Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Beach tourism season launched in Danang


A three-day festival ushering in the tourism season entitled “Danang beach - old destination, new look” got underway at the eastern Sea Park, Son Tra District, Danang city on April 30.

The festival is featuring a wide and highly entertaining range of cultural activities including “Bai Choi” (singing while acting as playing cards), folk games, photo exhibitions and art performances.















Souvenir booths, tourism and cultural products, consumer goods, food and beverages, along with Quang Nam province’s delicious traditional specialities are plentiful for local residents and visitors to splurge on.



A host of competitions and thrilling shows using speedboats and jet-skis, pulling banana boats, parachute surfing, and a swimming competition for sea lovers are also ongoing at the event.



This year’s event will introduce a few new exciting and exotic activities such as bikini flashmob performance, beach volleyball, hiphop dance competition, and bike and kayak racing, for all to enjoy.




Source : dtinews[dot]vn

Khanh Hoa attracts tourists on Reunification holiday










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Khanh HoaThe central coastal province of Khanh Hoa expects to welcome 97,000 visitors for the holidays marking National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day.


According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, most local hotels, resorts and restaurants plan to serve tourists with special packages that include cuisine, cultural performances and sports and leisure activities. Up to 80-90% of the total number of rooms at these places have been booked.


Vinpearl Land, Hon Tam Resort, the mud-bathing hot springs and tours to Nha Trang Bay are expected to be attractive destinations for tourists.


The department will also organise a number of traditional art performances such as “cai luong” (reformed theatre) and “tuong” (classical drama) to serve local people and visitors on the occasion.


The province now has 540 accommodation facilities with nearly 15,000 rooms, including 5,000 at three to five star hotels, which ensure demand is met for high-class accommodation.It has also enhanced public order at tourism areas and introduced measures to control the prices of tourism services, especially room rentals.


In the first four months of this year, Khanh Hoa received more than one million tourists, including 293,000 from abroad, up around 35% from the same period last year.


 


Source: VNA




































Source : news[dot]com[dot]vn

Int’l tourist arrivals to Vietnam surge 27% to 3 million










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The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam in the first four months of this year reached 3.073 million, an increase of 27.32 percent compared to the same period last year, according to statistics issued by tourism firms.



Foreign tourists are seen at the Da Nang International Airport in Da Nang City January 31, 2014


 


Accordingly, the number of tourist arrivals from Hong Kong to Vietnam topped 804,100, an increase of 46.9 percent, in the first four months while that from Taiwan was 144,300, up 24.3 percent year on year.


In April alone, the number of international visitors to Vietnam was about 745,980, a 5.11 percent increase compared to last month’s figure, and increased 21.51 percent over the same period last year.


The number of tourists coming to Con Dao, an island district in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, is going up strongly ahead of the upcoming holidays (Reunification Day, falling on April 30, and International Labor Day on May 1) and all the tour packages for visits to Con Dao were already sold out several months ago.


There have been over 50,000 tourists traveling to Con Dao so far this year, with the number of flights increasing by more than 15 percent compared to the same period last year, according to statistics issued by the Con Dao airport.


Vietnam expects to welcome 8.3 million foreign arrivals and serve 37 million domestic travelers in 2014, earning a total revenue of VND230 trillion (US$10.85 billion), the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has said.


In 2013, the country received over 7.57 million foreign visitors while the number of local tourists hit 35 million, which all generated a VND200 trillion revenue.


All these figures are higher than those in 2012.


 


Source: Tuoitrenews


























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Source : news[dot]com[dot]vn

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Vietnam metro recognizes three new historical relics 













 




Ho Chi Minh City authorities have named three structures as protected relics, including Mieu Noi (Floating Temple), Long Hoa Pagoda and an old tomb in Tao Dan Park.


The three structures were categorized as municipal relics, increasing the city’s number of protected relics to 153.




The Lam family tomb in Tao Dan Park was built in 1895 and is considered an artistic relic, according to the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.


Archeologists said it is the burial place of Lam Tam Lang, a Guangdong immigrant who died in 1795 and his wife Mai Thi Xa.


