Posted by admin on April 5, 2011 under Vietnam Travel in the South, vietnam beauty | 
Nestled peacefully on Huynh Thuc Khang Street under the shade of coconut lines, Mui Ne fishing village boasts its rare charms from early twilight to sunset, literally waving at passers-by to stop and admire the splendid sceneries and take photos.
A small area of 1,000 meters of coastline in Mui Ne Ward, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province, the fishing village is endowed with calm waves all year round so naturally it is the home pier for fishermen in the city. Considered as the miniature of Binh Thuan Sea, Mui Ne Fishing Village is attractive not only by its spectacular surroundings but also by the bustling rhythms of daily coastal life.
Every moment of the day is different. From the deafening silence at twilight when hundreds of boatpeople have some shuteye, to hustle and bustle of morning with some boats anchoring off for a new day, while others return from off-shore fishing with loads of catches to sell. The boats go about their business out in the calm waters at noon, before the fishermen return with their haul at sunset just in time to keep the local seafood restaurants in business.
Le Van Bay, a 72-year-old fisherman said: “If you want to sense the daily life here, you must come between 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. to see the peak time of the village with images of tired men coming back from the sea, while their radiant wives and daughters pick them up and quickly unloading baskets of seafood to sell during the day.”
The seafood market in the village is jam packed during early morning. Together with local market visitors, this hotspot is popular with foreign tourists who are keen to buy fresh seafood at a bargain price.
Book mui ne resort at http://Vietnamhotels.net/ soon to enjoy the people’s lives there!
Source: SGT
Posted by admin on March 30, 2011 under Vietnam travel News |
Vietnam has for the first time participated in the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, which took place in Malaysia from March 17-20.
Along with five balloons carrying Hạ Long bay posters, Vietnamese team also had a stall advertising Halong bay in the festival to call on international friends to vote for Hạ Long Bay as one of the world’s seven natural wonders.
The festival saw a total of 27 balloons of the US , Japan , Belgium , Switzerland , Netherlands , New Zealand , France , Germany , the UK , India , Thailand , Malaysia , Vietnam and Dubai ( United Arab Emirates ).
According to the Organising Board, the event attracted 300,000 domestic and foreign spectators.
Posted by admin on March 10, 2011 under Vietnam travel News |
US travellers are becoming more interested in Asian travel destinations according to new information from a flight service called skycanner.com.
Eight of the top ten up and coming international travel destinations are located in Asia.
According to skyscanner.com, Taipei, Beijing and Tokyo come up big in flight searches and have “as much as three times the number of searches in 2010 compared to 2009.”
Shanghai has had the biggest increase in popularity and has risen by 243 percent in searches. Eastern Europe destinations are also getting a boost in interest among US travelers. Moscow, the capital of Russia ranks in 7th place with Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine ranking in 7th place.
What travel destinations are Americans searching for online? Here are the Top Ten from skyscanner.com
* Shanghai
* Taipei
* Beijing
* Tokyo
* Ho Chi Minh City
* Moscow
* Kiev
* Kuala Lumpur
* Singapore
* Hong Kong
Destinations such as London, Paris and Rome are perennial favorites among US travellers
These three UK and European cities are still the most searched for international travel destinations, according to Scott Carlson of skyscanner.com. However, Carlson said that there is an “apparent trend for Asian cities when we look at which destinations have seen the biggest increase in searches from 2009 to 2010.”
“As US travelers continue to look for new and exciting vacation ideas throughout 2011, I expect Asian destinations will continue to see a rise in popularity and may even usurp some of the more traditional and established destinations,” said Carlson of skyscanner.com
Posted by admin on March 3, 2011 under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam Travel in the North |
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Black H’mong women sell tho cam (ethnic fabrics) in Sapa. One of the most wonderful highlands in Asia, Sapa is a magical combination of landscapes, ethnic cultures and fresh mountain air.
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It was too early. I struggled to peel my eyes open, wondering what the commotion outside was all about. The clock pointed to somewhere between 4 and 5 a.m.
It was Sunday, and I was at a hotel in Sapa. Cursing the thin walls of the hotel, I walked to the window to peer into the dawning light outside.
I had expected to see a few people milling about their morning business. Instead, I saw the streets flooded with hundreds of H’mong and Red Dao people in colourful ethnic attire heading to the Sapa market.
It was an exotic orchestra of people speaking foreign tongues, children running, babies whimpering, chickens clucking and pigs snorting.
It was impossible to sleep with all the noise, so I decided to get out and experience the traditional Sunday market myself.
