Rice in Vietnam

Rice is an integral part of life in Vietnam. Vietnam is an agricultural country with eight out of ten Vietnamese living in rural areas and making their living by growing rice. Many Vietnamese people say their country looks like two rice baskets placed at two ends of a pole.

Rice is a staple food for half the world’s population and its cultivation is dated back some 7,000 years ago in Southeast Asia. It is a symbol and also part of ceremonies and offerings. It’s one of the most important food crops in the world and an important part of Asian culture.

There are thousands of rice varieties. Rice is a cereal grain related to oats, rye and wheat. It comes in white, brown, red, black or amber. Its grains can be either short or long, and thick or thin. Rice mainly grows in flooded fields (it needs a constant supply of water) and is called lowland rice. In countries where there is plenty of rainfall, rice may be raised on hills and is called upland rice.

Lowland rice, known as wet rice, is the most common species in Southeast Asia which can be planted in two or three crops a year. Seedlings are raised in nursery beds and transplanted after 25-50 days to flooded fields surrounded by soil-raised border. The paddy stem is submerged in two to six inches of water and the seedlings placed in rows approximately a foot apart.

When the leaves of the rice stalks start to turn yellow the paddies are drained and dried in preparation for the harvest. Vietnamese farmers reap rice by using sickles to cut the stalks. Then they tie the stalks together and dry them.

Threshing separates the grain from the rest of the plant. Sometimes it is done mechanically and sometimes people or animals trample the sheaves. After threshing the rice is ready for milling. If the rice is not completely dry it is often spread out on communal yards or highways to dry in the sun. Rice dryers are widely usued in some regions now. Milling removes the husk from the kernel. Sometimes the process also strips off the bran layer which contains most of the nutrients. Brown rice still has its bran coat.

Nothing is wasted in rice processing. It can be turned into everything from paper to pudding. It’s steamed, puffed and flaked. It can be used to make noodles, wine, cosmetics and cooking oil. While the kernels are eaten, the stalks are made into straw and used for making sandals, hats, baskets, ropes, brooms and thatched roofs. The hulls provide fuel and fertilizer.

Despite destruction caused by natural disasters, rice production keeps increasing in Vietnam over the last 14 years, with bumper harvests recorded year-on-year.

Vietnam's major breakthrough in agriculture came in 1989 when the country had a record output of 18.9 million tonnes of food in term of paddy while annual production could not exceed 17 million tonnes in the 1981-1985period.

The country's agriculture, especially rice production, saw a strong and fast growth in the 1990-1999 period. From a country facing chronical food shortage, Vietnam has over the past 11 years become the world's second largest rice exporter after ensuring adequate supply for domestic consumption. Rural people's life has constantly improved. The fragrance ofVietnamese rice has actually spread across kitchens of many homes in foreign countries.

Miss World Vietnamese 2007

Mu Cang Chai: charming and peaceful

Thailand-based firm Six Senses Hotel, Resorts and Spas announced on Tuesday that it would manage two more tourism facilities in Vietnam, taking to five the number of properties under its management here in the country.

The company has clinched a strategic cooperation agreement with Vietnam’s project owner Ninh Van Bay Travel Real Estate JSC to manage the two properties – Six Senses Latitude Phu Quoc in Kien Giang Province and Six Senses Latitude Saigon River in Dong Nai Province.

Hoang Anh Dung, board chairman of Ninh Van Bay JSC, said at a news briefing at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon Hotel on Tuesday that the company had invested some VND660 billion to turn a 117-hectare site on Phu Quoc Island into the Six Senses Latitude Phu Quoc Resort.


Mu Cang Chai: charming and peaceful

The resort will be home to 136 units, including 30 water villas, 18 beach villas, 20 tree top houses, 48 Latitude rooms, 18 residential villas and two rock villas. It is set to open to business by 2012.

In the other property, the company has invested some VND560 billion in the Six Senses Latitude Saigon River in Phuoc Dai Commune in Nhon Trach District in Dong Nai, a 20-minute boat ride from the heart of HCMC.

The five-star resort, which is designed with a landscape impressed from a southern village image of Vietnam, offers 215 guest accommodations including 63 residential villas for sales, according to the project developer.

The developer says the first model villa will be on display by March this year and the resort is scheduled to be launched by the end of the second quarter next year.

Dung said the newly signed agreement, valid for 30 years, between Ninh Van Bay and Six Senses would pave the way for both parties to enhance and accelerate their strategic partnership.

Six Senses will provide technical assistance for the local partner to further develop high-class resorts in Vietnam. In return, Ninh Van Bay will choose Six Senses as the top priority partner to manage its resort projects in the country.

Dung said the company would start work on a second phase for Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay in the central coast city of Nha Trang, with some US$12 million for 24 luxury villas along the beach.

He said the demand for tourism properties had prompted the company to build villas for sale, but he declined to reveal prices of the properties in advance. He added the company planned to move forward to the northern region for resort development after establishing a solid base in the southern region.

