Int’l Sea and Island Tourism Fair 2013 opens

Local and foreign visitors have flocked to Nha Trang city in central Vietnam to attend an international sea and island tourism fair, which opened at the Diamond Bay Resort on June 8.

The International Sea and Island Tourism Fair 2013, the first of its kind in Vietnam, has attracted international tourism businesses from Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, India, the United Arab Emirates and Bulgaria.

More than 100 pavilions at the fair display a variety of tourism products offered by businesses under the Vietnam National Tourism Administration (VNAT), the Vietnam Aviation Corporation and domestic travel agencies from over 20 coastal provinces and cities in Vietnam.

The fair is expected to help foreign investors and tourism promoters seek business opportunities in Vietnam.

Localities and domestic businesses also introduced visitors to Vietnam’s potential for sea and island tourism as well as attractive destinations, products and services in various areas of the region.

A special workshop of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Marketing Task Force will be held during the three-day fair. Two seminars on sea travel and tourism product development will also take place on this occasion.

 Tiger Airways launches Singapore promotion

Tiger Airways has announced a promotion offering tickets to Singapore for a mere VND88,000 (US$4.2) from HCM City and VND688,000 from Ha Noi.

The promotion will start from June 10 and last one week for flights between October 9 to November 3 this year.

The carrier has three daily flights between HCM City and Singapore and five weekly flights between Ha Noi and Singapore.

Travel agencies slash tour prices to attract clients

HCM City travel agencies are offering discounts to attract customers during the summer period, usually the busiest time of the year for the industry.

Tours with Saigontourist to Ban Gioc Fall in Cao Bang Province and Ba Be Lake in Bac Kan, for example, are VND3.3 million (US$157) lower than they were last year.

Saigontourist along with Vietnam Airlines and Bhaya Cruises has launched a promotional tour to Ha Long Bay, including an overnight stay on cruises with discounts of more than VND4 million. Fiditour is offering tours from HCM City to sea resorts in central regions at prices between VND500,000 and VND3 million lower than they were few months ago.

Budget domestic tours to well-known destinations in northern and southern Viet Nam offered by travel companies, including Lien Bang Travelink and Vietravel, have fallen by 30 per cent.

Vietnam Airlines is giving travel companies in HCM City discounts of 38-58 per cent on flights from HCM City to Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc.

Budget tours on passenger buses from HCM City to orchards in Ben Tre, Vinh Long and Can Tho in the Mekong Delta are also attracting many customers.

Seminar talks cruise tourism development

Over 100 representatives from the tourism sector met in central coastal Khanh Hoa province on June 9 in a seminar discussing how Vietnam can become a more attractive destination for foreign cruise tourists.

The seminar, themed “Developing cruise tourism,” was organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) in conjunction with the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa province.

Tourism officials were joined at the discussions by economic experts and members of domestic and international travel agencies.

Addressing the event, VNAT Director General Nguyen Van Tuan stressed the important position of Vietnam on the East Sea transport line and declared that this would be advantageous to the country in its bid to develop cruise tourism.

According to VNAT statistics, Vietnam greeted over 285,000 cruise travellers in 2012, six times more than in 2011. In the first five months of this year, the number was already 51 percent higher than in the same period last year.

The number of tourists was unstable, sometimes dropped drastically since 1999, due to the global economic downturn and Vietnam’s unattractive programmes to attract travel agencies and tourists.

A representative from the Singapore Tourism Board said that cruise tourism is becoming increasingly popular in Asia and Vietnam and other coastal ASEAN countries should capitalise. They revealed that 25 new ships will be built in the continent, increasing the capacity in the cruise tourism sector by 15 percent before 2017.

The representative suggested Vietnam invest promptly in upgrading its infrastructure, technology and human resources, while also implementing reforms to customs procedures.

Participants at the seminar also discussed how the country could diversify the activities it offers tourists and enhance its image internationally to potential visitors. They exchanged their knowledge and experience and proposed the creation of a market resource network for cruise travellers.

Hon Mau Island to become attractive tourism site

The southern province of Kien Giang is planning to turn Hon Mau Island into an attractive community tourism site for holiday-makers in the near future.

Located 90km from Rach Gia city Hon Mau is one of the 21 islands in Nam Du archipelago, Kien Hai district, which has many beautiful beaches and landscapes.

The island has five beaches, Chuong, Nam, Bac, Da Đen (Black Rock) and Da Trang (White Rock).

