Saigontourist Travel Services (Saigontourist) on March 1 received 800 cruise passengers and crew members of the Portuguese cruise ship Athena, raising the number of cruise travellers received by the company so far this year to over 14,000.

From the Saigon harbour, the travellers, most of whom are Australian, will join Saigontourist’s discovery travel trips from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho and Cu Chi. They will also have the chance to go shopping in the Ben Thanh market, watch water puppet performances and enjoy Mekong Delta specialities like coconut candies, fruit, and honey tea.

Le Quang Thang, head of Saigontourist’s cruise travel says this is the first time the Portuguese Classical International Cruises Company has sent its luxurious Athena cruise ship to Vietnam, and it will be a good start for future cooperation between the two companies.

Saigontourist is scheduled to receive the five-star cruise ship Columbus to Hai Phong and Nha Trang in mid March and the five-star cruise ship Costa Allegra to Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang on March 9 and 23.

VietNamNet/VOV

Foreign tourists in Hoi An ancient town.

At a meeting on measures to attract tourists last week, Vu The Binh, chief of the Vietnam National Administration’s Tourism and Travel Department, remarked that in 2010 the tourism industry would not benefit much from government incentives like last year. Meanwhile, the sector aims to welcome 4.2 million foreign visitors, 400,000 over last year. The industry must implement effective measures to attract tourists, particularly from foreign countries.

Binh said that VNAT wants tourists who visited Vietnam to come back with their friends. Surveys show that up to 80 percent of Vietnam’s international tourists come through friends’ recommendations. He said that the Vietnamese need to impress them with their warm smiles.

The tourism sector will launch its “Friendly Vietnam Welcomes You” program. All staff at airports, customs and immigration offices, hotels, restaurants and tourist sites as well as all Vietnamese people are called upon to display their friendliness.

“It is difficult to campaign for all Vietnamese people to smile at tourists because many people are unfamiliar with smiling at strangers,” Binh observed. “However, the tourism sector and the media will try to encourage people so that visitors feel happy from the moment they reach the border gates.”

VNAT will also launch a campaign calling for overseas Vietnamese to travel home. Binh noted that the Overseas Vietnamese Association in France will propose that its members return to Vietnam for travel this year.

VNAT will choose some prestigious travel companies, restaurants and transportation firms to supply special tours to visitors, including tours on culture and history, traditional art, natural heritages, village life, and beaches.

For the first time, VNAT will join hands with the Association of Retailers to organize a discount campaign in big cities this year.

Nguyen Hoang Hai from Vietnam Airlines’ Marketing Department revealed that the firm would slash airfares between 30-60 percent for some routes during 2010.

PV

Because International Women’s Day is next Monday, a working day, the tour operator is arranging one and two-day tours suitable during this weekend or on Monday.

Tourists walk on the beach to the lighthouse at Khe Ga Cape.

There is a day-tour to Can Gio District and another to the Mekong Delta’s Tien Giang Province. The trip to Can Gio is VND353,000 per tourist and VND403,000 per foreigner and takes in the Can Gio Mangrove Forest, HCMC’s green lungs, to explore the wildlife including crocodiles and monkeys. The tour operator will arrange boats to take tourist through the canals of the forest and take them to visit the former Rung Sac Military Zone before hitting the beach, a pagoda and Can Gio Market.

The tour to Tien Giang’s My Tho is VND341,000 per tourist and VND396,000 per foreigner. Tourists will visit the old Vinh Trang Pagoda in My Tho, float on canoes to visit islets, fruit gardens and trade villages, have lunch and enjoy don ca tai tu (a kind of traditional Southern music) before returning to HCMC in the afternoon.

The trip from HCMC to Vinh Long Province includes an excursion on the Tien River to visit the Cai Be Floating Market and trade villages, a walk on An Binh Islet and biking through fruit gardens. The tour is VND363,000 per tourist and VND418,000 per foreigner.

