Posted by admin on September 30, 2010 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the North | 
VGP – The National Steering Committee for the 1,000th anniversary of Thăng Long–Hà Nội yesterday convened its last meeting to review the preparatory work for the event.
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The Hoàn Kiếm Lake on the threshold of the 1000th anniversary of Thăng Long-Hà Nội – Photo: VGP
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Deputy Chairwoman of the Hà Nội People’s Committee Ngô Thị Thanh Hằng said all preparations for the 10-day celebration have been completed.
The municipal police force has worked with eight provinces bordering the capital city to map out plans to ensure security during the anniversary.
According to the Hà Nội Department of Public Security’s Director Nguyễn Đức Nhanh, 300 traffic policemen will be mobilized to guide the traffic. Local police has also staged anti-terrorism and fire fighting scenarios.
During the 10-day anniversary, over 1,000 reporters, including more than 100 foreign ones will cover the event.
Deputy PM Nguyễn Sinh Hùng underlined the importance of information work to highlight the meaning of the 1,000th anniversary of Thăng Long–Hà Nội.
During the 10-day anniversary, over 1,000 reporters, including more than 100 foreign ones, will cover the event.
By Ngọc Vân
Posted by admin on September 29, 2010 under Vietnam travel News |
VGP – The Organizing Board of the 1000th anniversary of Thăng Long-Hà Nội yesterday announced many keynote activities to be carried out on October 1-10.
* October 1
8.00 AM: The opening ceremony of the 10-day celebration of the 1000th birthday of Thăng Long–Hà Nội
2.00 PM: Exhibition of works of arts and literature in different periods, Việt Nam Culture and Art Exhibition Center, No. 2 Hoa Lư Street
3.00 PM: Photo exhibition, No. 45 Tràng Tiền Street
7.30 PM: Exhibition on Socio-economic achievements in Việt Nam and Thăng Long–Hà Nội, Việt Nam Exhibition and Fair Center, No. 138 Giảng Võ Street
* October 2
8.00 AM: The opening ceremony of the display of historical artifacts of Thăng Long–Hà Nội, Thăng Long Citadel Vestige Site, No. 9 Hoàng Diệu Street and No. 19 Nguyễn Tri Phương Street
9.00 AM: The book launching of “Thăng Long – 1000-year civilization” series, National Library, No. 31 Tràng Thi Street
8.00 AM: The opening ceremony of the Thăng Long–Hà Nội International Tourism Festival, Bảo Sơn Paradise
* October 3
8.00 PM: Art performance “Thăng Long-Hà Nội in the Hồ Chí Minh Epoch,” Hàng Đẫy Stadium
* October 4
3.00 PM: Exhibition “Vietnamese national heroes and cultural celebrities,” Việt Nam Revolution Museum, No. 25 Tôn Đản Street
3.30 PM: Exhibition “Famous battles and military campaigns in Việt Nam’s history,” Việt Nam Museum of Military History, No. 28A Điện Biên Phủ Street
5.00 PM: Calligraphic exhibition and festival, Văn Miếu–Quốc Tử Giám
8.00 PM: Performance of ancient dances of Thăng Long-Hà Nội, Lý Thái Tổ Monument
* October 5
9.00 AM: Inauguration of the “Pottery Mural along the Red River,” Yên Phụ Road
2.00 PM: Exhibition “Bát Tràng Ceramics – Traditions and modernity,” Bát Tràng Village
8.00 PM: Art performance, Hàng Đẫy Stadium
* October 6
8.00 AM: Kite Festival Hà Nội 2010, Mỹ Đình Stadium
8.00 AM: Performance of traditional martial arts, Quần Ngựa Gymnasium
8.30 AM: Inauguration of the Hà Nội Museum, Phạm Hùng Road
2.00 PM: Photo exhibition “Hà Nội in the Past,” Hà Nội Museum, Phạm Hùng Road
8.00 PM: Hà Nội Gastronomic Festival, Hồ Tây Water Park
* October 7
8.00 AM: International seminar on sustainable development of the capital, International Convention Center, No. 11 Lê Hồng Phong Street
* October 8
7.00 AM: Youth cultural and art performance, outdoor stages
8.00 PM: Street Festival, State Bank Square, No. 49 Lý Thái Tổ Street
* October 9
8.00 AM: Inauguration of Thanh Trì and Vĩnh Tuy Bridges
8.00 PM: Performances of international art troupes, outdoor stages
* October 10
8.00 AM: Official celebration and military march, Ba Đình Square
8.00 PM: Gala, Mỹ Đình Stadium
* Others
Festival of craft streets and villages in Thăng Long–Hà Nội, Botanical Park, September 16–24
By Xuân Hồn
Posted by admin on September 28, 2010 under Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam travel News |
Italy, with its expertise in restoring ancient historical buildings and artefacts, such as the city of Genoa, is ready to assist Hanoi to restore and improve its Old Quarter.
