Volcanic caves open to tourists

The Young Generation Co. Ltd has started running experimental tours to the 25km long volcanic cave system in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong.

The system, the largest in Southeast Asia, was discovered more than seven years ago in Krong No district.

One cave, the 594 metre-long grotto known as C3, is the second longest tube-shaped volcanic cave in Southeast Asia.

An adjacent cave is located in a forest full of beautiful old trees.

The caves have distinctive volcanic characteristics, such as ancient lava banks, solidified lava flows and big sinkholes full of tropical plants.

Tourist can also enjoy gong performances by the M’Nong ethnic people and visit other local scenic areas.

The cave system has been studied by the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, with the support of UNESCO, since 2007.

The caves have also been examined by scientists from the Japan Caving Association.

Vietnam aims to attract tourists from India and Middle East

A seminar has been held under the framework of the on-going Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) in Hanoi to seek measures to attract more tourists from India and the Middle East.

Nguyen Van Tuan, Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), emphasised that the VNAT will hold fam trips (familiarisation trip) to the two potential markets to seek opportunities.

Meanwhile Dinh Ngoc Duc, head of the VNAT’s International Cooperation Department, reported on results of a market survey and suggested measures to develop the Indian tourism market by 2020.

Accordingly, Vietnam will house a series of activities such as destination & product promotion, training and employment opportunities, traditional culinary demonstration and cultural performance.

Vietnam will also consider hosting an awards ceremony of Bollywood films in Vietnam.

Deputy Director of the VNAT’s Travel Department Pham Le Thao pointed out advantages, disadvantages and measures to exploit the market’s huge potential. In the immediate future, Vietnam will diversify tourism products, disseminate information on Middle East tourists and improve tourism infrastructure.

Measures in the long-run include research of consumers’ tastes and establishing Middle East tourism clubs.

Central provinces develop sustainable tourism

Responsible and sustainable tourism, core of a community-based project developing sustainability practices among travelers and stakeholders, has yielded fruits since its launch in the central provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue one year ago.

The US$900,000 project began in January 2014 and lasted through December 2015 under the auspices of the UNESCO Office and the International Labour Organisation in Vietnam, equipping tour operators and locals with skills needed to raise their incomes while preserving their cultural values.

It roped in 25 tour operators, 11 schools, three districts in Quang Nam and another one in Thua Thien-Hue to provide tour packages for holiday-makers.

In Dhroong brocade weaving village in Quang Nam’s Triem Tay district, a part of its population lives on tourism by taking tourists to places of attraction and introducing local cultural lives to them.

Looking forward, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue are to ramp up infrastructure and offer incentives to any stakeholder in the project, including the locals.

A marketing campaign will spread further to boost visitor number, which currently stays at modest level.

Luxury cruiser arrives at Chan May port

The luxury cruise liner Celebrity Millennium of Malta with over 1,600 tourists and crew members docked at the Chan May port in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 7.

After disembarking, tourists went sightseeing and enjoyed special cuisine in the ancient imperial city of Hue, Hoi An ancient town and My Son Sanctuary in Quang Nam province, and Danang city.

Chan May port is expected to welcome 40 international cruisers and approximately 67,000 tourists and 29,000 crew members this year.

In addition, the Golden Week of Tourism in the city of Hue will take place on April 22-28 with a series of promotions at heritage sites, offering visitors an eclectic choice of discounted tours and bonus services.

Accordingly, visitors touring the Imperial Palace and Minh Mang and Khai Dinh tombs will receive free entrance to the Thieu Tri tomb and An Dinh palace.

Along with the above sites, visitors buying the package tour of four sites – the Imperial Palace and the tombs of Minh Mang, Tu Duc and Khai Dinh- can visit for free Gia Long and Thieu Tri tombs, Hon Chen temple and An Dinh palace.

In the line-up are a showcase of royal costumes and cuisine in Truong Sanh palace on April 22, a night music performance in Co Ha garden on April 25, and a display of antique jewelleries at the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities.

Quang Ninh welcomes 3 million tourists in Q1

The northern province of Quang Ninh welcomed nearly three million tourists in the first quarter of 2015, reported the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The figure represents a two percent annual increase and amounts to 40 percent of the year’s target.

Of the tourists, 791,600 were international arrivals, a slight one percent over that of the same period last year.

The industry earned 1.63 trillion VND (74.9 million USD) in the first three months, up 15 percent compared to last year.

Quang Ninh is now preparing for a new tourism season with a wide range of attractive activities, such as the 2015 Ha Long Carnival Festival and the Japanese cherry festival. The province is also doing its utmost to improve its service quality, diversify products, ensure visitor safety and keep prices stable.-

Hanoi seeks to spice up its allure

A recent workshop was held in Hanoi where experts gathered to find ways to enhance the attractiveness of the capital's tourism products.

The workshop was part of the third Vietnam International Travel Mart which wrapped up on April 6.

According to Vice Director of the Institute for Tourism Department Research, Do Thanh Hoa, Hanoi has become an attractive destination for tourists.

The city is ranked fourth out of the top 25 tourism destinations in the world in 2015 by travel website TripAdvisor, based on evaluations of service quality, hotels, beautiful landscapes and food, she said.

The city was also ranked eighth among the top 10 tourism destinations in Asia in 2014 by Smart Travel Asia.

Local residents need to look after the environment and be friendly to tourists, Hoa added.

Hanoi has a large number of places of cultural and historical interest, and intangible heritages recognised by UNSECO, especially traditional festivals.

