Travel firms launching “economy tours” to attract more travelers | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Travel firms launching “economy tours” to attract more travelers | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update: "Travel firms launching “economy tours” to attract more travelers

June 1, 2011 about News, Travel

LookAtVietnam - The airfare and service fee increases plus the economic difficulties, have both led to the sharp fall in the number of travelers. A lot of travel firms in HCM City have decided to design “economy tours” with low costs in order to retain clients.

Short distance tours will be less costly than long distance ones

Travel firms all have reported the sharp decrease in the numbers of travelers. Though there were still many travelers booking tours for the April 30 holiday, the number of travelers was still far below the expected level. Especially, many clients just called travel firms and asked about tour fees, while they did not book tours.

The number of tourists registering tours for summer remains modest, though summer is the high tourism season. A director of a travel firm in District 1 in HCM City says, that the road tour fees have increased by 15-25 percent, while the same increases have also been applied to air tours. It is because the airfare has increased by 20 percent on average, while airfares make up 40 percent of the tour fee. Meanwhile, hotel room rates, meals and service fees all have also increased significantly.

A two-day tour to Phan Thiet now costs 970,000 dong, while a tour to Vung Tau 700,000 dong, and to Hue – Quang Binh – Da Nang 5.2-5.7 million dong. If booking a tour to Hanoi for six days and 5 nights, travelers would have to pay 10 million dong.

In 2011, airlines do not offer cheap air tickets to travel firms, the thing that they did in 2010 to stimulate the demand. Besides this, it is really difficult to book air tickets now. Therefore, long distance tours do not have many clients.

Tran The Dung, Deputy Director of The He Tre Travel Firm, said that the tendency of cutting down spending now can be seen clearly in the tourism sector. Most travelers in HCM City choose short term 2-3 day tours to Phan Thiet, Ninh Chu and Vung Tau in order to save money. In previous summers, his travel firm received a lot of orders from companies and institutions which wanted to take long tours to Hue City or Hanoi. Meanwhile, the loyal clients have decided not to travel this year, or chosen short tours to Phan Thiet or Vung Tau.
Travelers would rather travel abroad

A director of a travel firm believes that in general, the number of travelers this summer does not decrease as sharply as people think. The travelers have simply chosen outbound tours instead of domestic tours.

People now tend to travel abroad because outbound tours’ fees are getting cheaper. Travelers only have to pay 200 dollars to travel to Cambodia, while a tour to Thailand would cost 350-380 dollars.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai from Fiditourist said that in 2010, 70 percent of clients of Fiditourist booked domestic tours, while 30 percent booked outbound tours (70-30). Meanwhile, the proportions changed on Tet holiday to 60-40. It is expected that the number of travelers booking outbound tours would be even higher this summer.

Mai said that travel firms always have to struggle to stabilize domestic tour fees, because domestic service providers always increase fees on Tet days or long holidays. Also, travel firms in regional countries, which are always professional, do not increase tour fees and regularly offer preferences. For example, travelers to Thailand this summer may have the opportunity to attend the fruit festival. Besides, they can also attend a big performance show free of charge (the ticket for the program costs 30 dollars).

Travel firms try to save themselves

Since the number of travelers has decreased, many travel firms have decided to launch promotion programs to stimulate the demand. The firms have encouraged travelers to book tours soon in order to obtain cheap air tickets.

Especially, some travel firms have launched “economy tours” in order to help tourists save money. With the tours, travelers would depart on some fixed days, while the tour fees are very “reasonable”. However, travelers would only depart when there are enough travelers, while the tours would be delayed until travel firms can gather enough travelers.

Besides this, travel firms also try to “fasten their belt” by cutting down expenses, signing long term contracts with hotels in order to enjoy preferential hotel room rates, or using local tour guides.