Tao Dan Park is located at 55C Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street in HCMC’s District 1, a ten minute walk from Independence Palace.


Mieu Noi (Floating Temple), or Phu Chau Temple, is located on an islet in the Vam Thuat River in Go Vap District’s Ward 5, and is considered one of Vietnam’s most special spiritual structures.


People come to the temple to pray for safe travels and good luck.


The islet is only be visited by boat.


The other new relic, Long Hoa Pagoda, is located at 1250/41 Huynh Tan Phat Street in District 7. It was built in 1902 and underwent a major refurbishment from 2000-2003.


HCMC authorities have banned any construction or repair work on these relics without express written permission from the city's mayor.


The three newly-listed structures increased the city’s list of protected relics to 156, including 58 nationally recognized relics.


In 2010, city authorities decided to survey 168 historical structures; the survey remains underway.


The Lam family tomb, one of the three newly-chosen relics, drew wide attention starting last October after a foreign guidebook listed it as one of the world’s most haunted places.


UK travel guidebook Rough Guide named the park on its list of the world's 27 most haunted places, surprising many locals who have never heard of anything spooky happening at the park.


Rough Guides later told
Thanh Nien it selected Tao Dan Park after searching the Internet for interesting ghost stories


“A story about the man looking for his lost lover in Tao Dan Park came up repeatedly," the guidebook publisher wrote via email. “We are by no means suggesting that this story is completely accurate.”


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Thanh Nien News







Source : thanhniennews[dot]com

Foreign tourist arrivals on the rise this year










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Viet Nam welcomed over 3 million foreign tourists in the first four months of 2014, a surge of 27.3 percent over the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office.


 


Visitors from Hong Kong topped the list with the highest rise of 170.2 percent, followed by Germany (114.5 percent), and China (46.9 percent).


In April alone, the country greeted 745,980 overseas visitors, a year-on-year increase of 5.1 percent. The tourism sector plans to serve 8 million foreign and 37.5 million domestic tourists this year, grossing VND230 billion ($410.8 million) in revenue.


In 2013, Viet Nam received 7,572,352 foreign tourists, a yearly rise of 10.6 percent that provided VND200 trillion ($9.4 billion) to the State budget. 


 


Source: VNS




































Source : news[dot]com[dot]vn

Vietnam ancient town's leaders apologize for entry ticket crackdown 





A ticket taker in Hoi An explains entrance fees to a tourist. PHOTO COURTESY OF MOT THE GIOI



Hoi An authorities apologized to tourists on Saturday for their failure to clearly explain their tightened ticket policy and the unfriendly behavior of concession employees which caused outrage during the past ten days.



Visitors have been required to buy tickets to enter Hoi An since 1995. The current rates (VND120,000, or US$6 for foreigners and VND80,000 for Vietnamese) have been in force since 2012.


A ticket allows them to see the town itself and entitles a foreigner to visit five tourist spots and locals, three.


In the past, ticket booths were placed at certain locations, but earlier this month they were put up at every entrance to the town given that more and more tour guides are bringing in clients without buying tickets.



“It’s our fault for failing to predict that the problems [caused by implementing the policy] would stir up public anger in recent days. This gave local and foreign visitors a negative impression of our admission fee collection and badly affected Hoi An’s image,” Nguyen Su, the town's party committee chief, said at a press briefing on Saturday.


“If tourists knew that 85 percent of the collected revenue would go toward the restoration of ancient houses, they'd agree to pay VND80,000 or VND120,000,” said Su.


The committee chief also admitted that guards had blocked entrances and harassed visitors for the fee.


Vo Phung, director of the Hoi An Culture and Sports Center, concurred by saying that tourists were not to blame for the quarrels that broke out with ticket takers.


“It’s our fault for not providing tourists with clear information [about tightened control over entry tickets]. In addition, our employees weren't flexible while facing unexpected issues. Their impolite behavior was caused by our failure to provide clear directions to them and because they receive 3,000-4,000 visitors a day in hot weather,” said Phung.