According to Truong Quoc Binh, a senior expert at the Vietnam Institute for Culture and Arts Studies and a member of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, one of the top priorities for the city is to restore and renovate its relics.

Nguyen Thanh Binh, Deputy Director of the Hotel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, highlighted the importance of state management to improve the quality of services.

One solution he proposed at the workshop was to set up a tourism help desk, and to deal with feedback on service quality p rovided by foreign and domestic visitors.

Conducting surveys on tourism service quality and satisfaction was also important.

Nguyen Cong Truong, Vice Director of the Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre, said that over the years, the number of visitors to the Imperial Citadel had remained modest.

The centre has been trying to attract more visitors with events such as the Spring Festival, flower exhibitions and displays of artefacts and antiques, but these efforts have failed to drive numbers.

Many experts at the workshop agreed that improving human resources was vital for tourism development in Hanoi. People working in the tourism sector should be trained professionally, while community tourism should be promoted.

Discover Nha Trang with the Emperor Cruises

Not just Halong Bay and Mekong Delta, travellers can now explore Nha Trang Bay on a five-star cruise, which is named one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world.

Emperor Cruises will be the first to offer high-end all-inclusive, unlimited services to serve luxury travellers in Nha Trang Bay.

Combined with the international 5-star hotel brand Intercontinental Nha Trang, Emperor Cruises have created a three days - two nights programme to Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa. Guests can now enjoy three days - two nights holiday in Nha Trang Bay with Emperor Cruises for moments of relaxation, interesting discoveries, cruising activities, scrumptious fresh seafood dinners, stunning sunsets, and refreshing cocktails along the coast of Nha Trang.

Emperor Cruises has many attractive activities suitable for all ages such as: visits to Hon Mieu, Hon Mun and other islands by speedboat, swimming at the wild beaches, rowing local basket boats, kayaking, snorkelling and scuba diving.

In addition, this programme takes travellers to explore more islands, go further into the ocean, discover the local island lives, coastal lagoons, fishing villages, beautiful lighthouses, and birds' nests on steep cliffs, with the help of an Experience Manager for the guests to experience every moment of the trip.

The service includes two nights at the Intercontinental Nha Trang hotel, Nha Trang airport shuttle transfers, daily breakfasts, and an all-inclusive Day Cruise on the Emperor Cruises.

As promotion, Emperor Cruises and the Intercontinental Nha Trang are offering an all-inclusive package for VND7.4 million ($360) per person only for bookings made from April 15, 2015 to August 30, 2015.

Discount tours of Hue heritage sites in late April

The Hue Golden Week of Tourism will take place on April 22-28 with a series of promotions at heritage sites, offering visitors an eclectic choice of discounted tours and bonus services.

The week is in response to the 2015 domestic tourism stimulus programme launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the 40 th anniversary of national reunification (April 30) and the Hue traditional craft festival (April 28 – May 2), according to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

Accordingly, visitors touring the Imperial Palace and Minh Mang and Khai Dinh tombs will receive free entrance to the Thieu Tri tomb and An Dinh palace.

In addition to the above sites, visitors to Tu Dinh will be taken to Gia Long and Thieu Tri tombs, Hon Chen temple and An Dinh palace for free.

Groups of 20 or more visitors will enjoy guided tours free-of-charge, 10-30 percent discount on ceremonial music performances, photos and electric car services, among others.

During the week, the Ta Tra building of Dien Tho palace will open its door to visitors, featuring a guest reception space and a rickshaw of the late Queen Mother Tu Minh, mother of King Thanh Thai.

The rickshaw was bought back from a centre in France last year, marking the country’s first successful effort to retrieve royal antiques from an auction abroad.

In the line-up are a showcase of royal costumes and cuisine in Truong Sanh palace on April 22, a night music performance in Co Ha garden on April 25, and a display of antique jewelleries at the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities.

Similar weeks will be held on June 14-21, September 2-8, and December 28-30.

Thanh Hoa province works to draw tourists

Tourism authorities in the central north coastal province of Thanh Hoa are taking practical measures to target five million tourists and US$ 158.6 million in revenue during 2015.

The measures involve improving the quality of hospitality services, amplifying the tourism workforce and diversifying products.

It also includes plans to mitigate un-friendly behaviors, including scams, begging, aggressiveness or rudeness towards tourists.

The initiatives are set to be applied to all its tourist destinations in the province from the famous beach Sam Son to historical sites.

Thanh Hoa will also continue the restoration of national historic relics and develop seaside resort areas.

The central province now has 672 guesthouses and hotels with a capacity of 14,000 rooms, 75 hotels of which are from one to four stars with over 4,000 rooms.

There are 16,000 people working in the provincial hospitality industry, which grew 22.6 percent annually.

Vietnam’s global travel boom

About 5 million Vietnamese ventured abroad every year in recent time and spent over 6 billion USD on their trips, according to the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents (VISTA).

The figure includes about 1.1 million travelling to China, nearly 1 million to Cambodia, 850,000 to Thailand and 200,000 to Western Europe.

Trips to Japan made by Vietnamese nationals grew 50 percent in 2014, spending 200 million USD. Meanwhile, over 2 billion USD was dropped in Singapore for medical procedures.

VISTA Chairman Vu The Binh said there is increasing demand for international travel among Vietnamese.

He added that tourism sector needs to further promote itself to provide customers with efficient information about prominent and desirable destinations.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri