Marvelling at the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay

If there is one 'best' place in the world that you should travel to in 2015, it is Ha Long Bay, according to influential travel guide publisher Lonely Planet.

In its most recent publication ‘The Big Trip’ listing the best 15 travel destinations, journeys and experiences for 2015, Lonely Planet has cited Ha Long Bay as the 2nd top destination.

“Whether you soak it up from a beachside restaurant or take on the waters in an old school junk, you’ll have to visit a couple of times to see the many colours of the limestone,” Lonely Planet writes.

“The clusters of limestone islands loom over crystal blue water, and none look exactly the same.”

Lonely Planet is one of the largest travel guide book publishers in the world.  Its books are aimed at backpackers and other budget-conscious travellers.

Vietjet launches HCMC-Seoul route

Vietjet has announced the opening of its new route linking Ho Chi Minh City and Seoul with a frequency of seven return flights per week.

The inaugural flight will depart from Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 00:15 (local time) and arrives in Incheon International Airport at 07:25 (local time) on November 7, 2015. The return flight will take off from Incheon International Airport at 11:20 (local time) and arrives in Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 14:50 (local time).

With this new route, VietJet now operates daily flights connecting Seoul to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where passengers can find it easy to fly to other Vietnam tourist-attraction destinations such as Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc Island, etc. with most affordable prices.

On this occasion, Vietjet offers up to 50,000 lucky tickets (terms and conditions applied) priced just from VND0 (excluded taxes and fees) in a special promotion named “It is time to Vietjet!”. Promotional tickets are sold only from 12:00 to 14:00 (Vietnam time) everyday from June 18, 2015 to June 25, 2015 at our website www.vietjetair.com (also compatible with smartphone at www.m.vietjetair.com) or facebook:

www.facebook.com/vietjetvietnam (by clicking “Booking” tab).

Travel periods for Ho Chi Minh city – Seoul route and Ha Noi – Seoul route are November 07, 2015 to March 27, 2016 and July 07, 2015 to March 27, 2016, respectively. Payment can be made online with international Internet banking cards. 

Vietnam likely to scrap visas for UK, France, Australia and more

The Vietnamese government has green-lighted several proposals, including waiving visas for more nations, to revive the country’s troubled tourist industry.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism have repeatedly called on the government to enact measures to ‘save’ the tourist industry, which has reported declining tourist arrival numbers for 12 months in a row, since May 2014.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved many propositions of the two agencies during a government meeting late last month, bringing about hopes that Vietnam would soon be able to lure back international visitors.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has proposed scrapping visas for countries that are Vietnam’s key tourism markets, or those it has strategic or comprehensive partnerships with, which has secured in-principle approval from the premier.

The countries that are likely to enjoy free-visa rules from Vietnam are the UK, France, Germany and Spain, which have strategic partnerships with Vietnam; and Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the Southeast Asian country’s comprehensive partners, according to newswire Van Hoa (Culture) Online.

“Tourists from these countries will be given a 15-day stay for each entry over five years,” Van Hoa Online quoted VNAT chief Nguyen Anh Tuan as saying.

The visa waivers for the first group of countries are expected to take effect on July 1 this year, and the second group, July 1 next year, according to the VNAT director.

Vietnam currently applies one-sided free-visa rules for seven countries, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Russia, and scraps visas for nine Southeast Asian countries including Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Starting next month, Vietnam will also waive visas for tourists from Belarus, according to a resolution the government released earlier this month.

The waiver will be applied within five years, from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2020, with an allowed stay of 15 days for each entry.

Tourists from the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 72% of international arrivals to Vietnam, followed by Europe (14%) and North America, according to a VNAT survey.

The government approval of the visa waiver proposal is seen by industry insiders as “an invitation to international tourists who love to explore Vietnam,” and a boost to the country’s tourism.

The visa waivers granted to Russia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea have indeed paid off, as vacationers from these countries collectively made up 23.6% of Vietnam’s tourist arrival numbers in 2014, according to the same VNAT data.

Vietnam scrapped visas for Japan and the Republic of Korea in 2004, and the number of holidaymakers from these countries has since increased 2.4 times and 3.6 times, respectively.

The number of Russian tourists visiting Vietnam in 2014 was 7.45 times higher than in 2009, when they began enjoying visa waivers from the country.

Nguyen Huu Tho, chairman of the Vietnam Travel Association, said waiving visas for more countries is inevitable at a time when Vietnam is struggling to compete with other regional tourism destinations.

Hoang Huu Loc, chairman of the board of members of Saigontourist, a leading tour operator in Ho Chi Minh City, said Vietnam should also scrap visas for nations that have non-stop flights to the country.

Free-visa rules will encourage international vacationers to come to Vietnam, and having a non-stop service there is a plus, he said.

A green valley of serenity in northern Vietnam

Most people only know Quang Binh Province in central Vietnam as the home of the world's largest cave Son Doong.

But if you think the province is all about caves, you will miss a beautiful, wild valley not far away.

Hung Tung Valley is around 35 kilometers to the north of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang cave system on Ho Chi Minh Road.

It has streams flowing around high limestone mountain ranges. It has lakes that look as deep as the sea.

Start your journey at Tan Hoa Commune, Minh Hoa District and ride a motorbike for around 20 minutes.

Once you see high ranges of mountains dotted with wooden houses and green corn fields, you can leave the bike. Start walking for two more hours through a primeval jungle and several small dark caves to Hung Tung.

The valley is a wonderland, strange and mesmerizing.

The first thing anyone entering the valley would do is to jump right into just any stream or lake and wash away their exhaustion in the fresh and cool water.

In order to travel through the valley, you will have to swim across streams. There will be quite a lot of climbing.

Local families are willing to host visitors with meals and overnight accommodation.