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Vietnam Open Tour News & EventsMONDAY 28 DECEMBER, 2009 |
 New terminal opens in Central Highlands airport
The two-floor terminal, which measures 12,400 square meters and cost VND280 billion, will enable the Lien Khuong airport to serve international flights to northeast and other Southeast Asian nations in 2010. The terminal is capable of receiving 1.5-2 million passengers per year. According to plans, irregular international flights will be available in 2010-2015, and regular ones will be opened in 2015-2020. Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai highlighted SAC’s efforts to design and build the terminal. He said putting the terminal into operation will help Lien Khuong airport open more direct air routes from Lam Dong and the Central Highlands to other regions in the country and the world, and thus facilitate socioeconomic development of not only Lam Dong and the Central Highlands but also the whole country. On the same day, the first direct flight from Also in December, Da Nang will receive more direct flights from Nha Trang offers sure bet for building hotels The feasibility of building hotels in Nha Trang resort city in central coastal Khanh Hoa Province is better than other cities because of its success as a tourism destination, according to real estate service and consultancy provider Savills Viet Nam. The total number of tourists coming to Nha Trang has been stable despite the economic slowdown, which indicates a promising future for the hotel market there, Savills said. In the next few years, Savills reckons that 14 hotel projects with about 2,300 rooms could be completed in Nha Trang. Currently, there are 373 hotels in Nha Trang, providing 9,712 hotel rooms. They include three 5-star hotels and resorts, five 4-star hotels, twelve 3-star hotels and approximately 51 two-star ones. Most hotels, resorts and guesthouses are concentrated on and around Tran Phu, Nha Trang's beachfront boulevard. Others are located on the streets of Tran Hung Dao, Hung Vuong and Yersin, among several others. Since October, many hotels of all grades have offered discounted room rates. The majority of tourists travelling to Nha Trang during this period were foreigners. Hence, occupancy of 4-star and 5-star hotels was higher than in 3-star hotels due to foreigners' preferences for high quality rooms. There was a big difference in room rates among hotel grades. Five-star hotel room rates, at around US$170 per night, were more than double of 4-star hotel rate and nearly six times of 3-star hotel rate. Demand trends Nha Trang has long been renowned as a popular The number of tourists in Khanh Hoa Province increased constantly in the period 2000-08. In 2008, despite the global economic downturn, Khanh Hoa welcomed about 1.6 million visitors, an increase of nearly 17 per cent compared with 2007, in which domestic and foreign visitors accounted for 80 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively. According to Savills, in November 2009, the total number of apartment projects in Nha Trang stood at 12 with more than 1,500 units. The number of land plot projects remained at six, with 1,000 land plots. There are four villa/townhouse projects with a total of 250 villas and townhouses. Most of the apartments are located in the city centre while the villa/ townhouse and land plot sectors are concentrated in Vinh Nguyen and Vinh Hoa wards with sea views. The land sector is enjoying the highest primary price in Nha Trang residential market, at an average of $710 per square metre, while the primary price of apartments and villas/ townhouses is $595 and $620 per square metre, respectively. All land plot projects in the primary market have a very good location, with excellent views to the sea. There is a real demand for ready-built houses in Nha Trang. Due to the limited land area close to the seaside, many apartment buildings have been developed in the city centre in the last few years in order to meet this demand. With Nha Trang increasingly considered as a destination for the holiday-home market, many foreigners living in Nha Trang consider this area as their second home. Individual investors can buy land lots in a good location, build their own villas and the lease them to expatriates. Savills said that a total of 31 residential projects may come on line in the next few years. Large project areas are expected to be developed in Vinh Thai and Phuoc Hai wards to the west of Nha Trang, accounting for more than 60 per cent of Nha Trang's total future development area. VietNamNet/Viet Nam News New tour of historic sites in Thang Long-Hanoi
