Posted by admin on July 29, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide | 
Quiet yellow-sand beaches and historical sites may lure visitors to Con Dao but it’s the old tropical trees that protect them from the scorching sunshine in the archipelago off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
There are a number of cay bang trees which are over 100 years old and hang over Ton Duc Thang and other roads in Con Dao to provide respite from the heat for tourists, who ride past on their motorbikes or stroll around.
Strong winds and sunshine may be not be your idea of a nice break but these noticeable characteristics have turned out to contribute to shaping the trees into distinctive bonsais. The trees are spread out over two lanes of the seaside roads and they shield pedestrians taking a leisurely stroll on the pavement between the tree lines and mossy yellow walls of the old prisons, from the sun.
From tourists resorts, beyond the lines of tropical trees in the esplanade, you can witness the calm of the sea, with fishing boats bobbing on the water and the distant mountains.
At a little coffee shop called Con Son, you can sip a cup of coffee and rest after a long trek at the seaside or in the forests.
Breaths of wind blow in from the ocean sending red leaves of the tropical trees down onto your table as drops of coffee are slowly seeping through the filter, and whet traveler’s appetite for more adventure in the quiet town of Con Dao.
Inside and outside this small town there are other types of ancient trees including the banyan whose roots cover the ruins of historical sites. Underneath these roots contain untold stories about the bravery of revolutionary fighters who shed blood for the independence of Vietnam.
Source: SGT
Posted by admin on June 23, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the Central, Vietnam travel News, vietnam beauty |
Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park has come to be well-known for the Phong Nha Cave and its natural beauty. Starting in June, the park’s management board launched a tour from the Chay River to Hang Toi (Dark Cave).
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Boat trips along Chay River
The tour is environmentally friendly, and offers visitors a chance to try out the local cuisine of Quang Binh Province.
The Chay River begins at the limestone plateau of Ka Bang, with the clear and blue waters of the Son River’s tributary.
The stone peaks provide a lovely foil to the surrounding corn fields, making unique and picturesque scenery.
Hang Toi or “The Dark Cave” is 5,258 metres in long, and 80 metres in high. It is also the home of a number of animals, from bats to swallows.
Hang Toi
Underwater lime stone caves of Hang Toi
Grandiosity puts human life in perspective
Soure: Dtinews
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Posted by admin on May 30, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the South, vietnam beauty |
The plan on developing the Bai Dai tourist area kicked off seven years ago in 2004, when 50 investors registered investment projects. However, it is surprising that the wonderful tourist area remains deserted.
The tourist area in the north of Cam Ranh peninsula, or Bai Dai, with its wonderful charm, is considered the ideal place to develop tourism. That explains why tens of investors come here to seek business opportunities. However, licensed investors have still been slow in implementing projects.
Why hasn’t the wonderful tourist area woken up?
In 2004, the Khanh Hoa provincial authorities approved the plan to develop Bai Dai tourist area which covers an area of 2300 hectares. More than 50 investors immediately registered to make investment in the area.
In order to help investors to speed up their projects, the provincial authorities requested local relevant agencies to build infrastructure items, including the 110KV transformer station, the water supply and drainage system and the waste water treatment system.
However, investors have been very slow in implementing the registered projects. In 2007, the provincial people’s committee revoked the investment licenses from the investors of 20 projects who had bad financial capability.
In an effort to force investors to take more responsibility for the projects’ implementation, the provincial authorities requested investors to advance the money for land leasing. Nearly 30 investors paid 560 billion dong in rents. However, the projects’ implementation speed has not been improved.
There are 30 valid projects in Bai Dai tourist area. Of these, only projects have got the permission for construction, and six projects have completed the procedures relating to the land leasing. Meanwhile, other projects are still following legal procedures: some investors are still projecting the construction, while others are trying to complete legal procedures.
To date, only three projects have been officially started, while others have not taken any move.
The Khanh Hoa provincial authorities have pointed out that all the tourism projects in Bai Dai area have been implemented at a snail’s speed. Some projects got the permission for construction three years ago, but they have not fulfilled any commitments made to the provincial authorities.
