Lua Viet offers $1 Sai Gon River tours for students, factory workers

The Lua Viet Tourism Company and Ben Nghe Tourism Boat has a special Sai Gon River tourism programme for students and workers for the unbelievable price of VND20,000 (US$1) person.

Southern schools, universities, factories and enterprises can join the programme every morning, which caters for 500 – 900 persons each trip.

Tour guides will talk about the history of the river and HCM City and organise fun games.

Insurance and drinking water for the three-hour trip is included in the price.

"This is a fun and informative package for students and workers, who can't afford an expensive river tour," Nguyen Van My, director of the Lua Viet Toruism Company, said.

Organisers plan 60 trips from now to the end of the year and will serve meals or stop along the way if customers require.

ASEAN considers single visa option

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working on a plan that would open the region to foreign tourists in the same way as Europe with a unified visa system and streamlined travel arrangements. When the plan is realised, travellers will be able to travel through all 10 ASEAN member nations on a single tourist visa.

"You would just have to apply for one visa and you could then visit all the countries using that visa," said Eddy Krisneidi, an official at the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat, which recently released its Tourism Strategic Plan for the next five years.

ASEAN countries recorded more than 65 million foreign visitor arrivals in 2009. Malaysia led the field, followed by Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei.

HCM City welcomes cruise ship

HCM City-based tour operator Viet Excursions welcomed 3,200 foreign cruise passengers in Ha Long, Nha Trang and HCM City on Monday.

Cruise ship Queen Mary II of the Cunard line brought in 2,500 passengers, mostly from England, the US and Australia to Nha Trang. As the 1,132ft long ship is too big to drop anchor at Nha Trang Port, the travel firm agency used small boats to take tourists around Nha Trang Bay before it left for Thailand the same day.

Seven hundred other passengers came on two cruise ships, Silver Whisper, which docked in HCM City, and SeaBorne Pride that dropped an anchor in Ha Long Bay.

Viet Excursion also received SilverSpirit in Hai Phong on Wednesday and organised a Viet Nam tour for 2,600 passengers on board yesterday.

Tour agencies seek French market

Local tour operator La Palanche Voyages, Luxury Travel, Viet Nam Originale and Cle Voyage participated in the 2011 Le Monde Paris (MAP) International Tourism Fair that was held from March 17-20. Director of La Palanche Voyages Nguyen Xuan Hai said his company considers France a strategic market and wished to directly introduce its services to French as well as European holidaymakers.

This year's fair highlighted special festivals from different countries throughout the world, such as the carnivals in Brazil, Belgium and the northern region of France; harvest festivals of Croatia, Spain, Turkey and Greece; and water festival of Myanmar.

The four-day fair, which presented travel products and services of well-known travel firms, hotels and restaurants in more than 500 booths, attracted over 100,000 visitors.

Tay Ho Restaurant lets diners get a taste of Canada

The Don's Tay Ho Restaurant off Xuan Dieu Street in Ha Noi has begun a plan to promote Canadian cuisine.

The Great Taste of Canada event runed yesterday, March 24, to April 10.

Canadian Ambassador Deborah Chatsis said she was proud and delighted to be able to offer Hanoians an opportunity to experience the finest food from Canada.

"I hope Vietnamese gourmets will enjoy the great quality of Canadian cuisine from the pristine oceans and pastures of Canada," she said.

"Canada has all the crucial requirements to supply Viet Nam with quality agriculture products and beverages. It has a clean environment, world-class agricultural practices and high standards of food inspection and hygiene. We want delicious, safe, healthy Canadian foodstuffs and beverages to become part of the modern Vietnamese fine-dining culture and lifestyle," she said.

Later in the year, Canadian food will also be promoted in HCM City.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News