Domestic and foreign visitors will soon have the chance to learn more about The tour will take visitors to destinations in Hanoi that have made a significant cultural, humanitarian, architectural or social contribution to the city during the country’s history. The tour starts at the Royal citadel and then goes on to the old original house at No. 87 Ma May Street, Bach Ma temple - the eastern defender of the former Thang Long citadel, O Quan Chuong - the eastern gate of the citadel, Voi Phuc temple - the western defender of the citadel and Hanoi’s old quarter. The city tour also will also take tourists to the statue of King Le, the Hanoi Opera House, My Dinh new urban area, the National Conventional Centre and the Hanoi Museum. According to the Deputy Director of the Hanoi city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Mai Tien Dung, the tour will enable tourists to have a comprehensive insight into Hanoi. The Deputy Director of the Hanoitourist travel company, Tran Thanh Cong, said that the tour combines both ancient and modern sites and is highly rated by local travel firms as a tourist attraction. In addition, the tour will also help to attract investment in popular tourist spots included in the tour. VietNamNet/VNAA paradise of golden beaches With its inviting beaches, blue waters and bright sun, Mui Ne has been one of Vietnam’s top tourist attractions for more than a decade. Once an easygoing fishing village, the town is now home to some 70 beach resorts. Among them, the Coco Beach Resort was the first to reach international standards, and these days remains one of the best in town. The site was originally found by Frenchman Daniel Arnaud quite by accident. The story occurred during Arnaud’s second trip to Phan Thiet. A local taxi driver took him along the track to Mui Ne, but when the car stopped he could not see the beach or the sea at first sight. He then got out of the passenger seat and had to walk through a forest of coconut trees and over several sand dunes before seeing an endlessly long beach stretching with crystal clear water in front of his eyes. He knew immediately that he wanted to set up a resort on that deserted beach. The beginning is always difficult for people who initiate new ideas, and so it was for Daniel and his wife Jutta. There was nothing in the town but the beauty of unspoiled nature. It was just a quiet fishing village, with no clean water, no electricity and no telephone lines. There was not even a road. Luckily, after managing resorts and hotels for many years the couple knew exactly what they were doing. In June 1995, Coco Beach opened its doors to tourists. At first, the entire resort was powered by a single generator and the telephones and switchboards were directly linked to the Mui Ne post office. “Those were mostly technical hurdles, but on the good side, we had the opportunity to hire our staff locally, and since none of them had received any prior training, it was easier for us to show them our concepts of hospitality and service,” Daniel says. When it came to marketing and “selling” Coco Beach, Jutta gave her husband a hand and word spread quickly amongst expat communities in Ho Chi Minh City. The idea of going to a new destination off the beaten track attracted many people, and Coco Beach welcomed its first guests in that way, by Then a “Total Solar Eclipse” took place in Mui Ne in October 1995, and thousands of international tourists flocked there to watch the spectacle, which happens only once in every many decades. During this, the tourists were also taken in by Mui Ne’s stunning sea and landscape. At the beach, they managed to fit 150 guests into the 17 existing bungalows while maintaining their high levels of excellence and after the eclipse, the resort gained a well-deserved reputation for its high-standard service. After 15 years Coco Beach has grown from having from 15 staff members to nearly 100, and has doubled in size. The charming thatched bungalows on stilts and the villas – discreetly reached by a series of small pathways – provide total privacy, with their own private terraced areas, they all face out to the resort’s private strip of beach. Although up to international standards and with modern amenities– the rooms include air-conditioning, mini-bars, hairdryers, IDD telephones, room safes and stylish bathrooms – Coco Beach still offers a laid-back, traditional rustic charm, with tasteful ethnic décor both inside and out. The emphasis on relaxation is evidental, televisions are not provided in the rooms. The resort’s facilities extend to a landscaped pool with an adjoining bar, a white sandy beach with plenty of beach chairs, a snack bar, a thatched massage pavilion, two restaurants and even an English pub! As a mother of two beautiful young daughters both born in Vietnam, Jutta was also successful in making Coco Beach an extremely attractive place for families with young children. A children’s playground, a table tennis area and comfortable hammocks throughout the gardens are also available. To give young parents some time to enjoy themselves, babysitting services are also provided on request. Daniel and Jutta’s patience has been well rewarded. They look relaxed and completely happy in this little paradise, where there is also the option of doing absolutely nothing”, Coco Beach is without doubt the perfect place to enjoy and celebrate life. VietNamNet/Time-out
Head in the clouds