In another project, Six Senses Con Dao Resort, which is being developed by Indochina Land, is set to open late this year, offering to the local hotelier 35 villas for hotel services and 15 luxury residential villas for sale.

Established in 1995, the Thailand-based company has managed 26 resorts and 41 spas in six countries – Maldives, Thailand, Oman, Jordan, Spain and Vietnam.

Source: VietNamNet/SGT

Dalat flowering on

In 1893, Yersin headed for the unexplored central highlands of Vietnam, where he discovered an evergreen mountain paradise dotted with lakes and waterfalls.
The French living in Vietnam at the turn of the 20th century were desperate to escape the sweltering heat of the lowlands – Bana, Sapa, Tam Dao and Dalat were all established as mountain retreats by the French.
Despite the precipitous mile-high slopes, Dalat was established by 1912 and has pretty much continued to serve its initial purpose ever since. With cascading waterfalls, rolling mountains and a year-round cool climate, the city was naturally endowed and attractive to tourists. The area was also blessed with stunning biodiversity with wild flowers and cherry blossom trees lining the streets. Wealthy French built vacation homes in Dalat, which remain standing today
Dalat flowering on

giving the city a distinctly Mediterranean feel.
The photographer Dang Van Thong remembers in 1947 how Dalat was still in a relatively “primitive form”. “The population was sparse and pine forests were thick and endless. The literati described it as a ‘city in a forest and a forest in a city’. Even in the late 1980s, Dalat’s landscape was still poetic and dreamlike,” says Thong.
Today there are now top class golf courses and luxurious resorts catering for tourists, who can fly into Dalat’s Lien Khuong airport. But the city still knows which side its bread is buttered on. People flock here for the crisp, cool mountain air and the stunning views.
Dalat has also quite literally blossomed into the “Flower capital of Vietnam”. The temperate climate means Lam Dong province is ideal for agricultural cultivation – the area is renowned for its coffee plantations, vineyards, fruit and vegetable farms as well as its flowers.
The annual Dalat Flower Festival is a chance to celebrate the city’s natural beauty while showcasing the locality’s prized products: flowers, wine and coffee. It’s also a party. This year there was a festival within a festival: the Dalat Wine Festival offered guests 5,500 litres of Vietnamese, Old World and New World wine, generously provided by Vinh Tien, Dalat (Lado Foods) and Lang Biang companies.
Over 60,000 tourists attended the week-long event. Visitors could last week marvel at some spectacular floral arrangements: a 3,200sqm-flower arrangement made by Lam Dong Flower Association’s 20 member companies and 6,000 tulips provided by Viet Dang Company at Xuan Huong Lake; a chrysanthemum-tiger made by Agrivina Dalat Hasfarm Company; 100 peach trees provided by Dalat Peach Flower Valley on Ba Huyen Thanh Quan street; flowers and ornamental plants associations from Holland, South Korea, China and Taiwan.
There were also several records set to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi at the flower festival with a giant flower vase titled Hoan Kiem Lake made by 1,000 locals and tourists and two 54-metre long dragons representing the country’s 54 ethnic groups.

VietNamNet/Timeout

Take the local flavors home

It’s an unusual sight, but it doesn’t raise eyebrows among vendors at Hanoi’s Hang Be Market.
Since it has been happening for nearly seven years now, the vendors are used to seeing a plump, elderly Vietnamese woman accompany groups of foreign tourists to the market without buying any clothes or souvenirs.

All they buy are herbs and other ingredients like meat, fish and condiments needed to cook traditional Vietnamese dishes.

Going to the market to buy fresh ingredients is the first step in a cooking tour that 60-year-old Pham Thi Tuyet, one of the city’s well-known culinary artisans, offers foreign visitors.
Take the local flavors home

Madame Tuyet became famous both locally and internationally when her Anh Tuyet Restaurant was visited in 2002 by American chef Anthony Bourdain, the host of Travel Channel's No Reservations show, to shoot A Cook’s Tour program.

At the market, Tuyet began by showing visitors how to choose and distinguish between different kinds of herbs and test their freshness by smelling them.

Then she told them how to “balance” the Yin and Yang qualities of the herbs.

To prepare ca kho nghe (braised fish with saffron), the group moved to the fish stalls.

Laura Melchor from San Francisco said, “I’m familiar with both fish and saffron, but I didn’t know how to combine the two together like the Vietnamese.”

The group then returned to Tuyet’s restaurant, which is actually a typical traditional house on Ma May Street in the Old Quarter.

“Cooking inside a Vietnamese family kitchen can make a deep impression on foreigners,” Tuyet said.

Apart from ca kho nghe, on the menu for the day was cha gio (spring rolls) made of pork, vermicelli and rice cake, that the students would learn to make by themselves.

Wrapping and rolling rice paper was not easy for the inexperienced, but it was a chore of joy for all. They broke into a sweat as they practiced seriously for almost two hours, but there were no complaints.

