Motorbiking travel in Vietnam

Southeast Asia is home to some of the greatest adventures on earth. Throw a motorbike into the mix and you will have the time of your life. Here is our guide to a two-wheeled adventure in the Mekong region:



Travel in Vietnam: Sublime scenery from mountain to coast

To kick off Vietnam tour, the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail has been upgraded into a major highway that runs along the spine of the country and offers some sublime scenery. The stretch from the old US airbase of Khe Sanh north to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a beauty.

Elsewhere in Vietnam, Ha Giang is the final frontier for motorbiking aficionados in Indochina. Like Halong Bay on high, karst peaks protrude from the top of rolling mountains and secluded villages are home to a colourful mosaic of ethnic minorities. The gorge road from Dong Van to Meo Vac is the stuff of biker yore, its towering cliffs looming high above and plummeting to the Nho Que River in the distance below. Just remember to keep an eye on the road, despite the breathtaking scenery.

A word of caution, however, Ha Giang still requires an official permit to visit more remote areas. Choose to travel without one and accidentally stumble upon military exercises in the mountains and you may find yourself a guest of the local Vietnamese police, as I did for one unforgettable night in Meo Vac.
If the coast is more your cup of tea, then try the Top Gear thing and ride notorious Highway 1 between Saigon and Hanoi. The traffic can be daunting around major cities, but there are some remote and desolate stretches with empty beaches. Aim high over the Hai Van Pass, ignoring the tedious tunnel that has been conveniently burrowed through the mountain – Vietnam tour
Take the Top Gear theme further and team up with some friends to ride a Minsk, a Vespa and a Honda Cub. Buy each other ridiculous presents along the way, but try not to have a major accident on the road to Halong Bay like Jeremy Clarkson. Converting the bikes to amphibious vehicles to explore Halong Bay might be a step too far for a holiday.

Back to the Ho Chi Minh theme, for experienced dirt bikers, it is possible to explore remnants of the old Ho Chi Minh Trail across the border in Laos. Rusting tanks and forgotten field guns litter the jungle of Southern Laos. Combine a ride through the region's recent history with some of the most remote and wild regions of the country in Salavan and Attapeu. That is Vietnam tour interest, now are you ready start your trip? If you want to get more information in check at : | Vietnam tour | Vietnam hotel | travel in Vietnam |

Vietnam hotel Chen Sea Resort & Spa Phu Quoc

Vietnam hotel Chen Sea Resort & Spa Phu Quoc is one of the best hotel in Vietnam, Centara Boutique Collection is situated beachfront overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, offering excellent panoramas, stunning architecture and interior design, creating 36 spacious and comfortable villas. A unique feature of the resort is its spacious Jacuzzi Villas which are traditional wooden Hoi An houses which have been moved and fully rebuilt. Traditional Oriental simplicity and refinement are the inspiration for the design and furnishings throughout the resor.

All villas are equipped with a host of in-room amenities, thus ensuring maximum comfort for our guests, a total living space of minimum 78 square metres, furnished private terrace overlooking the sea, luxurious bathroom with bathtub and shower, individually controlled air-conditioning, ceiling fan, flat screen TV with international channels, DVD player, in-room safe, mini-bar, tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryer and IDD line telephone. Wireless internet access is available free of charge throughout the resort. Vietnam hotel



Location

Chen La Resort is positioned on Ong Lang in Phu Quoc Island and is about four kilometres to Phu Quoc Airport. During free time, visitors can interact with the locals or check out the market at Duong Dong town.

Rooms

All 36 tastefully decorated villas feature contemporary Oriental flair and ample space with private sun terrace. Each unit is outfitted with flat-screen TV, DVD player, safe deposit box, high-speed Internet access and air conditioning.

Restaurant

Diners at Resort & Spa Chen La tickle their taste buds with various local, international, Mediterranean and Asian cuisines at IL Ristorante on site. Enjoy cocktails at Ghe Bar.

General

Chen Sea Resort & Spa Phu Quoc features a business centre and indoor and outdoor meeting and events spaces suitable to host conferences and weddings. In leisure, guests can avail of rejuvenating treatments at Spa Cenvaree, exercise at the fitness centre or take a dip in the infinity pool. Detail more information: | Vietnam tour | Vietnam hotel | travel in Vietnam |

Honeymoon in Con Dao Island, Vietnam tour

Beautiful positions in Con Dao: Con Dao is a complex including many off-shore small islets; natural geographic conditions contribute to make this destination become tourism paradise among ocean. Many bathing beaches are primary, abundant sea eco-system, plentiful natural resources in combination with stable climate change; Con Dao is the attractive destination of the domestic and foreign tourists travel in Vietnam when traveling to Con Dao.



Or more attractively, you can both look at coral and go fishing and see how the different types of fish eat as a lively experience.