The trip to Phan Thiet takes in attractions like Ta Cu Mountain, the sand hills, the Poshanu Towers and the Lau Ong Hoang site. Lau Ong Hoang consists of a community of hills, mountain, river, sea and pagoda creating an area of beautiful sights. The tour is VND1.3 million per tourist and VND1.5 million per foreigner.

The two-day HCMC-Chau Doc-Long Xuyen-An Giang tour covers the major pagodas of An Giang Province to pray for health and happiness and includes the 32-meter-high statue of Mitreya Buddha at Cam Mountain with its peaceful surrounding rivers. The price is VND938,000 per local and VND1.138 million per foreigner.

The two-day HCMC-Vinh Long-Can Tho tour covers Vinh Sang Farm in Vinh Long Province with activities like fishing, ostrich riding, sightseeing in Can Tho City at night and the Cai Rang Floating Market the next morning. This tour is VND1.13 million per local and VND1.33 million per foreigner.

VietNamNet/SGT

Several southern firms have announced a 35-40 percent tour fee decrease. A five day tour of central Vietnam (Da Nang – Hoi An – My Son – Ba Na – Hue – Phong Nha) is offered at 3.67 million dong per traveler.  A four day itinerary (Da Nang – Hoi An – Ba Na – Hue – Phong Nha) will sell for 3.16 million dong.  Pagoda and temple buffs can opt for a six day Hanoi – Ha Long – Trang An – Bai DInh Pagoda – Sa Pa tour costing 5.84 million dong or a four day Hanoi – Ha Long – Trang An- Bai Dinh Pagoda tour costing 4.32 million dong.

Northern travel firms have said they would match the southern companies’ discounts.  According to Nguyen Cong Hoan of Hanoi Redtour, details will soon be made public.

The problem is for the tour operators is that they don’t know what hotels will do in response to higher electricity and water prices.  Air fares have risen too.  Thus Hoan said that despite the discounting, tour fees overall are fifteen percent above 2009 levels.

Airfare is the largest component in the cost of a tour.  Vietnam Airlines and other  carriers have been granted permission to raise ticket prices to just over two million dong for Hanoi-HCM City flights.  Some experts believe that this should be seen as good news, for it allows air carriers to charge a range of fares.  It appears that carriers intend to continue deep discounting (up to 50 percent) on many flights.

Round trip tickets between Saigon-Hanoi , Saigon- VInh or Hanoi-Da Lat are now quoted at 1.8 million dong. The promotional round trip fare from Buon Me Thuot to Can Tho has been slashed to 1.8 million dong – still 400,000 dong more than last year.

The sharp competition in Vietnam’s domestic travel market reflects tour operators’ perception that Vietnamese travelers ‘rescued’ the tourism industry in 2009 when international arrivals dropped dramatically due to the global financial crisis.

Vietnam received only 3.8 million foreign travelers last year, 400,000 less than in  2008.  At the same time, the number of domestic travelers rose twenty percent to 25 million.  Vu The Binh, Director of the Travel Department at the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said the net result of these fluctuations was an increase in industry revenues of nearly ten percent.

Ha Yen

Source:Vietnamnet

Located 12km north of Da Lat city, Langbian Mountain belongs to Lac Duong town, Lac Duong district of Lam Dong province. The mountain is well-known for its beautiful landscape, which climbs to an altitude of 2,169m. Thousands of tourists visit Langbian Mountain each year to conquer its height and enjoy its fresh air and natural beauty, especially during the lunar New Year Festival when Spring has finally arrived.

Local residents have a legend about a young couple who lived on in Langbian mountain. The boy, named K’lang, loved his girl friend, Ho Bian, very much, but they couldn’t marry because their two clans had a long-standing feud. The two decided to commit suicide together to keep their love alive forever. After their death, their bodies were buried on the top of two mountains, which eventually merged into one, called Langbian – the name of the faithful boy and girl.

A project to develop the mountain and its surrounding area into a tourist resort got underway 10 years ago. The mountain has now become an attractive destination where visitors can enjoy its great natural beauty and explore the cultures of the local ethnic minority people.