At the meeting between the Khanh Hoa provincial authorities and investors on May 18; investors blamed the delay in the projects implementation on the legal procedures. Some said they met difficulties in the site clearance work, while others said they still have not fulfilled necessary procedures due to the changes in the planning and investment capital.
The investor of Bai Rong project said that the investor has decided to make some changes with the project. Since the project now has a bigger investment scale, the investor needs to wait for the decision from the central agencies; because this is beyond the jurisdiction of the provincial authorities. The investor also blamed the changes in the regulations on ranking resorts for the delay.
Stronger sanctions to be applied to speed up projects’ implementation
The Khanh Hoa Construction Department has denied the reasons; stressing that the projects have been slow in implementation not because of the changes in the investment capital. The department’s representative affirmed that the reasons cited by investors were not reasonable.
Vo Tan Tai, Director of the Khanh Hoa Planning and Investment Department, also said: “There is no problem in the investment procedures. The projects’ implementation has been slow because of the problems in the investors’ capability”.
Chair of Khanh Hoa People’s Committee, has stated that if investors do not speed up the projects’ implementation, the provincial authorities will revoke the investment licenses and allocate the projects to more capable investors.
Thang said an inspection team will be set up which will supervise the implementation of the projects in Bai Dai, and that stronger sanctions will be applied to speed up the projects. He wants to see the projects become operational by 2014 at the latest, and promises to give preferences to the projects which can begin operation in 2013.
Source: SGTT
Posted by admin on May 18, 2011 under Vietnam tour, Vietnam travel News |
‘Free & Easy’ tour service which arranges air travel tickets and hotel bookings without tour itineraries and tour guides is gaining popularity in Vietnam due to escalating prices in domestic travel.
Local tour operators offer cheap deals in a bid to maintain domestic customers, though the popularity of the ‘Free & Easy’ service has made many tourism agencies unhappy in recent time.
The number of people registering for ‘Free & Easy’ tours increased sharply this year. By choosing ‘Free & Easy’ tours people can meet their tightened budget but tour companies have seen a reduction on package tours this year.
Pham Duc Hoa, deputy head of the Domestic Travel Department of Saigon Tourist, said that the number of people registering for package tours has dropped considerably; hence, the company has been compelled to promote ‘Free & Easy’ tours.
During the recent four-day long holiday, the number of people registering for ‘Free & Easy’ tours was about 25-30%.
Now not just tourist agencies but also airlines seem to exploit this service for domestic and foreign destination travellers.
Hoa believes that the widespread popularity of this service will surely affect businesses and sales in tourist agencies.
Package tours were always the best choice for the elderly, but ‘Free & Easy’ tours are very popular with the young who need not depend on tour schedules and can afford a reasonable rate.
Hoa thinks that single tourists or those wanting to travel in small groups are more interested in this service because they can arrange more personalized tours. Customers can call the company to ask for ‘Free & Easy’ service and book air tickets or hotel rooms and plan their vacation as per these bookings.
Source: SGGP
Collected by Vietnam hotels
Posted by admin on May 16, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel in the South, Vietnam travel News |
Thirty to forty percent of foreign tourists to the southern province of Binh Thuan are Russian, and 95 percent of them go to Ham Tien – Mui Ne water area.
In recent years, people always use the nick name “Russian village”, instead of “resort capital” when talking about Ham Tien – Mui Ne in Phan Thiet City of Binh Thuan province, a famous tourism destination of Vietnam. If someone goes to resorts, guest houses, bars, restaurants, shops drug stores in Ham Tien and Mui Ne, he would hear Russian words among visitors.
Russian travelers – who are they?
First arrived in Ham Tien – Mui Ne three years ago, Polina from Saint-Petersburg loves the sea there and decided to work as a sailing coach, the job which allows her to stay there for nine months a year.