The first day: Pick tourists up in Con Dao airport (eat lunch and dinner) – Vietnam tour

the guide of Con Dao Seatravel Travel Agency picks you up at Con Son Airport. He bring you to the Resort to check in, on the road going through places such as villages of Co Ong, Lo Voi, Hang Keo, etc.
In the morning: check in – relax- have lunch
In the afternoon: Discover Bathing Dam Trau beach:
• The Dam Trau bathing beach is located in the area of inlets with nice yellow sand bank. This place can considered as the residual paradise in Con Dao. The beach here is very primary, placed among forest and sea and certainly it will be interesting destination for the tourists who want to discover and travel outside when going to Con Dao.
• Tourists will come Dam Trau beach. On the way across the places: Ong Tong Slope, Boat Cape. Visit Cau Temple - the worship place of Canh Prince – the son of Nguyen Anh Lord and Mrs. Hoang Phi Yen. From the main route, you will come to Dam Trau beach - a long and beautiful beach with golden smooth and wild sand. Free swimming, sightseeing, and taking photography.
eat dinner. discover freely Con Dao at night.

The second day: Discover the world of ocean and islet – Vietnam tour

Con Dao consists of different islets such as Bay Canh islet, Tai islet, Young Bamboo islet, Bamboo islet, Egg islet, Trac islet, or Areca-nut islet, etc. This is also the place where the density of coral is the biggest in VietNam and the ideal destination for the tourists to discover interesting ocean world with activities of diving to see coral and fishing in the sea.

Together with the local fishermen, you will have opportunity to look with your own eyes colorful coral kingdom and observe the different types of fish in the sea.

Or more attractively, you can look at coral, go fishing and see how different types of fish eat bait as alively experience.

in the evening: Rest in the hotel or discover Con Dao freely at night

The third day: Seeing off tourists to Con Dao airport (Eat breakfast) – Vietnam tour

Rest in the hotel, see off tourists to Con Dao airport – end the tour. If tourists return the flight at afternoon, they will receive will get more free lunch.

Phan Thiet – ideal destination for Russian tourists when travel in Vietnam.

 Phan Thiet-Mui Ne in the southern province of Binh Thuan has become one of Vietnam’s most attractive tourist destinations, proving particularly popular with Russian visitors travel in Vietnam in recent year. Binh Thuan Culture, Sports, and Tourism Department Director Ngo Minh Chinh reported that the province welcomed 30% of the 190,000 Russian tourists to have visited Vietnam since the start of 2013.

About 35% of Binh Thuan’s 2013 visitor arrivals were of Russian origin. Russian tourists also stay for longer than others, with their average holidays lasting at least seven days. Binh Thuan’s Tourism Development Board has recognized the Russian market’s potential and dispatched provincial leader and travel agency delegations to promote its destinations in major Russian cities - Vietnam travel




Binh Thuan province’s tourist numbers are still limited by its lack of seaports and airports, but Russian arrivals have grown steadily since 2006 from Vietnam travel

Russian tour operators and travel press have also visited Binh Thuan to survey tourism marketing. Twenty Russian tour operators have arrived in Phan Thiet since 2012. They investigated the quality of services, the standard of accommodation facilities, and the new Ham Tien-Mui Ne tourist area, says Binh Thuan Provincial Tourism Association President Nguyen Van Khoa.

The high season for Russian tourists stretches from September to early March as visitors flee harsh European winters for the warm sunshine of Mui Ne. Phan Thiet-Mui Ne’s luxury resorts are especially popular. Many Russian airlines have recently opened direct flights to Vietnam, complementing the market’s increasing regard for Vietnam and Phan Thiet as premier holiday destinations.

Binh Thuan province is hard at work preparing for the forecast surge in Russian tourist arrivals. Its plans include overcoming the limitations of provincial transport infrastructure, improving service quality, diversifying its tourism products, and protecting its reputation as a safe and friendly environment for travellers travel in Vietnam

My Khe - one of the six most attractive beaches on the planet – Vietnam tour

Vietnam tour – The "mother nature" has granted Da Nang with pristine picturesque beaches. The Forbes voted My Khe beach in Da Nang as one of the six most attractive beaches on the planet.

If you have planning travel in Vietnam. My Khe Beach is your good choice. My Khe Beach is located about 6km east of Da Nang and about 24km north of Hoi An. It is a nine-kilometer stretch of smooth sand with an average width between 50m and 70m. The gradient is gentle, and its sheltered position in the lee of the Son Tra peninsula softens the autumn winds that restrict swimming further down the coast.





It is an ideal and huge beach with smooth sand and a slight slope. Behind the beach is a dark green poplar forest, and beside, the Kinh River carries crystal water to the sea. The beach has coral, abundant plants and creatures along backside and under sea. Especially, the beach is next to the city center, in roads easy to come and by various means of transport. Sea water in My Khe is cool with little wave so you can bath all year's round, especially in summer from May to August. The lack of large waves, less than average pollution, and an annual mean temperature around 25oC, makes it a safe place to swim for adults and children alike.