Source: NLD

“Vietnam Culture Month in Lorient

HCM City set for French Music Festival

May 31, 2011 about Uncategorized

“Vietnam Culture Month in Lorient” leaves a good impression
“Vietnam Culture Month in Lorient” was held in France on May 5-29, providing the local people with an opportunity to learn more about Vietnamese culture through various activities.
As proposed by the L’Appel organisation, Lorient city, in co-ordination with Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, chose May as “Vietnam Culture Month”.
L’Appel President Gildas Tregulier said the event focused on healthcare activities as well as culture, economics and literature.
It was also a chance to strengthen traditional cooperative ties among localities in Vietnam and the Bretagne region, he noted.
During the month, the people of Lorient attended seminars introducing Vietnam’s history, culture and tourism potential, a photography exhibition of the country’s landscape and people, films, cultural exchanges and a food festival.
Most notably, 120 examples of traditional long dresses (ao dai), symbolizing the beauty of Vietnamese women in the north, central and southern regions. The ao dai, designed by well-known Trong Nguyen, Viet Lien and Minh Hanh, impressed the French people.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Vietnam Culture Month, Vietnamese ambassador to France Le Kinh Tai expressed his gratitude towards the organising board, especially L’Appel.
He said he believes the event will open up new opportunities for Vietnam and France to strengthen ties in the future.
Dance contest picks up pace, model crashes out
Model Vu Thu Phuong and her partner Tihomir Gavrilov were the fourth couple to exit this season’s “Dancing with the Stars” reality show on Vietnam Television’s VTV3 after finishing last in the slow foxtrot and pase doble challenge last night.
Phuong’s slow foxtrot was deemed “disappointing” and involving “too many unnecessary lifting” by Chi Anh, one of the judges.
“The music and their steps did not even match,” was his harsh verdict.
The model has stood out with her flamboyant and revealing outfits but failed to convince the judges and audiences with her dancing talent.
In the last three weeks she had fallen to the bottom two of the competition, and finally went out after getting only 32 points for her latest routines.
At the other end of the scale was singer Thu Minh who did justice to her four-year dance academy training with a passionate and compelling pasa doble routine.
Inspired from the movie “The mask of Zorro”, Minh’s performance earned her 38 points with two perfect 10’s.
Second was Thanh Thuy, the actress who, in the slow foxtrot routine, played the role of a blind girl based on a moving love story.
Her 37 points only reiterated the fact that she is Minh’s biggest rival for the title. Since the first night, the two have taken turns to lead the competition.
The rest of the contestants, singers Anh Khoa, Nguyen Vu, and Thuy Tien, and actor Dai Nghia were joint third with 34 points each.
Tien and her partner Petyo Stoyanov were voted the most favorite couple for a second time by nationwide audience.
Khoa, the rock star who was only saved from elimination by audience votes last week, returned with a pase doble routine that was praised “powerful and convincing”.
The show is getting increasingly closer and seems set for a rousing finish.
Ho Chi Minh City set for French Music Festival
It’s Time“Fete de la Musique” (French Music Festival), a free music show organized around the world by the French government, will be held at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France, or IDECAF, in Ho Chi Minh City June 17.
It will feature singers like Leu Phuong Anh and Tran Lan Nha, the band It’s Time, and dance troupe BigSouth, and bands from Thailand like Dreamers, Omega and Scooter.
Students from a French school in District 9, Marguerite Duras, will also perform at the show which welcomes all participants, amateur or professional.
Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for Culture, “Fête de la Musique” has been organized in numerous countries, offering free music of all genres.
Dogs to take part in beauty pageant
The third annual Ho Chi Minh City “beauty contest” for dogs will be held at the Phu Tho Stadium June 3.
Competing animals will wear costumes, accessories, and make-up in the first round to show off their beauty.
The second round will see them parading their talents by running through obstacles and pipes.
The winner will get VND2 million (US$ 100).
The contest is organized by the HCMC Ornamental Creature Association – Kennel Club to provide dog breeders an opportunity to compare notes.
In related news, the ridgeback, a breed indigenous to Phu Quoc Island, will take part in the 2011 World Dog Show in Paris to be held by the Belgium-based Fédération Cynologique Internationale from July 7 to 10.
Phillip Noyce gives tips on film making in HCMC
On the occasion of the launch of his new book Backroads to Hollywood by Ingo Petzke about Noyce’s journey in Hollywood as an outsider, Australian director Phillip Noyce visited Vietnam for the forth time to promote the book, meet old cast and share tips on movie-making.
Landed in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday, Noyce joined the event Cinema Dinner and met the cast from his movie about Vietnam War, The Quiet American, in Continental Hotel, where a scene of the film was shot. He also represented Saigon Media and awarded a scholarship worth VND30 million(US$1500) to independent film maker Tran Ly Tri Tan.
On Saturday morning, Noyce held a workshop in Lotus University on the influence and importance of production and marketing team to a success or failure of a movie. He also gave his evaluations to winning works in the TVCreate competition organized by Lotus University and presented an award to a student who made his favorite poster in the design competition “Phillip Noyce and Vietnam.”
Later in the afternoon, Noyce met local film makers, shared tips on how to find capital to make a movie and his experience as a Hollywood director in Dist 10’s BHD Star Cinema.
Noyce will attend the launch of the second version of YxineFF, a film festival featuring real online short films made by local amateur and professional film directors before flying to Hanoi next week.
Born in 1950 in New South Wales, Phillip Noyce made his first short “Better to Reign in Hell” at the age of 18. The Quiet American got rave reviews and appeared in more than 20 top ten lists in 2002, including those of the US National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.
Kim Dong Publishers offer children big discounts
The Kim Dong Publishing House is giving children in Hanoi a special discount of up to 50% on books from May 28- June 1 to celebrate International Children’s Day.
Books available under the programme include thousands of newly published and reprinted titles in a various genres such as novels, comic books and reference books.
The promotion, the largest of its kind, is being held at four bookshops in Hanoi: 55 Quang Trung, 62 Ba Trieu, 126 Nam Cao and 15 Dinh Le Streets.