Tuyet, who won the Golden prize at a Culinary Festival held at the Hanoi Horison Hotel in 2001, also showed visitors how Hanoians change their staple menus for each season.

She said that in summer the locals like to eat che hat sen (sugar coated lotus seed soup) to reduce heat in the body, while in winter hot ginger and jasmine scented green teas are preferred.

Accordingly, the dishes featured in her cooking tour also change every season. However, the visitors can request their favorite dishes among more than 100 listed.

The preferences of visitors are also influenced by the climates and conditions they come from, she noted. Those coming from coastal areas like Australia often ask her to teach how to cook cha gio made of shrimp and crab, while the English want to learn how to cook pho bo (beef noodle soup).

Eating is always the most enjoyable part of the tour.

Tuyet said cooking tour was successful only when the visitors learnt to cook and enjoy the dishes properly.

“They should not be merely an audience, but become part of the local culture.”

Popular activity

Don Dockery, the British manager of Hanoi’s Highway 4 Restaurant, one of many cooking tour organizers in Hanoi, said the tours were popular among many tourists, especially food lovers.

“Food is a part of culture. These classes, unlike sightseeing tours, offer foreigners a great chance to discover the local culture and way of life in a deep way.”

Dockery said that many foreign tourists who come to Vietnam want not only to enjoy local food and drinks but also take Vietnam’s culinary art to their countries.

A tourist from Canada said, “Beautiful landscapes are still there, but it is not every time that you can learn how to cook local dishes with such an amazing artist like Tuyet.”

Reported by Phuong Anh

Tour prices set to rise during Lunar New Year

According to Vietsky Travel, the price of a five-day tour to Thailand has increased from US$290 to around $430. Meanwhile, the price of a four-day trip to Singapore has increased by nearly $100 to $590.

Tours prices to Hong Kong had also gone up by $100, it added.

High air travel prices are cited as the main reason.

“As usual, the prices of tours over the Tet holiday are higher then normal. The main reason is that airlines often raise their prices on seeing high demand,” said Duong Mai Lan, a representative of Vietravel in the capital city of Ha Noi.
Tour prices set to rise during Lunar New Year

Agreeing with Lan, Dao Thu Hien, director of Vietsky Travel, said that plane ticket prices increased by 30-50 per cent at Lunar New Year.

In some instances, she added, the price of a flight to Thailand at Tet increased to $160 from $70. Despite the fact that tour prices keep rising, demand has not stopped increasing.

“This year, many customers want to travel because they have six days off at Tet. Moreover, Valentines day falls during the festival so it is bound to make for a hectic year,” said Lan.

Recently, many tourism companies have had to turn away customers as they are fully booked.

Saigontourist announced that the number of customers looking to book holidays had increased by 15-18 per cent over the same period last year.

Meanwhile, Vietravel said that many of their outbound tours were almost full.

“About 70 per cent of Vietravel Ha Noi’s tours have been sold out, 90 per cent of tours to Thailand and other tours to China, South Korea and Japan booked by many tourists,” said Lan.

This year, tours to regional countries and territories such as Thailand, China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan are still in high demand.

Some visitors book trips to the US and Australia to visit their relatives but not that many. While many people book outbound tours for the Tet holidays, inbound tours have not seen a big change.

According to Lan, at the moment the number of inbound tours booked is only about 30 per cent of the predicted figure.

“Visitors often leave it till late to book inbound tours. Moreover, they can organise inbound tours by themselves,” Lan said.

Popular domestic destinations still include Sa Pa, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Yen Tu, Ha Long, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Con Dao and Phu Quoc.

This year especially, many tours to discover northern regions have been organised to welcome Ha Noi’s 1,000th anniversary.

VietNamNet/VNS

Down on the farm

Intrepid travelers across Vietnam are stepping out of their stuffy offices and fleeing the noisy, crowded city for a taste of life on the farm.


Farm Tours in the Mekong Delta have taken off, with weary city dwellers opting to enjoy the quiet, space and freshness of the rice paddies alongside local farmers.


More than 250 kilometers southwest from Ho Chi Minh City, is An Giang Province’s Long Xuyen Town, a busy commercial hub along the Hau River, a major Mekong distributary. But a 20- minute ferry ride across the river, reveals the peaceful farming village of My Hoa Hung Islet, a popular destination for tourists wanting a taste of the simpler Vietnam.


On the ferry ride approaching the village, the water is peppered with fish cages and the shoreline dotted with rice paddies and fruit and vegetable orchards by which local residents make their livings
Down on the farm

Farm tourists walk with local farmers through the shaded paths of the orchards and accompany them on the water to help breed and catch fish. Farmers teach the visitors proper cultivation technique and let them do the fishing, hoeing and plowing themselves. Tourists have even been known to get their hands dirty handling manure at the mango and cherry orchards.

Chau Van Ly, deputy chairman of Vietnam Farmers’ Union’s An Giang branch, said tourists liked to contribute during their travels by breaking a little sweat farming rice.

Thanh Tung, a representative from An Giang Province’s Farm Tour Management Board, said all farming families selected to host the specialized tours were trained to speak English.

And the homes that accommodate the travelers have also been upgraded for comfort, he said.

“Taking care of our plants and wandering the islet is pretty exciting for tourists,” said Dinh, head of one of the farm tour host families.

After a “hard day’s work,” tourists can relax and enjoy the quiet atmosphere by wandering the islet’s orchard lined paths in the afternoon. They can also drop into street-side restaurants to enjoy cheap local snacks like fertilized duck eggs. They’ll also be served large home-cooked meals at their host families’ houses.

Not far from My Hoa Hung is Tinh Bien District’s Van Giao Commune, an ethnic Khmer community in the foothills.

At Van Giao, farming tours offer travelers the chance to enjoy traditional Khmer music, said Thanh Tung from the Farm Tour Office.

He said the trips were extra exciting if they coincide with local Khmer weddings, festivals, or other community events.

Tourists in Van Giao can also visit brocade weavers and household factories that make lap xuong (Chinese sausage), banh canh (southern pork noodle soup), and mam (fermented fish sauce).

If tourists visit An Giang during high-tide, they can help harvest bong dien dien (sebania sesban flowers), also known as Egyptian peas, and water lilies. Local residents use the plants to make special dishes.

Reported by Chi Nhan

A good night for the roses

Vietnam isn’t known for its flower markets, but maybe it should be.
Early each morning, the streets around Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake are the site of small, slow flower parades. Vendors circle the lake on bicycles full of roses, lotuses, daisies and many other flowers.

They leave behind their buds’ sweet scent mixing with the crisp morning air. Their peddling is the only sound breaking the quiet of dawn.

Most of the flowers come from the Quang Ba Flower Market, a nighttime affair that begins before midnight and ends after the sun rises.
A good night for the roses

We visited around 3 a.m., taking Thanh Nien Road north of downtown to Au Co Street in Tay Ho District.

The flower market welcomed us with freshly-bloomed flowers piled high on the ground, on bikes and in vendor’s stalls. The various colors shined under fluorescent lights and the strong aroma of rose, lotus, daisy and orchid all mixed together was nearly intoxicating.

Quang Ba offers flowers from all over the globe: seasonal flowers from Tu Liem District on the outskirts of Hanoi, flowers from the Central Highlands and also imported flowers from Thailand and Europe.

Many of the vendors handling flowers, trimming leaves and cutting stems were husband and wife teams from Tu Liem and other districts outside central Hanoi.

“My workday starts at 3 or 4 p.m. when we cut flowers from our fields and prepare for a trip to the night market. We leave for the market at 1a.m.,” said Nguyen Thi Luong, a 40-year-old woman from Tu Liem who has been selling her homegrown roses and daisies at Quang Ba for 10 years. “The work on the flower field can be hard and it depends a lot on the weather. But the flower business is more profitable than growing rice.”

Le Thu, a 50-year-old woman from Bac Ninh Province, said she had been selling flowers from her bike for 15 years, all the while renting a small flat in Hanoi with seven other flower sellers. “It is hard, but it means everything. I’ve saved enough for my son to study at Hanoi Medical University.”

After strolling the market and talking with sellers for a few hours, the light of the sunrise began to touch upon the rich hues of the buds and blossoms.

Many small flower vendors from the city arrived on bicycles to pick up their daily inventory bound for downtown and Hoan Kiem Lake.

We left the market knowing we would come back soon in hopes of seeing the market glow during the Tet holiday season, when row upon row of peach flowers, bonsai, and cherry blooms will fill Quang Ba.

Reported by Tina Pham

Tet tours made easy

Tet travel tours within the country have become a lot more convenient over that last few years.
Tourism companies now offer several kinds of tours for those wanting to see different parts of the country during the major national holiday.

Vietravel has a 5-day, 4-night tour to many cities and provinces in the north, departing from Ho Chi Minh City by air. Starting February 13, travelers will visit the Yen Tu Mountain, a sacred Vietnamese Buddhist site. Then there is the Thap But or Pen Tower Pagoda, the country’s oldest pagoda in Bac Ninh Province. Vietnamese people visit pagodas during Tet to pray for luck, health and happiness. So you can invite good luck, health and happiness throughout the lunar year if you join the tour, which also takes you to old temples and tombs of Vietnamese kings in and around Hanoi. The tour also includes a visit to Ha Long Bay, one of the world’s New Natural Wonder nominees. The price per person is VND7.8 million or US$430 for Vietnamese citizens and VND8.4 million or $470 for foreigners.
Tet tours made easy

Already familiar with the north? A tour of the central region takes you to beautiful beaches in Nha Trang and Da Nang. Here, you can also enjoy the world heritage site of Hoi An Town, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang

National Park and wander around numerous monuments in Hue, the Imperial Capital. Vietravel offers this tour, starting from February 15, for nine days and eight nights. The price per pax is VND8 million or $450 for locals and VND9.2 million or $510 for foreigners.