Phung said he should have announced changes in the town's tourist ticket policy more clearly and publicly.


He said his center had informed travel companies and hotels about the policy before implementation, but hadn't met with them to ensure compliance.


More courteous




Hoi An leaders said they would improve their methods for collecting admission fees.


Local visitors will not be required to pay the fee if they come to the town alone or in a group of no more than four, according to Phung.


“For individual foreign visitors, our staff will tell them to buy tickets in a polite, friendly way. If they don’t know our policy and don’t agree to pay, our staff will invite them to visit the town as it’s our fault for not clearly explaining and publicizing the policy,” said Phung.


For tourist groups, local and foreign alike, staff will require tour guides to buy tickets. The town will “strictly deal with guides evading the fee” as travel companies typically include the fee in tour packages, he said.


Phung said the tightened ticket policy mainly aims to protect tourists who buy packages that include the Hoi An entrance fee but are left to wander the town without visiting guided tourist spots.


Children under 16 will be not charged the fee even when they travel in tourist groups.


Tourists who stay in Hoi An for multiple days need to buy just one ticket, Phung said. They just only to show the ticket stub when returning to town instead of being required to buy another 24-hour ticket as in the past, he said.


Heritage preservation


Su, the town's party unit chief, said the entry fee is needed to raise funds for preservation.


He said Hoi An ancient town is different from other cultural relics like My Son, also in Quang Nam Province, or Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which are closed relics.


As the town includes ancient houses, heritage bridges, historic temples and cultural activities put on by locals, it cannot sell tickets for each relic but a single ticket to everything, Su said.


Apart from tourist spots in the town, visitors can enjoy the performance of ethnic musical instruments and folk songs, or join folk games among a space of colorful lanterns at night.


Su said Hoi An authorities are considering splitting the current ticket into two: one for seeing the town and the other for visiting tourism spots.


He said the town has earned VND255 billion ($12 million) from selling entry tickets since 2000, of which, VND100 billion ($4.7 million) was used to repair damaged houses like the one located at 16 Nguyen Thai Hoc and the home at the corner of Phan Chau Trinh and Tran Phu streets.


Around 57 billion ($2.7 million) was used to fund cultural activities and festivals in the town as well as research on preservation techniques. The remaining money was used to cover operation costs.


Explaining why Hoi An fails to use taxes collected from businesses in the town to restore ancient houses, Su said the tax revenue, VND4.7 billion ($223,000) a year, is not enough.

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Nguyen Tu
Thanh Nien News







Source : thanhniennews[dot]com

Monday, April 28, 2014

Northern Boobook on passage / Hanoi - 25 April 2014




During an afternoon stroll at Bai Da near the Red River/Hanoi in search of the famous Silver Oriole seen by Florian, I flushed an owl at close range, roosting a few meters amid the thick foliage of a small tree. After 30 minutes or so of hide and seek I finally managed to put my bins on it and immediately recognized a Northern Boobook.







This is my second record in the city - the previous one 2 years ago, interestingly also the 2nd week of April (1 individual seen very well from 19th to 23th April 2012, at Lenin Park,

here).









Last week was rainy and overcast, so few photos opportunities. Just got some ok-ish shots of Ashy Drongos, Forest Wagtail and Radde's Warbler.















                                                                            hopwoodi







Three races of Ashy Drongos coming from China pass through Hanoi during spring & autumn passage periods:
hopwoodi (the darkest, blue-grey),
leucogenis (pale grey, large white patch around the eyes) and
salangensis (darker than
leucogenis, less white on face). 











leucogenis




















Source : vietnambirdnews[dot]blogspot[dot]com

Da Lat to be introduced on Thai television










    A fact-finding tour to film the city was made by reporters from the Thai Public Relations Department (PRD) from April 22-26 as part of its cooperation programme with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). 

    They visited several artichoke and flower farms to learn about the supply of the flora to both domestic and foreign markets. 

    They also made a reportage promoting Da Lat city’s tourism at its renowned sites, including Prenn waterfall and Tuyen Lam lake. 