Google starts adding flight schedules in search results | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Google starts adding flight schedules in search results | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update: "Google starts adding flight schedules in search results

May 29, 2011 about Uncategorized

Google on Friday started integrating flight schedules and airline routes into its search results.



According to Google’s official blog, when users search for a destination on Google, they will see airlines serving that specific route and flight schedules.



For example, if users search for “flights from San Francisco to New York,” they will see a selection of non-stop flights and the airlines that offer them. A full timetable will be seen after clicking on “schedule of non-stop flights.”



Users can also see all the destinations with non-stop flights from a particular airport. If “flights from San Francisco” is searched, Google will show a number of routes from the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and airlines flying from the airport. Similar to the schedule feature, users can also click to get more flight details.



The new search feature is currently available in 10 languages.



“With the close of our ITA acquisition last month, we’re eager to begin developing new flight search tools to make it easier for you to plan a trip,” Google said in the blog post.



On April 8, Google got approved by the U.S. Department of Justice for the 700-million-U.S. dollar acquisition of flight-data company ITA Software with commitments to preserve competition in on-line airfare search.



ITA’s airfare search and pricing system powered many popular airline ticket search and booking sites, as well as airlines. Microsoft and several major on-line travel companies had argued that the acquisition would lessen competition in the industry.



Xinhuanet

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Las Vegas firm invests in Vietnam luxury resort | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Las Vegas firm invests in Vietnam luxury resort | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update: "Las Vegas firm invests in Vietnam luxury resort

May 29, 2011 about News, Travel

LookAtVietnam - Asian Coast Development Ltd., currently developing Vietnam’s first large-scale integrated resort, has entered an agreement to receive a US$95 million investment from Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment.



The Canadian real estate company, also known as ACDL, is the developer of the Ho Tram Strip, a group of integrated resorts located on more than 400 acres of land in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.



With the agreement, Pinnacle has acquired a 26 percent interest in ACDL, marking its entry to the “rapidly growing Asian gaming market,” the casino operator said in a statement on Thursday.



Pinnacle said it will enter into a management agreement through 2058, with the potential for a 20-year extension, for the second resort of the multi-phase construction plans for Ho Tram Strip.



The Ho Tram Trip is located approximately 80 miles southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. The planned first resort of the beachfront project, MGM Grand Ho Tram, is under construction with a planned opening in 2013. It will be managed by MGM Hospitality, a subsidiary of MGM Resorts International.