My Khe was voted by the Forbes as one of the most attractive beaches on the planet since it meets the following criteria: the beach of traffic convenience, the beach open free for tourists travel in Vietnam, with long and flat sand-bank, sunlight and waves suitable for playing sports, safe for tourists, with luxury resorts and international standard villas...

The Sunday Herald Sun of Australia also voted My Khe as one of 10 most popular beaches in Asia. It is famous for white sand-bank, mild waves, blue water which is warm all year round, coconut trees …. Suitable for holiday at any time of the year.

Looking from above, My Khe is fascinating by the blue color stretching to the horizon. Especially at the sunsets, it put on a new color which is quieter, creating a beautiful scene.

Your holiday at My Khe will be more perfect if you stay at one of the nice resorts located along the beach of My Khe, with excellent services and special cuisines. Now come to Vietnam tour discovery new place in your mind. Detai at : | Vietnam tour | Vietnam hotel | travel in Vietnam |

Sea tourism attracts visitors travel in Vietnam

Vietnam travel – Local sea tourism has attracted many visitors, foreign and local alike, with up to 70-75% of international travel in Vietnam and 50% of local tourists choosing coastal regions as destinations, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Sea tourism has posted strong growth in revenues thanks to the huge numbers of visitors in recent years, with its sale growth rate averaging out at nearly 23.7% annually in the 2000-2010 period from Vietnam travel.

 

Sea tourism revenues posted more than VND7.1 trillion in 2000, which then leapt to over VND60.1 trillion in 2010, or some US$3 billion, accounting for over 59% to the country’s total tourism revenues.

The information is mentioned in the plan on developing sea, island and coastal tourism by 2020 that has been approved by the culture ministry.
Under the planning, State management authorities will make stronger investments in infrastructure, products and promotions in the sea-tourism segment from now to 2020 to raise its revenues to more than US$10 billion by 2020.

To reach the ambitious goal, the local tourism industry under the plan has set a target of developing six international sea tourism destinations with strong competitiveness in the region by 2020, including Ha Long-Bai Tu Long-Cat Ba in the north, Lang Co-Canh Duong, Hoi An-Cu Lao Cham, Nha Trang-Cam Ranh, and Phan Thiet-Mui Ne in the central region, and Phu Quoc off the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang.

Specially, the industry plans to construct and put into operation tourism seaports Ha Long, Danang, Nha Trang, HCMC and Phu Quoc by 2015 to address the shortage of specialized tourism seaports in the nation badly affecting service supply for local and foreign visitors travel in Vietnam currently.

The culture ministry said that by 2020 Vietnam’s sea socioeconomic development would focus on the seas and coastal regions in the north (Mong Cai-Ninh Binh) and those in the north-central and the central (Thanh Hoa-Binh Thuan), in the southeast (Ba Ria-Vung Tau-HCMC) and in the southwest (Tien Giang-Ca Mau-Ha Tien).

Besides the investment plans, relevant authorities in the tourism industry also propose many supporting policies to develop sea and coastal tourism including loosening the visa policy to attract foreign travelers to the nation. The ministry even suggests exempting visa for foreign visitors to popular tourism islands like Con Dao and Phu Quoc. Detail at : Vietnam tour | Vietnam hotel | hotel in Vietnam | travel in Vietnam | Vietnam travel

Vietnam hotel faces oversupply of low-end hotel rooms

 Vietnam hotel – Vietnam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has shown concern over an oversupply of hotel rooms of one and two-star standards, citing an excessive development of the segment in recent years.
 
The country now has to about 3550 hotels, with 500 of them meeting one and two-star standards and the remainder in the three-to-five-star segment, according to the department.



The number of visitors travel in Vietnam has grown strongly over the years, and demand for hotels of three to five-star standards has picked up as well. Meanwhile, lower-end hotels, especially those of one and two-star standards, have seen low occupancy.

Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the department, said many small investors in recent years had been focusing on developing low-end hotels in the city. However, demand for guest rooms at these hotels has been sluggish.
“We should help investors understand the present situation to make good investment decisions,” Cuong told Vietnam hotel.

He said unlike the low-end hotels, the mid- and high-end facilities in the city still see growth prospects, buoyed by a steady rise of occupancy.
“Average occupancy at many high-end hotels ranges from 65% to 75% and even reaches 90% at some places. Investors still have room in the segment as the number of guests has kept surging year after year,” he said.
Local and foreign tourist arrivals in Danang have grown an average of 20% annually in recent years. This year the number is projected to amount to around 3.2 million, according to the department.

In 2011-2012 the number of new hotel rooms built a year in the city totaled 1,500, with average occupancy of all the hotels in the city reaching 51% last year.