Nguyen Thi Kim Giang, Vice Director of the Langbian tourism area, says careful attention is being paid to protecting the environment and preserving the natural landscape. Visitors to Langbian resort can climb to the top of mountain, walk down to Dankia hill, and take advantage of newly available food and beverage services, while enjoying Gong performance by ethnic minority groups.

It’s a poignant moment when visitors arrive at the peak of Lam Vien Highland. From this vantage point, the land stretches as far as the eye can see.

Ngo Thi Khanh Ha, a tourist from Nha Trang City, says she was very proud to have conquered this 2,169m peak. Despite her weariness, it felt good seeing Dalat city from high above. This was the second time Ms Ha had been to the Langbian tourism area.

Dankia hill, which rises to a height of 1,950m, lies 4km from Langbian peak. The hill has been made into an inviting rest stop for tourists passing through the area. It has a large restaurant that serves local specialties, and tourists can camp here overnight and enjoy a panoramic view of Dalat City, twinkling with lights.

Liangbian offers gong performances by K’Ho ethnic people and the ‘100-year’ Valley – a modern resort providing guest with accommodations, karaoke and travelling services, and tennis courts.

Last year, the tourism area attracted over 300,000 domestic and foreign tourists, an increase of about 35 percent over 2008.

Ms Kim Giang says tourists come to visit Langbian mainly because it remains underdeveloped. If more infrastructure is built, she says, tourists might no longer love it. Tourists especially like such activities as mountain climbing, ecological research and hang-gliding.

VietNamNet/VOV

Travelers on the Nam River.

The tour operator says this journey is unique because it links the two attractions by waterway instead of the long-distance overland route.

“Tourists normally feel tired with one day by overland from Dong Van to Ba Be. We can shorten the time by the new waterway through the Gam and Nang rivers,” said Tran The Dung, deputy director of the tour operator.

The tour departs HCMC by plane for Hanoi and then immediately heads to Ha Giang Province, around 290 kilometers away, by car.

Dong Van Highlands comprise four mountainous districts in the north of Ha Giang Province, Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac and Dong Van, and covers more than 574 square kilometers with limestone on the surface of more than 80 percent of the park.

Visits to Lung Cu Flag Tower, H’Mong and Lo Lo ethnic villages, Ma Pi Leng Mountain Pass and Quan Ba Heaven Gate in Quan Ba District are included.

The trip to Ba Be Lake on the fourth day will mostly be spent floating on the river. From Quan Ba District, tourists will go to Bac Me District by car and across the Nam River to Tuyen Quang Province for some attractions there and then cruise along the Nang River to Ba Be Lake. The next two days are to explore Ba Be National Park and other attractions in Hanoi.

“I wanted to arrange the overland river combination tour early this year. I made two fact-finding trips, by myself and with the national tourism authority,” says Dung.

Dung says the six day tour will save one and a half days compared to the normal tour and give the best feeling for visitors when traveling on the new route that links the two impressive attractions.

The tour costs from over VND8.7 million to VND9.6 million per tourist depending on the type of hotel.

For more information, contact Young Generation Travel Company at 209A Hoang Van Thu Street, Ward 8, Phu Nhuan District, HCMC, tel: 08 3993 1238, fax: 08 3842 2245, email: thehetre@hcm.fpt.vn.

VietNamNet/SGT

Vietnam Airlines aircraft in Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport, where the carrier will launch Myanmar service on March 2, 2010 (Photo: SGGP)

The national carrier said it would fly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, taking off in Hanoi at 4:10 pm, arriving in Yangon at 6:10 pm and leaving Yangon at 7:10 pm.

Vietnam Airlines is offering a promotional airfare of VND4.62 US$250 for the Hanoi-Yangon direction for ticket issued from Feb. 2 to March 31, traveling in March.

The corporation has ambitious plans to becoming a major carrier in Southeast Asia. It considers Myanmar a regional potential market.

Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and China’s Yunnan Province are in the Mekong Greater Sub-region.