“This transaction is an important endorsement for Vietnam’s growing profile as a world-class tourism destination, and we look forward to opening the MGM Grand Ho Tram in 2013,” Gamal Aziz, President and CEO of MGM Hospitality



Pinnacle said Ho Tram is “the ideal project” for Pinnacle Entertainment.



“We are delighted to be a part of Vietnam’s strategic vision for the further development of its tourist industry, an investor in ACDL and a partner on the Ho Tram Strip project,” said Anthony Sanfilippo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Entertainment. “Featuring luxurious amenities in a breathtaking oceanfront location, the Ho Tram Strip is sure to attract guests from throughout Asia.”



Source: Thanh Nien

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

UK to give US$114 million aid to Vietnam

May 27, 2011 about Uncategorized

LookAtVietnam -
Before officially stopping its direct aid to Vietnam in 2016, the UK’s
non-refundable aid for Vietnam by 2015, will reach £70 million (around US$114
million), according to an agreement side on May 26.

Minister of State, Alan Duncan MP and Minister of Planning and Investment, Vo Hong Phuc at the signing ceremony.

On May 26, UK
Minister of State for International Development, Alan Duncan and Vietnamese
Minister of Planning and Investment, Vo Hong Phuc signed the UK-Vietnam
strategic partnership agreement for the 2011-2014 period in Hanoi.

Under the agreement, the UK
has committed itself to providing up to £70 million in aid to Vietnam until
2015.

The funding aims to support Vietnam in meeting the
Millennium Development Goals; achieving strong growth that is inclusive,
low-carbon and led by the private sector, along with strengthening efforts to
tackle corruption and enhance accountability.

The signing took place after the two governments stated to
heighten their relations to strategic partnership last September.

The UK
will replace Sweden as the
lead donor on anti-corruption in Vietnam.

“I am pleased to have agreed the next five years of our
development partnership. The aid commitment enshrined in the DPA Amendment
today, together with our new role as lead donor on anti-corruption in Vietnam, shows the great importance that the UK attaches to the bilateral relationship with Vietnam,” said Duncan.

The UK
and Vietnam
entered into a ten year DPA in 2006. By 2011, The UK, through the Department
for International Development (DFID), has granted over £380 million (US$619
million) in aid to Vietnam.

In addition, since 2006 nearly £19 million (US$30.95
million) in debt relief has been granted to Vietnam through the Multilateral
Debt Relief Initiative for humanitarian efforts.

In March 2011, the UK
confirmed that its aid to Vietnam
would end by 2016, marking the conclusion of the DPA.

Chung Hoang

Vietnam's general elections: turnout higher than 97 percent

May 28, 2011 about Politics

Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, puts his vote into a ballot box Sunday in Hanoi.

Over 97 percent of voters across the country cast their votes in the elections to national and local legislative bodies on Sunday, according to the National Assembly’s office.

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The Ministry of Home Affairs had previously said that over 60 million citizens were eligible to vote for their choice of representatives to the National Assembly and members of People’s Councils. Â

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Many voters expressed hope that their votes will help choose “the most qualified” candidates who would work as their representatives in public interest.

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Pham Thi Hong, 103, of Hanoi’s Ba Dinh District said: “I want to tell successful candidates to never forget that people select them to work for them.” The senior citizen was one of the earliest voters in her neighborhood, despite her age and the fact that she has to move on a wheel chair.

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Many old people expressed similar sentiments.

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Nguyen Thi Lien of Hoan Kiem District said her 110-year-old father, Nguyen Van Quynh, has cast votes in all 13 elections to the National Assembly. This time, his health forced him to stay at home and wait for the local election office members to bring a ballot box to their house.

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“He always tells us [children and grandchildren] to fulfill our citizen right […] choosing people who are righteous and talented and those who dare to act for the sake of the country and people,” Lien said.

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Young citizens casting their votes for the first time also had high expectations of their future representatives.

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RELATED NEWS

Great expectations

An 18-year-old student named Thuy in Tu Liem District said while she was nervous about her first vote, she has studied candidates’ biographies and selected those with backgrounds in economics, environment and traffic infrastructure.

