Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photos: VietNamNet

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

VietNamNet - TRAVEL IN BRIEF 21/11

\In October HCM City’s Grand Hotel received more than 500 cruise tourists from Japan and the US. Its management said the French-style architecture of the hotel, first built in 1930, is one of the attractions for European guests.
To better serve MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions) and business tourists, last year Saigontourist Holdings Co, the hotel owner, spent US$20 million to turn Grand into a five-star hotel, one of the best in the city.
Vung Tau to hold cultural festival on daily life
The coastal resort town of Vung Tau will host the Culture-Tourism Festival of Ba Ria – Vung Tau 2009 from January 26 to February 4. It will focus on cultural, tourist, and mundane daily activities.
To be held at Loc An Wharf, the monument of "the Ho Chi Minh Trail on the sea" in Xuyen Moc District, and on Con Dao Island, the festival will feature many cultural, sporting, and tourist events, including beach volleyball, beach football, Chinese chess, folk games, art performances, and exhibitions of calligraphy and tourist photos.
Budget Car Rental launches short tours
Well-known car rental company Budget Car Rental has launched World-Class Drives, a collection of 15 short trips out of HCM City. The half and full-day trips include the Mekong Delta, the seaside resort town of Vung Tau, Binh Chau Hot Springs. Dan Cohen. Budget Viet Nam’s general manager said these short tours are targeted at war veterans, cooking buffs, families and golfers.
Provinces safeguard tourists against storm
Khanh Hoa and Binh Thuan provinces on the south-central coast and Ba Ria-Vung Tau in the south took precautions to protect visiting tourists from the impact of tropical storm Noul, which was forecast to hit them earlier this week and has since blown over.
Resorts in Binh Thuan warned tourists to stay away from the sea and in safe places. Ba Ria-Vung Tau authorities issued an alert to protect tourists while Khanh Hoa cancelled all boat trips to bays and islets on Monday afternoon. The storm weakened into a tropical low shortly after it reached the central coastline on Monday night.
(Source: Viet Nam News)

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They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.