Posted by admin on May 9, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News | 
The famous love market of ethnic couples of the northern Vietnamese mountains was recognized to be provincial cultural and historical relic of Ha Giang province.
Nguyen Trung Thuong, director of the Ha Giang Department of Cultural, Sport and Tourism, told Tuoi Tre that the recognition will lead to the improvement of the aged relic targeted to be ranked in the list of national cultural and historical relics.
The plan of restoration is also sketched out in order to turn Khau Vai love market into Ha Giang province’s tourist hot spot.
“We will soon start restoring the Ong and Ba temples as well as the more than 90-year-old Khau Vai Market. Building more tourist hostels is also in the to-do-list. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2015,” Thuong said.
The Khau Vai market, taken place in Meo Vac district’s Khau Vai commune on annual lunar March 26 and 27, attracts large number of locals including Giay, Nung and Muong ethnic people and tourists.
It offers ex-lovers, who could not marry, a chance each year to meet each other before returning to their daily routine and families.
The market also provides entertainment to tourists who can enjoy the humorous side of the market’s legend. Tourists can watch performances, learn about various ethnic groups, get unique ethic items and clothing, as well as take part in traditional games.
Source: Tuoi Tre
Collected by Vietnam hotels
Posted by admin on April 27, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News, Vietnam's World Heritage |
A laser, sound and water performance lasting up to 90 minutes will be at the heart of the annual Ha Long Carnival held in the northern province of Quang Ninh from April 29 to May 5.
The provincial authorities have invested a record sum of more than VND138 billion (US$6.57 million) in preparation for the performance, titled Mysterious Ha Long By Night, to be held on Bai Chay Beach on May 2.
The Ha Long Sparkling with Colours street festival will hit the town on May 1, along with a series of cultural events including a poetry – music show, a competition for MCs, a culinary festival, a tennis tournament, a bonsai exhibition and a cock fighting festival.
“The carnival is even more important than usual, with the vote for Halong bay as one of the New7Wonders of Nature at its peak,” said Ha Quang Long, director of the Quang Ninh Culture, Sports and Tourism Department.
The local authorities have prepared facilities for tourists to vote for Ha Long during the week by telephone. Tourists can dial +2 392 201 055; +1 869 760 5990; +1 649 339 8080 and +44 758 900 1290. After hearing the introduction, tourists can press 7712 to vote for Ha Long Bay.
The bay is currently second in the polling behind South Korea’s Jeju Island. In total, there are 28 finalists on the New7Wonders list.
The New Open World Corporation will end voting and announce the seven new wonders on November 11 this year.
The tourism week is expected to attract around 500,000 tourists to the bay, accounting for eight to ten per cent of the average annual visitors to the province.
Source: VNS
Posted by admin on April 16, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the Central, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
The Danang International Fireworks Competition 2011 will be held on April 29-30 on the banks of the Han River.
It is the fourth such competition and will attract five teams: the Jubilee Fireworks Company (England), the Hanwha Company (South Korea), Parente Fireworks A&C SNC Company (Italy), Panda Fireworks Company (China) and the host team Da Nang (Viet Nam).
Many foreign and domestic tourists are expected to watch the displays on Reunification Day, April 30, and International Labour Day, May 1.
Da Nang has planned its own design and artistry to be set off in harmony with music by composer Tran Ai Nghia.
With the theme Sparkling Han River, the 21-minute performance will have four parts featuring the beautiful landscape and people of the central province.
Da Nang has hosted the competition every year since 2008.
International teams are selected on quality, capacity and ranking in world fireworks competitions. Their displays are bound to be unique and colourful.
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on March 28, 2011 under Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
This year’s HCM City Tourism Day 2011 will highlight special aspects of five popular destinations – HCM City, Da Lat, Binh Thuan, Phu Quoc and Hai Phong, organisers of the annual event said.
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| Popular place: Flowers bloom in Da Lat, one among five highlighted destinations on HCM City Tourism Day. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Ha |
La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said at a press briefing that a photographic exhibition will present markets in Sai Gon market, flowers in Dalat, beaches in Mui Ne, Phu Quoc island, and the red flamboyance of poinciana flowers in Hai Phong.