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Vietnam needs plans to develop its economy while protecting the environment, she said.

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High-ranking officials echoed the public’s concerns. Â

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After voting in Hanoi’s Nguyen Du Ward, where he lives, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, said: “I hope people will choose 500 most qualified representatives to the National Assembly and representatives to the People’s Councils.

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“I believe the National Assembly, as an agency representing people, will listen to the opinions of voters and people to fulfill its missions well.”

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Meanwhile, President Nguyen Minh Triet, who cast his votes in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, said he felt “proud and excited to fulfill his right and obligation,” just like other voters.

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“Before casting my votes, I gave thought to candidates to choose people who have prestige, talent and righteousness to develop the locality, contributing to the country’s development,” Triet said.

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Truong Tan Sang, permanent member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, said: “I believe that young candidates who are elected will conduct their duties well to deserve voters’ trust.”

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Vietnamese citizens will elect 500 representatives to the National Assembly, 3,200 members of People’s Councils in cities and provinces, and over 300,000 members of People’s Councils in districts and communes.

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The results of the elections would be announced on this Sunday at latest.

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Elections to the National Assembly and the People’s Council take place once every five years, but they are usually scheduled two years apart. This is the first time that they are being held at the same time.

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Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre

A South Korean man killed his Vietnamese wife on May 24

Another Vietnamese bride murdered in South Korea

May 25, 2011 about Uncategorized

LookAtVietnam - A South Korean man
killed his Vietnamese wife on May 24, in Jeongto District of North Kyeongsang
Province. The Vietnamese women just had a baby for 19 days.

The murder occurred
at 1.10 am (local time). The husband, named Lim Chae Won, 37, was immediately
arrested.

Lim admitted to
police that he stabbed Hoang when she was attempting to leave the house with
their 19-month-old son. He said Hoang had asked for a divorce many times after
moving to South Korea
with him in August 2010.

The Vietnamese
Embassy in South Korea has identified
the Vietnamese woman as Hoang Thi Nam,
23, from Thang Hai Commune, in Binh Thuan Province’s
Phan Thiet City.

An autopsy result
showed that Nam
was stabbed 53 times and died on the spot.

Nam
had married Lim Chae Won, 37, in April and moved to South Korea in August 2010.

A neighbor called
the police after hearing Lim kick a neighbor’s door and shout that he had
killed a person. When officers arrived at Lim’s house, they found the couple’s
19-day-old baby lying next to his bleeding mother and his father outside the
house with a knife in hand.

Nam reportedly lived in Simthow, a center for
ill-treated foreign brides, from October 5 to November 22 last year before Lim
came and took her home.

Two South Korean
senior officials visited the Vietnamese embassy on May 24 afternoon to express
their sympathy. The said local officials would keep their Vietnamese
counterparts fully informed about any developments in the case.

The police were
investigating further.

In July 2010, a
mentally challenged man killed another Vietnamese mail order bride, Thach Thi
Hoang Ngoc, one week after her arrival to Korea. Notably, Ngoc could not
speak Korean and he did not know that her husband was a mental patient. Five
days before coming to Vietnam
to met Ngoc, the Korean husband was hospitalized.

This man was
sentenced 12 years in jail by the Pusan
City court in October
2010. He will be treated in prison and will have to wear a control electronic
bracelet for the next ten years.

South Korean
President, Lee Myung-bak in a speech on the radio apologized and offered his
condolences to the family of Thach Thi Hong Ngoc.

In South Korea,
out of ten rural men, four get married with foreign women. The South Korean
government has recently tightened control over match-making companies and opened
pre-marriage education centers for those who plan to marry foreign people.

Thu Hang

May 5, 2011 about News, Travel

Ha Long Bay tops new world wonder poll

LookAtVietnam - Ha Long, Vietnam’s world natural heritage, gained the highest growth in votes in the poll for the seven new world natural wonders on last month.

The bay currently takes the lead in the poll, followed by South Korea’s Jeju Island.

On , Ha Long Bay always took the lead in the last several days.

In May, Vietnam promoted its advertisement and canvas for the bay with many activities held in Vietnam and abroad.