Speaking at a seminar on improving the role and efficiency of the local officials who are responsible for managing Hanoi’s Old Quarter on September 15, Cesare Bieller, head of the Political and Cultural Section at the Italian Embassy in Hanoi, stressed that preserving the Old Quarter must be a shared responsibility that includes the whole community and needs to be carried out to improve living standards and economic efficiency.
According to leading architect Dao Ngoc Nghiem, former Director of Hanoi’s Department of Architectural Planning, the Old Quarter is extremely valuable to the local people, commerce, culture and the city’s architecture.
Therefore, any preservation must conform to the Government’s regulations and be developed and managed in cooperation with local officials and the public, he said.
Hanoi ’s old houses and buildings reflect the city’s different architectural styles during each period of its history so they need to be restored and preserved, he added.
According to the Management Board for Hanoi’s Old Quarter, which covers nearly 100ha and includes almost 1,000 old houses, it is now seriously run down due to the increasing number of residents living in the area.
At present, Hanoi is introducing measures to preserve and promote its cultural value, as well as attempting to reduce the population to minimise the negative impacts on the Old Quarter.
Posted by admin on September 27, 2010 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam Travel in the South, Vietnam travel News, vietnam beauty |
By Mai Linh | dtinews.vn |
Tourists who want to experience rural life in Vietnam first hand are increasingly turning to homestay holidays.
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| A folk band entertains foreign visitors at Ho Village in Sapa Town, Lao Cai Province |
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| A newly built stilt house for homestay visitors in Lac Village Hoa Binh Province |
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| The Mekong River Delta is also a nice place for a homestay experience |
Homestay holidays were not the brainchild of the director of a tourist agency. They came about due to a rising demand from foreign tourists, especially back packers, keen to get a glimpse of reality for Vietnamese ethnic groups.
Sarah Melone, a tourist from England, speaks highly of her last summer holiday where she stayed with a local family.
“The most interesting time was when I stayed with a Thai family in Lac Village in Mai Chau, Hoa Binh. I got the chance to learn about their work, their food and customs,” Sarah shared.
She had a friend working in Hanoi so her vacation had been carefully planned before she arrived. “I was lucky because my friend John had been in Vietnam for a while so he knew where I should go and what I should see. He put the homestay at the top of my to-do list.”
Today, this type of holiday is not only attracting foreigners, but also domestic tourists. Among them is Ha Thanh Huong, a student at the Hanoi Economics University.
“Vietnam is a multi-cultural country so we think that homestay tourism is the best way for us to learn about the different regions in our country.”
Huong spent her last Tet holiday visiting ethnic minority families in Dong Van, Pho Bang, Ma Le, and Sa Phin, Ha Giang Province.
“We did a 10-day homestay tour with some of the poorest families,” she says. “All the locals were very kind and friendly. It was our most memorable Tet holiday ever.”
Students seem to be the pioneers in this field. Many become volunteers to help communities in remote areas to build a better life.
“These are good opportunities for us to gain more experience and knowledge outside of school,” says Do Dinh Hoa, who spent time living with a Thai family in Son La Province last summer.
According to Tran Trong Tao, director of PSD Travel, the number of customers booking homestay tours is growing. “We are considering opening more tours to Mekong Delta Provinces like Ben Tre, Can Tho and Soc Trang,” he says.
“If we can provide good homestay service, visitors will not have to worry about finding a hotel during the high season.”