    Siriwan Dampreeda, head of the PRD delegation, said that mild weather, well-developed infrastructure and quiet atmosphere make Da Lat ideal for tourism development. 

    However, the city has not yet been advertised in Thailand and other countries, she said, suggesting local authorities intensify promotion campaigns abroad.




    Source : dtinews[dot]vn

    Six amazing fields in Northern Vietnam










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    VietNamNet Bridge introduces the six fields that have become tourist attractions in the northern region of Vietnam.



    1. Mu Cang Chai terraced field


    Mu Cang Chai has long been a familiar destination of tourists and photographers during the rice season. Located in Yen Bai province, the best rice fields in Mu Cang Chai District are primarily in the three communes of La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and De Xu Phinh.


    The terraces in Mu Cang Chai are attractive both when the rice is just green sprouts until September and then in October when the rice fields turn yellow. Standing on the Khau Pha Pass, visitors can admire the magnificent scenery of the northwest mountains with immense rice fields and stilt-houses.


    2. Moc Chau white mustard flower fields


    Mu Cang Chai, Moc Chau white mustard flower fields, Moc Chau tea hills


    About 200km from Hanoi, Moc Chau is a favorite destination of many travelers, particularly in the early winter. At that time the plateau is covered with the pure white color of mustard flowers.


    Moc Chau Valley is its most beautiful in the early morning, when the night mist lingers on the branches, leaves and mustard flowers.


    3. Moc Chau tea hills


    Mu Cang Chai, Moc Chau white mustard flower fields, Moc Chau tea hills


    Different from white mustard flower fields in the winter, hills of green tea creates the allure of Moc Chau any time during the year. As a major economic crop here, tourists can see tea hills everywhere in the town.


    Especially in December, visitors can see white tea flowers mixed in green leaves, attracting bees and butterflies.


    4. Ha Giang buckwheat flower fields


    Mu Cang Chai, Moc Chau white mustard flower fields, Moc Chau tea hills


    Buckwheat fields along the road from Xi Man to Hoang Su Phi in Ha Giang Province are a destination that cannot be missed by travelers in September - October. At this time, buckwheat flower fields in Ha Giang become a hot topic throughout the travel forums in Vietnam.


    5. Bac Son Valley, Lang Son province


    Mu Cang Chai, Moc Chau white mustard flower fields, Moc Chau tea hills


    Bac Son is a district of Lang Son province, about 160km from Hanoi. It is not only known as a long-standing historical site, but also a valley with beautiful rice fields.


    To enjoy the panorama of the valley, you have to climb to the top of Bac Son Mountain. Beside the curving river are brilliant shades of colors of rice, mixed with houses on stilts. All combine together to enhance the charming beauty of the valley.


    6. Rice fields in Ninh Binh


    Mu Cang Chai, Moc Chau white mustard flower fields, Moc Chau tea hills


    Located about 110km from Hanoi, along National Highway 1A, Tam Coc-Bich Dong is a well-known tourist destination in Ninh Binh. To tour the inside of the caves, tourists must travel by boat along the Ngo Dong River. Along the road, they will see a countryside painted with beautiful rice fields.


    The fields are the most beautiful in late May and early June, when a large area is covered by green and yellow paddy fields.


     


    Source: VietNamNet




































    Source : news[dot]com[dot]vn

    Vietnamese tourists exempted from entrance fees to Hoi An










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    On Friday, officials of Hoi An met with tourism officials to discuss ways to deal with the ongoing public furor over its recent decision to enforce an entrance fee to the ancient town. On online forums and elsewhere, many travelers upset with the fee policy have pledged to “boycott” Hoi An.



    Foreign tourists who don't know about the entrance ticket policy will be allowed to enter the ancient town free.


     


    Mr. Vo Phung, Director of the Center of Culture and Sports of Hoi An, says tightening the sale of entrance tickets was the right thing to do, but the center did not do a good job of informing people, tourists and travel firms of the move.


    "On March 21 we sent 86 dispatches and 190 emails to hotels, tour operators and restaurants on the tightening of entrance ticket sales to the ancient town. But most of these firms were not helpful as they did not inform visitors of the policy," he added.