Saigontourist has a trans-Viet tour for travelers who want to explore Vietnam in ten days. Starting in HCMC with its historic French-style structures and modern buildings, the tour will also take you to floating markets and lush, fruit-laden tropical orchards in the Mekong Delta. In the central region, vestiges of the ancient Cham Civilization stand against the impressive backdrop of five grand mountains. Winding through Hoi An Town and Hue in the central region, the tour heads north to the capital city of Hanoi and the picturesque Ha Long Bay. A train will take you to the unique world of ethnic minorities in Lao Cai, Bac Ha and Sapa with their colorful costumes and market courting traditions. Prices for the Vietnam-in-Depth tour ranges from $700 to $2,500.

Saigontourist also has package tours with other themes, like the Wonders of Vietnam and the Mandarin Route of Vietnam. Holiday makers who want to discover HCMC or Hanoi in a day or two during the Tet holidays can join the Morning or Afternoon city tours, or even the Mekong Delta tours. These tours cost several dozen dollars per person.

The Saigon-Buon Ma Thuot-Gia Lai and Kon Tum tours by Fiditourist take you to the Central Highlands region. The four-day tour from February 15 is ideal for holiday makers who want to see up close the majestic mountain scenery and lives of ethnic people in the region. The price is VND2 million or $110/pax for locals and VND2.4 million or $140 for foreigners.

Reported by Vinh Son

UNESCO to attend Hanoi’s 1,000th birthday

UNESCO has passed a resolution guaranteeing the organization’s participation in a major ceremony marking the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi in October this year, the Hanoi People’s Committee said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Hanoi People’s Committee and the UNESCO National Committee in Vietnam to seek UNESCO’s support for the event.

Alongside the resolution on the anniversary, Vietnam has also been elected to the UNESCO executive council for the 2009-2013 term.

Reported by Nguyen Viet Chien

Leaving home for Tet

Phan Thanh Xuan, 28, who works for a joint-stock commercial bank in Hanoi, said she, together with three friends, planned to book a 5-day tour to Thailand, starting from the second day of the New Year. “Tet is the longest holiday in a year, so we will take the opportunity to relax, and go shopping.”

For many young people who are enjoying high incomes, Tet is not only a time for family reunion, but also an opportunity to shop and entertain families and friends. Trips abroad are a popular option for them.
Leaving home for Tet

Better services and competitive prices make the choice to go abroad easier. “With $400, I can enjoy a domestic tour to a beautiful beach in Quang Nam Province, but I have to stay all day and night in a resort, because there is nowhere to go for entertainment or shopping,” Xuan said, explaining why she chose the tour abroad for the same price.

Tran Thach Anh, an IT engineer, said he will spend the festival with his family in Japan. “We can either visit the country, or see my son. My wife has never been there,” he said, after booking a six-day tour.

According to travel agencies, tour prices surge during the Tet season, mainly due to higher aviation fees. However, the demand for tours, especially overseas ones, keeps increasing as well.

Tour prices have increased by 5-30 percent this season. A five-day trip to Thailand now costs $349, a seven-day trip to Singapore and Malaysia, $589, and four days in Hong Kong, $659.

“We are expecting to receive 12,000 customers, up 20 percent over the previous Tet. 60 percent of them have booked tours abroad,” said Duong Mai Lan, a representative of Vietravel. “Hong Kong is the most attractive destination, followed by Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.”

Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy director of travel operator Redtour, said his company’s tours abroad are fully booked although Tet is still a month ahead.

“This year has seen the biggest-ever increase of about 170 percent in the number of booked tours to the countries,” Hoan said.

Hoan said his customers were mostly children of businesspersons or those with well-paid jobs in foreign companies or powerful state-owned enterprises in banking, finance, information technology and insurance sectors.

In the context of the economic upturn, travel agencies are expected to receive more foreign customers for domestic tours this Tet. Lan of Vietravel said her company’s foreign customers, including those from Japan, Europe and ASEAN countries, and overseas Vietnamese, are anticipated to rise by 20 percent compared to last year.

Inbound issues

Vietnam’s tourism industry is facing a shortage of hotels and human resources with good foreign language skills. It also needs more effective promotion campaigns and suitable development strategies, the lack of which was limiting growth, insiders said.

According to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration (VNAT), only 30 percent of foreign tourists to Vietnam want to return the country, mainly businesspeople coming to Vietnam to study investment and business opportunities.

But director of VNAT’s Travel Department Vu The Binh said, “The number (of foreign visitors returning to the country) is normal, as tourism is mainly about discovery. So, if you visit one country this year, you want make a trip to another the next year.”

Vietnam now is still an attractive destination, he said. The country lured 3.8 million foreign arrivals last year.

“However, we have many things to do to attract new visitors and encourage old ones to return. It is necessary to have the participation of many sectors in improving promotion and service quality,” Binh said.

The VNAT plans to implement promotion campaigns in some key tourism markets including Germany, Russia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia in the first quarter of this year.