The central province of Quang Binh had become the first destination to be promoted under the department’s plan begun last year to highlight a different destination or destinations every year.
“The HCM City Tourism Day is an important festival that can stimulate tourism demand at a difficult time,” Khanh said.
It can be seen as a supermarket where travel companies promote and sell their products, and customers can freely choose what they like.”
Other countries have achieved significant results by organising similar events, notably Singapore (29 years) and Malaysia (22 years), he said, adding that this was the seventh year in Vietnam.
However, this “supermarket” remains a relatively new concept in Vietnam and both travel companies as well as customers were yet to use such events as a major resource, he said.
Hence, most travel companies who participate in the event focus on promoting their brand name instead of selling their product directly.
However, 92 per cent of travel firms that joined the event last year have registered to so again, proving its success, Khanh said.
“Using the insights gained by the department from Tourism Day festivals in other countries, it has given practical suggestions to travel firms on ways to participate in the event and gain maximum benefits,” he added.
Khanh said major firms like Saigontourist, TST and Viet Media Travel are expected to leave significant impressions on this year’s event.
In the context of inflation and an increase in prices of most goods and services, the festival will enjoin participants to stand by the Government’s efforts to keep prices stable as much as possible, Khanh said.
The city Tourism Association has petitioned the Ministry of Finance to cut value-added tax by 50 per cent, corporate income tax by 50 per cent and allow travel companies to pay taxes two months late, an association representative said at the briefing.
The four-day event is being organised at the city’s September 23 Park in downtown HCM City from April 7.
The event will feature a travel fair, a Southern food festival, Golden Voice of HCM City Tourism contest, tai tu traditional music performances as well as the photo exhibition.
Though the organisers were expecting to attract 80 companies to fill 150 booths, an additional four booths have been booked this year.
“The event aims to help travel companies publicise their brands and promote their services for the coming summer season,” Khanh said.
A dominant theme of HCM City Tourism Day 2011 is “Tourism Brand” and those brands that have made a mark in domestic and overseas markets will be honoured at the festival.
It will name the top ten names in many categories including: destinations, inbound travel companies, outbound travel companies, domestic travel companies, tourism websites, luxury saigon hotels, shopping stores, hotels for businesspeople, hotels for MICE (Meeting-Incentive-Conference-Event), tour companies and restaurants.
A grand closing ceremony honoring top Vietnamese tourism brands will be broadcast live on the HTV9 channel.
Organisers said they expect to attract 200,000 people to the HCM City Tourism Day 2011 festival who will book tours and take advantage of other tourism services.
Posted by admin on March 24, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the Central, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
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An exclusively royal ritual conducted through hundreds of years during the feudal regime was resurrected for the fourth time in the former capital of Hue on March 20.
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| The ritual, Le Te Xa Tac (Worshipping the Genies of Earth and Crop), is one of the most important rituals performed by kings under successive feudal dynasties to pray for peace and good harvest.
Xa Tac worship ritual is re-enacted in Hue (Source: VNA)
Performed on the Xa Tac Worship Platform, the event included all worship rituals such as a royal procession of elephants and horses, and a worship ceremony which attracted the participation of 550 artists.
Phung Phu, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, said that the restoration of the worship rituals aimed to honour the traditional cultural values of the nation, the performance space of royal music forms such as Nha Nhac (royal court music) and royal dancing, as well as the beauty of the ritual culture and traditional costumes of the Hue imperial palace.
The Xa Tac Worship Platform was built in 1806 under the reign of King Gia Long (the first king of the Nguyen dynasty). At present, the restoration of the platform has been implemented./.
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Posted by admin on under Vietnam Travel in the South, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
International athletes at the 2011 International Yachting Festival in Mui Ne
| THE 2011 INTERNATIONAL YACHTING FESTIVAL SCHEDULE |
| • MARCH 17
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Opening ceremony at Hon Rom Beach, Km 20, Mui Ne Ward, Phan Thiet Town
10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Yachting performance on beaches stretching from Hon Rom to the center of Phan Thiet
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.: International music gala at the foot of the sand dunes in Mui Ne with performances by rock musicians from Australia, Russia and the Czech Republic
• MARCH 18
8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Seminar on “Building Vietnam’s sea tourism brand name” at Sealinks Hotel, Km 9, Nguyen Thong Street, Phu Hai, Phan Thiet.