Things to remember
While Vietnam is known as a safe destination with friendly people and a rich culture, there is still a lot of work to be done to improve homestay services.
In the meantime, there are a few preparations you can make to get the most of your trip, especially if you organise it yourself:
Most families lack conveniences so remember to pack carefully and observe customs to avoid any embarrassing misunderstandings. If you have the choice, you should spend the first night with the families of local authorities, police or village chiefs because they will be safer and more comfortable.
Good places to stay
- Ho Village, Sapa District, Lao Cai Province with the Tay, Dao and Mong peoples.
Not to mention the magnificent scenery, visitors are always pleased with the service here because families in this village have good experience in welcoming tourists. This village has been billed as a homestay destination since 2000.
- A Thai village in Mai Chau District, Hoa Binh Province, 135km from Hanoi.
Mai Chau is one of the most famous homestay destinations in Vietnam with beautiful scenery and comfortable accommodation.
- Chay Lap Village, near the world natural heritage site Phong Nha – Ke Bang, in Quang Binh Province.
- The Mekong Delta
Join locals for fishing trips and visit orchards, floating markets, traditional craft villages and bird gardens. This is an emerging homestay destination.
Posted by admin on September 22, 2010 under vietnam hotel |
To find the best deals on hotels, you should always visit a few different websites so that you can compare prices. When looking for the best deals on hotels, you should start by visiting an online agent like vietnamhotels.net. Competition between websites that book hotels is fierce, so you should have no problem finding a great hotel that fits within your budget. To get an even better deal through those merchants, use a coupon code when possible.
Finding Deals
The first thing that you should always do when visiting a website that offers Vietnam hotel booking services is to look for banners that mention any ongoing discounts.
Finding Coupon Codes
Of course, you can book a hotel on your own or through a travel agency, but you won’t be able to take advantage of coupon codes that way. Websites that offer hotel booking services will often release money off or free night coupon codes. You can enter coupon codes during the reservation process.
Posted by admin on September 21, 2010 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the North, vietnam beauty |
Hanoi is an odd city. In the summer months it’s the hottest city in south-east Asia, and incredibly humid. In winters the temperature drops sharply, but the humidity remains. This makes winter so horrible that even Russians and the Scottish complain about the cold. The locals don’t seem to notice the heat as much; they just sleep for a little longer in the afternoons whilst the less-experienced foreigners run around like mad dogs in the midday sun, turning wet and red as their faces enjoy another heat rash breakout.
You could, if you liked contrast-as-a-metaphor, surmise from this that the seasons reflect the city: Hanoi is a place of contrasts. And you’d be right, in that all-encompassing and fairly obvious way. Hanoi is a place of a few interesting contrasts. It’s the seat of Vietnam’s Communist government, yet each citizen, even a really little one, seems to have an inbuilt streak of small time entrepreneurialism. You have to haggle if you want something, and that’s often just the beginning.
There are the motorbikes, the endless, noisy stream of motorbikes and the helmet-less family of four quashed onto the vinyl seat of half of them. The traffic seems so unsafe and frightening it’s ludicrous, but crossing the road is easier than back home. Everything just flows around you like water over rocks, provided you walk slowly and treat the buses with a bit more respect.
The contrast of new and old in a city is, well, nothing new, but in Hanoi it’s especially interesting. Hanoi’s been a seat of government on and off since 1100AD and to borrow a phrase from innumerable travel guides and simultaneously understate the case, it has a rich and varied history. There are buildings in this city that are over 1000 years old. And juxtaposed is the endless array of new buildings, usually a fun combination of concrete and honeycomb bricks. Everywhere in this city something is being built, or opened, or renovated. It’s not for nothing that a web-site devoted to the city is named thenewhanoian.com. Everything that isn’t very old seems to be very, very new and increasing very rapidly.
There’s that old chestnut, the rich and the poor. Vietnam, though progressing in a series of leaps, bounds and the occasional bunny-hop, is still a poor country by western standards. And though there are some citizens with some serious money hidden away, to see the most obvious example of contrast between rich and poor, you need look no further than the expert community.