Vietnam and South Korea have joined hands to vote for Ha Long Bay and Jeju Island. On website , the Vietnamese page, there are over 2,500 votes for the two landscapes.

The poll for the new seven world natural wonders is now in the last stage, with 28 candidates. The winners will be announced on November 11, 2011.

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination, located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. The Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. Historical research surveys have shown the presence of prehistoric human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago.

In 1962, the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism designated Ha Long Bay a ’Renowned National Landscape Monument’.

Ha Long Bay was first listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, in recognition of its outstanding, universal aesthetic value. In 2000 the World Heritage Committee additionally recognized Ha Long Bay for its outstanding geological and geomorphological value, and its World Heritage Listing was updated.

In 2009, the New 7 Wonders Foundation, which runs the New Seven Wonders of the World program, included Halong Bay on its list of nominations as one the World’s 7 Natural Wonders.

TA

Fansipan is the highest mountain in Vietnam and Indochina, at 3,143 meters.

Enjoying clouds on the Roof of Indochina

May 22, 2011 about News, Travel

LookAtVietnam - Fansipan is the highest mountain in Vietnam and Indochina, at 3,143 meters. It is located in Lao Cai province in northwest Vietnam, 9km southwest of Sa Pa Township in the Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range.

Fansipan is dubbed “the Roof of Indochina”. It is also one of the very few ecotourist spots of Vietnam, with about 2,024 floral varieties and 327 faunal species.

The topography of Fansipan is varied. Muong Hoa Valley, at the lowest altitude (950 to 1 000m), is created by a narrow strip of land at the base on the east side of the mountain. It can be climbed in a steep and fairly strenuous hike.

“Hunting clouds” on the Roof of Indochina has been always an interesting tour for adventurers. The feeling of bobbing on clouds to see the grandiose landscape of the nature is worthy for their efforts to conquer this 3,143m peak.

How to get there?

The most popular means of transport chosen to save your time and money is train. From Hanoi, you can get the train at Tran Quy Cap railway station to Lao Cai, then get a bus to Sapa and start your adventure.

You should book train tickets 1-2 weeks before the trip, especially if your trip is scheduled at the weekend. The ticket price may be different if you book it directly at the railway station or through travel agents. You should also book the return ticket early at your hotel or travel agents in Sapa or Lao Cai.

To adventure the Fansipan, you need the license granted by the Hoang Lien Son National Par to get into the park. You can take the license in the morning, when you start to visit Fansipan.

There are many ways to the peak of Fansipan. There are four major roads. The first way is from Cat Cat to Sin Chai. This is the most difficult road in Lao Cai to conquer Fansipan. Those with good physical strength and want a long trip often choose this road to adventure the Roof of Indochina.

The second way is from Cat Cat to Tram Ton. This road is good to see Fansipan clearly. However, it is quite long.

The third way is from Sapa to Tram Ton: This is the shortest and most simple road for everyone. You can hire a car of a travel agent to go from Sapa to Tram Ton. You should book the return.

From Tram Ton, you will get into the jungle at around 10 am. You will pass many streams and stop at Bai Soi for lunch at around 12.30-1 pm. From Bai Soi, the road will be more sloping. After two hours of walking from Bai Soi, you will reach a camp at the height of 2,200m and you will rest there.

The next day you will continue the trip to the camp at the height of 2,900m and then to the peak. This is a long and sloping road so you should walk slowly to maintain their breath. You can have lunch on the peak and return to the camp at the 2,900 or 2,200m for a night rest and return the next morning.

The route to Fansipan doesn’t require so-good physical strength but endurance. You should practice exercises on a daily basis at least one week before the tour.

Pictures of Fansipan:

The road to Fansipan

Wild flowers on the Fansipan

Thuy Thom (photo: quycoctu.multiply.com, phuot.com)

Historical pictures of National Assembly | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

Historical pictures of National Assembly

May 21, 2011 about News, Politics

VietNamNet Bridge – Ho Chi Minh Museum has opened an exhibition introducing historical pictures about the first National Assembly elections.

