VietNamNet Bridge – After travelling along a winding road that wraps its way around Mo Da Mountain in the central province of Nghe An, it feels amazing to feast our eyes on the clear sky, blue sea and green trees lining Bai Lu Beach. About 270km away from Ha Noi and 25km from Vinh City, the pristine Bai Lu Beach is an emerging tourist destination in the homeland of President Ho Chi Minh. In Vietnamese, bai means beach and Lu relates to travelling. The beach was given the same name as the nearby Lu Mountain. A legend surrounding the mountain says that a traveller followed the beautiful voice of a woman singing for thousands of years until he reached the sea. When he got there, he found a mermaid and was immediately entranced. He stood patiently on the shore, waiting for his dream lover, but she never came, and eventually he became a speechless mountain. The beach and the mountain together create a poetic peaceful landscape. The clear blue water, fresh air and white sand relax us … [Read more...]
Travel agencies slash tour prices to attract clients
HCM City travel agencies are offering discounts to attract customers during the summer period, usually the busiest time of the year for the industry. Tours with Saigontourist to Ban Gioc Fall in Cao Bang Province and Ba Be Lake in Bac Kan, for example, are VND3.3 million (US$157) lower than they were last year. Saigontourist along with Vietnam Airlines and Bhaya Cruises has launched a promotional tour to Ha Long Bay, including an overnight stay on cruises with discounts of more than VND4 million. Fiditour is offering tours from HCM City to sea resorts in central regions at prices between VND500,000 and VND3 million lower than they were few months ago. Budget domestic tours to well-known destinations in northern and southern Viet Nam offered by travel companies, including Lien Bang Travelink and Vietravel, have fallen by 30 per cent. Vietnam Airlines is giving travel companies in HCM City discounts of 38-58 per cent on flights from HCM City to Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Nha Trang, … [Read more...]
Travel agencies demand greater industry cohesion
A tourism-stimulation programme launched by the National Administration of Tourism is hampered by a lack of co-operation among service suppliers, travel agency representatives have said. The Southern Fruit Festival was held at Suoi Tien Park in HCM City. Tourism companies have been urged to enhance co-operation to boost the industry's development. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Nhut HCM CITY — A tourism-stimulation programme launched by the National Administration of Tourism is hampered by a lack of co-operation among service suppliers, travel agency representatives have said. The programme, launched this year on May 29 to boost tourism during a global recession, encourages travel agencies around the country to slash prices. However, many travel companies say that other suppliers like hotels and restaurants should lower prices as well. Tran The Dung, deputy director of The He Tre Tourism Company, said his company was "dying because of a sharp fall in sales". Dung took part … [Read more...]
HCMC hosts International Travel Expo
More than 300 organisations from 50 countries and cities will participate in an International Travel Expo (ITE) in HCM City from September 12 to 14.—Illustrative image/Photo mocchautourism HCM CITY (Biz Hub)— More than 300 organisations from 50 countries and cities will participate in an International Travel Expo (ITE) in HCM City from September 12 to 14. Considered the largest and most established travel exhibition in Viet Nam, the expo will cover 5,000 sq.m at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7. The three-day expo is a platform for inbound and outbound travel businesses in Viet Nam and the Mekong region. This year, the expo is bigger than ever, with more regional and international exhibitors, and more sellers with a wider range of travel products and services. The organisers told Viet Nam News that the expo would feature country and city pavilions such as Visit Berlin – Germany; Korea: Be Inspired; Wonderful Indonesia; Taiwan, the Heart of … [Read more...]
Barmy Army: 400 fans travel to cheer on Arsenal in Viet Nam
Around 200 English fans and 200 other fans from across Asia will travel to Viet Nam to cheer on Arsenal when they face Viet Nam in a friendly at My Dinh National Stadium on July 17, according to Viet Nam's Arsenal Supporters Club. Arsenal have sent a preliminary list of 69 players and officials, including many of their best players. Viet Nam's national coach Hoang Van Phuc also announced his 32-strong squad, with local stars Cong Vinh, Minh Phuong, Buu Ngoc and Hong Son all due to take the field. As scheduled, Arsenal will arrive in Ha Noi on July 15 and are due to attend a press conference that afternoon. — VNS … [Read more...]