    He says that visitors cannot be blamed for their reaction because they were not informed of the tickets in advance. After some initial conflicts with disgruntled tourists, the staff at ticket checkpoints have become more flexible, Phung says.


    "Foreign visitors will be invited to purchase tickets. If they say they were unaware of this, we will gladly invite them to visit the town. Domestic tourists who visit the town individually can enter the town freely as before," he says.


    Hoi An’s Vice Chair, Mr. Truong Van Bay, says the first thing to do is to adjust the behavior of the staff at ticket checkpoints.


    "The tourists who stay in the town for several days will be given a card, with their photo portraits. They have to buy only one ticket to get in and out of the town during their stay here," Bay says.


    Hoi An officials reemphasized the fact that the collection of entrance fees to Hoi An ancient town has been in effect since 1995. The current fare (implemented in late 2012) is lower than the Government’s regulation requiring a maximum of VND40,000 ($2) for one tourist site.


    The town government will fine those travel firms that collected entrance fares from tourists but did not supply them with tickets.


    Commenting on the opinion that the town should not collect entrance fees but raise tax rates imposed on business facilities in the town, Phung says that would be very difficult to carry out.


    For over a week, Hoi An has had checkpoints set up on the paths to the ancient town to check entrance tickets. According to statistics, the number of tourists to Hoi An in 2013 exceeded 1.6 million, but only about 31 percent of them purchased tickets. More than VND76 billion ($3.2 million) of ticket revenue was spent on the operation of the tourism management body and conservation of monuments and ancient houses. Because of this, the town has begun to enforce the ticket sales policy to avoid losses.


    However, in the first days of the policy’s implementation, visitors complained of an unfriendly attitude on the part of staff at the checkpoints. Many travel forums were flooded with complaints of local and foreign tourists about the entrance fees. They said VND80,000 for a domestic tourist and VND120,000 for a foreign tourist who just wants to stroll, enjoy food or go shopping in the old town is unreasonable.


     


     


    Source: VietNamNet


























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    Source : news[dot]com[dot]vn

    The first $6/night capsule hotel in Vietnam










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    Located in Pham Ngu Lao Road in HCM City’s District 1, the Capsule Hotel is a high-class inn, providing capsules that are adequate for one person.



    Capsule is the hotel for guests who usually go out during the day. Each 2sq.m capsule is fully equipped with air-conditioner, television, bed and wifi services. 


     


    Each capsule has an area of 2m2 but it has air conditioner, TV, bed and other furniture, which are imported from Hong Kong.


    The hotel is owned by Chen Du, a Taiwanese man, and it is the right choice for those who go on vacation, work or relax in HCM City on a low budget.


    "Two years ago, I went to Ho Chi Minh City and was intrigued by the place. I returned to Taiwan to talk to my family about my plan to settle down here. With my parents’ consent, I came here to invest in this capsule hotel," Chen Du says.


    The hotel has six rooms, each with ten capsules. Each guest has a private locker with a password to keep personal luggage. There are two types of capsules: common capsules at the price of VND120,000 ($6)/day and luxury capsules with wider doors, at a price of VND150,000 ($7.5)/day.


    The hotel has been operating for seven months and it is always fully occupied.


    Inside the first capsule hotel in Vietnam:


    capsule hotel


    The hotel also provides room services such as laundering, air ticket booking and food.


    capsule hotel


    The safe boxes.


    capsule hotel


    capsule hotel


    capsule hotel


    The bathroom.


    capsule hotel


    capsule hotel


    The hotel's furniture is mostly imported from Hong Kong.


    capsule hotel


    Capsule hotels are quite common in Japan and Hong Kong, aiming at tourists. 


     


    Source: Zing - VietNamNet


























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    Source : news[dot]com[dot]vn

    Tourists beef about Vietnam ancient town's entry ticket, authorities justify it 





    Over the past week tourists said they were surprised and disappointed with not only the aggressive guards but also the charge itself given that many people just wanted to walk, shop, or eat in the town. PHOTO: NGUYEN TU



    A top local official has defended the entry fee imposed on visitors to Hoi An, saying it is needed to raise funds for preservation, but promised to soon improve the way it is collected following protests from tourists.