On January 5 1946, thousands of Hanoians welcomed President Ho Chi Minh and

candidates of the first National Assembly election.

Hanoian constituents cast their votes for the first National Assembly election on January 6 1946.

Lo Duc street’s residents cast their votes for the second National Assembly election on May 8 1960.

Mr. Vay Tac Chuong, 109, in Thuan Chau cast his vote on May 8 1960.

President Ho Chi Minh congratulated President Ton Duc Thang who had

just been elected at the first session of the 2^nd National Assembly in July 1960.

President Ho Chi Minh was re-elected as Vietnam’s President by the 3^rd NA on July 3 1964.

Priest Ho Thanh Bien, Hanoi’s NA deputy cast his vote to elect State leaders at the 4^th NA in July 1971.

Christians in Xuan Phuong, Hai Hau district, Nam Ha cast their votes for the 5^th NA election on April 6 1975.

Prime Minister Pham Van Dong cast his vote for the 5^th NA election in Hanoi.

The NA election in 1976:

The Southern Election Council met for the first time in HCM City on March 3 1976.

Election canvassing meeting in Hoang Lien Son in April 1976.

Naval soldiers cast their votes in HCM City in April 1976.

Constituents of Son Ha commune, Huu Lung district, Cao Lang province cast their votes in April 1976.

Mr. Xuan Thuy, Central Party Secretary, Vice Chair of the Northern Election Council

inspected a voting precinct in Hanoi on April 23 1976.

A voting precinct on Co To island on April 25 1976.
PV

Vietnamese movie stars charming on Cannes red carpet

May 22, 2011 about Uncategorized

LookAtVietnam - Vietnamese artists appeared on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival early this week.

Supermodel and actress, Thanh Hang in ao dai designed by Thuan Viet.

Actress Anh Thu in a black ao dai designed by Vo Viet Chung.

Actress Hong AnH in a reformed ao dai, while My Duyen wore a red ao dai.

Actress Anh Thu and director Tran Quang Dai.

Actress My Duyen.

Actress Lan Ngoc.

Hong Anh and director Nguyen Thanh Van.

Actress Minh Hang and director Le Cung Bac.

The Vietnamese delegation.

Actress Anh Thu.

From the left: My Duyen, Lan Ngoc, Anh Thu and Hong Anh.

VNE

Economists give alerts about increasing invasion of Chinese imports

May 21, 2011 about Business, News

LookAtVietnam - While some state
officials say they cannot see any problems in the trade deficit with China,
economists have expressed their worries about the increase in the presence of
Chinese goods in Vietnam.

By late
2010, China had become the
biggest trader of Vietnam.
However, the sharp excess of the imports from China
over exports to the country in the two-way trade has become a headache to Vietnam.

By the end
of April 2011, the trade deficit with China had reached 4.1 billion
dollars so far this year. The noteworthy thing is that the trade deficit with China amounted
to 84 percent of the total trade deficit of the country.

The Vietnam Center
for Economic and Policy Research VEPR under the Hanoi National
University, in its latest
report, gave warning about the increasingly high penetration of Chinese goods,
from machines and equipment to consumer goods.

The source
said that the Chinese goods which have been most penetrating into Vietnam, are
the ones in the fields of power, oil and gas, mechanical engineering,
metallurgy, mining and chemicals – the “upstream industries”, where there are
many EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) projects are under execution.
The investors of the huge projects are Vietnamese key conglomerates, while the
contractors of the projects are Chinese enterprises.

Some
officials of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), when talking about Vietnam’s trade deficit, said that the trade
deficit would not be a big problem at all, since Vietnam, like many other developing
economies, needs to import technologies and equipment to run domestic
production. In this case, the imports today will bring high values in the
future.

VEPR, on one hand, agreeing that trade deficit is the problem of most of the
developing economies in the world, on the other hand, still said that it would
still be a problem to Vietnam
since the trade deficit with the neighboring country has been accounting for an
increasingly high proportion in the total trade deficit of Vietnam.
Meanwhile, the pervasive values and impacts on the technologies and the society
of the imports are not as high as expected.