Black H’mong women sell tho cam (ethnic fabrics) in Sapa. One of the most wonderful highlands in Asia, Sapa is a magical combination of landscapes, ethnic cultures and fresh mountain air.
Love in the marketplace
The sights, sounds and smells of Sapa’s market are as distinctive as the ethnic tribes jostling about. Locals go to the market not just to buy and sell but also to unwind after a long, hard week.
I had been watching H’mong girls wearing garlands of dried mushrooms on strings around their necks, when suddenly, a H’mong man caught the arm of one of the girls and tried to pull her away.
I was alarmed, but a shopkeeper explained, “It is cướp vợ custom. When a H’mong man finds the girl of his dreams, he and his friends try to pull her away. If they succeed, they take her to the man’s house for a few days before visiting the girl’s family to ask for her hand in marriage.”
Rustic grub
Just inside the market gates were stalls full of mountain fruits such as peaches, plums, chestnuts, and Indian taro.
But the locals were eating hearty breakfasts of mèn mén (corn wheat cake), and thắng cố (horse meat soup). The better off leaned over steaming bowls of ph^, an expensive treat in these mountainous regions.
To the right are stalls full of trinkets and local products. Here you can find everything from ethnic silver jewelry to mushrooms, tam thất (notoginseng), honey, and linh chi fungus.
I bought a kilo of dried buds of the tam thất to gift friends back home. The tam thất bud tea is believed to aid good sleep.
Fabrics in Sapa
Next, I headed to the second floor of the Sapa market, which is known as the heart of the market. This is the arena of women selling brocades from their little workshops.
Many of these local artisans have been working in dimly-lit, cramped shops for decades, weaving yards of intricately designed brocades. Owing to the fabric’s popularity among tourists, a lot of the women here can converse quite well in English.
Heavily embroidered colorful blankets, pillow shams, table covers beckoned from all around. I found myself attracted to the more esoteric designs of the H’mong people.
A Sapa native told me that H’mong girls are taught to weave, sew and dye fabrics from a very young age. When they grow up, they are entrusted with the responsibility of making clothes for her family. The better her needle work, the better a girl’s prospects for marriage.
The market continues bustling until late afternoon, when locals begin to pack up their goods and head back to their homes in the terraced hills of Sapa.
Though tourism is growing rapidly in this region, mercifully, the H’mongs and Red Daos have preserved their colorful culture. In the Sapa market, the ethnic people and their cultures come alive every weekend, fusing together the simple times of the past in a traditional, but evolving market.
Source: thanhniennews
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Posted by admin on under Attractions, Vietnam Travel Guide, Vietnam travel News |
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| Tourists take a boat trip along Ham Ho River in Binh Dinh Province |
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| Ham Ho is home to many giant rocks in diverse shapes – Photos: Thuy Trieu |
Everyone who visits Binh Dinh Province should visit Ham Ho ecotourism area.
Ham Ho is a 3-kilometer-long river section through an old forest in Tay Phu, Tay Son Districts, about 55 km from Quy Nhon.
Over millenniums the water has carved the rocks in the river into bizarre shapes.
Many precious trees grow in the forests around Ham Ho. An interesting time to visit is when the Loc Vung ornamental trees (lecythidales) flower. There are sturdy stilt houses on the banks of the spring for tourists to enjoy some refreshments and take in the natural beauty around them such as the bridges and rock pools. Adventurers can kayak on the spring, take a ride in a small canoe or trek to the mountain. You can set up a camp among the giant rocks near the lake and swim.
Staying overnight is a good way to get closer to nature and listen to insects, the murmuring streams and waterfalls.
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on under Vietnam Travel in the North, Vietnam travel News, vietnam hotel |
Northern provinces are accelerating efforts to woo investors into tourism development.
Deputy chairwoman of Yen Bai People’s Committee Pham Thi Thanh Tra said in the past six years the ‘Back to the Origin’ tourism programme in three northern provinces of Yen Bai, Phu Tho and Lao Cai has captured visitors’ special attention while stimulating investment into local tourism infrastructure development.
The statement was made during the launching of ‘Back to the Origin’ tourism programme 2011 which was jointly held by the three northern locations. Tra was also the head of these locations’ tourism cooperation board.
There are nearly 1,000 tourism residences, 500 hotels, 260 big restaurants and over 20 ecological and entertainment sites in these three locations currently. However, tourism infrastructure in these areas is backward.
Despite an abundance of state classified historical relics, biodiversity and picturesque landscapes, the tourism sector’s revenue in these areas is low due to the lack of quality tourism accommodations. As with Yen Bai, the province licenced 277 investment projects in the past five years, however the tourism sector only lured in several dozens of projects. The province’s leadership hopes the ‘Back to the Origin’ tourism programme 2011 would help bring more visitors to the province.
