Da Nang Luxury resort nominated on ‘Best of The Best’ list

The five-star luxury resort InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula in the central city of Da Nang was nominated in the ‘Best of The Best’ list by Virtuoso, a leading travel industry luxury network spanning over 26 countries and 9,000 travel advisors.

In the list, the resort was nominated for the "Best Achievement in Design" award.

The award ceremony will be held at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, the US on August 12.

The ‘Best of The Best’ nomination list included nearly 1,000 hotels, properties and destinations that Virtuoso advisors have chosen specifically for their unique settings, extraordinary service and top-shelf amenities.

The resort, located 600m above on the Son Tra Peninsula, was among top five for the design awards including resorts from Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Netherlands.

Hue to upgrade harbour for cruise ships

Authorities in central Thua Thien - Hue Province have decided to invest VND310 billion (US$14 million) into a port upgrading project that aims to increase accommodation for cruise ships.

The harbour in the locality's Chan May general seaport will be upgraded by increasing its length. Dredging work to make a deep zone that facilitates the entry and exit of cruise ships will also be conducted.

The cruise line Royal Caribbean International will undertake the project and invest the other $5 million to develop logistical infrastructure at the port, which is expected to handle 6,000 passengers an hour once it is completed.

The work is expected to be completed by the first week of next month just before the arrival of a cruise liner in the middle of August.

The province's Deputy Chairman Dinh Khac Dinh ordered the port authorities to ensure that its staff and workers work daylong to maintain the deadline.

The local tourism authorities are targetting the arrival of 60,000 cruise ship passengers this year. Arrivals of cruise ships at the local port will provide a big boost to Hue tourism as not too many visitors have picked the former imperial capital city as a tourist destination recently. It is considered a place to visit while travelling between Da Nang City and Quang Binh Province. 

HCM City promotes tourism at international fair

Tourism in Ho Chi Minh City has been growing unprecedentedly over the past decades, contributing 11 percent of the economic hub’s GDP. The growth can be partly attributed to the city’s drive to promote tourism through the annual International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC).

First launched in 2005, the ITE HCMC began as an event for tourism promotion between three countries in the region under the theme “Three countries – One destination” but expanded to “Five countries – One destination” in 2013, boosting tourism links between Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

The exhibition provides a platform for local-level tourism promotion agencies, travel firms and other industry service providers to introduce their services, seek overseas partners and expand business.

The number of travel businesses joining the event has risen four-fold over a decade; from 80 in 2005 to 320 last year, making the fair a national and regional travel event.

La Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the fair looks to help local travel operators, especially small- and medium-sized firms, gain access to promising markets between 2015 and 2020.

Additionally, the city aims to turn the event into a regional festival for travellers, promoting destinations, travel services and deals among the five nations of the Lower Mekong Sub-region.

This year, the ITE HCMC is scheduled from September 10-12 and will celebrate its 11th anniversary.

This year’s event expects to host about 100 travel agencies in the sub-region, 200-350 international businesses and some 25,000 visitors, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Hong said, stressing that the tourism sector should work towards sustainable development.

HCM City plans to organise a series of cultural and sporting tourism events and call for more investment from the private sector to expand the industry.

Thua Thien-Hue tourism day opens

The 2015 Tourism Day of Thua Thien-Hue province kicked off on July 9 with the aim to promote tourism in the central locality.

The two-day event, co-organised by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, hotel and tourism associations and travel agencies, includes a number of activities such as a cuisine festival, a singing competition, a bartender contest, a bicycle race and folklore games.

Director of the Department Phan Tien Dung said the province welcomes 2.5-3 million visitors annually, 45 percent of whom are foreign. The tourist number increases by 13-15 percent year on year on average.

Tourism activities contribute to more than 50 percent of the province’s GDP and create about 10,000 jobs and 20,000 others indirectly.

Thua Thien-Hue targets to receive 4.2 million visitors by 2020, including 2 million international arrivals.

Tourism industry proud of 55-year contributions to economy

A ceremony has highlighted the tourism sector’s remarkable contributions to national development since the industry was established in Vietnam 55 years ago (July 9, 1960).

Addressing the celebratory function in Hanoi on July 8, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh said tourism has become a driving force for many other economic sectors, noting the growing tourist number and increasing tourism revenue are fostering the national gross domestic product.

Tourism is also a major job generator with about 700,000 people and 1.5 million others working indirectly in 2014, accounting for 4 percent of the total workforce, he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam lauded the sector’s efforts to develop over the past 55 years while pointing out shortcomings compared to regional countries.

He asked for stronger determination and creativity by every relevant agency, travel company and person to make breakthroughs in tourism, ultimately developing the national economy more rapidly and sustainably.