With longer holiday, travel companies set for Tet bonanza
Tourist firms are expected to have a profitable Tet as the number of travellers booking tours has greatly increased. Saigontourist has made a record 70,000 bookings for foreign travellers in January, an almost four-fold increase year-on-year. The figure includes 12,000 people travelling during Tet, a third of them being Viet Kieu, or overseas Vietnamese, returning to their homeland for the festival. Vietravel has sold tours to 30,000 domestic travellers to destinations like Ha Noi, Sa Pa, and Ha Long in the north, Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phan Thiet in the central region, and Phu Quoc and Con Dao in the south. As for outbound tours, most travellers have opted for Asian destinations such as Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and South Korea. The number of visitors to South Korea has increased two fold over 2010. Many have decided to leave on the second day of the Lunar Year, January 24 this year, which is considered an auspicious day. An expected 700-1,000 … [Read more...]
Travel agents face higher bond deposits
Travel agents offering outbound services will have to double their collateral deposit at banks to VND500 million (US$23,800) against the current rate, according to a draft decree on revising regulations of the Law on Tourism. Current regulations set a collateral deposit of VND250 million for both outbound and inbound tourism. The draft compiled by the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism leaves the deposit for travel firms with inbound services unchanged, but doubles the rate for firms offering only outbound or both services. However, the draft also allows travel firms to negotiate their deposit interest rates with banks directly, instead of receiving non-term interest rates regulated by the State Bank of Viet Nam. The collateral deposit is intended to be used as compensation for tourists when travel agents violate their contracts or deal with risks the tourists encounter. Travel agents were concerned that the draft would cause them difficulty if approved. They … [Read more...]
Travellers dare to go abroad during Tet
by Phuoc Buu Is it the worst or the best time to travel? Ask the millions of people on the move because of the Tet holiday and you will probably get a fair share of weary shrugs, especially from those who had not booked their air, train and bus tickets early enough. For the most important holiday of the year for Vietnamese, carriers in the country have to operate many extra flights to meet the demand that increases dramatically before and after the holiday. Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific Airlines began to sell air tickets for Tet in July last year, five months before the festival. The tickets were sold out within three days. So, no more air tickets on routes from HCM City to the biggest airports in the central region - Da Nang and Hue, customers looking for flights in the days before the festival are being told. The story was the same for the flights back. Any attempt to book tickets online was also futile. They seemed to have put a permanent "sold out" stamp there. The … [Read more...]
Tourists seek cheaper travel options
The costs of domestic tourism rose dramatically last year, causing more Vietnamese to book tours in neighbouring countries and having an impact on inbound arrivals, according to the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The rising costs of fuel pushed up the costs of air fares and other tourism services in 2011, the department said, with air fares rising by 35-40 per cent over the previous year. Food services also rose by 40 per cent. Local travel costs rose by 20-30 per cent during the year, with the price of an average Ha Long Bay tour also increasing by about 40 per cent. Travel to neighbouring countries like Thailand, China, Cambodia and Singapore became more popular, with some tours to these nations 20 per cent cheaper than a trip from HCM City to Ha Noi. About 3 million Vietnamese went abroad through Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City in 2011, doubling the number of outbound passengers in 2010. Analysts warned that high costs could make the local tourism … [Read more...]
Vietnam to join world’s leading travel event in London
Vietnam will attend the World Travel Market scheduled for November 6-8 in London, the UK.World Travel Market London is the leading global event for the travel industry, generating more than 2.8 billion GBP (3.66 billion USD) of business contracts between attendees. Now in its 37th year, this show attracts a global audience that shape the travel industry. Vietnam's booth at World Travel Market 2016 (Source: vietnamtourism.com) Over three days, the travel industry comes together as almost 5,000 exhibiting destinations, technology and private sector companies to find and network with 51,000 travel professionals, key industry buyers, journalists, digital influencers, students and tourism Ministers.Attending the event is a chance for Vietnam to promote its tourism, gain an insight into market development trends and expand cooperation with partners in the UK.Covering an area of 252sq.m, the Vietnamese booth will focus on introducing visitors to the country’s tourist attractions … [Read more...]