Live is good for experts in Vietnam. Too good. Everyone becomes accustomed to a lifestyle they could never afford or accommodate back home, and can wind up behaving accordingly: like an overindulged teenager with the keys to the liquor cabinet. Things are so cheap here that one tends to forget that though the night’s cocktails and dinner came to a mere fraction of what they would have back home, it’s possibly the monthly salary of the poor bugger who’s washing the dishes. Trite observation it may be, but it’s true. Day to day life here throws up its own interesting things. Whilst there are endless columns themed, ‘Living in Hanoi is all Hoorays!’ many experts wind up having plenty of ‘Hanoi Days’. These are days when it seems like the traffic is going to kill you, you’re overcharged, there’s a fly in your noodles and you wind up tripping over in the gutter and landing in garbage juice.
There are a thousand more minor irritations in this city, and many have to scream for a while then lie down with a damp towel over their head just to cope. But it’s the flaws that fascinate. Like in any relationship, plain sailing makes for a boring trip, and it’s the fact that there is so muck to scream about makes the rest of it so special. Know what? It’s a good city.
source: vn-tours.com
Posted by admin on September 20, 2010 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the North, vietnam beauty |
With its white beaches, tranquil village scenes, and lots of fresh air, Minh Chau Island in Quang Ninh Province offers a sublime northern summer getaway.
After a 200km drive from Hanoi, we arrived at Cai Phong Pier and took a 40-minute speed-boat ride through the glistening opal bay.
Minh Chau – literally: Oriental Pearl – sits in these waters like its namesake stone, polished white by eons of waves.
We soon made our way down to Chuong Nep Beach. Golden sunlight shined up off the coastline wrapping us in a bright, warm silence.
At last, we were away.
Chuong Nep and Tram Forest take their names from a romantic legend. The story goes that a brave man named Chuong and a beautiful girl named Tram once shared time on this beach together.
Chuong was called to the front to battle foreign invaders and he was killed. His girlfriend Tram went to the seaside everyday to cry.
Moved by her love, the God of Sea brought Chuong’s corpse back to his home island and the local villagers buried him at the beach. Tram later died from grief and was buried next to Chuong’s tomb.
One day the God of Forest visited this site and learned the story of Chuong and Tram. Moved by their love, he sowed seeds on the sandy site. The seedlings grew fast and turned into a lush forest. Local people named the forest “Tram” and the beach “Chuong Nep.”
“Nep” refers to a delicious oyster that lives under the white sand which, residents say, Tram offered to her descendants as a reminder of what a good cook she had been.
Nowadays, the long stretch of primitive Tram forest has come to symbolize the beautiful island. This 14-hectare forest plays a vital role in the life of the islanders as well as many living creatures here. It has not only protects them from harsh storms but it feeds the entire island.
From Tram forest, we walked along a little trail to Nhang Ria Beach, where waves hit the smooth white sand. Apart from offering an excellent spot to swim and sunbathe, this beach is a wonderful camp site.
Snorkelers and coral reef enthusiasts should head down the road to Dau Cao Beach.
We decided to skip it. Our tour guide, Minh Son, took us to Cai Lang, the oldest fishing village on this island. “Don’t hesitate to say ‘yes, I’d love to’ when locals invite you to visit their homes and for some fried sá sùng (jellyfish),” our tour guide reminded us before we left him. The dish proved to be delectable. Minh Son explained that the tasty and nutritious jellyfish varietal is rather costly. Locals reserve it for visiting relatives, friends or special guests.
Son took us to see the clear waters of the Nang Tien (fairy) well. “Legend has it that if you wash your hair with water from this well, it will grow very quickly and smoothly,” he said. This peaceful fishing village is a wonderful place to see wild flowers.
Minh Chau Island is also home to a nature reserve where sea turtles come and spawn. The reserve is located at Con Trui Beach, some 500m from the island’s port. If visitors visit Minh Chau sometime between May and July, they might have a chance to see the sea turtles coming to spawn, especially during strong tides and storms.
While many of Vietnam’s beaches have been commercialized, Minh Chau remains wild and unspoiled. So come and discover the island before it’s too late.
Source: Thanhniennews.com
Posted by admin on September 18, 2010 under Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam travel News, vietnam beauty |
VietNamNet Bridge – “Vietnam is like a beautiful girl, who is full of mystery and doesn’t want anybody to know about her,” says Dr. Julio Aramberri, chief of the Linguistics and Culture Faculty of HCM City’s Hoa Sen private university.