Hoan of Redtour said tour prices in Vietnam were high, which could make them less attractive for visitors. However, the country can earn small profits, only from the tour price, but not from their purchasing of goods and services.

“We should attract visitors with low-priced tours, but take measures to encourage them to spend much more money than in their country,” he said. He gave an example that Vietnamese citizens use just $250-300 to buy a tour to Thailand, but spend an additional $500-700 on buying its products and services.

Lan of Vietravel said, “We have to strengthen advertising and marketing of our products, especially traditional ones. Almost all visitors to Japan buy its traditional wine, Sake. Meanwhile, a few people know our “Lua Moi” wine.”

Reported by Ngan Anh

Tourism agency plans promo

Tourism agency plans promo

The Viet Nam National Tourism Administration (VNAT) has said it would launch a new discount campaign this month to attract more tourists following a successful promotional programme last year.

The new campaign that will last several months aims to enhance the competitiveness of Viet Nam’s tourism sector. VNAT targets between 4.5 and 4.6 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, bringing in revenues of up to VND78 trillion ($4.2 billion).

Last year, more than 100 travel agencies, hotels and transport operators in the country participated in the year-long Impressive Viet Nam campaign, reducing their prices by 30 to 50 per cent.
Tourism agency plans promo

Tour launched to Sa Dec city

HCM City-based Ben Thanh Tourism company as introduced a new tour to the Mekong Detta city of Sa Dec, famous for its colourful flower villages, old houses and pagodas.

Tourists will be taken to Huynh Thuy Le’s house, a fine example of the combination of Eastern and Western architecture that is more than 100 years old. The house was built in 1889 by Le who was the inspiration for famous French author Marguerite Duras’s L’amant (The Lover) novel. With its elegant French architecture, traditional Vietnamese design and meticulous Chinese decorations, the 250sq.m house has been recognised as a national relic.

Meanwhile, the Sa Dec Flower Village has been famous for the variety of flowers and bonsai trees for over 100 years. The village, considered one of the ornamental plant centres of the southern region, covers about 60ha with 600 families and nearly 3,600 gardeners. In January, the village is busy with gardeners preparing for the Tet holiday. Sa Dec flowers, including daisies, roses, orchids, apricots and bonsai trees, are shipped all over the country, especially to HCM City.

Foreign troupes to perform in Hue

Forty foreign art troupes from 29 countries have registered to perform at the Hue Festival 2010 which will be held in the former imperial capital city between June 5 and 13. The main venues of the festival include the Ngo Mon (Noon Gate) Square, the Huong (Perfume) River and the Dai Noi (the Imperial Enclosure), where a number of parties and games will be organised.

Electric tourist cars for Ha Noi

Visitors to Ha Noi will be able to travel around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake and the old quarters of the city on electric cars as from February 2010. This type of car will not only serve tourists but also passengers without bulky luggages. There will be four routes for the electric cars but initially, they will operate on two routes around the old quarter and Sword Lake, according to the deputy chairman of Hoan Kiem District People’s Committee, Nguyen Quoc Hoa.

Each car will have up to 12 seats, and tickets will cost around VND10,000 per tour. Twelve electric cars have been imported so far, said Hoa.

Saigontourist welcomes ship

Saigontourist Travel Service Co recieved 2,000 tourists from cruise ship Costa Classica which docked at the Sai Gon Port on Tuesday. During their stay in HCM City, the tourists visited My Tho City in the Mekong province of Tien Giang and the Cu Chi Tunnels in HCM City. They also went shopping at the city’s Ben Thanh Market.

During their visit ito Da Nang on Thursday, the were taken to the historic Hoi An Town, the Marble Mountain and the My Son Cham Tower Complex. They also enjoyed a boat cruise on the Huong River in Hue.

Later this month, Saigontourist will welcome two new cruise ships – Spirit of Adventure and Voyages of Discovery – that will ply the local waters for the first time. — VNS

Vietnam Airlines flies new route

The national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, launched its new direct flight route from Hanoi to Osaka in Japanon Jan. 12. The airline plans to operate five flights a week using Airbus A321 planes on the new route.

The carrier decided to bring the route into operation to meet the demand of customers as Japan Airlines stopped its Osaka-Hanoi route on Jan. 12.

According to Vietnam Airlines (VNA), it is an important step to expand its market in Japan.

Director of the airline’s representative office in Japan, Nguyen Quoc Tuan, said Vietnam Airlines was determined to open the route with a desire to enhance commercial, investment and tourism activities between the two countries.


Vietnam Airlines flies new route

He said with an extensive flight network, Hanoi hoped to become a hub for visitors heading to Cambodia and Laos.

With this launch, the total number of flights per week operated by the airline to Japan will increase to 31.

The flights will operate out of Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports to the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

Statistics released from the carrier showed that it accounted for half of the total direct flights between Vietnam and Japan in the first nine months of last year.