He requested the ministry work with relevant ministries and branches to remove policy hurdles to create a favourable environment for tourism development. Meanwhile, local authorities must make drastic moves to address tourism flaws and learn from the examples of other successful localities.

The official continued to say that he hopes travel enterprises will set aside their own benefits and work responsibly for the sake of the whole sector and the nation. He also called on each individual to exhibit appropriate behaviour to promote Vietnam as a safe, hospitable and attractive destination for foreign visitors.

At the ceremony, the Vietnam Tourism Awards, the most prestigious titles of the industry, were presented to organisations and individuals who have greatly contributed to the growth of Vietnam’s tourism.

Hanoi’s leading tourism sites honoured with national award

Hanoi’s Temple of Literature, Vietnamese Women’s Museum and Vietnam Museum of Ethnology have been named among the five leading tourism sites in the country, according to the organisation board of Vietnam Tourism Award 2014.

The award also went to two other nationally renowned tourism sites-  My Son Sanctuary (in the central province of Quang Nam) and Ba Na Hills Mountain Resort (in central Danang city) .

In addition, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also presented the “For the cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism” insignia to 19 outstanding individuals who have made great contributions to the tourism industry’s expansion  last year.

Speaking at  the award ceremony on July 9, which coincides with the 55th anniversary of the establishment of the tourism industry (1960-2015), Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said the award aims to honour businesses’ contributions to elevating the country’s image, boosting economic development, and preserving cultural identities.

Danang issues code of conduct for locals, visitors

The central city of Danang has issued a code of conduct applicable to the tourist industry, in an apparent bid to maintain its reputation as a safe and friendly destination for both domestic and international tourists.

The set of rules is applied to three groups, including individuals and organizations working in the city’s tourism sector; local residents; and domestic and international tourists, the municipal tourism department said on July 7.

The code of conduct is expected to “make the relationship between the city and its tourists better,” according to the department.

Individuals and organizations working in tourism must respect vacationers and treat them with a friendly attitude, according to the rules.

They must always be ready to say “hello, sorry, please, thank you, goodbye and see you again,” and be honest and helpful to tourists.

Local tourism service providers must not disturb holidaymakers, rip them off, or sell products with substandard quality or dubious origins to them.

Danang residents, meanwhile, must be respectful, helpful and enthusiastic when in contact with tourists, and not destroy the city’s nature or tourist attractions, the code says.

They are also required to avoid such misbehaviors as splitting, littering or urinating in public.

The city also calls for appropriate manners from its visitors.

Those who visit Vietnam’s central hub must respect its culture, customs and traditions and avoid damaging the city’s nature, public assets and tourism spots.

“The code of conduct is intended to build up a habit to have polite, friendly and cultured behaviors among the Danang tourism industry insiders,” the tourism department said. “It will also help create a good impression of Danang.”

The coastal city of Danang, more than 850km from Ho Chi Minh City and 821km from Hanoi, has a reputation for safe, friendly and honest tourism.

In 2014,  the city welcomed 3.8 million tourists, up 21.9% from a year earlier.

Danang targets a tourist arrival number of 4.5 million for this year.

In the first half of 2015, the city received more than two million visitors.

Newly-appointed ambassadors urged to grasp Party’s policies

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked newly-appointed ambassadors and heads of Vietnamese representative agencies overseas to grasp the Party’s policies, the State’s laws and the country’s status in order to promote their capacity, responsibility and creativeness in performing their roles, contributing to enhancing Vietnam’s relations with other countries and creating a favourable climate for national construction and defence.

PM Dung made the statement during a meeting with newly-appointed ambassadors and heads of representative Vietnamese agencies operating overseas in Hanoi on July 9.

He urged the diplomats to fulfill political diplomatic tasks in order to boost political trust and mutual understanding between the country and other nations throughout the world.

The PM asked diplomats to focus on seeking and expanding markets for Vietnam’s products and services, promoting direct foreign investment, boosting tourism co-operation, as well as calling for official development assistance for socio-economic infrastructure construction, human resource development and climate change adaptation.

They should also strive for further co-operation between Vietnam and other countries in education, training, science, technology, labour, national defence, security and national sovereignty protection, especially in regards to the nation’s sacred sovereignty over sea and islands in the East Sea, the government leader added.

PM Dung also requested the diplomats to effectively implement citizen protection work to ensure the legitimate interests of over four million Vietnamese people studying, working and living abroad, as well as to enhance the missions’ unity and fulfill all entrusted tasks outstandingly.

The diplomats expressed their gratitude to the leader’s reception and promised to do their utmost to fulfill assigned tasks to respond to trust of the Party, the State and people.