Indonesia's Mount Agung volcano in Bali has let out a puff of black smoke and ash in a small eruption, prompting Singapore to advise its citizens to be ready to evacuate the holiday island at short notice amid concern about a bigger eruption.Authorities have not changed the alert status on Agung, which remains at one level below the highest and there have been no reports of flight cancellations."Singaporeans should defer non-essential travel to the affected areas of the island at this juncture," Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a travel notice on Wednesday."You should also be ready to evacuate at short notice."Eruptions could result in ash clouds that could "severely disrupt air travel", it said.Agung looms menacingly over eastern Bali at a height of just over 3,000 metres (9,842 feet). It last erupted in 1963, killing more than 1,000 people and razing several villages.Indonesia has nearly 130 volcanoes, more than any other country. Many of them show high levels of … [Read more...] about Small eruption at Bali volcano triggers Singapore travel advisory
Travel
Accessible travel website for the disabled launched
The tourism portal for people with disabilities (Photo: dangcongsan.vn)Hanoi (VNA) – A tourism portal dedicated topeople with disabilities (PWDs) was launched by the Hanoi Disabled PeopleAssociation on November 22.Through the website https://dulichtiepcan.com and facebook page dulichtiepcan, the disabled can search information about destinationsin Hanoi to actively organise their tours.On the website, 22 destinations, eight hotels, sevenrestaurants, and bus stations are clarified. PWDs can also gain access to legaldocuments related to them such as the UN Convention of the Rights of Personswith Disabilities, and a project supporting people with disabilities during2012-2020.The project on development of accessible travel website hasbeen implemented by the Bright Future Group of People with Disabilities sinceDecember 2016 with the assistance from Finland’s Abilis Foundation.To build the website, which runs in Vietnamese and English,group members made fact-finding tours to … [Read more...] about Accessible travel website for the disabled launched
Travellers get more chances for trains during Tet
>> Tet holiday travel out of HCMC proving difficult as airlines are booked Passengers travelling from Saigon to Hanoi will have more options for train travel this Tet holiday. Additional four trains from Saigon to Hanoi on Tet An additional four trains will be added to the route, named TN12, from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, according to Nguyen Van Thanh, deputy stationmaster of the Saigon Railway Station. The move is expected to meet increased travel demand during the holiday season. The additional trains will depart for the 42-hour trip from Saigon Railway Station at 11:25pm between the days of January 20 - 23. Each train will be able to serve an additional 650 passengers. “Any one who wants to buy a ticket should directly contact the Saigon Railway Station. The ticket will be delivered free of charge to any location … [Read more...] about Travellers get more chances for trains during Tet
Hotels become heavily reliant on online travel agencies to sell rooms
VietNamNet Bridge - All hotels have to cooperate with online travel agents (OTA) to sell hotel reservations. However, many of them are seeking ways to find guests directly and escape heavy reliance on the sites. The Rex Hotel is one of the luxury hotels in the central area of HCMC, where the room rate is over $100 per night. The hotel will pocket the $100 if travelers book rooms directly on its official website. But it would lose 20 percent of the money as commission it has to pay to OTAs. Analysts say 20 percent is relatively small and Rex can set the low commission level thanks to its advantageous position, good brand and high room rate. The average level is 30 percent.Ngo Minh Duc, the owner of a travel boat fleet in Ha Long Bay, confirmed that the commission that hotels have to pay to OTAs, especially foreign OTAs, is very high.In fact, many Vietnamese OTAs charge a small commission of 10-15 percent only. However, the revenue they bring is low and not many hotels use … [Read more...] about Hotels become heavily reliant on online travel agencies to sell rooms
Vietnam passport ranked 81st in the world for travel
The Singapore passport has been ranked the joint-fifth best in the world, as its holders now enjoy visa-free access to 170 countries around the globe. - See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/relax/singapore-passport-ranked-fifth-best-world-travel#sthash.bPiAVjmg.dpuf The Vietnamese passport has been ranked the 81st in the world for travel, as its holders now have visa-free access to 45 countries around the globe. According to the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index 2014, the ranking of countries is based on the freedom of travel enjoyed by their citizens. Vietnam was ranked 81st, coming in lower than many countries in Asia, such as Japan, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and India. Still, Vietnamese citizens are able to travel to 45 other countries without a visa. According to the index, Finland, Sweden, the UK, Germany and US all shared the top spot this year. Citizens of those countries are able to travel to … [Read more...] about Vietnam passport ranked 81st in the world for travel