Hoi An ancient town opens ‘Rest point for tourists’

On occasion of the 14th anniversary of Hoi An ancient town being recognized as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, the local authorities inaugurated ‘Rest point for tourists’ building at 57 Tran Phu Street.

The two-storey house covers an area of more than 200 square meters, displaying paintings by local and foreign artists, photos, prints and travel guide books of the town.

Travelers can visit adjacent heritage spaces including an Exhibition House at 46 Hoi An and the Folk Cultural Museum at 33 Tran Phu Street, Hoi An Traditional Art Performance House on Bach Dang Street and Hoai River.

Hoi An is in the central province of Quang Nam and was a major trading center of Southeast Asia in the 16th century. It was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations for local and international visitors to Vietnam.

Ha Long Bay imposes set fees

The Quang Ninh Finance Department has announced new transportation and accommodation prices for tourists visiting Ha Long Bay.

The cost of hiring a boat to cruise the bay will vary between VND280,000 (US$13) and VND600,000 ($29) per hour. The price of package tours will run from VND700,000 ($33) to VND5 million ($238) per customer for every 24 hours.

The fares will increase by a maximum of 30 per cent during festivals and holidays.

The announcement is aimed at creating a transparent and safe tourism environment.

By the end of October, Quang Ninh had welcomed more than 6.5 million tourists, reaching more than 87 per cent of its annual target. The number of tourists also represented a year-on-year increase of 10 per cent. The northern province hopes to receive 7.5 million of visitors this year.

Tickets rise for Ba Na Hill trips

Ticket prices to the famous Ba Na Hills in Da Nang City in 2014 will increase by VND50,000 to VND500,000 (US$24) for non-residents and VND350,000 ($17) for city residents.

According to the Sun Group, owner of the Ba Na Hills resort complex, the increase in prices will support quality improvements and provide more entertainment options.

In 2014, several new projects will be implemented, including expanding the spiritual tourism area, upgrading historic areas, building four-season flower houses and a French village. These projects are expected to attract more visitors to Ba Na Hills in the following months.

HCM City to enjoy Winter Fair

A Winter Fair will be organised in HCM City's District 11 from December 19 to 22, providing numerous entertainment options for local residents and foreigners to celebrate the Christmas festival.

The fair will have outdoor and indoor spaces presenting unique cultural features and traditional cuisines of Viet Nam and other countries in the EU.

Many special programmes will be organised for kids at the event, which will also offer the option of participating in charity events that support disadvantaged children.

Winter Fair 2013 is also being presented at chance for domestic and foreign traders and companies to share experiences and business opportunities.

The fair will open at 6.30pm on December 19. It will have 80 companies presenting goods and services in more than 160 booths, and expects to receive 100,000 visitors.

Vietnam Airlines launches automatic procedure system

Vietnam Airlines deployed an automatic procedure system at its Noi Bai Airport check-in kiosks on December 1 in Hanoi.

The automatic system installed on the second floor of the airport’s T1 terminal will help passengers minimise their check-in procedure time by about two minutes.

Furthermore, the deployment of the system will also enable the airport to serve more passengers, especially in peak periods.

In the future, the national flag carrier will continue expanding the system to better serve passengers.

HCM City receives 3.6 million foreign visitors

Ho Chi Minh City has so far this year welcomed 3.6 million foreign visitors, posting a year-on-year increase of 5% and achieving 89% of the year’s plan.

According to the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, only in November this year, the city received more than 419,000 foreign travelers, up 15% compared to the same period last year.

The tourism sector made a revenue of VND76,024 billion  over the past 11 months, rising by 19% year on year  and accounting 90% of the yearly plan.

Department Vice Director La Quoc Khanh said the city is expected to receive 4.1 million foreign tourists, making up 55% of the number of foreign travelers to Viet Nam.

The city also aims to gain VND81,970 billion in revenue, up 15%.