Beyond the flower gardens, French-style villas, and verdant terraced fields of Dalat, Lang Biang mountain offers even more breathtaking scenery. Following the advice of a friend we are planning to trek up Lang Biang mountain – the rooftop of Flower City – where you can camp overnight. With an altitude of 2,169m above sea level, the mountain is said to boast spectacular views. There are actually two peaks – one is called Ong (Sir) and the other is Ba (Lady). Standing in downtown Dalat on a clear day, you can see both peaks. From afar you might think you could walk from one peak to the other but the peaks are connected together by long zigzagging path through a forest. You can leave your motorbike at the restaurant and set off on foot. There’s a 6km-trail to the top of the mountain – no doubt you can set off by yourself though we opt to hire a local K’Ho man as a guide after we negotiate a fee for an overnight camping trip. At first the trail is easy enough – the path is sealed and smooth – but rather romantic with thick pine forest all around us. The air is fresh and you can smell the wonderful fragrances of the local wild flora as well as the pine trees. After a two hour trek we come to the end of the asphalt trail. Our guide leads us onto a soil path that rises steeply. The trail is challenging but not so hard for anyone who’s of good health. I’m certainly no athlete and I manage to slog on. After two hours we turn to soak in the views and remind ourselves why we’re making the effort. The stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys down below leave me speechless. We can see Dalat through the misty air. The city looks like a water-colour painting from so far away. We can also see the the Dankia River which looks like a small silk ribbon from such a height. We can even see the sea off the coast of Ninh Chu in Ninh Thuan province. We keep trekking for another two hours and eventually the city below disappears beneath the clouds. The weather is now scorching hot as we climb down towards a flat peak where there are a number of flower gardens, restaurants, cafes and also a campsite where we will pitch our tents later on. The wind is stronger now, the mist is thicker, too – somewhere past the thick mist and cloud cover the sun is setting. After a cup of hot coffee at a café we quickly set up our tents. Incidentally, the coffee is quite delicious – perhaps the nicest I’ve ever tasted! Soon the temperature starts to drop dramatically. We jump inside the tents to stay warm before heading down to Langbiang restaurant for a much deserved hot dinner – we order a delicious fish hotpot, which is just what the doctor ordered. Afterwards we sit around the campfire and chat to the other travellers. Our guide also tells us a local legend, which explains how the mountain came to be named Lang Biang. Once there was a young man called K’Lang and a young woman called Hobiang – they were from different tribes but both lived near the foot of the mountain and one day, they had a chance encounter. It was Ignoring the age-old codes, K’Lang and Hobiang eloped to the highest peak in the mountains to be wed. But one day Hobiang became ill and K’Lang was forced to seek help from her clan. But Hobiang’s fellow tribesmen attacked K’Lang and killed him but they also accidentally killed Hobiang with a misdirected poisonous arrow. Hobiang’s father felt so guilty and remorseful he called a truce between the warring clans. Both Hobiang and her husband K’Lang were buried on top of the mountain, which was renamed Langbiang in honour of their eternal love. VietNamNet/Time-out
Viet Nam’s tourism bounces A group of my Vietnamese friends from the US headed by Duong Quang Chan, a businessman, arrived in Ha Noi this week to start a New Year trans-Viet Nam tour and to seek out a suitable place to open a restaurant in the country. "My friends and I are excited to be back in our homeland which we left almost 30 years ago," he said.
Waterfall: A corner of Ban Gioc Waterfall, in the northern province of Cao Bang's Trung Khanh District, is one of the most beautiful falls in Viet Nam. Chan said his group will spend a week in Ha Noi, taking in the cultural and tourism sites, particularly pagodas and temples. "We will all pedal by bicycle to Tran Quoc and Quan Su pagodas and enjoy the The overseas Vietnamese group said they will stay in Viet Nam through the traditional Tet ( "We’ll celebrate Tet in the northern province of Cao Bang, my birthplace, with my relatives. There will be banh chung (square cake) and nem chao (pig skin cut into strips mixed with pig fat, powdered fried rice, lemon and mint) which my family enjoy so much because of their unique flavours," Chan told Viet Nam News. "We’ll also visit Pac Bo Cave, where President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked in Ha Quang District, and Ban Gioc Waterfall in Trung Khanh District," he added. In contrast to Chan’s group, Hanoian Nguyen Thi Su and her family decided to travel from Ha Noi to "My children are so excited about their first trip abroad. We plan to spend our week relaxing, enjoying the entertainment and shopping because it is the discount season. "We will also look at several universities in Singapore that we plan to send my son to next year," Su said.
