Drop by Cham Museum to explore Cham culture

The Cham Museum in Danang has a large collection of Cham sculptures and artworks which visitors can explore to get to know the culture of Cham people.

The museum was built in 1915 in ancient Cham architecture. Champa’s sculptures are extensive and diverse, dating from the 7th to 15th centuries.

On display are about 500 sandstones and terra-cotta sculptures collected from Cham temples and towers throughout the country, mostly from Quang Binh and Binh Thuan provinces. The artifacts at the museum are altars, statues and decorative works from Hindu and Buddhist temples and towers.

The museum has about 2,000 artifacts in total, offering visitors a journey through eight centuries of evolution of Cham sculptures from its golden age to its decline.

The museum is located at 2 Hai Thang Chin Street in Danang City, tel: 0511 3470 114, website: www.chammuseum.danang.vn.

US cruise ship to visit in November

US-based Princess Cruises said its Sapphire Princess would sail to Viet Nam during its first season of cruise trips in Southeast Asia starting in November.

Ba Ria Vung Tau (Phu My) and Nha Trang, two of the most popular destinations in Viet Nam for international cruise vessels, will be part of the company's 2014-15 itinerary.

The four-month Southeast Asia season will see 15 roundtrip cruises from Singapore ranging from three to 11 days.

The Sapphire Princess will come to Viet Nam during two 11-day Southeast Asia tours starting on November 27 and December 18 and two seven-day Viet Nam – Thailand tours on January 30 and February 16 next year.

Some 40,000 passengers from Viet Nam and around Asia, North America, the UK, and Australia are expected to travel this season.

The 116,000-tonne Sapphire Princess is designed to carry 2,670 passengers, and has more than 200 suites and mini-suites with private balconies.

According to the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, last year 193,261 visitors arrived by sea, two-thirds higher year-on-year. The tourism industry expects the number to top one million by next year.

Ha Long Bay is like a ‘fairy tale'

Ha Long Bay ranks 16th in a list of 26 "places that look like they have been taken out of fairy tales" according to US-based website BuzzFeed Travel.

"Also known as ‘Descending Dragon Bay', Ha Long is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular tourist destination in Quang Ninh, Viet Nam," it says.

"This natural wonder features turquoise waters, limestone karsts, and islets of all shapes and sizes."

The other 25 are Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), Glowworm Caves (New Zealand), Colmar (France), Batu Caves (Malaysia), Saint Basil's Cathedral (Russia), Wisteria Tunnel (Japan), Paro Taktsanng (Bhutan), Cave of the Crystals (Mexico), Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Angel Falls (Venezuela), Petra (Jordan), Zhangye Danxia Landform (China), Mont Saint-Michel (France), Pamukkale (Turkey), Glenfinnan Viaduct (Scotland), Las Lajas Sanctuary (Colombia), Sea of Stars on Vaadhoo Island (Maldives), Sintra (Portugal), Avenue of the Baobabs (Madagascar), Peles Castle (Romania), Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (China), Taj Mahal (India), Dark Hedges (Ireland), Palace of Versailles (France), and Skagit Valley Tulip Fields (United States).

The international travel website touropia.com has listed the 10 best places to visit in Viet Nam. They are Da Lat, My Son, HCM City, the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang, Sa Pa, Hue, Hoi An, Ha Noi, and Ha Long Bay.

According to the website, Viet Nam is a land of striking landscapes ranging from lush rice terraces and forested mountains in the north to the picturesque valleys of the Central Highlands and the fertile delta and beautiful beaches of the south.

Included in the mix are booming modern cities, colonial towns, traditional villages, archaeological sites, and otherworldly islands, it says further.

Hai Phong to display old bikes

Old motorbikes will be exhibited and people allowed to pose with them at the third Red Flamboyant Festival in Hai Phong on May 11.

Ancient Bikes Day will see bikes from the city and nearby cities and provinces shown off at Nguyen Du Flower Garden, and the downtown area.

Vietnam tops tourist arrivals to Cambodia

Vietnam remained the top foreign visitor to Cambodia in the first quarter of this year with 189,816 people travelling to the neighbouring country, a year-on-year rise of 4.2 percent.

According to Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon, Vietnam topped the chart in 2013 with over 850,000 arrivals.

As many as 133,500 Cambodians were welcomed to Vietnam in January-March, up over 30 percent against the same period last year.

Tourism is one of the key economic sectors of Cambodia, enjoying an annual growth of 15-20 percent.

The country aims to serve around 4.7 million foreign tourists this year and 5 million in 2015, Thong Khon said.

It attracted 4.2 million overseas visitors last year, grossing 2.5 billion USD.

The country’s popular destinations are Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap, the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh and the ancient Preah Vihear Temple near the border with Thailand.