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| Dr. Julio Aramberri. |
| Dr. Aramberri is a rarity: a foreign faculty head at a Vietnamese university. He was professor of tourism at Drexel University (USA) from September 1999 to August 2009.From 1987 through 1990, Aramberri was the general director of Turespana, the Spanish government agency in charge of global tourism promotion.
He was also director of the Spanish Tourism Research Institute from 1983-1984 and headed Spanish tourism offices in the Netherlands and the US. |
As Vietnam’s National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) launched a new tourism marketing campaign with the slogan “Vietnam – Your Destination,” Tuoi Tre Weekend magazine talked with Professor Aramberri about how Spain became a favourite holiday destination in Europe.
Whenever we hear the word ‘Spain,’ we immediately imagine colorful skirts, music and the flamenco, nice beaches, sunlight and the optimistic spirit of the Spanish people. And yet, we’ve never been to your country. How does ‘Spain’ put such images into our minds?
(Smiling) The image of a country is a very complicated issue. It not only depends on what we want to show to others but also on the way others want to see us.
History is important. Every country, especially long established states like Spain and Vietnam, have had many wonderful and also bad events. Sometimes outsiders only remember the negative side. This is difficult to change. It is impossible to change such perceptions simply by the efforts of the people who are in charge of tourism advertising.
My country suffered a civil war in the 1930’s. Over 500,000 people died. When my country promoted tourism in the 1960’s and we focused on the European market, we had to overcome those memories.
What was your strategy?
After making surveys in our two major markets, Britain and Germany, we realized that people weren’t going to Spain for the things that we wanted to advertise. We thought that foreign visitors came to our country because we had a glorious history, cultural heritage, ancient churches and streets, but we were wrong. They didn’t care about these things because many countries, including their own, have these things.
In 1970, we had around 13 million foreign tourists. The people who were in charge of tourism marketing like me and my co-workers began changing the image of Spain after we learned that most visitors go to Spain for the sun, its beautiful beaches and silky sand. The weather in Britain and Germany is gloomy all winter and the people often ask where they can find the sun. So our tourism slogan was “Everything Under the Sun” to draw them to us.
So you didn’t advertise so much what you have but rather the things that visitors want and need?
Yes, that’s true. We decided to not invest a lot of money to develop brand-new images about Spanish tourism when we were not sure of the result. We relied on what tourists wanted. “The sun, the sea and sand” are the things that attracted visitors from our two major markets. After that, we developed other products, such as cheap tours for families, culinary culture, night life, and so on. Spain has become a good and safe place, with reasonably priced services for families.
Foreign visitors don’t decide to visit your country for your heritage and culture, which are your pride. How does that make you feel?
Actually, we can’t sell the things that we think are the most valuable. That is quite painful but it is a fact. Everyone thinks that the culture and tradition of their own country are its greatest asset. However, we have to understand our image in the eyes of others. This is difficult because others don’t look at us the way we see ourselves.
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| Foreign tourists at Hanoi’s Old Quarter. |
We can’t tell our clients “You are really stupid! Why don’t you buy this, buy that? just because we think it is better.” The sun that belongs to the whole world became the sun of Spain in our tourism advertising campaign and the foundation for our follow-up. When foreign visitors go to our country, then we introduce our music, museums, theatres, churches and cuisines to them.
We had great success advertising our images at that time and at present. We currently have around 60 million foreign visitors a year while our population is only 47 million.
As a tourism advisor and a lecturer in Vietnam, what are the issues for Vietnam’s tourism in your view?
I’ve worked with officials who are responsible for tourism marketing in many provinces and cities in Vietnam. Each location in Vietnam wants to be a tourist destination. That’s impossible, especially for foreign visitors.
In my first days in Vietnam, I took a ten-day trip from Hanoi to Ha Long, Hue, Da Nang and HCM City. The foreign visitors have limited time – they want to visit beautiful locations like Nhatrang. How can you hope that international tourists will come to your city, which you think is really great so you you organize big festivals – but just a few tourists come. . . .
