VN among top 5 countries to visit in 2015

A traditional festival in VN.

Viet Nam has been recently voted as one of the top 5 suggested destinations for travelers for 2015, according to Malaysia’s independent newspaper, Malay Mail Online.

The newspaper also reported that Viet Nam has declared 2015 its national year of tourism, meaning that there has never been a better time to visit.

In this year, there will be many special cultural events and shows for tourists, organized at the country’s monuments and cultural heritage sites, such as the imperial fortress of Thang Long.

In addition, the central coastal city of Da Nang, which is located between the Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, topped Tripadvisor’s list for the best destinations of 2015.

Viet Nam has set the target of serving 8.5 million foreigners and 41 million domestic visitors this year.

Flea market at dawn

Situated on Nguyen Kiem Street in HCMC’s Go Vap District, a flea market selling a wide range of old items has two trading sessions a day.

The first session starts at 5 a.m. and operates until 7 a.m. and after that vendors put their stuff away, leaving space for others to do business from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m.

For more than 20 years, the flea market has been frequented by people fond of old items such as plugs, cell phone chargers, card readers, televisions, CD players, laptops and digital cameras, mobile phones.

Vendors often travel far and wide to buy old items and then clean them up for sale.

Son La eyes medical plant tourism development

A number of medical plant models have been developed together with ecological tourism initiatives in Moc Chau and Van Ho districts in the northern mountainous province of Son La by courtesy of its climate advantage.

Moc Chau, located on a limestone plateau with altitudes ranging from 800 to 1,000 metres above sea level, boasts a temperate climate, giving it the opportunity to develop temperate and sub-tropical plants, especially precious medical plants such as artichoke, Bai Zhu, Radix Angelicae, Radix Scrophulariae, jiaogulan, and cordyceps.

The Cao Nguyen Joint Stock Company has implemented models for cultivating cordyceps, a rare and valuable genus of ascomycete fungi, in Bun village, Moc Chau district since April 2014. The high-value product is sold at 20 million VND (952 USD) per kilogramme.

In addition, vegetable and mushroom planting models using state-of-the-art technology have also been applied in the district.

Meanwhile, the Binh Minh Technology and Trading Co., Ltd has been growing medical plants across 148 hectares in newly-established Van Ho district.

The company has trained 55 local residents in cultivating techniques and encouraged households in Van Ho and Chieng Yen communes to plant medical plants in combination with developing ecological tourism.

According to the provincial People’s Committee, the medicinal cultivation has made great contributions to optimising the region’s advantages,

bringing increased and sustainable incomes to residents, reducing poverty and facilitating the development of “new style rural areas”.

Looking to 2020, the province intends to accelerate the planning of medical plant fields towards large scale production as well as gene preservation and development based on advanced technology in order to foster economic growth in line with tourism development and investment attraction.

Phu Yen’s vegetable village develops community-based tourism

Ngoc Lang vegetable village in Binh Ngoc commune, Tuy Hoa city, central Phu Yen province is looking to develop community-based tourism to maximise its potential.

The idea was welcomed by most delegates at a conference jointly organised by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the city’s People’s Committee and the management board of the EU-funded Programme for Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism (ESRT) Development, in Tuy Hoa on January 20.

Huynh Ngoc An, a local resident, said he is fascinated by the idea as his family currently owns a large vegetable garden with a stunning view, offering strong potential for success in community-based tourism.

Other local farmers hope to receive more support from authorities in preparation for the promising industry, notably in professional cooking and tour guide training alongside infrastructure development.

Relevant bodies and provincial authorities agreed that the village has a competitive advantage to nurture community tourism but requires additional marketing efforts to promote itself as an attractive destination.

It is also proposed that training tours should be organised for local farmers to learn from the successful experience of the Tra Que organic vegetable village in central Quang Nam province.

Speaking at the conference, the programme’s Director Vu Quoc Tri pledged to work closely with local authorities and the community to boost tourism.

Located 3-4 kilometres away from the centre of Tuy Hoa city and surrounded by Da Rang River and Chua River , Ngoc Lang village is renowned for its tranquillity and scenic large flower and vegetable fields.

Optional tours will be designed for visitors to the village, including “Ngoc Lang vegetable village sightseeing”, “A day as vegetable growers” and “Homestay” at Ngoc Lang vegetable village.

Stronger promotion efforts needed for Hung Yen cultural tourism

The northern province of Hung Yen should promote its cultural tourism to draw more investment and tap the full potential of its Pho Hien historical complex, said Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh.

The minister made the suggestion during a tour of historical relic sites in the Pho Hien complex on January 21.

Pho Hien was once a bustling commercial port on the Red River, second only to the capital city of Thang Long , during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was well-known among foreign traders, especially from China , Japan and the Netherlands .

Although Pho Hien is no longer as busy and crowded as it was in the old days, the architectural complex of the town still remains with nearly 60 historical and cultural sites.

One of the critical components of Hung Yen’s tourism promotion is a dual focus on restoring cultural heritage sites and preserving intangible heritages, such as “ca tru” (ceremonial singing), “trong quan” (folk singing contest between men and women groups) singing and “cheo,” (traditional opera) singing, he said.

He suggested the locality encourage local businesses to engage in the restoration and management of the complex while establishing connections with travel agencies in neighbouring localities to facilitate additional tours of the Red River delta region.

The minister also advised Hung Yen to choose attractive sites among the recognised heritages as cultural tourism highlights.

Hung Yen province is now home to over 1,200 cultural and historical relics, 160 of which were recognised as national heritages, alongside with thousands of antique objects and documents.

Vietnam Airlines offers cheap one-way tickets on domestic flights

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is offering cheap tickets on domestic flights departing from January 21 to March 31.

Promotional one-way airfare will be sold on January 20-February 6, at VND499,000 on Hanoi-Chu Lai route; VND599,000 on Ho Chi Minh City-Quy Nhon route; VND999,000 on Hanoi-Cam Ranh/Quy Nhon/Can Tho/Tuy Hoa and HCMC-Vinh routes; and VND1,099,000 on Hanoi-Da Lat, HCMC-Thanh Hoa/Hai Phong routes. Prices do not include additional taxes and fees.

The carrier has also reduced airfares; accordingly, the cost will be from VND1.6 million-VND1.7 million on short domestic routes with distances less than 500km.

Besides, it has continued launching a discount of 30 percent to soldiers, workers and passengers who are working and living with a legal residency permit in Con Dao, Ca Mau and Pleiku.