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Yachting performance on beaches stretching from Hon Rom to the center of Phan Thiet.
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.: International music gala at the foot of the famous sand dunes in Mui Ne with performances by rock musicians from Australia, Russia and the Czech Republic.
• MARCH 19
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Yachting performances on beaches stretching from Hon Rom to the center of Phan Thiet.
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.: International music gala at the foot of the sand dunes in Mui Ne with performances by rock musicians from Australia, Russia and the Czech Republic.
• MARCH 20
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Yachting performance on beaches stretching from Hon Rom to the center of Phan Thiet.
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.: The closing ceremony of the festival at Sealinks Hotel, Km 9, Nguyen Thong Street, Phu Hai, Phan Thiet.
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.: International music gala at the foot of the sand dunes in Mui Ne with performances by rock musicians from Australia, Russia and the Czech Republic. |
The 2011 International Yachting Festival opened yesterday in the famous Mui Ne resort town, with organizers claiming that it will lay the foundation for a yachting industry in the county and promote sea tourism in the south-central province of Binh Thuan.
The festival, which will run until March 20, has attracted the participation of more than 100 athletes with 60 yachts from 20 countries and territories. Their performances are expected to draw huge crowds of locals and tourists, as well as spark an interest in the sport.
Many professional athletes of late have discovered Mui Ne as an ideal place to sail their yachts or go windsurfing. Coming from many different countries, including Russia, France and Germany, they’ve said they were excited to learn that Mui Ne offers plenty of wind and sunshine all year round.
Jimmy Diaz, chairman of the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA), said he had not heard about Mui Ne as a hot spot for water sports, but he knew it for certain after holding an international windsurfing contest here earlier this month.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the yachting festival, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said, “Mui Ne is one of the outstanding tourism spots in Vietnam. Therefore, Binh Thuan should continue to promote the beautiful beach and make it more popular to tourists all over the world.”
Mui Ne is currently home to 125 three- to five-star resorts with 1,600 rooms.
Ngo Minh Chinh, director of Binh Thuan’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Department, said with the windsurfing competition and the yachting festival,
Binh Thuan is developing Mui Ne as a world famous tourism spot.
“For years, we have mentioned that potential Mui Ne has but haven’t introduced unique tourism products. Water sports in Mui Ne will become a real tourism product. It serves not only tourists but also athletes around the world.”
Chinh also expected the festival to draw increased interest from local and foreign businesses to invest in Binh Thuan’s marine tourism sector.
Reported by Que Ha – Diep Duc Minh
Posted by admin on March 3, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
Located at Đông Triều district, Quang Ninh province, Quỳnh Lâm pagoda used to be the largest Buddhist centre for the entire country during the 17th and 18th century.
The pagoda was built at the Pre-Lý Dynasty (about the end of the 5th century, begin of the 6th century) and has been restored many times under the Đinh, Early Lê, Lý, Trần, Lê Dynasties.
Before the pagoda is a great lake, while the three remaining sides are surrounded by hills and mountains. It was embellished and completed in Lý, Trần Dynasties. During the 11th and 14th centuries, the end of Lê Dynasty, and in the 17th and 18th centuries, it developed into the main centre of Buddhism for the entire country.
In the 14th century, the Quỳnh Lâm Pagoda became an even more important Buddhist centre with the activities of the monk Pháp Loa Đồng Kiên Cương, a member of the second generation of the Trúc Lâm Buddhist sect. It was the centre for sacred books and for preaching Buddhism, as well as a training-site for future pagoda wardens. Many associations, famous in Vietnamese literature and history, were organized here.
In 1319, Pháp Loa calls for blood donation from Buddhist followers to print over 5,000 copies of Đại Tạng sutras, which are kept at Quỳnh Lâm Buddhist Institute. In 1328, he had a statue of Maitreya cast. A year later, he brought a part of the bone ash of Trần Nhân Tông (the 1st patriarch of the Trúc Lâm Zen sect) to put into the stone stupa in Quỳnh Lâm Pagoda.