    Nguyen Su, the town party committee chief, told
    Thanh Nien Wednesday he would meet with other authorities to discuss measures to deal with the complaints, and promised to brief the media by weekend on the outcome.


    He admitted that the unfriendly attitude of some security guards who harassed visitors on the streets needs to be corrected.


    It is understandable that tourists who have bought the ticket and are staying in Hoi An are annoyed when asked for it each time they return to town, he said.


    “We told the guards Tuesday to let individual tourists go if they say they have bought the ticket.”


    In the past week tourists have complained of being harassed or even chased down the streets by guards for the fee.


    Vo Phung, director of the Hoi An Culture and Sports Center, told
    Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper Tuesday that it was because of their lack of English that the guards have been unable to clearly explain about the new, tightened ticket policy, causing misunderstanding among tourists.


    He added that others with good English have been sent out to explain to visitors.


    Su pointed out that visitors have been required to buy tickets to enter Hoi An since 1995 and the current rates (VND120,000, or US$6 for foreigners and VND80,000 for Vietnamese) have been in force since 2012.


    A ticket allows them to see the town itself and entitles a foreigner to visit five tourist spots and locals, three.


    In the past ticket booths were placed at some spots, but earlier this month they were put up at every entrance to town to prevent tour guides from bringing in their clients without paying the fee.


    But with new checkpoints and blue-shirted guardians ready to physically bar people, many visitors vented their anger on tourist forums.


    “It is right to collect the entrance fees as 85 percent of the revenue will be used to restore ancient houses of local residents,” Su said.


    “These houses form a group of relics. If money is not spent on their restoration, they will collapse.”


    Hoi An Town in the coastal province of Quang Nam, recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1999, is an alluring mix of heritage buildings with a unique blend of local and foreign influences, colorful lanterns, craft villages, beautiful beaches, river cruises, and delicious food.


    Explaining the reason of setting up more ticket booths, Su said the first purpose is to ensure a fair competition since some tour companies pay for tickets for their clients while others fail to do so and let them just walk around the streets without discovering the vestiges. The visitors then return home and say Hoi An has nothing to offer, he said.


    Besides, just around 30 percent of the two million of visitors coming to Hoi An every year buy tickets, depriving the town of revenues worth dozens of billions of dong, he said.


    ‘Short-sighted’


    Some travel companies agreed with the entrance fee, saying it makes sense for historic sites to levy such a charge to help with their upkeep and provide facilities.


    “The issue is that tourists are being harassed, and in some cases chased down the street, by aggressive, unfriendly staff who want to charge them for simply walking on the streets,” Tim Russell, a Briton who lived and worked in Vietnam for 10 years and is now the director of sales and marketing for the Remote Lands travel agency in Thailand, said.


    “In many cases the tourists are simply wandering into town for dinner and are being asked to pay VND120,000 each just to get to a restaurant or bar. Even expats who live and work in Hoi An are being targeted,” he said in an email to
    Thanh Nien News.


    Mark Bowyer, publisher of the independent online tourism site Rusty Compass, said raising money to preserve and improve Hoi An’s heritage offerings is essential and the charge is reasonable for those visiting the historic houses, assembly halls and museums.


    "But placing uniformed security at all the town’s entrances will make it feel more like a prison camp than a heritage site.


    “By all accounts, the heavy handedness of the implementation is as bad as the policy itself.


    "It’s breathtakingly shortsighted to punish travelers who spend millions each year in the old town's tailors, restaurants and bars with a $6 tax for the right to part with their cash. There will be less cash in all Hoi An's coffers if this rule stays.”


    Outrage


    Over the past week tourists said they were surprised and disappointed with not only the aggressive guards but also the charge itself given that many people just wanted to walk, shop, or eat in the town.


    “It took just a week to disgrace Hoi An worldwide,” Mario Piazza said on
    Another side of Vietnam, a Facebook page.