Chuong and Nam have fine white sand. Nam beach has smooth sea almost all year around. It is also very clean. Black Rock and White Rock beaches are famous for their many beautiful rocks with diverse shapes and colours, which all tourists want to pick up and take away as souvenirs.

According to Nguyen Trung Thanh, General Director of Tran Thai Real Estate Company, Hon Mau Island has potential for becoming an eco-tourism model.

He said his company and the province’s relevant sectors will work together and make fact-finding tours in order to set up master and detailed plans for eco-tourism development on the island.

The plans are expected to help islanders improve their livelihoods.

Phu Quoc focuses on eco-friendly tourism

A number of resorts in Phu Quoc island district in the southern province of Kien Giang have invested billions of Vietnamese dong in wastewater treatment serving sustainable tourism development.

Eden Resort located in Cua Lap village, Duong To commune, has poured over 3 billion VND into building a wastewater treatment system.

Over 100 cubic metres of wastewater discharged from the resort’s restaurants and hotels each day are treated in the system before being reused or released into the environment.

Nguyen Vo Quynh Dao, Eden Resort Deputy Director, described environmental protection awareness as an important factor in the sustainable development of tourism.

The company’s wastewater, which is treated using Korean technology, can be reused in fish farms, she noted.

La Veranda Resort, a joint venture with France in Duong Dong town, Phu Quoc district, practises the motto “eco-friendly tourism business”.

To improve service quality, the hotel has built a wastewater treatment system worth over 2 billion VND.

Apart from using eco-friendly environmental products, La Veranda has also set up a rubbish collection system, said Nguyen Thi Quoc Anh, a La Veranda manager.

However, the standardised wastewater treatment system has yet to be popularised among businesses operating in tourism in Phu Quoc.

Therefore, the Eden Resort Deputy Director called on all hotels in the island district to engage in the campaign, therefore attracting more holiday-makers to the locality.

Hotel businesses on Phu Quoc island have also expressed their hope that district officials will put forth more efficient solutions for environmental protection.

Sustainable and eco-friendly tourism development is what businesses on Phu Quoc are looking for in an effort to protect the environment. The process however, requires the whole community to join hands.

Angsana Lang Co launches Summer offer for local Vietnamese market

Angsana Lang Co, located within Laguna Lang Co - Vietnam’s first world-class integrated resort, has launched an attractive offer for local residents to experience an activity-filled getaway amidst peaceful seclusion in the heart of central Vietnam.

From now until end of August 2013, Vietnamese citizens and resident expatriates can now enjoy a rate of VND 2.52 million nett per night for a Deluxe room in the most stylish resort to open in Vietnam this year. Offer includes breakfast for two persons and is subject to 5 per cent service charge and 10 per cent government tax.

Officially opening its doors in April 2013, Angsana Lang Co is a contemporary getaway featuring 229 suites ranging from 52sqm to 179sqm, more than 100 of which come equipped with their own private pools. The resort also features one of the longest serpentine pools in Southeast Asia. Meandering throughout the resort, the 300 metre pool is within easy access to guests.

All suites in every room category feature expansive mountain, lagoon or sea views. The contemporary Angsana Lang Co provides a compelling getaway experience, from exceptional accommodation and entertaining activities to a wide variety of dining options.

“We are sitting on a truly special property,” said Albert Lafuente – area director of sales and marketing, Banyan Tree Lang Co and Angsana Lang Co. “Set on a secluded three kilometre bay, just an hour from Danang International Airport, we have stunning suites, and a swimming pool that is already the talk of the town.”

“This is a great opportunity for people around the country to slip away for a journey that offers everything from the relaxing experience of drifting along our stunning serpentine pool, to the raw adrenaline of the all-terrain vehicles (ATV), banana boats and jet-skis! We truly have something for everyone up here at Angsana.”

Guests are able to choose from a wealth of activities to meet the needs of groups, couples and families of all ages. The Watersport Activities Centre features aquatic activities such as jet skiing, parasailing, water skiing, wind surfing, and kayaking, while the Activities Centre offers archery, mountain biking, ATV, kids’ ATVs, two-seater mini cars.

The Handicraft Centre immerses guests in Vietnam’s rich artistic legacy with classes in various fine arts led by local masters. The Laguna Lang Co Golf Club, an 18-hole, par-71 championship course designed by Sir Nick Faldo, delivers a golfing experience that can be enjoyed by skilled and novice players alike.