She said Russians like traveling to the places where there are beautiful, sunny, windy and quiet beaches. Therefore, Ham Tien – Mui Ne is the ideal destination for Russian travelers with mild weather, sunny but not too hot, with much wind and long seashores suitable to play windsurfing and parasailing – the hobbies of many Russians. Local residents are peaceful and friendly, streets are not noisy, while security is good.
According to the Binh Thuan provincial authorities, in the last three years, every day, Ham Tien – Mui Ne receives 400-500 new Russian travelers. Suggested that every Russian traveler stays there for 15 days; then, there are at least 5000-6000 Russian people every day at the sea village.
A lot of Russian travelers stay there for a long time, from one to three months. Some others stay for six months. While local newspapers complain that many foreign tourists do not return to Vietnam for the second time, many Russian travelers return to Ham Tien many times.
The owner of the Chau Linh Guest House said that he knows a Russian family with six people, who come to Vietnam in the last four consecutive years and stay there for 3-6 months each time. The family has introduced Ham Tien – Mui Ne to other Russian families, who also travel to Vietnam and stay for long periods.
“Staying for long time and spending much money” is the comment by local residents about Russian travelers. The hotel room occupancy level is always stable at 80-100 percent. A man, the owner of pearl shop, said that Russian travelers spend 2-3 times more than European travelers on shopping. Restaurants also like to serve Russian travelers because the guests always order delicious meals and they are ready to pay for expensive seafood.
Golden opportunities for local businessmen
A lot of shops and restaurants can be seen on the long 10 kilometer road of Nguyen Dinh Chieu – Huynh Thuc Khang. Especially, the words in the signboards hung over the shops and restaurants, are written in Russian. Menus at restaurants, service fee quotations and advertisement leaflets all provide information in Russian. Even vendors, who cannot speak Russian, also have introduction papers in Russian to give to travelers.
Nearly 40 resorts in the region have opened windsurfing, parasailing clubs to serve the demand of Russian travelers. To date, ½ of the Mui ne resort provide the training for the kinds of sports.
Having realized the high demand, local residents have decided to upgrade small guest houses to receive Russian travelers who stay for long time. Chau Linh guest house, for example, which has eight rooms equipped with modern facilities and mini playing field, is the choice of Russian families. Duy An guest house has a large garden, where Russian travelers can pick up fruits, and sleep on hammocks.
The owner of Thanh Oanh restaurant related that Russians began traveling to Mui Ne – Ham Thuan in 2006, and the locality has become a Russian village. Even the drug stores, which once only served local residents, now also serve Russian travelers, who like the herbs that help beautify skin, functional foods, cordials, or massage drug extracted from snake venom.
Source: SGTT
Posted by admin on May 13, 2011 under Vietnam travel News |
With a 2,500-year Buddhist history and over 10 million Buddhist followers at present and a hundred of pagodas, Vietnam can become an attractive destination for Zen tourism.
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Zen emphasizes experiential Wisdom in the attainment of enlightenment. As such, it de-emphasizes theoretical knowledge in favor of direct self-realization through meditation and dharma practice. The teachings of Zen include various sources of Mahāyāna thought, including the Prajñāpāramitā literature and the teachings of the Yogācāra and Tathāgatagarbha schools.
The emergence of Zen as a distinct school of Buddhism was first documented in China in the 7th century CE. From China, Zen spread south to Vietnam very early, around 580. It developed strongly under the Ly – Tran and Trinh – Nguyen dynasties. As a result, Vietnamese culture and lifestyle has been influenced by Zen philosophy.
Zen tourism has been developed in Vietnam with tours to pagodas and pagoda festivals, which enable tourists to visit Buddhist architectural works, observe and participate in activities of Buddhist priests, enjoy and admire characteristics of Zen arts like flower arrangement, tea ceremony, bonsai and vegetarian food.
There are around 120 pagodas available for Zentourism in Vietnam, including popular names such as Dau in northern Bac Ninh Province; Ba Da and Tran Quoc in Hanoi; Truc Lam Tay Thien in northern Vinh Phuc Province; Tu Dam, Thien Mu and Tu Hieu in central Thua Thien-Hue Province; and Tu An, Giac Lam and Giac Vien in Ho Chi Minh City.