An extra 1,700-2,000 new hotel rooms would be put into service in Danang this year. Deail at | Vietnam tour | Vietnam hotel | travel in Vietnam |

Vietnam tour – Sapa in Full 4days

Vietnam tour - Located in Vietnam’s remote north west mountains, Sapa is famous for both its fine, rugged scenery and also its rich cultural diversity. Its lush, deep river valleys, in the shadows of Vietnam’s tallest peak Mount Fansipan, are home to Black H’mong and Red Dao communities, who continue to maintain their strong traditions and warmly welcome visitors travel in Vietnam.

Day 1 -: Hanoi – Express Train to Sapa – Vietnam tour



Pick you up at your hotel or other meeting point for the overnight journey to Sapa tonight
Accommodation on Luxury Express Train:

Day 2 : Sapa Sightseeing : Villages – Vietnam tour



Start out by car then do a soft walk to visit Laochai & Tavan village for 2-3 hours on flat footpath. Picnic lunch by the creek, this is a absolutely spectacular walk through stunning scenery inhabited by some of the friendliest people you can meet. Stop in at hill tribe villages, enjoy a picnic lunch and spend a memorable time in the home of a Zay family in Ta Van village. Zay tribespeople are adept at rice cultivation and are responsible for the manicured terraces that stretch as far as the eye can see.
Your journey continues on through the pristine mountain scenery of the surrounding valleys then be transferred to Sapa by car
Balance of the day will be at bar hill to enjoy the sunset with amazing mountain background

Day 3 : Sapa Sightseeing : Villages – Vietnam tour



Start out by car then do a soft walk to visit Laochai & Tavan village for 2-3 hours on flat footpath. Picnic lunch by the creek, this is a absolutely spectacular walk through stunning scenery inhabited by some of the friendliest people you can meet. Stop in at hill tribe villages, enjoy a picnic lunch and spend a memorable time in the home of a Zay family in Ta Van village. Zay tribes people are adept at rice cultivation and are responsible for the manicured terraces that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Your journey continues on through the pristine mountain scenery of the surrounding valleys then be transferred to Sapa by car
Balance of the day will be at bar hill to enjoy the sunset with amazing mountain background

Day 4: Ham Rung Mountain to Overnight Train – Vietnam tour



Breakfast at the hotel, Free out for walking around the lovely town ,see the market or local music show on Ham Rong mountain.
After Lunch at local restaurant, You may like to wander the vivid marketplace again before driving down to Lao Cai and the Chinese border. An overnight train brings you full-circle to Hanoi. Arrival Hanoi around 6 AM in next day. Detail at: Vietnamfittour - | Vietnam tour | Vietnam hotel | travel in Vietnam |

Vietnam hotel – 5 star hotels to take up Hanoi’s market

Market survey firms, which believe that more and more high income tourists would come to Hanoi, have all predicted that more 5-star hotels would be available in the city by 2015 – Vietnam hotel.

Dau tu has quoted the report of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) as saying that 1.8 million foreign travelers came to Vietnam in the first 3 months of the year, a decrease of 6.2 percent in comparison with the same period of the last year.



Meanwhile, according to CBRE, a real estate service provider, 425,000 foreign tourists came to Hanoi during that time, up by 18.9 percent over the same period ofthe last year.

The increase in the number of tourists to the capital city has brought benefits to local hotels in the context of the economic recession and less spending on tourism. The hotel occupancy rate has increased slightly by 0.65 percentage points to 58 percent.

However, the occupancy rates varied for different market segments. While 5-star hotel room occupancy rate increased by 1.29 percentage points to 61 percent, the ratio of 4-star hotels decreased by 1 percentage points to 52 percent.

The 5-star occupancy rate improvement has been attributed to the 4.8 percent room rate decrease, now hovering around $103 per night. Meanwhile, the hotel room rates of 4-star and 3-star hotels decreased by 4.16 percent and 0.74 percent, respectively to $62.3 and $34.47. This has led to the increase of the RevPar of 3-star Vietnam hotel and the decrease of the index for 4-5 star hotel in Vietnam.

According to Savills, also a real estate consultancy firm, Hanoi had 7,750 hotel rooms from 53 hotels in the first quarter of 2013. The three hotels Golden Silk Boutique, Lan Vien and Tan Da Spa & Resort have just been recognized as 3-star hotels. The average revenue per room available was VND930,000 in the first quarter, down by 5 percent in comparison with the quarter before, but up by 2 percent if compared with the same period of the last year.

The yearly occupancy rate remains unchanged at 57 percent, while the hotel roomrate was VND1.64 million per room per night on average, a slight increase of 0.2 percent over the quarter before and 2.4 percent over the same period of the last year.

In general, the Hanoi’s hotel market remains stable, while there have been signs showing the increase in the hotel room supply and the upgrading in the quality to better satisfy the market demand.

Commenting about the Hanoi’s hotel market in the near future, Do Thu Hang from Savills said 5-star hotels would dominate the market by 2015.