“Yen Bai is accelerating the construction of major tourism venues and strives to turn Thac Ba into a national standard resort,” Tra said.
Similar to Yen Bai, Phu Tho also remains unknown to many local and foreign visitors due to poor infrastructure. The province is concentrating efforts into bringing about a face-lifting to provincial hotel and restaurant system and popularising the homestay model to catch up visitors’ needs.
Deputy chairwoman of Phu Tho People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Kim Hai said the province would prioritise investment into tourism growth in the coming period.
Hai said tourism investment figures were upbeat. Particularly, the Viet Han Real Estate Company has joined hands with South Korea-based Samsung Group to engage in a big $5 billion resort which covers 2,500 hectares in Tam Nong district’s six communes. Site clearance will start from the second quarter of 2011 and the project will be put into use from 2018.
Besides, Xuan Truong Company Limited has worked on a building a road running from Hung Kings Temple to Xuan Son National Park and upgrading five stilt-houses of local people into tourism residences.
Phu Tho is calling investment for some major tourism projects such as those associated with Ao Chau resort or Thanh Thuy hot spring resort.
Of the three above locations, Lao Cai scores best in luring visitors. The province authorities recently licenced 11 projects by domestic investors worth more than $17 million.
Accommodating Sa Pa, a famous tourism site for its splendid beauty and special cultural diversity, Lao Cai is attracting many investors, including foreign ones.
Some effective foreign direct investment projects in the province currently are the Victoria Sapa hotel, a sapa hotel and foreigner-oriented electronic gaming project by Lao Cai International Hotel Joint Venture Company, or the Topas Ecolodge Sa Pa resort.
Source: VIR
Posted by admin on February 28, 2011 under Vietnam travel News |
The Ho Dynasty Citadel which is located in Vinh Long and Vinh Tien communes of Vinh Loc district, Thanh Hoa province, is a unique stone structure built by the Vietnamese people. It is hoped that the Ho Dynasty Citadel will be recognised as a World Cultural Heritage Site at the 35th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Bahrain in June.
Unique stone architecture
The construction of the Ho Dynasty Citadel was completed in only three months (from January 1397 to March 1397). The Citadel served as the capital of the Dai Viet nation in the final years of the Tran Dynasty, as well as the Dai Ngu nation for seven years (1400 – 1407), and was officially named ’Tay Do‘ (Western Capital) to distinguish it from the Thang Long – Dong Do Citadel (Eastern Capital). The only stone citadel in Vietnam built within such a short period of time, the citadel comprises of two layers: the inner layer ’Hoang Thanh‘ was built with stone and the outer layer “La Thanh” was built with soil.
The stone walls were arranged so that they could withstand earthquakes and had an average height of five metres. The stones were laid without cement and each stone weighed up to 20 tonnes. The citadel has four gates with a canal surrounding it as an extra layer of protection. After over six centuries some parts of the citadel still stand almost intact.
In February 2010, a filing for the recognition of the Ho Dynasty Citadel as a World Cultural Heritage site was sent to the UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre. The file states that the Citadel has a distinctly oriental citadel architecture, being both the centre of power as well as a military fortress. The citadel was also built to represent both royalty and divine powers and connects natural and human space. Thanks to the unique construction techniques all the major stone sections are intact and have not been affected by time and weather or by recent urban encroachment.
People’s consensus needed
The file submitted to UNESCO has been greatly appreciated by international and local experts for its comprehensive documentation, including maps and pictures. However, at an international workshop held last April in Thanh Hoa province, Dr. C. Young, from UK Heritage, whilst appreciating the comprehensiveness of the files warned that support from the people living in the citadel’s buffer zone was very important.
Over the years, the Thanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee has implemented various measures to preserve the unique stone structure, as it has been identified as an important site on the province’s tourist routes. The local authorities are planning the comprehensive preservation of the site.
During a recent field trip to the citadel by members of the UNESCO World Heritage Standing Committee, UNESCO’s representative to Vietnam, Katherine Muller Marin, Head of the UNESCO Vietnam Office expressed her admiration for the unique techniques used in the construction of the citadel. However, she hoped that whether the citadel is recognised by UNESCO or not, local authorities, scientists and others would continue to research into the citadel’s mysteries and invest in its preservation and maintenance for future generations.
Source: Nhandan
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on February 22, 2011 under Vietnam travel News |
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to define concrete development targets for culture, sports and tourism in the next 10 years.