VietNamNet/SGGP

AirAsia aircraft at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi (Photo: VNE)

AirAsia’s Vietnam representative office sent out a statement Thursday saying that the new carrier will be called VietJet AirAsia.

AirAsia said in a statement late Wednesday from Kuala Lumpur that the Ministry of Transportation of Vietnam approved the share acquisition on Tuesday, February 9. It did not reveal how much it paid for the acquisition.

The new carrier will be operating both domestic and international flights, AirAsia said. It is currently finalizing details regarding routes, frequencies and launch of flights.

The formation of the new airline makes Vietnam AirAsia’s fourth country base, following Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

AirAsia said it joined the venture to expand its reach in Vietnam and open the country as another gateway in the ASEAN region.

It added the joint venture “will be tapping be tapping the expertise of both AirAsia and VietJet Air for the successful operation and marketing of low-cost flights.”

Subject to regulatory approval, the venture is expected to start operations either in April or June this year.

VietJet Air was licensed to operate in December 2007 as a partnership of SOVICO Holdings (an established corporation with interests in banking and finance, real estate, plantation and power plants), T&C Group and Ho Chi Minh City Housing Development Bank, or HDBank.

However, VietJet Air has not launched its flights due to fuel price fluctuations and the global economic downturn that began late 2008.

Vietnam has so far approved three private airlines namely VietJet Air, Indochina Airlines and Mekong Aviation. Indochina Airlines stopped flights in November last year due to losses. Mekong Aviation had plans to start operations this year on domestic routes but no developments have been seen so far.

Meanwhile, there are no signs of when the national carrier – Vietnam Airlines – would launch low-cost services.

VietNamNet/SGGP

Chit Chat at the Café and Orientica Restaurant & Bar are offering special menus on February 14 from 6:30 p.m. including fresh seafood, sparkling wine, red roses, music, decorations and candle light.

Equatorial Hotel in HCM City.

Chit Chat at the Café is also offering a buffet in romantic atmosphere, with free flow of sparkling wine and a rose for each Lady for VND769,000++ per person. A similar experience at Orientica Restaurant is VND990,000++ per person.

To welcome the Year of the Tiger, the hotel offers a raw fish delicacy widely known as Yee Sang to many overseas Chinese, particularly in Singapore and Malaysia, from now until February 28 from VND90,000 per dish. Take out orders of Yee Sang are also available.

* Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon (8-15 Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1, or 08 3822 0033 ext. 2406)

The Kabin Chinese Restaurant is offering an eight course set menu for VND280,000++ per person including a special New Year cocktail.

The Poolside Terrace is an option to watch the marvelous fireworks while enjoying a BBQ dinner for VND630,000++ per person including a special New Year cocktail and free flow of sparkling wine, wine, beer and soft drinks.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, the Riverside Café is offering international cuisines with free flow of sparkling wine, wine, beer and soft drinks for VND630,000++ per person.

* InterContinental Asiana Saigon (Corner of Hai Ba Trung St. & Le Duan Blvd, Dis.1, tel: 08 3520 9099)

The Library, the InterContinental Asiana Saigon’s lobby lounge, is offering Chinese Royal Afternoon Tea for VND400,000 per person from now until February 23, including a glass of Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne.

Market 39, with its seven open kitchens, will be offering buffet lunch and dinner on February 13 and 14 for VND1.08 million per person including free flow of Veuve Cliquot Champagne, Frontera Red and White wine, Tiger Beer, soft drinks, Ronnefeldt Tea and Illy Coffee.

Yu Chu Chinese Restaurant is offering an array of Chinese dishes priced between VND999,000 and VND1.8 million and including a glass of champagne from now until February 23. Bookings of ten or more during Tet will receive a 10% discount for both food and beverages.

* Duxton Hotel Saigon (63 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, District 1, 08 3822 2999 ext. 218/415)

Capture the special mood of Tet at The Grill’s dinner buffet February 13-16 with banh tet (glutinous rice cake), braised pork trotter with black mushroom and Fatt Choy, sautéed prawns with salted egg sauce, fresh Abalone from Nha Trang in double boiled soups with Gin Seng and chicken, and pork ribs while contemplating the beautiful flower street on Nguyen Hue Blvd. for US$28++ per person

On February 14 there will be romantic desserts such as Swan cream puffs and fresh strawberry heart cake for two. There will be a door gift of heart shaped chocolates.