According to Hang, 8 hotel projects would provide 1,400 more hotel rooms to the market in 2013. Many hotels would be managed by international firms like Intercontinental, Marriott, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Candeo. He told Vietnam hotel.

It is expected that by 2015, the Hanoi market would have 1,765 rooms from the 10 out of the 13 new projects, of which 5-star hotel rooms would account for 54 percent.

Richard Leech from CBRE believes that the demand in Hanoi does not change heavily like other markets thanks to the regularly organized conferences, exhibitions and other entertainment activities.

According to the International Air Transport Association, Vietnam would become the third fastest growing cargo and passenger transport market in the world. This has given more reason to investors to pour money into high end hotels.

Detail at: | Vietnam tour | Vietnam hotel | travel in Vietnam | hotel in Vietnam |

Tra Vinh pushing to attract international and domestic travel in Vietnam.

 ( Vietnamfittour ) As a coastal province of the Mekong Delta, Tra Vinh has diversified tourism potential. In recent years, Tra Vinh tourism has prospered and created good impression with tourists at home and abroad. However, in 2013, Tra Vinh tourism has many difficulties due to the effect of global economy recession. In order to foster attracting domestic and international tourists travel in Vietnam, Tra Vinh’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued a plan responding to the Tourism Stimulus Program (TSP) 2013 launched by Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism.

The Tra Vinh’s plan of TSP aims developing the available tourism forms; investing in the infrastructure in tourist sites; embellishing historical – cultural relics, system of Vietnam hotel and restaurants; producing consumer goods and souvenirs to serve tourists; training tourism human resource. 


 
 
Vietnam tour, Vietnam hotel, hotel in Vietnam, travel in Vietnam, Vietnam travel

The TSP 2013 of Tra Vinh Province focuses on some contents such as: equipping facilities for tourism, improving service quality, diversifying tourism products; ensuring security and safety for tourists travel in Vietnam; implementing promotion activities on the spot to improve awareness of the community on the position and role of tourism for the economic and social development; enhancing the training and retraining of human resources; encouraging tour operators, accommodations, tourist sites to ensure service quality, not increase price in high season, reduce price in low season…

In addition, Tra Vinh also actively pushes promotion activities of the TSP 2013 on tourism publications and participates in trade, tourism fairs, tourism festivals and exhibitions; introduces economic potential of the province in order to call investment; surveys craft villages to develop typical products of the local, etc. - Vietnam travel.

In 2012, Tra Vinh tourism welcomed 270,000 tourist arrivals, including 5,800 international ones; tourism revenue reached 74.3 billion VND. With the implementation of activities in response to the tourism stimulus program 2013, expectedly, Tra Vinh will welcome more and more domestic tourists as well as international tourists travel in Vietnam.

Travel in Vietnam - A wonderful day in the amazing city of Ho Chi Minh

 ( Vietnamfittour.com )“For me, this was one of my luckiest days, simply because I was in Ho Chi Minh City, meeting the kind Vietnamese people and enjoying life with them”, from mind if tourism international travel in Vietnam.

I arrived yesterday on September 10 to attend the ITE HCMC 2013, now in its ninth year. My flight was with Emirates on a Boing 777-200 from Dubai, and the flight was only around six hours. I was granted a visa on arrival, and I checked in to the Renaissance Riverside Hotel - a very nice luxury hotel. I went walking around and had a light dinner of shrimp soup, which was very tasty, and if you can imagine, was less than US$5. I also bought a Marlboro cigarette for US$1 (by the way, US$1 is around the equivalent of 25,000 Vietnamese Dong).

Vietnam tour, Vietnam hotel, hotel in Vietnam, travel in Vietnam, Vietnam travel



For a few years, Vietnam was on my agenda to visit as I heard a lot about its wonders and beauties. I have seen many films and promotions but being here with the Vietnamese people is something really wonderfully different – Vietnam travel

I started one morning at the Rex Hotel one of famousness at Vietnam hotel. where we attended the first ACMECS Ministerial Conference. The ACMECS is a joint effort between five countries - Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. The idea is to join efforts to promote their countries as one destination, and to cooperate and work together to present their countries to the world as culture, heritage, MICE, and leisure destinations. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of the socialist republic of Vietnam.

During the press conference, H.E. Mr. Hoang confirmed that more than 37 million international visitors visited the five countries, including about 6 million intra-regional visitors. H.E. added that the five countries are looking to promote the images of "Five Countries – One Destination." This is I believe true, as I have visited four of the countries - Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and now Vietnam - and I really felt that I was in different amazing cities. What most impressed me during the visits was the kindness of the people of these countries. They are just wonderful people who look to make you enjoy your visit. The culture, heritage, and people, are just wonderful, and this all makes visitors really happy from Vietnam tour.