Lake view: An overview of Tran Quoc Pagoda in Ha Noi. It was originally built in the sixth century and is considered the oldest in Viet Nam. Unlike Su, young couple Vu Van Hung and his wife have booked their honeymoon in the "My wife loves Da Lat flowers very much. She has always wanted to go there but was always too busy. However, now is a great time for her to enjoy the hundreds of flowers that will be on display at the festival. Vu Hoang, general director of the festival, told Viet Nam News that all of Da Lat City’s hotels and restaurants have been fully booked by domestic and foreign guests. In addition, many travel companies have launched tours to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Ha Noi for those who wish to seek out the culture and history of the capital while enjoying its sights and culinary delights. For example, Saigontourist offers a three-five days tour called Pilgrim to One Thousand Year Thang Long and Hoa Lu Ancient Capital, that connects the three dynasties of Dinh, earlier Le and Ly. Viettravel have launched a tour entitled, Ha Noi Welcomes New Year 2010 with Ha Noi, Yen Tu, Ha Long and Sa Pa on the six day itinerary, and Fiditour offers tours to Viet Nam’s coast and islands including Encouraging signs The general director of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Nguyen Van Tuan, said the national promotion campaign, Impression of Viet Nam, launched early this year has produced positive results as local visitors have increased month after month. It was estimated that there would be about 25 million local travellers by the end of this year, up 15 per cent from last year, said Tuan, adding that tourism turnover as a result of these domestic tourists increased by 8-10 per cent. "The figures show Impression of Viet Nam has been a success," he said. The VNAT also estimates that foreign visitors to Viet Nam will hit 400,000 by the end of this month and early January, taking the 2009 total to 3.9-4 million, down about 10 per cent compared with 2008. "We hope that celebrations for 1,000 years of Ha Noi throughout the country combined with affordable, quality tours and services, will attract foreign visitors over the coming weeks", Tuan said. VietNamNet/Viet Nam News
Mang Den and Dalat The gust of cool wind that whispers softly through the pines greet people who come to the remote Mang Den in Kon Tum Province, making them feel they are in the renowned resort city of Dalat to the south in Lam Dong Province.
Many people call Mang Den the second Dalat in the They have a sound reason to make such a comparison when talking about Mang Den, which is more than 50 kilometers northeast of Kon Tum City. However, Mang Den and Dalat also have many differences. It is no doubt that Dalat has been famous for decades and has earned much reputation from its attractions and the major annual tourist events, including the Festival of Flowers which happens early next year and expects a large number of visitors, including international visitors. Dalat is not as quiet as it used to be in the good old days because many new villas and hotels have been up and running in recent years to cater to the demand of many tourists who are coming from near and far for relaxation, golf, mountain climbing and business. Certainly, Dalat is now a thriving city. On the contrary, Mang Den has just been known to tourists for very few years. Central tourism authorities have revealed its charms and announced Mang Den as a new destination for travelers. Travel companies and individuals have come in to build villas in anticipation of a tourism boom in the area. Here and there in the area of Kon Plong District, several villas have been put into service and tens of new villas are being constructed by the sides of hills, under the shade of pine trees and along the main road, which lies between Mang Den Pass in the south and Biolac Pass in the north. Situated between the passes, Mang Den is not easy to reach as approach roads are not as good as those leading to Dalat, but this is a safe place to live and holiday. It goes without saying that Mang Den offers a haven of peace and serenity away from the bustle of the city. There’s more for visitors to explore in the virgin charms of the area. Mang Den is still a remote area but worth visiting for a weekend vacation. Here, visitors can open their eyes wide to view and feel the beauty of nature, inhale fresh air, trek in the forest and up the hills and mountains, and chat with the hospitable locals. Mang Den can be reached by motorcycle and car. If you are not sure how to drive a car or ride a motorcycle there, do not hesitate to ask a taxi motorcycle driver or the people you happen to meet in Kon Tum City for the way to the haven of peace and serenity. VietNamNet/SGT
Da Nang serves tourists with traditional tuong drama As of the
The Da Nang
PV
News for Monday 21 December, 2009
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