Source: VNA

Lion dance urges Tet

There is one month left before the Tet holidays. There are many images which symbolize Tet such as yellow apricot in the South, peach blossom in the North and banh tet (glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and pork fat), especially lion dance. Traditionally, people believe the lion dance will bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.

The atmosphere at Hang Anh Duong Lion Dance Center is busy and animated. The sound of drums and gongs resound through the spacious yard where 40 athletes painstakingly practice. Some practice martial arts, some drill with swords and some dance on pillars which are about 2.5 meters high.
Lion dance urges Tet

Practices sometimes are dangerous, especially dancing on the pillars. These athletes need to be trained to protect themselves and to react well to unexpected problems. There are also thick cushions on the ground to protect them when they fall.

“The lion dance troupe performs during the inaugurating of companies, launching events and even in music shows. During Tet, the troupe has to give more shows as ordered and has to make up new performances, nicer, more meticulous, bringing a cozy and bustling ambiance for Tet,” said Luong Tan Hang, head of the troupe.

The Nhon Nghia Duong Lion Troupe, established in 1937, is considered the oldest lion troupe in HCMC. “In the past, we only performed in the Mid-Autumn Festival and Tet, but since 2005, we have performed almost year round as the traditional activity is not blurred in the modern times but has developed more strongly,” said Luu Hoan Phi, head of Nhon Nghia Duong.

This year is the year of the Tiger, so the troupe has created and practiced many performances recalling images of the tiger, promising to bring many big surprises for locals and tourists. Thanks to restless creativeness and diligence, the troupe has been invited to perform in Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China and Japan.

Apart from the Hang Anh Duong and Nhon Nghia Duong lion dance troupes there are about 30 other lion dance troupes in Saigon. Every evening, they make people eager to welcome Tet by peals of drums and steps of dances in an animated ambiance.

They do it not only for the money but also to preserve tradition.

Source: VietNamNet/SGT

Vietnam’s first Buddhist pilgrimage tour on horizon

Vietnam ’s first ever Buddhist pilgrimage tour will be launched on January 15 with stops planned for 10 pagodas located in the southwestern region, according to the tour organiser. The tour is part of a larger pilgrimage programme which was arranged by monks and nuns from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, who will also act as tour guides for the programme.

Trinh Thuy Quynh, Director of the Viet Pilgrimage Tourism Company – an affiliate of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Economic-Financial Department, said the programme will include thematic tours.


Vietnam’s first Buddhist pilgrimage tour on horizon

The tours will provide participants with opportunities to have an insight into various Zen sects, Tinh Do Tong (Pureland Buddhism), Mat Tong (Esoteric Buddhism), and others.

Tourists will contemplate valuable treasures of the religion, study popular practice and continuance methods under the guidance of pagoda head monks, attend dialogues on Dharma, and experience the religious life as monks and nuns at pagodas.

The programme will also include visits to pagodas and monasteries entering Vietnam’s Buddhism Record List and ancient and famed pagodas scattering across the country, including Truc Lam Monastery, Xvayton pagoda, Thien Truc pagoda, and Dau pagoda.

Source: VNA

Vietnam Airlines aims for 1.8 bln USD revenue

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines expects to see a total revenue of 32 trillion VND (1.78 billion USD) this year, up 30 percent against last year in the context of the global economic recovery.

To realise the target, the carrier estimates that it will have to transport more than 11 million passengers this year.

This year’s positive targets are based on its good performance last year which was in marked contrast to many airlines globally facing bankruptcy, losses and laying-off of staff


Vietnam Airlines aims for 1.8 bln USD revenue

The carrier notched up 24.5 trillion VND (1.36 billion USD) in turnover last year with the company netting a profit of 150 billion VND (8.3 million USD).

The results mainly stemmed from its focus on the domestic market.

It opened a series of new routes last year, including Hanoi-Can Tho, Hanoi-Quy Nhon, HCM City-Dong Hoi, Hanoi-Tuy Hoa, and Hanoi-Pleiku.

With such efforts, Vietnam Airlines transported about 9.3 million passengers last year, a 6.6 percent in increase from last year, with Vietnamese clients accounting for up to nearly 6.2 million, a year-on-year increase of 17.6 percent.

It also handled around 131,220 tonnes of cargo, up 2.3 percent from last year. Of the total, 87,000 tonnes of cargo was transported on domestic routes, a rise of nearly 13 percent.

The carrier also reported a seat occupancy rate of roughly 74 percent for both local and international flights.

Source: VNA

Top 100 tourism brands for foreign visitors get final vote

The 100 best tourism brands in HCM City for international tourists have finally been singled out and tourism authorities will announce the city’s first-ever 100 exciting items on February 1, said a tourism official.

Nguyen Viet Anh, head of the travel division under the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told the Daily that the selection committee picked the 100 brands on Tuesday from a list of 150 nominated items following a poll among tourists. The committee had earlier sent 14,000 ballots to voters.


Top 100 tourism brands for foreign visitors get final vote

Anh said the organizer would announce the list in a ceremony to honor such best tourism brands on February 1.