Following, we moved to an exciting event - the 2nd Lower Mekong Tourism Cities. The idea behind this event was to hear about the cooperation between the five capitals in the ACMECS countries, and to support and cooperate together to offer their best services and facilities for tourists The night ended with a wonderful and amazing Opening Ceremony which was attended by ministers, exhibitors, and hosted buyers. The food was so delicious, with many dishes from the region on offer, accompanied by traditional dances on stage – all in all a very good night

Finally, I would again would like to say what a lucky person I am to find myself here in Ho Chi Minh City with these wonderful people. I have visited 70 countries so far in my travels, and Vietnam remains one of the best destinations. I will continue to explore and experience its wonders to report back about in future articles. - Vietnam travel.

Big tourism projects on Phu Quoc Island still unmoved

( Vietnamfittour ) Most of huge tourism projects on Phu Quoc Island have yet to be kicked off and the island will still be short of hotel rooms in the next couple of years, which helps explain why international airlines still keep the island at arm’s length from Vietnam travel.

Work can be started on only some projects until 2015 and it will take at least over two years to put some components of such projects into use, said Le Minh Hoang, director of Kien Giang Province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.



Hoang said tourism and Vietnam hotel projects account for two-thirds of a total of some 170 projects approved on the island. However, only 23 small and medium projects of fewer than 160 rooms have been implemented after many years.Vietnam tour, Vietnam hotel, hotel in Vietnam, travel in Vietnam, Vietnam travel

According to Hoang, small and medium projects which are being implemented from now until 2015 will provide only 500-700 rooms and Phu Quoc will still lack rooms.

“The province’s tourism growth is 12% per year and that of Phu Quoc is 17-20%. The number of tourists visiting the island rose by up to 34.5% to 474,000 in the year’s eight-month period,” Hoang said.
Phu Quoc currently has 2,900 rooms, with around 2,400 of them meeting standards for tourists travel in Vietnam.

The shortage of hotel rooms not only affects the island’s tourism growth but also prevent foreign airlines from flying there.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) is still inviting foreign air carriers to launch flights to Phu Quoc Island but many of them are still concerned over tourism infrastructures there.

Ho Quoc Cuong, head of the Air Transport Department, told the Daily that CAAV had invited some foreign enterprises to open flights to some tourist destinations such as Nha Trang, Dalat, Can Tho and Phu Quoc.

Although Phu Quoc International Airport has been upgraded to handle large aircrafts, the airlines are concerned that the shortage of hotels and travel services will fail to lure visitors to the island.

CAAV has yet to receive any applications from foreign air carriers for flying to Phu Quoc, Cuong said.

Inaugurated in December, 2012, Phu Quoc International Airport is able to serve big aircrafts such as Boeing 777-300, Boeing 747-400 and A380-800 crafts. The airport is expected to welcome over 2.6 million passengers travel in Vietnam each year by 2020 and seven million passengers each year by 2030.

Vietnam tour - Korea promotes tourism in Vietnam

2013-Korea Tourism Year in Vietnam’ campaign has been launched to attract Vietnamese visitors and promote tourism cooperation between the two countries, according to Korea Tourism Organization in Vietnam – Vietnam tour

As part of the program, the Jeju Tourism Promotion Department and 11 Korean leading travel enterprises will take part in the Ho Chi Minh City annual tourism event, the ‘International Tourism Expo 2013’ to be held from September 2-14.

Vietnam tour - Korea promotes tourism in Vietnam

On the occasion, the Korean tourism industry will organize a road show to introduce MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) tourism at Intercontinental Vietnam hotel in HCMC on September 12.

Additionally, CJ E&M Corporation, Korea's leading entertainment and Media Company, has cooperated with Vietnam Television to produce a TV serial on Vietnamese overseas students in Korea.

The cooperation is a chance for the local film makers to share experience in producing film and the two sides’ can exchange copyrights of TV serials.
According to the RoK tourism representative office in Vietnam, 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of the strategic relationship between the two countries and both sides are focused on promoting trade and cultural cooperation.

In 2011, more than100,000 Vietnamese visited the RoK and 136.000 Korean tourists travel in Vietnam.

Vietnam tour - Vinh Long to host Mekong forum

The 2013 Mekong Delta Economic Cooperation Forum (MDEC Vinh Long 2013) is scheduled to take place in southern Vinh Long province from November 21 to 24 – Vietnam tour

Under the theme ‘Mekong Delta towards the Green Economy', MDEC Vinh Long 2013 comprises a series of events, including the 2013 Conference on Investment Promotion and Social Welfare for the Mekong Delta region and the 2013 Mekong Delta Business Forum and travel in Vietnam.

 

 

Vietnam tour - Vinh Long to host Mekong forum

At a recent press briefing, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh, who is Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Southwestern Region, stressed the strategic position and role of the Mekong Delta, as well as the need to strengthen links in the region and apply scientific and technical advances to production.