Every place in Vietnam is spending a lot of money on tourism promotion. They print many prettybrochures, which are a waste of money because they don’t know where to deliver them. All these brochures praise the beauty of this place or that place but they lack information about activities and services for tourists.
Isn’t it natural for a province to think it is outstanding?
True, but we have to know about our major markets and what tourists are interested in. Though many people want to visit Sapa, but most western tourists miss Sapa and see only places like Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, HCM City and the Mekong Delta. I think that Vietnam ought to offer only three major tourism products and focus its advertising activities on them.
An effective tourism slogan is also our concern. We recently finalized the “Impressive Vietnam” campaign in late January 2010. What do you think of our slogans?
Perhaps your slogans are overly influenced by the tourism slogans of Thailand, Singapore and India (‘Amazing Thailand,’ ‘Uniquely Singapore,’ ‘Incredible India’). I think that Malaysia’s slogan is the most successful: ‘Malaysia – Truly Asia.’ Previously you had the slogan “Vietnam – A destination for the new millennium” which I thought was nonsense.
What symbols impress you the most?
Vietnam’s nón lá, áo dài and phở are absolutely iconic. Talking about Vietnam is talking about these things. Seeing these things, that’s Vietnam — even though foreign tourists may not always see them on the street, just as you don’t always see people playing flamenco music or wearing colorful skirts in Spain.
You have to decide what are the salient characteristics of your country, just a few things. You have to choose and prioritize.
In theory, there are three things: knowing your market, advertising the products that visitors want to buy, and using easy-to-remember symbols.
What are the keys to development of our tourism industry?
Training, human resources training. Visitors not only remember what they see, but they treasure the experience of meeting ‘the people.’ Everyone they meet is an ambassador of Vietnam. It is high quality service, service that meets the expectations of your foreign guests, that will make Vietnam a first-class tourist destination.
Source: TTCT
Posted by admin on September 17, 2010 under Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the South, vietnam beauty |
VietNamNet Bridge – Mother Nature has been unduly kind to Con Dao, even if mankind hasn’t.
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| Boats carry tourists to visit Con Dao Island. (Photo: VNS) |
The archipelago epitomises picture-postcard prettiness – soft white sand, aquamarine seas, virgin mangrove forests, coral reefs to die for, real-life mermaids that sing like sea nymphs. The superlatives go on and on.
There are few places in the 21st century that can rival Con Dao’s pristine beauty. And as you look out on all this splendour, it’s hard to imagine that it was once a French penal colony and an American prisoner-of-war camp.
“It’s a real heaven on earth, something that I thought could only exist in my dreams,” says Vu Minh Huyen, a tourist from Ha Noi.
The 16-island archipelago lies in sublime loveliness 180km south of Vung Tau City – at the moment at least. The nation now wishes to exploit its natural charms, which is why Belgian engineer Stijn Verdickt fears for its future.
“Go before it’s too late,” he warns.
The 10-year Con Dao development master plan is expected to be given the nod of approval by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung later this year.
In fact, beach-view land plots on Con Son, the only inhabited island in the archipelago, have already been sold, says Bui Van Binh, deputy chairman of the district’s People’s Committee.
“As soon as the master plan is approved, construction will start on a massive scale,” he says.
Binh admits that developing Con Dao while preserving its natural beauty and breathtaking biodiversity is a “paradox” – a really tough job.
But development will come, says Dao Xuan Lai, head of the UNDP Sustainable Development Department in Viet Nam. But he is hopeful it will be done with discernment.
“Development and preservation are not necessarily opposing forces,” he says.
Preserving the island is to attract tourists to boost the incomes of the local people and ensure sustainable growth and ensure sustainable growth, he says.
Preservation of the archipelago has been given top priority under the National Action Plan on Biodiversity and National Global Environment Facility over the past 15 years.
Con Dao became a national park in 1993 – only one of four officially protected areas in Viet Nam to include both terrestrial and marine values.
Con Dao is home to the biggest population of sea turtles in Viet Nam. Among those are the endangered green and hawksbill species. Park director Le Xuan Ai says about 350 mother turtles come to Con Dao to lay eggs each year and that about 50,000 baby turtles hatch and make their way to the sea.