    Andy Newton, a New Zealander currently living in Ho Chi Minh City, said on the same page that many foreigners have been to Hoi An more than once and really love the place, and have supported it with their tourist dollars.


    “But now something that we used to be able to do for free - simply walking around - we would have to pay for, with no additional services or benefits attached. It's a short sighted money grab. Feel free to waste your own money or let yourself be ripped off,” Newton said.


    Local residents said they themselves were sometimes annoyed by the guards.


    A woman who owns a shop on Tran Phu Street in the town said her foreign husband was shocked when asked for tickets on the way to home after crossing the An Hoi bridge to have breakfast.


    Hoi An residents do not carry identification cards all the time to prove they are locals. Besides, there are many foreigners living and working in the town, she said.


    Short-term gains


    Truong Van Bay, deputy chairman of the Hoi An People’s Committee, said the admission fee had been calculated based on a finance ministry directive capping the entry fee at tourist spots to VND20,000.


    Thus, a foreigner is allowed to visit six tourist spots with their VND120,000 ($6) ticket while locals can see four with their VND80,000 ticket, he said.


    But Jim, a tourist from London, said on popular travel website
    TripAdvisor that the $6 ticket is more expensive than the €1/day tourist tax payable by visitors to Rome in Italy.


    Another tourist, who did not reveal his name, said on the website, “Being regular visitors [to Vietnam] we certainly won't pay this unreasonable tax. Hoi An is just not that special, the Hue Citadel model does not apply.


    “Why would I pay VND120,000 just to eat mi Quang (Quang noodles) at the market for VND20,000? Makes no sense. There are plenty of alternatives in this wonderful country and we will now be encouraged to find them.”


    He hoped the Hoi An authorities would be wise enough not to “kill the goose that laid the golden egg.”


    Russell, the British tourism expert, said Hoi An authorities, if they need some extra money from visitors to help improve conditions and facilities in the old town, can do this in an indirect way by levying hotel or tour operator charges rather than create a bad impression by harassing visitors.


    “They also need to be transparent about how the money is being spent and account for every dollar to prove that it is being reinvested in maintaining the town.


    “When will the authorities start to learn from their more successful neighbors like Cambodia and Thailand?”




    Nguyen Van My, chairman of the HCMC- based Lua Viet Tours, told
    Thanh Nien News: “I’m really surprised to know that Hoi An, a shining point of Vietnam’s tourism, has a policy [of collecting fees to enter the town] which is against the general trend in other countries.


    “You can sell tickets for visiting a relic, a sightseeing spot, or other specific places. You shouldn't sell tickets to enter a town.”


    He said Hoi An authorities seem to care only for short-term gains and forget long-term benefits.


    Hoi An, which attracted around 1.25 million visitors last year, earned nearly VND80 billion from selling the entrance tickets.


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    The Thinh - Nguyen Tu - Thao Vi
    Thanh Nien News







    Source : thanhniennews[dot]com

    Sunday, April 27, 2014

    Bac Lieu conference seeks to boost tourism










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    A conference promoting investment and tourism development cooperation was held in the southern province of Bac Lieu on April 26, attracting over 400 participants from many provinces and travel agencies throughout the country.


    The event, which was part of the ongoing “Don ca tai tu” festival in the locality, discussed how to further foster Vietnam’s tourism development, especially in the Mekong Delta. 

    Participants underlined the potential and strength of regional tourism, while discussing its sustainable development.

    They said that regional localities should improve the quality of accommodation facilities and diversify products to serve tourists to improve their health in a clean and peaceful environment. 

    As the region has ample cultural history and beauty, it is well placed for the development of ecological tourism, participants recommended. 

    In the coming time, Bac Lieu should create links with other Mekong Delta provinces to make regional tourism more attractive, thus luring more holiday-makers to the locality, they suggested.


     


    Source: VNA


























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    Source : news[dot]com[dot]vn

    Long holiday offers big break for tour companies










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    A sharp increase in the number of people choosing different tour packages during the upcoming extended holiday next week has offered a golden opportunity to tourist companies to maximise turnover.