Source: Vietnamnet
Collected by Vietnam hotels
Posted by admin on May 6, 2011 under Vietnam travel News |
More than 460,000 international visitors traveled to Vietnam in April, a 6.3 per cent rise against the same month last year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
This brought the total number of foreign arrivals during the first four months of the year to more than 1.9 million, a year-on-year increase of 10.5 per cent.
Despite the recent earthquake and tsunami, Japanese visitors to Vietnam still numbered 177,000, surging 21 per cent against the previous year’s same period.
Vietnam also saw remarkable increases in the numbers of tourists from China, up 20 per cent, US arrivals rising by 6.8 per cent, South Koreans by 6.6 per cent, French tourists by 6.3 per cent and Australian visitors 5.7 per cent.
A strong brand name would be established for tourism in Vietnam during the next four years to promote the country’s attractions, said director of the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Van Tuan.
The administration planned to hire a consultancy firm to carry out the strategy, he said, adding that this was the first time promotion would be conducted by a professional agency.
Chairman of the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents (VISTA) Vu The Binh said efforts to create a Vietnamese brand should focus on what was unique about the country. He said he believed one thing Viet Nam could be proud of was its spectacular landscape.
Binh said it was also important to identify potential markets. To date, Vietnam’s traditional markets were people from Northeast Asia and Western Europe, but another promising market was the country’s own region of Southeast Asia.
In countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, people from within the region accounted for 70 per cent of visitors while in Viet Nam, the figure was not even close to 20 per cent, he said.
“A strong and effective brand name requires close co-operation between authorities and hotels, airlines and tourist companies,” said Saigontourist Marketing Manager Doan Thi Thanh Tra.
“Such co-ordination can help create attractive tourism services and products, a key factor for the success of our hospitality industry.
“A brand name will not work if foreign tourists cannot book air tickets or hotel rooms are not easily available,” she added.
Tourist companies were attempting to build their-own brands to attract more international tourists, she said.
The tourism industry aims to welcome 5.3 million foreigners and serve 30 million local tourists, earning VND110 trillion (over US$5 billion) from tourism revenue this year.
Source: vietnamnet
Collected by Vietnam hotels
Posted by admin on April 28, 2011 under Vietnam Travel Guide |
Even though Vietnam is a third world country they have a literacy rate of 94%. The life expectancy rate of the Vietnamese is 75 years. Potbelly pigs are used as pets in Vietnam. At the schools, children are not called by bells instead they are called by gongs. The Dong is their form of currency and the capital city of Vietnam is Hanoi. The narrowest point of the country measures a mere 40 kilometers that is less than 25 miles across. The length of the country from north to south measures 1,000 km. Learn more about Vietnam by reading on.
In Vietnam
Vietnam is thought to be a beautiful place to visit especially its capital, Hanoi. The capital is located on the Red River banks. There is a mix of French elegance and Vietnam flavor. It is also known for being the city of lakes. There are more bikes and mopeds than there are cars in this country. Due to the lack of vehicles there is very little pollution.
Middle of Hanoi
In the middle of the capital there is a lake that is called Lake of Restored Sword. There is an island in the middle of this lake with a bridge that will carry you there. On this island, in the center, there is the Jade Mountain Temple. It was built in the 18th century. If you travel north from the lake you will stumble upon the Old Quarter. It is an antiquated little village that has restaurants, markets and cafes linning the streets.
Mekong Delta
On the Mekong Delta there is a floating market! Vegetables and fruits are peddled all day. The delta is surrounded by picturesque views of rice patties stretching off into the distance with the patches of water buffalo and the conical-hatted peasants. And beyond the fields of rice patties, in the distance the silhouette of soaring mountains tower over the land beneath them.
Interesting
To the south of Vietnam, in the Halong Bay are over 3000 chalk islands. Much of the country has flares of French architecture. The Phong Nha Ke Bang national park is about of the World Heritage Sites, as well as the Ha Long Bay. In the West Lake, which is about 9 miles in circumference, there is the wreckage of a B52 American Bomber.