In early 15th century, the pagoda was reduced to ruins and had to undergo many restorations. In 1727, the 7-storey Tịch Quang Stupa (grave of monk Chân Nguyên, who made great contribution to the pagoda) was set up, which measures up to 10 meters. The stupa’s top takes the shape of a banyan bud. To the stupa is attached a plate which notes down the biography of monk Chân Nguyên.
In mid-18th century, the pagoda underwent a major restoration. It now also has bronze bells and stone gongs.
This year’s ritual festivities of the Quỳnh Lâm Pagoda are held on March 5-8 (from the first to the fourth day of the second lunar month). However, the festive atmosphere often lasts through spring.
Source: quangninh.gov
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on March 1, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the South, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
Grand slam in mui ne
Boasting a long coastline, which is favourable for sea sports, Mui Ne bay in the central province of Binh Thuan’s Phan Thiet city, is selected to be the first destination of the 2011 PWA Grand Slam, to take place from Feb. 25-March 5.
According to the organising board, 12 members of the Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA), 116 professional windsurfers, including 20 female athletes have registered to attend the competition, the first of its kind in Vietnam.
Windsurfers will compete in men’s and women’s slalom and freestyle categories.
The Vietnam 2011 PWA Grand Slam is one of the most four important competitions of PWA in rating windsurfers, which are held annually.
Apart from the competition in Vietnam, the rest three tournaments will beheld in Aruba from June 19-26, Spain from July 27-1 and in Germany from Sept. 23-Oct. 3.
More information about phan thiet hotel can be found at http://vietnamhotels.net.
Source: VNA
Posted by admin on under Vietnam Travel in the Central, Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
With the title “Nha Trang- the Sea of Rendezvous”, the Sea Festival 2011 will be held from June 11th to 15th by the Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee.
Unlike previously, the Sea Festival 2011 will take place at three famous tourism sites along the Tran Phu coastal street (Nha Trang City), Bai Dai Beach (Cam Lam District) and Doc Let beach (Ninh Hoa Town) with 50 activities such as the Miss Khanh Hoa Contest, Road Festival, Cau Ngu (fish worshipping) Ceremony, “Swallow’s Nest Festival”, Trade Fair of Vietnamese High-quality Products, Film Week, traditional art performances and so on.
Most of these activities describing “Nha Trang- Khanh Hoa- a civilized and friendly destination” will be at the February 4th Square with participation of many artists and art delegations not only from different provinces and cities and from the Republic of Korea, Cuba, France and China.
Noteworthy is that, the festival will observe a day to introduce Truong Sa Island District through a photo exhibition, songs of Truong Sa soldiers, a seminar and a film show on Truong Sa for local people and visitors to know more about this sacred part of the country’s territory .
Nha Trang Sea Festival is held every two years since 2003 to demonstrate traditional and modern cultural values with an effort to preserve and bring into play the nation’s cultural quintessence.
Book Nha trang hotel today at http://Vietnamhotels.net/ to get the best prices!
Source: ANTD
Posted by admin on February 28, 2011 under Vietnam festival, Vietnam travel News |
The 4th Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2011 titled “Vietnamese kitchen in Hue garden”, will get underway from April 30th to March 3rd at Ngo Mon Square, Dai Noi Citadel and Huong riverside.
Visitors, besides Ca tru (Hat A Dao or ceremonial singing), Cheo (traditional operetta), Hat xam (blind buskers music) and traditional folk games, can enjoy specialities from Northern, Central and Southern regions especially “Imperial cuisine” and “Folk cuisine” and a wide variety of Hue’s cakes, sweetened porridges and some others specialities.
One of the highlights of the festival is a night floating food fair serving visitors who enjoy Hue’s royal and traditional music on the Huong River.
Apart from the cultural cuisine, the festival also introduces many kinds of ornamental trees from different localities nationwide with themes “Art ornamental plants and flying emotions”, “Hue- a green city” and “Ch’an and ornamental trees”.
In addition, some community activities such as cooking contests “We are into kitchen” for pupils from high schools, “Happy meal” for spouses and program “Walk for a green country” are expected to take place.
“It is an opportunity to introduce the image of Vietnam in general, and of the Imperial City of Hue in particular, to domestic and foreign visitors, said Mr. Ngo Hoa, Vice Chairman of Thua Thien-Hue Provincial People’s Committee.
Source: tintucdulich
