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Vietnam Open Tour News & EventsTHURSDAY 05 NOVEMBER, 2009 |
 More 5-star hotel beds lying empty Luxury hotels nationwide are still struggling to shift their focus with a view to increasing their occupancy rates in the remaining months of the year. In the first nine months of the year, the number of foreign tourists arriving in Viet Nam dropped by 16 per cent from the same period last year, according to the National Administration of Tourism. According to market research by CB Richard Ellis company, in 2008 five-star hotels in the capital had an average occupancy rate of 63 per cent, while in the same period this year the rate had dropped to 55 per cent. In HCM City, five-star hotels had an average occupancy rate in Q3 of 2008 of 58.9 per cent, and in 2009 this dropped to 49.1 per cent. The current situation is a marked contrast to 2007, when occupancy rates were as much as 70-80 per cent and hotels reported having to turn customers away at times. In HCM City, the Rex Hotel saw an average occupancy rate of only 46 per cent in the first nine months of the year, the Thoi bao Kinh te Sai Gon (Sai Gon Economic Times) reports. Large hotels in HCM City centre have attributed the drop to the world recession and swine flu which has dramatically reduced the number of foreigners visiting the country. The marketing director of the New World Hotel in HCM City, Nelson Balilo, said the number of visitors from the EU, US and Japan had strongly dropped off. Hotels are increasingly shifting their focus to attract Asian and domestic tourists. Big name hotels are reporting more Vietnamese coming to the hotels for lunch or dinner, and greater attention is being paid to attracting MICE tours (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) by giving special incentives. To survive in this context, hotels must have active policies, said Tao Van Nghe, general director of the Majestic Hotel. VietNamNet/VNS Third int’l fireworks contest to fete Da Nang liberation
Approved by the Prime Minister, the two day contest estimated to cost over US$465,000, will explode over the Han River on March 27. Joe Ghazzal, director of Malaysian-owned Global 2000 Company, the festival consultant, said they have signed contracts with four famous competitors from US, Japan, France and Portugal. The theme for the contest will be “the Legend of the Han River”. The Da Nang People’s Committee will build a temporary 30,000-seat pavilion for people to watch the event, said Nguyen Van Can, chief of the committee’s office. The income from selling tickets for the seats will be used to invest in the festival that was initiated in 2008, he said, adding that next year, they will not rent out places nearby to food and beverage services as done previously to give people more space to watch the event. Local authorities have also decided to establish a Fireworks Fund that will invite foreign and local sponsorship as well as tap into other legal income sources. The fund will be used to organize the international competition as well as other celebratory fireworks display in the city. VietNamNet/Thanh Nien Finding the best in HCM City Although shocked by the scorching heat and the out-of-control city traffic, tourists are still keen to visit HCMC as it remains a fun place full of lively people who, for the most part, seem happy to be living here. There are many attractions here that give tourists an insight into the culture, history and daily life of Vietnam.
Tourists are told to visit Notre Dame Cathedral which was built by the French between 1863 and 1880 with bricks from Marseille. These bricks have retained their red color until today. The cathedral’s two 40 meter spires dominate the skyline and a statue of the Virgin Mary stands out front. The church is not only a place to discover colonial architecture, but a place for regular Christian services and a favorite place for Vietnamese brides and bridegrooms to have dozens of photos taken. Reunification Palace in District 1 is a must-see for history buffs and is a historic landmark in HCMC. It was designed by architect Ngo Viet Thu as the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the war and the site of the official handover of power on April 30, 1975. The palace covers about 12 hectares and is surrounded by trees and lawns. Although destroyed during the war, it was renovated and preserved as an important historical site. The War Remnants Museum in District 3 displays the horrors of modern combat and the suffering inflicted on the Vietnamese people. The museum houses a collection of weapons, machinery, artifacts and horrific photos illustrating the devastating affects of napalm, Agent Orange and other weapons of mass destruction. The Cu Chi Tunnels, about an hour’s drive from the city center by bus, represent the bravery and strength of the Vietnamese people. This extraordinary underground maze is divided into several levels of tunnels almost 250 kilometers in length. The soil above is between three and four meters thick. The network included accommodations, meeting rooms, mess halls, hospitals and even a miniature cinema for an underground army of Vietnamese revolutionary soldiers who emerged from concealed trapdoors to fight and gradually grind down the will of the French and Americans. The History Museum and the Fine Art Museum exhibit paintings, historical artifacts and antique collections. They are venues for locals and tourists to admire works of arts as well as to learn more about Vietnamese culture and history. Municipal Theater Ho Chi Minh City, or HCMC Opera House, is a fine example of French colonial architecture. Built in 1897 by French architect Ferret Eugene, the 800 seat hall is a venue for concerts and music festivals. This building was the home of the Lower House Assembly of South Vietnam from 1956 until 1975 when it became a theatre again. It was last renovated in 1995. Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9, mainly for children and young people, is a fun place to relax with a roller coaster, water slides, an artificial beach and lake, and hungry crocodiles that love to be fed. Can Gio Ecology Tourism Park is a great place for nature lovers to find some head space in the green tranquility of the forest and sea. China Town in District 5 is immediately distinguished by its fascinating labyrinth of Chinese-named streets, temples, restaurants, exotic stores, medicine shops and markets. Here, tourists can step into Binh Tay Market with its bustling trade or visit Thien Hau Pagoda to burn incense for good luck and good health. Ben Thanh Market and An Dong Market are great for buying Vietnamese souvenirs and specialties, including food and household items. Why not take a bus, bicycle or cyclo around HCMC to experience the amazing scenes and vote for your favorite city attractions at www.hcmc100e.info? VietNamNet/SGT
New tour on offer to Con Dao Island Con Dao, or Dao Ngoc (Pearl Island), lies in the East Sea about 97 nautical miles from Vung Tau City. Endowed with smooth beaches shaded by evergreen trees, fresh air, clear blue waters, primitive forests and abundant wildlife, Con Dao is drawing tourists these days with fishing and squid fishing services.