Nhan said this while working with the ministry on its 2011 working plan in Hanoi yesterday. He said there was a need to balance capital, land and human resources in tourism.
Tourism development should be combined with exploiting, preserving and bringing into play cultural values, while tourism promotion should be carried out with the development of tourism products and infrastructure, he said.
He requested early preparations for provincial, national and international sports competitions, adding that the ministry should outline investments needed for facilities and human resources, as well as define the regional and international standards Vietnamese athletes should strive to achieve.
The ministry should also focus on building national programmes on the prevention and control of domestic violence and projects to develop traditional arts, he said.
The Deputy PM hailed the ministry’s work in 2010, saying that cultural, sports and tourism activities to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi nationwide created a positive political atmosphere within the population.
Last year also saw the development of Viet Nam’s tourism sector, which welcomed more than 5 million foreign tourists and contributed 5.3 per cent to the country’s total GDP.
Source: VNS
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on under Vietnam tour, Vietnam travel News |
The fruitful tourism cooperation between the three northwestern provinces of Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho during the past 6 years has contributed to the socio-economic development of each province and to the improvement of local people’s living standards.
The tourism infrastructure in the area has been much improved thanks to a large investment from these provinces. More hotels and other tourist facilities have been built in remote areas such as Nghia Lo in Yen Bai and Sapa in Lao Cai.
Hundreds of high standard restaurants have opened for visitors. These provinces have launched many new tours to historical sites, landscapes and explore local special cultural identities for tourists.
Last year, these provinces welcome more than 2 million visitors, earning more than 1,000 billion VND. Yen Bai Province alone earned 115 billion VND with more than 300,000 visitors.
This year, these provinces’ tourism sector targets to receive more than 5.5 million visitors including 400,000 international visitors and earn over 1,200 billion VND. Many special tourist programs and cultural activities are expected to be carried out to promote tourism. Incentive policies are also applied to attract investors in tourism projects.
Main activities of these provinces’ tourism cooperation program “Return to Roots 2011”:
- Au Co Temple festival from February 7th to 9th in Hien Luong Commune, Ha Hoa District, Phu Tho.
- The ceremony of the “Return to Roots 2011” program from February 26th to 28th in Nghia Lo Town, Yen Bai.
- Thuong Temple Festival from February 16th to 18th in Lao Cai City.
- Tren May – Sapa Festival 2011 from April 30th to May 4th in Sapa District, Lao Cai
- Hung Kings Festival from April 6th to 12th in Phu Tho
- Bac Ha Traditional Horse Race Open 2011 on June 27th to 28th at Bac Ha District’s stadium, Lao Cai.
- Thac Ba Festival in June in Yen Binh Commune, Yen Bai
- Fansipan Mountain Climbing Tournament from October 27th to 29th in Sapa
- Muong Lo Tourism and Culture Week in October in Nghia Lo Commune, Yen Bai
- Mu Cang Chai Tourism and Culture week in October in Yen Bai.
Source: qdnd.vn
Collected by vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on February 19, 2011 under Vietnam travel News |
New City Properties Development Company, the investor behind Vietnam’s largest tourism project, is feeling the heat from site clearance difficulties.
Frank Cheung, general manager of New City, said site clearance challenges were blocking construction of the $4.3 billion Phu Yen High Grade Tourism Complex project in central Phu Yen province.
The company had already cleared more than 80 per cent of the project site, which was licenced in 2008 and would cover 565 hectares, said Cheung.
According to government regulations, provincial authorities are in charge of clearing sites for investment projects. However, at present most local authorities ask investors to compensate and clear the site in advance. Then, the investor will claw back the costs through tax and land rental exemptions.
For New City, the site clearance is currently the biggest challenge to the project’s development.
“It is taking more time than we thought. A lot of difficulties surfaced in the process of compensation delaying different construction items,” said Cheung.
During 2010 New City started the first stage of the project with a road connecting the project site with National Road 1A already completed.
“This year, the company will continue with the compensation procedure and to clean up the ground surface as well as building some items such public transportation, infrastructure, recreation parks and vacation villages,” said Cheung.
However, he added the construction process depended on site clearance.
“Sometime they [local residents] ask us to compensate at a price, but sometimes yhey change their minds and require a different price. It is really hard to understand them,” he added.
He added complication is some of the remaining land to be cleared is a burial site.
Nguyen Chi Hien, director of Phu Yen Department of Planning and Investment, said it could take a long time to remove tombs.
New City expects the project to be operational in 2013. In the first stage, it plans to build three, four-star hotels with 900 rooms and four, five star-hotels with 2,250 rooms.
Source: VIR
Collected by Vietnam hotel