"Investment, trade and Vietnam tour must be promoted based on each locality's strengths and the common interests of the whole region," he said.
He also urged relevant ministries and agencies to suggest suitable mechanisms and policies to help the Mekong Delta region take full advantage of its potential and strengths.

The MDEC Forum is an annual event where participants propose initiatives and policy suggestions to increase cooperation among provinces in the region, as well as the connections between the region and other localities nationwide, central ministries and agencies, and international organizations; and to boost the region's socio-economic development.

Travel in Vietnam - Two Vietnamese sites win 2013 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards

( Vietnamfittour.com )The historic buildings in Hanoi’s Duong Lam Village and the lost bomb shelter of the Hotel Sofitel Metropole Hanoi have just been honored in the 2013 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation from travel in Vietnam.



The old houses in the ancient Duong Lam Village are among six sites which received Awards of Merit while the bomb shelter at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi got an Honourable Mentions.

The Awards were announced on September 3 after a panel of international conservation experts reviewed and deliberated on the 47 entries received from 16 countries across the Asia-Pacific region – Vietnam tour

“We were particularly encouraged to see our broadest ever geographical range this year, spanning from the Cook Islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean to the Islamic Republic of Iran at the far end of West Asia”, commented Tim Curtis, Chair of the Jury and Chief of the Culture Unit, UNESCO Bangkok.
According to UNESCO’s 2013 Awards profile, the project on historic buildings in Duong Lam Village has restored five selected buildings in a successful effort to showcase the value of vernacular wooden architecture in Vietnam, which is increasingly threatened by deterioration, neglect and eventual loss. Through careful documentation and the revival of traditional construction techniques, the restoration has returned the buildings to their authentic condition and now assures their on-going maintenance by the local craftsmen trained over the course of the project. The exchange of knowledge among the carpenters, Vietnamese architectural historians and Japanese experts was a key feature in this commendable collaborative initiative. The Duong Lam Village experience established a noteworthy model for future conservation efforts in other rural villages across Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the restoration of the lost bomb shelter has revealed yet another layer in the rich history of the Metropole Hotel, one of Hanoi’s most notable heritage buildings. Forgotten for decades until its rediscovery in 2011, the bomb shelter has been preserved in its original condition, with the unobtrusive addition of new mechanical and electrical installations to allow the space to be accessible and safe for public viewing. Through its sensitive approach and thoughtful interpretation, the project provides a rare glimpse into an important chapter of Vietnamese contemporary history.

The restoration of the principal chedi (reliquary stupa) in Wat Prayurawongsawas Worawihan temple in Bangkok, Thailand was honored with the Award of Excellence.

Established in 2000, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation recognize excellent achievement in successfully conserving or restoring heritage buildings and properties in the region by the private sector or by public-private initiatives.

Vietnam tour road show to be staged in Japan

( Vietnamfittour ) A series of cultural activities, festivals, art performances and investment promotion conferences will be held this month at the ‘Vietnam Days in Japan 2013’ in Japan’s Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Nagoya and Fukuoka cities from Vietnam travel.

The event is co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam. The road show is launched to attract Japanese tourists travel in Vietnam, at a time the growth rate of arrivals from this country to Vietnam is slowing.



Two important festivals of the event are the Vietnam Festival in Tokyo and Nagoya on September 14-15 and the Hello Vietnam-Aichi 2013 Festival in Aichi Prefecture on September 21-22.

The Vietnam Festival, an annual festival attracting hundreds of thousands of Japanese, will feature around 90 booths displaying Vietnamese food, handicraft and Vietnam tour products. In addition, there will be art performances and ao dai shows with the participation of Vietnamese and Japanese artists.

According to Nguyen Van Tran, general director of the travel joint venture company APEX mainly catering to Japan tourists, the parent company in Japan will join the event to introduce Vietnamese tourism to Japanese tourists. Currently, attracting tourists from Japan is more difficult as the price competition is getting tougher, and thus there needs to be more promotion activities to attract tourists.

Japan is a big visitor-generating market for Vietnam’s tourism. However, the number of Japanese tourists coming to Vietnam in the January-August period increased by only a slight 4.4% year-on-year to 392,990.

Many Vietnam travel companies and associations have proposed opening representative offices in Japan but no office has been opened there so far.
The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ninh Province has recently announced to open its representative office in Japan late this year.

Vietnam travel - Hue monuments on exhibition

( Vietnamfittour.com ) The Hue Monument Conservation Centre is exhibiting 34 posters that tell the stories of Hue's royal monuments from the end of feudal era to the present. The posters are being exhibited in the Imperial Palace's long corridor for free to visitors travel in Vietnam.

The photographic posters depict the monuments at various stages in history, including the 142-year period under the reign of the country last's Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), bombardment during two wars, human destruction in the postwar era and, finally, their recognition as a world heritage site from Vietnam travel

Hue monuments on exhibition - Vietnam tour

In each poster, a photo of a monument is depicted with captions telling the story of the monument through its various stages. According to the centre, the exhibition aims to inform locals and visitors about the former capital city's past, Hue's latest history and the achievements of conservation by local authorities, local residents and foreign supporters as well.

