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Vietnam Open Tour News & EventsWEDNESDAY 09 SEPTEMBER, 2009 |
 Bus drivers shun new rest stops Programme set up to curb problems Passenger buses continue to avoid new rest stops that have been set up to offer a safe and comfortable travelling experience, according to the Ministry of Communication and Transportation.
Buses stopped at Lac Long Rest Stop on National Highway No5. New rest stops with modern facilities have been set up to accommodate travellers. In March, the ministry began working with the Viet Nam Road Agency and the Japanese International Co-operation Agency to set up the roadside station initiative nationwide. Thus far, three northern provinces, Ninh Binh, Bac Giang and Hoa Binh, have each built one roadside station, which offers meals, drinks, sanitation services and small parks for taking a walk. The ministry’s roadside station programme was set up to help reduce corruption that exists between bus drivers and restaurants located along national highways. Many drivers of passenger buses stop at the restaurants to accept free meals from them. In addition, travel agencies often demand that buses stop at a specific time to allow passengers a rest, thus requiring an unavoidable stop at some of these facilities. Many of these restaurants along national highways offer poor services at exorbitant prices, and often allow entrance only through a fenced area. Some of them have physically assaulted travellers who refused to purchase food or meals, the ministry has said. Vu The Binh, director of the National Administration of Tourism’s travel department, said the lack of professional roadside stations had hindered the development of tourism along the nation’s highways for many years. The three roadside stations were built with Government and JICA funds, but the stations were expected to operate independently and earn their own revenue. However, the managers of the stations, who are government employees, said sales were too low to cover all expenses, including electricity and water costs. Yahusiro Tojo, deputy senior representative of JICA in Viet Nam, said financial support from the Government, businesses and investors was needed. Citing Japan’s experience with managing 850 roadside stations since 1993, Yahusiro said JICA would offer training to road station staff to improve services. Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy director of the Viet Nam Road Agency, said the Government should create a policy to offer subsidies to the new roadside stations, citing national roadway laws that contain provisions on such stations. Dinh Thi Lan, manager of one of the stations in Hoa Binh province, said inter-provincial buses were bypassing the station, and only local buses stopped to buy food and take a rest. Dang Van Mieu, deputy director of Ninh Binh Bus Station Enterprise, said the roadside station there was located behind houses which were supposed to have been moved or destroyed. The house owners have refused to participate in site clearance, he said. "How can passengers feel comfortable when they can’t access the restroom or facility?" he said, adding that drivers must take a side route to enter the station premises. Nguyen Binh Minh, a driver on the Ha Noi-Ninh Binh route, said the meals were not good at the station, and that passengers had complained about poor services from waiters. Workers at the Bac Giang province station said they offer quality services, but many passengers eat at other restaurants nearby and use the station for sanitation services and its park. Officials in Hoa Binh and Bac Giang provinces have told station mangers to outline new business plans to improve services. Dinh Thi Lan, manager of Hoa Binh’s station, said she was asking for financial support from the province. VietNamNet/Viet Nam News Vietnam int’l integrated hospitality show
A competition for Vietnam’s bartenders will be among the highlights of the Vietnam Int'l Integrated Hospitality Show. The event includes the VietHotel, VietWine, and VietFineFood expos and is designed to offer the opportunity of meeting key decision makers and industry professionals in Vietnam’s booming hospitality market. Officially endorsed by the Hotel Department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the show is conveniently scheduled just before the millennium of Hanoi in 2010 so that restaurants and hotels can source for new technology and expertise to cater to the expected surge in the number of people visiting Hanoi and its surroundings during the period. Highlights Celebrity Chefs Parade: A panel of top international and Viet- namese chefs will be invited to demonstrate their food preparation and presentation skills using quality ingredients. It will be an excellent opportunity for up-and-coming chefs to pick up new skills and ideas. Plans are being made to bring in Michelin star rated chefs from France, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan for the event, which will be a must-attend for all food and beverage staff in not just Vietnam but also the region. National Barista Championship: The nation's best baristas will gather at the National Convention Center on September 25 to compete in the first Vietnam National Barista Championship in front of a live audience. The contest, which strives to create a greater focus on the quality of coffee making, is in line with the fast-paced growth of coffee appreciation in Vietnam. The top six competitors from the preliminary round will advance to the final, and the 2009 Barista Champion will be announced at an award ceremony immediately afterwards. National Culinary Competition: Chefs across Vietnam will compete in the first Vietnam National Culinary Competition organized by the Hanoi Professional Chefs' Club. Teams and individuals will compete in a number of categories including Vietnamese and Western Cooking. Day 1 will be the fruit and ice-carving competitions. Day 2 will see the Hot Cooking Competition, where two traditional and two modern Vietnamese dishes must be prepared within three hours. Day 3 will be the 'Black Box' challenge, where each team will prepare Western food in a thirty-minute session