The “Exciting HCMC” program is organized by the city government and its tourism department with an aim to develop tourism products in the city and promote the city’s image to tourists.

Given the votes by tourists, the organizer will also select the best Vietnamese boutique services hotels, excellent Vietnamese restaurants, best shopping places for tourists, Vietnamese souvenirs and gifts, exciting entertainment venues, and stylish coffee shops.

Other categories are Vietnamese must-taste and must-see, the most favorite city tour programs, and prominent cultural, sport and tourism events.

Anh said that the department would print brochures, books as well as make DVDs and memory sticks as soon as possible to promote the selected brands to foreign partners at upcoming travel exhibitions and via Vietnamese embassies abroad.

The department is carrying out a similar program to select best brands for domestic travelers. The selection committee will have a meeting soon to choose the brands from votes by local tourists, and the final list will also be honored in the ceremony on February 1.

Source: VietNamNet/SGT

Ninh Binh tourism prepares for 1000 years of Thang Long

The Ninh Binh Department for Culture, Sports and Tourism released that Ninh Binh has officially become a key destination in the special “Vietnam ancient capitals tour” to serve the National Tourism Year 2010 in Hanoi.

In order to create a good impression for tourists on the occasion of the National Tourism Year 2010 and great festival of 1000 years of Thang Long, Ninh Binh tourism sector is focusing on repairing the Trang An ecotourism area, Bai Dinh pagoda, Tam Coc – Bich Dong, Hoa Lu ancient capital, King Dinh Tien Hoang statue square.


Ninh Binh tourism prepares for 1000 years of Thang Long

The Ninh Binh Department for Culture, Sports and Tourism has also organized training courses to improve professionalism and foreign languages for tour guides at tourist spots in the province.

Apart from that, the Ninh Binh provincial tourism sector will also be paying attention to special dishes of the province such as goat meat and burnt rice to serve tourists.

Source: CPV

Six Senses to manage two more properties in Viet Nam

Thailand-based firm Six Senses Hotel, Resorts and Spas announced on Tuesday that it would manage two more tourism facilities in Vietnam, taking to five the number of properties under its management here in the country.

The company has clinched a strategic cooperation agreement with Vietnam’s project owner Ninh Van Bay Travel Real Estate JSC to manage the two properties – Six Senses Latitude Phu Quoc in Kien Giang Province and Six Senses Latitude Saigon River in Dong Nai Province.

Hoang Anh Dung, board chairman of Ninh Van Bay JSC, said at a news briefing at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon Hotel on Tuesday that the company had invested some VND660 billion to turn a 117-hectare site on Phu Quoc Island into the Six Senses Latitude Phu Quoc Resort.


Six Senses to manage two more properties in Viet Nam

The resort will be home to 136 units, including 30 water villas, 18 beach villas, 20 tree top houses, 48 Latitude rooms, 18 residential villas and two rock villas. It is set to open to business by 2012.

In the other property, the company has invested some VND560 billion in the Six Senses Latitude Saigon River in Phuoc Dai Commune in Nhon Trach District in Dong Nai, a 20-minute boat ride from the heart of HCMC.

The five-star resort, which is designed with a landscape impressed from a southern village image of Vietnam, offers 215 guest accommodations including 63 residential villas for sales, according to the project developer.

The developer says the first model villa will be on display by March this year and the resort is scheduled to be launched by the end of the second quarter next year.

Dung said the newly signed agreement, valid for 30 years, between Ninh Van Bay and Six Senses would pave the way for both parties to enhance and accelerate their strategic partnership.

Six Senses will provide technical assistance for the local partner to further develop high-class resorts in Vietnam. In return, Ninh Van Bay will choose Six Senses as the top priority partner to manage its resort projects in the country.

Dung said the company would start work on a second phase for Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay in the central coast city of Nha Trang, with some US$12 million for 24 luxury villas along the beach.

He said the demand for tourism properties had prompted the company to build villas for sale, but he declined to reveal prices of the properties in advance. He added the company planned to move forward to the northern region for resort development after establishing a solid base in the southern region.

In another project, Six Senses Con Dao Resort, which is being developed by Indochina Land, is set to open late this year, offering to the local hotelier 35 villas for hotel services and 15 luxury residential villas for sale.

Established in 1995, the Thailand-based company has managed 26 resorts and 41 spas in six countries – Maldives, Thailand, Oman, Jordan, Spain and Vietnam.

Source: VietNamNet/SGT

National tourism agency to launch promotion campaign

A nocturnal market and an eating and drinking street for pedestrians have been opened at the Ninh Kieu Wharf in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on January 10th, with the participation of around 4,000 local people and tourists on the opening day.

The nocturnal market will be opened from 4p.m to 4am.

The 200m-long walking street will start from the city’s international hotel to the Nha Long Cho Co area, while the nocturnal market will include an eating and drinking area, and souvenir shops.

The walking street and nocturnal market are expected to attract a large number of visitors both from home and abroad to Can Tho City each year.