The centre's director, Phan Thanh Hai, said the exhibition is one of the many activities to be held in September to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of UNESCO heritage recognition for the Hue monument complex and the10-year anniversary celebration of Hue's royal court music.

The poster exhibition also serves as the highlight for other events designed to emphasise respect for heritage among local residents, especially youth, according to the centre. Afterwards, the centre in collaboration with local Youth Union, will gather young volunteers for a waste clean-up around the monuments, and hold a drawing contest to depict the beauty of the monuments.

Experts believe the key to the conservation of heritage is human, thus the events are expected to highlight respect for the monuments inherited from the ancestors of Hue.

ASEAN employment deal set to reinvigorate Vietnam travel

Viet Nam 's tourism sector is facing both great opportunities and challenges when a major ASEAN workforce agreement comes into effect in 2015, industry experts have predicted - Vietnam tour

Ahead of the planned launch of the ASEAN economic community in 2015, tourism is the sector leading the way to make the most of new opportunities, Cuong said, adding that although ASEAN nations had signed similar agreements in other fields such as construction and trade, Viet Nam has prioritised tourism because it would take less time and effort to build capacity in this sector than others.



Tourism and hotel in Viet Nam with a VTOS Certificate will be able to have this accredited by the ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals.

In order for a foreign tourism professional to be recognised by other ASEAN Member States and made eligible to work in a host country, they will need to possess a valid tourism competency certificate and a specific tourism job title, as specified in the Common ASEAN Tourism Curriculum.

The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism has worked with the EU-funded Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme (ESRT) to develop the Vietnam tour Occupational Standards (VTOS).

Paul Penfold, vocational and education standards expert of the EU-funded Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme said Vietnam travel had a lot of catching up to do, especially regarding service quality and technical skills.

He explained that training providers such as colleges and universities produce poorly qualified graduates for the industry because the curriculum is out of date and the teachers are out of touch with industry needs.

According to Ken Atkinson, General Director of Grant Thornton Vietnam and chairman of Vietnam Business Tourism Working Group, the country's tourism industry is not growing as strongly as in neighbouring countries, suggesting a need for more government intervention.

During the first seven months of the year, despite achieving a 5.9 milion visitor travel in Vietnam, the country's growth was still insignificant compared to that recorded in many Asian Pacific rivals.

Myanmar , Cambodia and Thailand all showed strong increases, equal to 30, 18 and 20 per cent respectively during the same period. Urgent action need to be taken to prevent bad practices which damages the industry, Vietnam travel Atkinson pointed out.

Two Vietnam hotel boast world’s best spas

( Vietnamfittour.com ) Two hotel in Vietnam have been ranked among the top five as having the best hotel spas in the world by readers of the US Travel&Leisure Magazine - one of the leading travel guides and information websites. The world’s leading travel guides, articles and information.

Named fourth on the list is the Nam Hai in Hoi An town of central Quang Nam province while the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is ranked at fifth in the world.

Vietnam hotel - Nam Hai hotel have been ranked among top the best hotel in Vietnam

The Nam Hai is also ranked 12th in list of the Best Resorts in Asia. The Metropole is named in two other categories, coming at 52nd in the Top 100 Hotels and fifth among the Best City Hotels in Asia. Also in the category of the Best City Hotels in Asia, the Park Hyatt Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City is listed in 17th place.

The Spa rankings are based on readers’ ratings for ambience, treatment packages, service and its value, and facilities, while hotel rankings are based on ratings for rooms/facilities, location, service and its value, and restaurants and food, according to feeling tourisms travel in Vietnam.
The honours are part of the 2013 World’s Best Awards, the 18th annual event by the Travel&Leisure, which is one of the magazines holding the world’s biggest number of readers.

The results will be announced on the magazine’s August issue, to go on sale on July 19.

Quality tourism firms honored from Vietnam travel

( Vietnamfittour )The country's 124 outstanding Vietnam hotel, resorts, restaurants, tour operators and other tourist services have been honored for their service quality in The Guide Awards 2013 – Vietnam travel

Readers and editors of The Guide magazine have selected the winners among 400 businesses operating in tourism. Criteria for the selection include product quality, infrastructure quality, services, attitude toward customers, and corporate responsibilities.



Best Western Premier Indochine Palace in Hue, InterContinental Asian Saigon Hotel, Buffalo Tours and Ngon Restaurant in HCM City are among the top ten businesses voted by the magazine's readers.

The awards have been held annually since 1999 to encourage the country's businesses to supply their best services to tourists, aiming at the sustainable development of the tourism industry in the country, the organizers said.

During the 14th The Guide Awards, held yesterday in Da Nang City, a forum gathering historians, cultural experts and businessmen discussed the relationship between heritage and tourism.