with only a limited number of ingredients supplied to them in a black box. Applications are still open! For more information on how to participate, visit www.viethotelexpo.com/ culinarycompetition. Vietnam Bartender Competition: The nation's best bartenders will gather to contest for the competition in front of a live audience of spectators. Participating competitors can look forward to a chance to display their talents in mixing their drinks in this inaugural bartending competition event in Hanoi. A panel of judges will subsequently evaluate the performance of each individual according to criteria which include taste of the cocktails served, cleanliness, creativity, technical skill and overall presentation. A total of US$2,000 in cash prizes will be given out for the top three male and female competitors at this event. Vietnam International Wine Competition: Run in partnership with Tan Khoa and The Warehouse, the Vietnam International Wine Competition has been created specifically for the Asian market by those who know and are involved in the region. Held in conjunction with VietWine ’09, it will be the first truly Vietnamese wine competition in the world and will include an award for Wine Knowledge and another for Best Wine produced in the world. Judging will be conducted by Asia’s most esteemed wine judges, including Jean Philippe Guillot and Baldwin Jehanno. Time: September 24-26, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Venue: National Convention Center, Hanoi For more information, go to www.viethotelexpo.com. VietNamNet/Thanh Nien Vietnam’s ‘Best Brands’ climb rankings
The ancient city of Hoi An . The ancient quarter of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam climbed one place to fifth among the Top Ten Holiday Destinations, Hanoi climbed two places to 6th among the Top Ten Cities for Shopping, while Ho Chi Minh City, together with Seoul and Taipei, placed 10th in the Top Ten Cities for Business. The rankings for a number of Vietnam’s major hotels and resorts also improved over last year’s poll. Sofitel Metropole Hanoi ranked second and Nam Hai resort in Hoi An town came in 9th among the Top 25 Leisure Hotels and Resorts. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Smart Travel Asia’s annual online poll collects people’s opinions about tourism destinations, aviation services, hotels and resorts. Vietnam’s entry into several Top Ten lists marks growing improvement in its profile as a tourist destination. The VNAT stated that the achievements were attributed to the country’s stimulus measures to recover the industry from the impacts of the global economic crisis and the A/H1N1 influenza epidemic. The number of foreign visitors to Vietnam saw signs of recovery after steadily decreasing in the early part of the year. The agency reported that the country welcomed almost 315,000 foreign arrivals in August, a 16% increase over July. VietNamNet/VNA Mystery of Pu Sam Cap Caves Nature has endowed Tay Bac (the north-western area) with imposing ranges of mountains, vast luxuriant forests, rivers and murmuring streams. Over millions of years of tectonics and movements, spectacular caves and grottos have been formed, of which the complex of Pu Sam Cap Caves emerges as the most beautiful spot in Lai Chau Province. From the centre of Lai Chau Town, going westwards for 6km visitors will reach Pu Sam Cap which consists of three large caves including the Thien Mon, Thien Duong and Thuy Tinh. They all have a natural beauty equal to that of well-known caves, such as Phong Nha in Quang Binh Province, Thien Cung in Quang Ninh Province and Huong Tich in Hanoi. Since the complex of Pu Sam Cap Caves was discovered in July 2006 it has attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists who love adventures and discovery.
Thien Mon Cave has a large entrance and is deep. Going inside the cave, visitors feel the cool air coming from stones. Via the light of the torch they will see different types of stalagmites and stalactites. Drops of water falling from the roof of the cave make them have the feeling of walking in the rain. On the large floor in the middle of the cave there are a lot of ball-shaped stalagmites which have been formed due to the flows of water over millions of years. These balls overlap one another, creating both familiar and strange formations depending on the visitors’ imagination. Arriving at the centre of Thien Mon Cave, visitors are astonished because it is high and large and has a flat floor, which can be called “a theatre of nature”. They will enjoy hearing the sound of wind that goes through the stalactites and its echo off the walls sounding like a piano. A little light from the open air creates a contrast space. Leaving Thien Mon Cave, visitors will go through the forest for half an hour to reach Thien Duong Cave. With primitive natural features Thien Duong Cave looks like a landscape painting, very attractive to visitors. To go down the cave, visitors have to cling to a rope running along the sides of the cliffs. A calm and solemn atmosphere prevails, thrilling the visitors. Standing among the stalactites and stalagmites inside the cave the visitors’ imagination varies. The curving lines on the sloping floor resemble a terraced field. The deeper the cave, the more colourful and multi-dimensional its space, with formations of rocks looking like familiar images of the daily life, such as a flower trellis, a garden of vegetables, etc. There are a series of white crystal stalactites resembling glass pillars and many other spectacular formations. In the near future together with the development of Lai Chau Province, Pu Sam Cap Caves will become a destination for discovery and ecological tours accompanied by other forms of tourism, such as hamlets and festivals.
How to get to Pu Sam Cap Caves Take a car from Hanoi to Lai Chau, then go from the centre of Lai Chau Town westwards for 6km to reach Pu Sam Cap Caves. To get more information, please contact: Lai Chau Import-Export Joint-Stock Company Story by Huu Tuan
News for Monday 07 September, 2009 View all news for Monday 07 September, 2009 on one page Recent News
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