From now until December 31, Saigontourist Travel Service Company and Vasco Airlines are offering an attractive three-day tour called ‘Con Dao’s memory itinerary’ for VND2.925 million. This tour departs on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. For seasoned tourists and former prisoners of Con Dao, the price is VND2.525 million. The tour visits Co Ong and Lo Voi villages, Hang Keo and Hang Duong cemeteries, the local museum, Phu Hai and Phu Son prisons to offer a glimpse of Vietnamese history. The tour also hits Dam Trau and Bai Nhat beaches, striking in their pristine condition, Ben Dam Wharf and Da Trang Beach with its white rocks. Accommodations on this tour are at the Saigon-Con Dao Resort. This facility was inaugurated in June and boasts 82 luxury rooms, fine restaurants and an entertainment area. Tourists can also stay in a 31 room villa which was renovated on the basis of 19th century villas used as the living and working quarters for French colonial officials. Located in the center of the island, Con Dao Resort is charming with its riverside road embracing the sunny, blue coast. The villas feature ocean-views and are covered in shade from dense green groves. The tour also includes local seafood specialties and European, Asian and Vietnamese cuisine.
Health tour for seniors at Binh Chau Hot Spring Binh Chau Hot Spring, about 150 kilometers from HCMC in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, is a popular destination with its hot spa waters and hot mud baths in the fresh air of coastal forest land.
Tourists enjoy a soak at the Binh Chau Hot Spring Resort in the coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. To serve the demand, the HCMC-based Ben Thanh Tourist has renewed a health tour to the area for elderly tourists. The two-day and one-night tour takes in both Binh Chau Hot Springs and Vung Tau City. Binh Chau Hot Springs covers about 33 hectares and is endowed with forest, sea, springs and cool weather year-round. The hot springs comprise a cluster of 70 visible pools of water varying in temperature from 40 to 83 degrees Celsius. Thanks to the good temperature, tourists can boil eggs in just ten minutes in the 83 degree natural wells. Guests can buy eggs here and lower them into small hot pools built by the developer for the purpose. After the fun with the eggs, there are hot mud baths, soaking services and massage services that are all good for health recovery. Don’t forget to bring a book to better relax yourself while soaking your body in the hot mineral waters. After Binh Chau, the tour visits the attractions of Vung Tau City. Visitors can swim off the beautiful beach, go sight seeing, or join fun games organized by Ben Thanh Tourist. On the road back to HCMC the tour stops at the Long Thanh shopping area to buy local products. For more information, call Ben Thanh Tourist at 08 3520 2020, email inbound-e@benthanhtourist.com or visit www.benthanhtourist.com. VietNamNet/SGT
Harsh life in a gentle river setting In the high-tide season, a lot of people flock to the Mekong Delta not only to drift on the swollen rivers but to know more of the hardships and the lifestyle of people in the Delta.