(Source: yukozimo)
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on April 23, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam travel News |
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 Hanoi is piloting the preservation of the Old Quarter through a project to restore Ta Hien Street. |
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The VND15-billion (USD717,703) will restore 52-metre Ta Hien Street, where most structures were built early 20th century, using French and traditional Vietnamese architectural styles.
The project will be a sort of trial run for a larger programme to restore the Old Quarter. The programme is a joint effort between Hanoi and the city of Toulouse, France.
The Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board will restore building facades as well as public infrastructure on the street. Residents on this street will even get new furniture. To date, restoration on three homes has been completed.
The restoration project to cost VND15 billion
A loft is set up at Ta Hien-Luong Ngoc Quyen
10 houses with sloping roofs, in the french style
The opposite side of the street, buildings in traditional Vietnamese style
Main doors, roofs and windows will be upgraded, along with the street, water and lighting systems
Restoration agreements
Intersection of Ta Hien-Luong Ngoc Luyen
Loft gives access to upper floors
Restoration takes into account original design
Ta Hien Street
Life goes on as usual
Windows have same design, but with new Inox locks
Trial run for a programme of cooperation
Soon to be upgraded
Visitors drink beer underneath the construction site
New sign for a shop
Source: dtinews
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Posted by admin on April 15, 2011 under Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the South, vietnam beauty |
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Clean and primitive, Mui Ke Ga (Ke Ga Cape) is the most favorite destination for visitors to the central province of Binh Thuan.
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Over 20 kilometers from the city of Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan Province, tourists can travel by bus or motorbike along the coastline to Ke Ga Island. At Ke Ga Cape, visitors are able to wander around and clamber over cliffs and boulders piled up all over the place.
There are many international and domestic ships and fishing boats coming and going in the area. As there are reefs in the area, French and local people decided to erect Ke Ga lighthouse to warn ships of the danger.
Visitors can also stay on the island overnight to go fishing. Fishing during the full moon is another unforgettable experience. People can taste the baked sea fish they have caught themselves and then stay up to see the first sunlight.
At Ke Ga Cape stands a lighthouse, built in 1899, it is considered as the tallest and oldest existing lighthouse in Vietnam.
The lighthouse is called Ke Ga by local people. Ke Ga Lighthouse was built on the top of Ke Ga Island, which has a total area of about 5ha in the coastal area of Tan Thanh Ward, Ham Thuan Nam District, about 30km away from Phan Thiet City to the South East.
This lighthouse was designed by a French architect named Chnavat to guide ships to go back and forth. The construction started in February 1897 and was completed by the end of 1898, and the lighthouse was put in operation in 1900. To mark the construction period, local people put a big granite panel carved the number 1899 at the lighthouse entry gate. The lighthouse has now been operating for 108 years.
The light house with its unique architecture is about 60m tall. From that height, visitors are able to see a vast expanse of sea and sky, as well as enjoy cool ocean winds. The most beautiful moment to visit the lighthouse is at sunset. People can see a fantastic sight with splendid colors. Sometimes they can not distinguish the boundary of the sky and sea. Only 500m from the coast, people can walk to the island when the tide is low.
Ke Ga Lighthouse was built grandiosely and is classified as Vietnam’s tallest lighthouse. It was built from granite stones brought from France. A unique character of this lighthouse is that the granite stones were carved out of different cells, shapes, sides that are well-fit. So in building, they were put together and stuck by mortar.
On the lighthouse, there is a big light of 2000W, which was brought from France and used to give signals ships back and forth. Presently, Ke Ga Lighthouse has become a tourist attraction, not only for its art and architecture, but also for its beautiful natural landscape.
Besides the beautiful landscapes, Mui Ke Ga is an interesting experience for visitors, from tours to the seafood market in the early morning, to fishing in the sea, catching crabs at night, and seeing the sunset on the mountain top.
The beauty of Mui Ke Ga:
The early-morning fish market:
Source: Vietnam-beauty/VNE
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