VEPR’s
Director, Nguyen Duc Thanh thinks that Chinese equipment and goods have
advantages in Vietnam
because they fit Vietnam’s
starting point when joining the global production chain, and because they are
suitable to the income of Vietnamese people.

“Contractors
have been trying to bring big amounts of goods and materials to Vietnam and turn Vietnam
into a trade partner who imports goods in big quantities from China,” Dr
Thanh said.

The
research conducted by VEPR also showed that Vietnam’s
trade deficit with China
has no close relation with the investment flow from the country.

“Chinese
investment flow into Vietnam
is really low if compared with the imports flow,” Thanh said.

Agreeing
with VEPR that it is necessary to give alert about the increasing trade deficit
with China, Dr Le Xuan Nghia, Deputy Chair of the National Finance Supervision
Council, said that the negotiations between Vietnam and China, which aim to
allow the two sides to use Chinese yuan in the trade payments may lead to bigger
difficulties for Vietnam in the near future.

Dr Vo Tri
Thanh, Deputy Head of the Central Institute for Economic Management CIEM,
pointed out that it is necessary to pay attention to machinery, equipment and
intermediate goods imported from China.

“25 dollars
out of every 100 dollars worth of products imported from China are
machines and equipment which relate to the story about investment and long term
production capability, or the strategy story,” Thanh said.

“70 percent
of the total import turnover is intermediate goods, which is also relating to a
long term development story,” he added.

As for
intermediate goods, more than a half of them have been put into the domestic
production and consumption, while the other half have been used to make
consumer goods for export.

“As such,
the most important part relating to the trade deficit with China, is the
import of machines and intermediate imports. If we can reduce the imports, we
will be able to reduce the trade gap,” Thanh concluded.

Source: TBKTVN

Photo exhibition by Minister and Buddhist monks

May 20, 2011 about Community, News, Social

VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 100 photos featuring love for life are now displayed at the “Leica – Live” exhibition, which opened on May 18, at 29 Hang Bai Street, Hanoi.

The exhibition attracts the audiences’ attention with the participation of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and Buddhist monks. All photos were taken by Leica cameras by 25 amateur and professional photographers.
Of nearly 100 photos, some were taken in the 1990s. Ministeer Hoang Tuan Anh contributes only one black-and-white photo, which portrayed Professor of aesthetics Duong Viet A.
Two Buddhist monks, Venerable monk Thich Minh Hien and Venerable monk Thich Minh Phuong contribute pictures depicting the daily life at pagodas.
Named “Live”, the exhibition introduces pictures that were taken overseas, for example Tibet Code by Duc Thanh, Street Circus in Hamburg by Nguyen Chi Trung or Float Market in Seoul by Khuat Tuan Anh.
There are some “special” pictures, including one about the opening ceremony of a class in Phu Son Prison in Thai Nguyen Province, which was taken by Hoang Minh Tri in April 2011.
The exhibition has the participation of many famous photographers like Hoai Linh, Viet Thanh, Duong Minh Long and Tran Viet Dung.
The exhibition will close on May 24.
Some pictures at the exhibition:

Portrait of Prof. Duong Viet A by Minister Hoang Tuan Anh.

A photo by Venerable monk Thich Minh Hien.

West Lake afternoon by Phan Huu Lap.

K Hospital (Cancer and Turmor Hospital) by Tran Viet Dung.

Street Circus in Hamburg by Nguyen Tri Chung.

Billiard by Nguyen Minh Tri.

Taking pipe by Do Anh Tuan.

Musician Trinh Cong Son lighted a cigarette for musician Van Cao by Duong Minh Long.

A photo by Venerable monk Thich Minh Phuong.

A photo by Venerable monk Thich Minh Hien.

The opening ceremony of a class at Phu Son Prison by Hoang Minh Tri.

Pregnant woman by Do Anh Tuan.

Reading newspaper on the lakeside by Hoai Linh.

Incense producing enterprise by Viet Thanh.

Float market in Seoul by Khuat Tuan Anh.

Doing morning exercise on the lakeside by Tran Viet Dung.

Bicycle pumping service on pavement by Le Tung Anh.

LTH