* Legend Hotel Saigon (2A-4A Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1, tel: 08 3823 3333)

The Atrium Café is offering sumptuous international buffets for the great celebrations of Tet and Valentine’s Day from February 13 to 16. The buffets will feature Alaskan Crab, Lobster, Oyster, French Duck Liver Pate, Seared Foie Gras and imported Beef Tenderloin. The desserts “extravaganza” include Apple Strudel, Chilled Cheese Cake and Lemon Merengue Pie. Lunches include free flow of wines, soft drinks, fresh fruit juices, coffee and tea. Dinners include free flow of wines, beers, soft drinks, coffee and tea.

On February 14, Lunch Buffet (11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) is VND665,000++ and Dinner Buffet (from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.) is VND912,000++.

On February 13, 15 and 16, Lunch Buffet (11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) is VND399,000++ and Dinner Buffet (6 p.m. to 10 p.m.) is VND722,000++.

Children from 6 to 12 are half-price.

* Ramana Hotel Saigon (323 Le Van Sy Street, District 3, tel: 3843 9999)

This month’s Asiana Grand Buffet at the Ramana offers a wealth of choices for VND289,000 per person. Kung Pao chicken, Rendang beef, Thai pork curry, Malaysian fried noodles and many other specialties are accompanied by live music performed by a traditional band and a Filipino band. The price includes free flow of soft drinks or one glass of beer.

Groups of ten can bring an extra guest to eat for free. The promotion is from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday at The Café Restaurant.

On February 14, a warm Valentine’s dinner at The Café from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. is VND259,000 net per person and includes a special gift for the ladies.

* New World Hotel Saigon (76 Le Lai Street, District 1, tel: 08 3822 8888 ext. 2200

The hotel is offering a selection of Cantonese specialties from now until February 13 with three different family menus. The special family menus start from VND462,500++ .

There will be a Lion Dance on February 14 starting at 11 a.m. and a romantic Valentine’s Day buffet at Parkview. The Valentine’s dinner buffet on February 14 is VND888,000++ (US$48++) including free flow of Rosa Regale (Italian sparkling wine from the famous Banfi vineyard), house wine, draft beer and soft drinks.

* Caravelle Hotel (17-19 Lam Son Square, District 1, tel: 08 38234 999)

On February 14, the Caravelle’s Restaurant Nineteen is offering a Tet buffet dinner and a Valentine’s Day Buffet Dinner with a wide range of cooked to order smoked and marinated seafood, appetizers, soups, cheeses, main courses, barbeque and desserts. Both buffets are VND864,000 per person.

Reflections Restaurant on the third floor is offering an eight-course menu, candle light and live piano music for VND864,000 per person. Menu highlights are marinated duck liver, almond bread crusted deep sea scallops, sweet temptations and chocolate truffles.

* Windsor Plaza Hotel (18 An Duong Vuong Street, District 5, tel: 08 3833 6688)

The Café Central An Dong and TOTT Bar & Restaurant are catering to couples with special Valentine’s Day dishes on top of the extensive buffet selections of beef Wellington, fresh lobster thermidor to an exquisite five-course set dinner prepared by the hotel’s master Italian Chef. For Tet, the Café Central An Dong is featuring over 170 Western and Asian items in a dinner buffet for VND315,000.

Extravagant New Year Set Dinner at Ngan Dinh Chinese Restaurant offers traditional Chinese dishes for tables of ten from VND3,688,000++ per table. Each table will receive a complimentary bottle of wine or two complimentary bottles of imported red wine.

Café Central Nguyen Hue is offering toasted sandwiches stuffed with juicy sliced imported striploin steak and sautéed onion for VND95,000.

VietNamNet/SGT

VietNamNet/VNE