nam Province, and the former Imperial Capital of Hue in Thua Thien-Hue. “I believe most of our guests come with very little prior knowledge or experience with Vietnamese culture and history,” Ah Moo explained. This is why the award-winning luxury resort has launched such tours. The tours will be escorted by English-speaking tour guides who are knowledgeable about the history and attractions. For sport lovers, The Nam Hai offers golf lessons for both adults and children. Golf is the fastest growing sport in Vietnam, with more than 10,000 Vietnamese and around 4,000 expatriate players. The lessons include watching video clips on the basic steps of playing golf and practicing at the Montgomerie Links course located in Quang Nam Province. Badminton, tennis and beach volleyball are also available for those not interested in golfing. The Nam Hai is promoting “Stay Three Nights, Pay Two Nights” and “Stay Four Nights, Pay Three Nights” packages that include villa accommodation, airport transfers, shuttle bus to Hoi An, laundry, drinks in the room and light meals from 5-7 p.m. Guests who stay more than four nights will also have a lunch or dinner added to the package. The Nam Hai is 10 kilometers from Hoi An and a 30-minute drive from Danang International Airport. VietNamNet/SGT Mekong Delta provinces to join hands in developing tourism
Tourists visit the Cai Rang Floating Market in Can Tho City. Mekong Delta provinces are focusing on developing a sustainable tourism industry. Kien Giang and An Giang provinces and Can Tho City have set up a "Co-operation programme to develop the tourism industry through 2010" to exploit the region’s key travel triangle. Vinh Long Province is working with Can Tho to promote ecotourism, cultural and historical tourism, and home stay tours. The travel sector in the region has also established ties with HCM City-based tourism companies to organise waterway tours and other products pertaining to summer, weekend, discovery, business, and recreational tours. Authorities have spent around VND98 billion (US$5.3 million) to upgrade some 50 tourism sites in the region to attract more tourists. Can Tho, for instance, has invested VND16.6 billion in its transport infrastructure and restore the century-old Binh Thuy house, a major attraction and recently declared a national relic, at Binh Thuy tourism village. It has also upgraded national tourist attractions along the Hau River. Improving the skills of people working in the tourism industry is also a factor authorities are focusing on. The delta has huge potential for tourism development with its myriad attractive destinations like Tram Chim National Park I in Dong Thap Province, U Minh Forest in Ca Mau Province, and floating market and fruit orchards in Can Tho. Phu Quoc Island and An Giang Province’s That Son and Sap mountains also attracted many visitors. VietNamNet/Viet Nam News Admiring the scenery on Thoai Son Mountain
Nui Sap Town in An Giang Province’s Thoai Son District is about 25 kilometers away from Long Xuyen City on Road 934. To reach the top of the mountain, one may climb or rent a bike for VND5,000 per person to ride on a 4 meter-wide concrete path that winds and zigzags up for 1,500 meters. Many pagodas varying in size, architecture and design are scattered on the road from halfway up to the peak. The most striking is a pink statue of Mitreya Buddha, eight meters in height and located at Duyen Phuoc Pagoda. The traditional pagoda with towers and curved roof has existed for many years, and was rebuilt in 1994. It is decorated with statues of dragons, lions, turtles and phoenix. On top of the mountain the path ends at Doi (Bat) Cave, where many rocks are piled up on one another. Above the cave is a stone yard where passersby can sit and enjoy the fresh air and tranquility, viewing the scenery of immense green fields, far away rivers and canals, orchards and houses glistening in the sun. On the way back down visitors will see what looks like a man-made painting, with Lake No.1, Lake No.2 and Thoai Lake linked together and crossing caves and tunnels in the mountain. Those are vestiges of stone exploitation that was developed into a tourist site. Other noteworthy attractions to visit include Thoai Son Temple, site of the statue of General Thoai Ngoc Hau and a stele featuring the origin, landscapes and history of the mountain, and, in Nui Sap Town, the Thoai Ha Canal, Ong Bon Pagoda, Vong Dong stone mountain and Ba Pagoda. VietNamNet/SGT Phu Quoc Island: A “waning heaven”
Under the government’s scheme, by 2020 Phu Quoc will be a sea ecological tourism centre, attracting 2-3 million visitors a year. However, this “heaven” is losing its value through the exploitation and disfigurement of its natural assets. In the name of tourism projects, many businesses have been destroying the natural landscapes of Phu Quoc. They are exploiting sand on the coast, causing coastal erosion, and menacing the scenery with concrete works. In the Dinh Cau area, to expand its beach to serve tourists, the Phu Quoc Tourism JS Company exploited Con village in Duong Dong Town, which was famous for its beautiful, natural beach. The firm sucked sand from the coast near Con village, causing a landslide, threatening Con villagers. Chairman of Duong Dong town Duong Minh Hung said that around 140m of coast has collapsed, endangering 17 houses. However, of greater concern, the beautiful beach of Con village has been ruined. After two months of sucking sand from the beach, a “gulf” was created at the site which had been a nice beach in the past. In Hang Yen, An Thoi town, a company named Gold Star destroyed the protective forest, sucked sand and built a dike to enlarge its beach. Phu Quoc’s beach is being cut into small pieces by tourism projects. Tourism companies are also trying to build high-rise buildings and hotels on the coast with weird designs, obscuring the view of the Phu Quoc sea. Around 4km of coast from Duong Dong town to Cua Lap has been the “victim” of concrete. The Huong Bien Hotel built a stone dike of over 1m in height and nearly 500m length along the coast, breaking up the wonderful beach in front of the Dinh Cau area. The Sai Gon-Phu Quoc Hotel also built some concrete works on the most beautiful beach in Phu Quoc. Many concrete architectural works cover a large area of land on the island. Many construction works on Phu Quoc are copied from foreign ones, and look very strange, such as the Ngan Sao tourism site. On 300sq.m of beach, the investor built imitations of famous works in the world, like the sea lion of Singapore, the Opera House in Sydney, Australia as well as a Dutch windmill. VietNamNet/LD News for Wednesday 27 May, 2009
View all news for Wednesday 27 May, 2009 on one page Recent News
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