Vietnam’s localities and Yunnan province discussed ways to boost tourism in talks held in Vietnam’s northern Lao Cai province on March 10.
Vietnam, China discuss tourism
Officials from Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Lao Cai, proposed co-operation initiatives regarding the develop ment of tourism-related mechanisms and policies, tourist products, promotion activities and the training of human resources for the sector.
Vietnam’s officials also suggested that relevant agencies of the two countries consider issue entry visas for tourists from other countries at border gates.
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Phan Thiet prepares for fish fest
Amidst the poetic scenery of the countryside with the murmur of canals running under ancient trees, Can Tho City is an ideal place for fishing for pleasure; providing a chance to contemplate in a place of tranquility.
Tourists go fishing at Thanh Tung Restaurant’s fish pond.
Late last year Thanh Tung Restaurant in Phuoc Thoi Ward, O Mon District at one end of National Road No.91 opened a fishing service in a 2,000-square-meter fish pond. Beside the pond are cottages where tourists may sit and freely cast their fishing-rods.
Package tours of foreign countries are now very attractive to visitors due to cheap prices, according to some local travel agencies.
Visitors to Vietnam
This is due to the fact that some airlines in Vietnam have reduced their airfares while transportation costs and hotel prices have also fallen sharply.
According to Saigontourist – the country’s leading travel agency, Thailand and the Republic of Korea are currently the most attractive destinations. In early March alone, six groups booked tours of the RoK with them.
Since the beginning of this year, Vietnam has been implementing the stimulus package “Impressive Vietnam” to attract more tourists to the country. Under this programme, tourists will enjoy a 30-50 percent discount for Vietnam tours nationwide.
Hon Tam in Nha Trang
Positive signs
There have been positive signs for the tourism sector this year during the Lunar New Year festival. Vietnam welcomed many international visitors from ASEAN member countries to famous World Heritage sites such as Halong Bay, Hue and the ancient city of Hoi An Vietnam.
The south central Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee has approved a programme for the 2009 Sea Festival, which will be held in the coastal city of Nha Trang from June 6-12.
Vietnam Sea Festival 2009The programme includes 70 different events in culture, art, sports, economics and science including a Cau Ngu festival (fish worshipping ceremony). There will also be a coracle racing, a human chess contest, an exhibition of calligraphy, and a sand sculpture contest.
Sailing event starts in Phan Thiet
The first round of the 2009 Vietnam Regatta Series that has begun at Jibe’s Beach Club in Mui Ne aims to promote the image of Ham Tien-Mui Ne Resort and provide tourists an exciting sporting option.
Organised by a Ho Chi Minh City-based yacht company in collaboration with the Binh Thuan Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event has attracted 40 sailors from the UK, France, the US, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Belgium and Vietnam.
The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai received 58,000 holiday-makers, including 26,000 foreigners, in the past two months, a year-on-year increase of 33 percent.Tour to Van Long
Of the total, 10,500 came from China’s southwestern region through the Lao Cai border gate.
The figures showed a good sign for the provincial tourism industry amidst forecasts that 2009 would be a difficult year for tourism services due to the impact of the global economic crisis.
Tour to Van Long, covering an area of 2,643 hectares in seven communes of Gia Vien district, in the northern province of Ninh Binh, Van Long nature reserve is a wonderful landscape with a rich ecological system.Tour to Van Long
Van Long is the largest swampland nature reserve in the northern delta. In Van Long forest, there are 457 species of plants, eight of which are listed in Vietnam’s Red Book, namely kieng, lat hoa, cot toai boi, sang, bach bo, ma tien hoa tan and tue la rong.
Vietnam tour guides who serve cruise travellers will have a ‘hard’ month in March 2009 . Twelve cruise ships are expected to arrive this month with 24 days ashore, while there were two or three cruise ships a month previously.Vietnam cruise tourism 2009
Tan Hong Travel said it has signed new contracts on receiving cruise ships in 2009, adding that cruise tourism will not see a ‘low season’ in 2009. In previous years, the period from May to September was considered the low season of that kind of tourism.