Foreign tourists on a boat trip to the Cai Rang floating river in Can Tho City. On vacation, tourists are keen to discover new things in new places, so they are excited to take photos of boatmen, sellers on floating markets or residents washing clothes and dishes or cooking in riverside-houses or in boat houses. However, all these activities tell them that those are poor people with unlucky fates as they have no house on solid land but live on a boat. Every day, before sunrise, the boats, some from far-away places, drift to the floating market to sell products. When the sun rises high at mid-day, tourists find a restaurant to have lunch as well as to flee the scorching heat, but the floating sellers still row under the sun with their tired advertising cries. Mekong Delta tours visit romantic canals shaded by endless groves of coconut trees or mangroves and wonderful orchards. These canals link to various branches of the great river and make for relaxing boat trips. The experience of drifting on the canals is so great that many tourists forget their troubles in the peace and quiet. However, tourists who talk with the boatman may learn that he gets only VND5,000 for each short canal boat trip. They wear traditional clothes with a conical hat and their smiles are always austere. Most Delta tours also visit craft villages, coconut candy factories in Ben Tre Province or pho and rice factories in Can Tho City. Pho (rice noodle soup) is the pride of Vietnamese cuisine and most foreigners in Vietnam like it but few of them know that making pho includes many meticulous phases, from mixing and stressing the flour to steaming and drying it and then cutting it into pho. “I really like Vietnamese food, especially pho, but I just learned that making pho is not easy at all, and it needs prudence and diligence,” said Isa, a tourist from Belgium. “It seems that most people here are leading austere lives. Everyday, we eat rice but this is the first time my heart sank down as I feel moved by the misery of farmers here,” said Noortie, a girl from Holland. We leave the Mekong Delta on a rainy afternoon by boat leading to the bus station. Boats drift silently before our eyes. Somewhere, we hear the weak cries of a female seller from a nearby boat, “Rau cai day, ca rot day (vegetables here, carrots here).” The utter calmness and the silent rain drops seem to intensify the stirring of emotions that the river and its people instill in visitors. VietNamNet/SGT
Hanoi voted in top ten destinations for winter holiday The US-based Huffington Post has named Hanoi among a top ten of great winter destinations.
It lines up alongside St. Petersburg of Russia, Krakow of Poland, Edinburgh of Scotland, Tallinn of Estonia, Tokyo of Japan, Berlin of Germany, India’s Mumbai, Australia’s Sydney and Iceland’s Reykjavik.
However while “Huff Post” deserves congratulations for including Hanoi its readers may be better off doing their own research. While Hanoi’s autumn is pleasantly cool and largely dry – after Christmas, Hanoi’s winters can become bracingly cold.
By late December temperatures can drop well below 10 degrees centigrade. However, Hanoi remains fascinating throughout the year and the cold weather allows you to discover it via long walks across the city rather than having to hide in airconned rooms.
But you might not need to pack your shorts.
PV
Festival Hue 2010 to open with King Nguyen “inauguration” The opening event of the Hue Festival 2010 is scheduled for the anniversary, December 22, of the crowning day of a historic Vietnamese hero - King Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue.
This festival, which will also celebrate the 1000th anniversary of Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi – will see a statue of King Quang Trung Nguyen Hue inaugurated.
The festival will be organised based on historical documents. In 1778, hearing about China’s invasion with 290,000 soldiers, Nguyen Hue was crowned as King at Ban Mountain and brought the army north to fight invaders.
The festival will have three parts: the offering rituals to the heaven and earth, the crowning ceremony of King Quang Trung and the dispatching ceremony of the King’s army.
Festival Hue 2010 with the theme “Cultural Heritages with Integration and Development” will feature unique music and art programmes featuring Vietnamese and Hue culture, royal and folk festivals and shows by foreign art troupes.
VietNamNet/Dat Viet
Bau Lach Stappe lies as gently as a sleeping princess Amid an endless primeval forest, an immense green field of grass appears as gently as a sleeping princess waiting for the steps of tourists to wake her up. The princess dresses up in natural green and entices tourists, archaeologists and students to come to fly kites, ride horses or elephants, walk for relaxation and camp out.
Bau Lach is about 15 kilometers from Duc Phong Town, Bu Dang District, Binh Phuoc Province. The magnificent green carpets reflect the glistening rays of the sun and cover nearly 500 hectares. The grass here is mostly needle leaf grass, growing not over 10 centimeters tall. Bau Lach is studded with ponds that are home to many kinds of fresh water fish. The steppe is not for residential living so once visiting, excursionists will see the egrets that hover and sometimes perch on buffalos as they eat the grass. Bau Lach is the pride of the ethnic Stieng people who ban hunting to protect the wild life. After strolling around the steppe, tourists can visit the villages of the Stieng people to find out about their lifestyle, customs and culture. In the spring, tourists can join the jubilant atmosphere of the new rice season festival which includes traditional singing and dancing to the beat of gongs and the melodies of pan-pipes. Indulging in the green calmness of nature and letting the birdsong fill your ears is a nice experience for tourists to Bau Lach. VietNamNet/SGT News for Sunday 01 November, 2009
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