The islanders also cherish the dugongs, the so-called “singing mermaids”. At least 10 can be found serenading off-shore.
The 20-ha national park is also home to more than 40 other endangered species that are named in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List and Viet Nam’s Red Book.
Fringing the archipelago is about 7,000ha of coral reef. About 300 species of coral have been counted and coral fish has the highest density recorded off the coast of Viet Nam.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan likens Con Dao to a blank sheet of paper “on which we should carefully draw”.
The archipelago, where the French built tiger cages to hold political prisoners nearly 150 years ago, has drawn special attentions from the Government and the Party. In fact, such is the importance given to the archipelago that development can only proceed with prime ministerial approval – a rare distinction.
However, development on Con Dao has been slow and small-scale, something that Ai says is ‘lucky”.
“Great care and consideration have been paid to development of the archipelago so that it proceeds in the right direction,” he says.
Binh says an important milestone was made in 2005 when then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai approved the Con Dao Socio-economic Development Plan, which would have come to full fruition in 2020.
The strategy, known as “Plan 264″, has “completely changed direction of Con Dao’s development in a much more sustainable way,” says Ha Van Nghia, deputy director of the province’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department in.
Plan 264 dictates that development of Con Dao should only focus on sustainable tourism services on the basis of the archipelago’s preserved historic relics and protected national park, which accounts for 83 per cent of the land area.
The first plan, signed by former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet in 1997, mistakenly stated that development should be “multifaceted and comprehensive”.
Ai says Kiet himself then admitted that if it had been carried out, Con Dao would have been destroyed.
However, Plan 264, the second development proposal, remains a far cry from a report by the UNDP. The plan aims to raise the archipelago’s current population of 6,700 to 50,000 and attract 500,000-700,000 tourists annually by 2020. About 30,000-50,000 tourists now visit Con Dao each year.
The UN’s Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use in Con Dao project however states that these targets are well beyond the archipelago’s carrying capacity. “The natural ecological systems on the archipelago are very sensitive to human interference. Thus every distortion and interference beyond its capacity will result in major disruption. Con Dao’s attractive green and natural appearance will be lost,” Ai says bluntly.
The third master plan is currently being considered by the Prime Minister. It has revised down these targets to 20,000 residents and no more than 500,000 tourists a year, Nghia says.
It also prohibits industries, such as aquatic product processing, which can harm the archipelago’s marine environment. Any development will have to be environmentally friendly and in keeping with the islands’ marine and terrestrial ecology.
The new plan has the support of Nguyen Thi Hong Xinh, the former deputy chairwoman of the provincial People’s Council. “It is a positive development and a reflection of the progress in official sensitivity,” she says.
Ai, however, says there is no room for complacency.
“Good evaluation of any planned investment projects is crucial to Con Dao’s sustainable development,” says Ai, who has spent 25 years, half his life, fighting to preserve the archipelago’s natural beauty.
He is not alone. Watching from their resting places are late heroine Vo Thi Sau and former Party leader Le Hong Phong, whose love for Con Dao lives on.
VietNamNet/Viet Nam News
Posted by admin on September 16, 2010 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam travel News |
VietNamNet Bridge – The creator of the Hanoi Ceramic Road, painter Nguyen Thu Thuy, said that the work has been recognized in the Guinness World Records book.
Experts will go to Vietnam from October 2-5 to present the record certificate for the work.
The ceramic road is nearly 4 kilometers long, totaling around 7,000 square meters. Around 95 percent of the painting has been completed.
The painting includes 21 sections, running on the wall of the dike along the Red River, with various topics: honoring Vietnam’s history through patterns of the Ly, Tran, Le, and Nguyen dynasties; typical patterns on brocade, ceramic paintings of Hanoi by Vietnamese and international children; and contemporary paintings by Vietnamese and foreign artists.
On September 9, the road was lengthened by a 100m piece of ceramic painting featuring relations between Hanoi and other provinces and cities in Vietnam. Phan Thanh Son, lecturer of the Ceramic Faculty of the Hanoi Industrial Art University, designed the piece.
This work will be completed on September 25 to celebrate Hanoi’s great anniversary (October 1-10).
PV