To attract more foreign and domestic visitors, the city organized Viet Nam Shopping 2013, with generous promotion activities, discount programs, and awards

The city intends to print four publications including Travel Guide, City Guide, Calendar of Events and maps in nine languages -- Vietnamese, English, French, German, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Chinese and Arabian.

Dragonair increases Danang-Hong Kong flights

Dragonair of Cathay Pacific announced it will raise the number of weekly flights between Danang and Hong Kong to 7 from the current 4 as of December 18.

The route was launched in late March 2013, and Danang is the airline’s second destination in Vietnam after Hanoi.

During the past ninth months, the airline has transported more than 30,000 passengers, mostly from Hong Kong to explore major tourist attractions in central Vietnam.

Dragonair said the central region of Vietnam, and Danang in particular, are becoming popular destinations with visitors from Hong Kong.

The central region is noted for UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Sites of My Son Sanctuary, Hoi An Ancient Town, and Hue Monument Complex, as well as many other cultural and historical relics.

On this occasion, Dragonair launched promotion sales for passengers taking its flights to Hong Kong and North America destinations.

Pre-tax airfare now costs VND4.4 million (US$199) for Danang-Hong Kong routes, VND14 million (US$629) for Danang/Hanoi-London routes, and from VND16.3 million (US$740) upward for flights from Danang to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Newark, Toronto, and Vancouver.

FVH offers weekend Ha Noi tours

The Friends of Viet Nam Heritage (FVH) will host two English-speaking tours on Saturday to learn about the French Concession and discover the Hoan Kiem Lake area.

The morning tour will start at 9am at the School of Pharmacy, designed by French architect Ernest Hebrard, before heading to the original French Concession of 1798 and other examples of French architecture in Ha Noi. During the walk, attendees will learn about the French expansion in the city and its influence on architecture.

The afternoon tour, starting at 1pm, will take tourists into the "centre of Ha Noi" to discover the founding of the city, the French colonisation of the area, as well as its history and legends of the lake.

To join any walking tour, contact Roman at FVH.CityWalks.English@gmail.com.

VietJetAir promotes new Vinh-Da Lat flights

During the Da Lat Flower Festival, VietJetAir has launched a promotion for its new route, Vinh-Da Lat, with tickets selling from VND120,000 (US$5.71).

Inexpensive tickets are available for two days, December 4th and December 10th from 12:00am to 05:00pm, for flights scheduled from December 24 to April 20, 2014.

With three weekly return flights, the Vinh-Da Lat route promises to provide 1,080 seats per week.

Vietnam explores Israel’s tourism potential

The Israel Ministry of Trade and the Israeli Embassy held a seminar in Hanoi, on December 4, to introduce and promote the tourism potential of Israel to Vietnamese travel operators.

Israeli Ambassador Meiraw Eilon Shahar said the seminar offered a good opportunity to help the Vietnamese grasp Israel’s open policy for tourism.

Israel plans to build a high-quality tourism industry, with a focus on creating new products and increasing the quality of existing services, including infrastructure, hotels, and communications network, she said.

She called for local tour operators to explore the tourism potential in Israel, and hoped that more Vietnamese visitors will choose her country as an attractive travel destination in the future.

A representative from Israel’s tourism business said more than 3.5 million tourists visit Israel each year.

Da Nang welcomes over 3.1 million tourists

The central city of Da Nang has welcomed more than 3.1 million tourists from the beginning of 2013, representing a year-on-year increase of 17.2 percent.

According to the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, of the arrivals, the number of foreign visitors reached more than 743,000, up 17.8 percent from the same previous last year.

The city has earned 7.784 trillion VND (365.9 million USD) from tourism services so far this year, a rise of 29.8 percent year-on-year.

In the period, 92 cruise ships anchored at Tien Sa port, bringing 102,465 visitors to the city, a 91 percent surge compared to 2012’s figure.

The city is implementing programmes to attract more tourists from foreign markets through direct air routes between Vietnam and Thailand, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and from nations along the East-West Economic Corridor.

It also focuses on the development of inland waterway tourism, offering a new tourist product.

Source: SGT/SGGP/VNA/VNS