    The five-day holiday for the Victory Day, April 30, and Labour Day, May 1, will start next Wednesday.


    To celebrate the holiday, Fiditour, one of the country's largest tourist companies, has come up with special offers for its different tours. Therefore, it is offering discounts on tour prices ranging betweenVND500,000 and VND2 million.


    In addition, the company has also introduced new tours to Ly Son Island in the Quang Ngai central province and Langkawi archipelago in Malaysia for this occasion.


    According to director of the Fiditour's Marketing Department Tran Thi Bao Thu, until April 11, the number of clients purchasing tour packages of the company had increased 25 per cent in comparison with the same period last year.


    The number of people purchasing tours abroad is slightly higher than the ones opting for domestic tours.


    "While people choosing domestic tours tend to select tours to beaches and islands in the North and Central, the ones choosing tours abroad just pick destinations, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore for their holiday," Thu remarked.


    Due to the soaring number of clients, the company had to stop taking any further bookings for their tours last week.


    Similarly, Vietravel also witnessed a positive growth as the number of tourists travelling during this occasion increased 100 per cent in comparison with the same period last year, and Saigontourist welcomed about 15,000 clients, increasing 15 per cent.


    Famous attractions, such as Da Lat, Nha Trang, and Phan Thiet still remain the top choices among the tourists.


    To satisfy their "Gods", other big tourist companies, including Saigontourist, Peace Tour, OSC Viet Nam Travel, and Ben Thanh Tourist, have added more vehicles for transportation as well as offered some additional services.


    "All the inter-tours to the Central and the North, and the tours to Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Malaysia are fully booked. We have to deny all new bookings during this holiday," stated Ben Thanh Tourist's Director of Communication Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai.


    In Ha Noi, all tourist companies also have to try their best to meet the expectations of their clients.


    According to Vietravel, they welcomed a large number of tourists, which has increased 300 per cent in comparison to the same time last year.


    "Predicting the public's high demand to travel during this extended holiday period, Vietravel has made adequate preparations as we had negotiated with our partners, the service suppliers, to offer the best prices and quality services," emphasised Vietravel's deputy director Nguyen Le Huong.


    Tour prices remain stable


    Despite the soaring number of tourists, the tour prices are still stable.


    Nguyen Cong Hoan, the deputy director of Hanoi Red Tours, reported that the tour prices this year are almost similar to the corresponding period last year, even slightly cheaper.


    "Our company has presented a promotion programme for this occasion. Therefore, clients who register the tour with flights have received discounts ranging between VND500,000 and VND3 million, while the ones who joined the tours using vehicle transportation also received discounts between VND200,000 and VND300,000," he added.


    Hoan also cited the reason for maintaining stable prices.


    "Most of the tour companies have been seriously affected by the global economic crisis, causing under-expectation in the number of tourists. Hence, we have to jointly work towards boosting the market demand by keeping the prices stable," he stated.


    Moving trend


    As the holiday falls in the beginning of summer, most of the tourists have opted for beaches or mountain resorts to escape the summer heat.


    It is not easy for tourists to directly book hotels and resorts in these locations as they are fully booked by tourist companies.


    Thanh Trang, a woman living in HCM City's District 3, noted that her family wants to head to the beach during the holiday but she couldn't find any available accommodation.


    "I have contacted all the hotels and resorts, from three-star to five-star, in Long Hai, Ho Tram, and Vung Tau [famous beach attractions], to check their availability, but they are all fully booked," she pointed out.


    "It is the same situation in Nha Trang and Phu Quoc," she added.


    For Ha Noi residents, tourist destination options seem to be more diversified. Many families are keen on taking two- to three-day tours to destinations surrounding the city, such as Ba Vi, Mai Chau, Moc Chau, Tam Dao, Dai Lai, and Thung Nai.


    For the tours lasting three to five days, they select Dien Bien, Ha Long, and Da Nang.


     


     


    Source: VNS 


























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    Source : news[dot]com[dot]vn