Sea Village Festival to take place in August

The Vietnam Sea Village Festival will take place in the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan from August 1-4.
The event is one of programmes in response to the National Tourism Year: South Central Coast – Phu Yen, said the provincial People’s Committee.
There will be a wide range of activities such as sports and arts exchanges and exhibitions to highlight traditional cultural characteristics of villages lying along the coast of Vietnam.
The festival offers chances for localities to promote cultural and marine tourism potential, contributing to heightening the public awareness of and love for the country’s sea and islands.

(VNA)

Hidden attractions and a way of life

Pristine streets and houses built centuries ago by the Japanese, special lanterns and tailors offering to make silk suits overnight – Hoi An’s attractions are well known.
As visitors to this quaint town explore its surroundings further, they are likely to discover the secrets of this historic spot. One of them is a coconut forest.

Just three kilometers away from the town, the Bay Mau Coconut-Palm Village in Cam Thanh Commune is a lesser-known tourist destination that is becoming increasingly popular among visitors to Hoi An, especially among those who like first-hand experiences of life in the Vietnamese countryside.
The green palms, growing along the banks of Thu Bon and Truong Giang River, form a “forest” in the marshland, serving the village with refreshing breeze and cooling cover.
The dừa nước (roughly translated as “water coconut palm”) grow in soft mud and slow moving tidal and river waters.
Visitors can row a basket boat by themselves or leave the oars in the hands of skilful locals, enjoying the fresh air and picking up water coconuts along the way. Those inclined to do so can bring fishing rods, pick a spot and park themselves there until the sun gradually sets, bringing the day to a glorious end.
After a rowing trip through the palm groves, a sumptuous dinner of fish or shrimp awaits.
The forest now covers an area of 58 hectares, protecting a diverse seaweed ecosystem where various crustacean species thrive, supplying locals and visitors with fresh shrimp, crab and other seafood.
The next stop after the forest exploration is a craft village where most houses are built with palm leaves.
Villagers say their traditional craft of making palm-thatched houses was all but extinct a few years ago, with most of the inhabitants quitting their jobs because there was no demand for their product.
Over the last two years, however, it has revived thanks to rising demand from newly-built beach hotels and resorts in the country. One feature of modern life is that it turns aspects of a previous life into cultural and aesthetic attractions that people are willing to pay extra to access.
The craft has since improved the livelihoods of villagers, many of whom are now well-off.
Once a place where Vietnamese militia and guerillas took shelter during the resistance war against the French, the Bay Mau palm forest is considered a national historical heritage.
In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) granted world biosphere reserve status to Cham Islands-Hoi An, including the Bay Mau palm forest.
In Cam Thanh Commune, tourists can try their hand at local farmer activities like plowing rice fields, rice harvesting and fishing.
Tran Van Khoa, director of the Hoi An Eco-Tour Company in Cua Dai Commune, said he has been offering “one day as a farmer” tours since 2005. Last year, his company organized such tours for more than 4,000 foreign tourists.
After enjoying one such tour, Fenny Seto of Hong Kong said: “We caught a lot of fish and enjoyed the delicious dishes made with them. It was fun to explore the riverside palm forest and hear stories about wartime exploits of the local people.”
Heidiband from New Zealand put it very simply. “I was very happy to be a farmer in such a beautiful country like Vietnam.”

Reported by Huu Tra 

A new beautiful cave found in Na Hang primeval forest

A new beautiful cave has been discovered in Na Hang primeval forest in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.

The cave measuring 8m high, 15m wide and 100m deep, was found while workers were implementing a site clearance project to build National Highway No.279. It has water and sedimentary rock formations in various shapes.

Pham Ninh Thai, Chairman of the Na Hang District People’s Committee, says that the committee is working with relevant agencies to preserve the cave for tourism development and scientific research.

(Source: VOV)

Il Volo

City eyes closer ties with provinces to enrich tourism

HCMC as the country’s tourism hub has plans to strengthen relationship with provinces to enrich tourism products to woo more visitors, especially international guests, said a leader of the municipal government.

Foreign tourists take a stroll on Dong Khoi Street in downtown HCMC - Photo: Dao Loan

Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hong said here on Wednesday that the city attached importance to diversifying and enriching tourism products for the development of the local hospitality industry. Therefore, the city is working on cooperation plans with other localities to develop inter-provincial tourism routes.
“The city’s tourism has enjoyed strong growth in the past five years with average revenue up 26% per year and international visitors up 15% per year. Diversifying tourism products is considered as one of the keys in maintaining tourism growth,” Hong, head of the steering committee for tourism development of HCMC, said in a ground-breaking ceremony for a hotel on Wednesday.
The city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism reports that tourism revenue in HCMC in the first half of this year is estimated at VND23 trillion, up 24% year-on-year. International arrivals in HCMC totaled around 1.65 million, up 10% year-on-year.
As a big business hub and an international gateway for foreign visitors, HCMC has a strong advantage to receive international guests but it still lacks natural sites and beautiful beaches for the visitors.
So far, the tourism sector has joined forces with several localities. For instance, HCMC, Lam Dong and Binh Thuan have inked an agreement to link their key tourist destinations.
HCMC has also cut similar deals with partners in the Mekong Delta region.
According to the tourism department, in the second half of this year, the city’s tourism will review the five-year cooperation plan with the Mekong Delta region, as well as the development of the tourism triangle among HCMC, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong to make better activities for cooperation.
| SGT | July 09, 2011 12:45 pm

Canyon adventure in the Central Highlands

Visitors who love the romantic yet breathtaking cliffs and waterfalls in the Central Highlands city of Dalat are usually advised to enjoy a little spirit of adventure through a tour of its Canyons.
Rappelling or abseiling off cliffs or waterfalls, scrambling up or down rocks, jumping into deep pools and sliding down natural rock slides are all part of the intriguing experiences that visitors can soak in at the Datanla River in Dalat, the only place that you can try it in Vietnam.
Canyoning is still a new sport in Vietnam but has quickly been growing in the Central Highlands recently. The sport was firstly introduced in Dalat in 2005 after a Vietnamese-French doctor, Tran Viet Tu, invited a French canyoning trainer to explore the cliffs and waterfalls in the area and train some local guides with the necessary skills.
A passionate guide, Ngo Anh Tuan, decided to follow his trainer Andre Gala to France to get more experience. He returned with a pack of equipment and a lot of energy to give it a go. That was at the end of 2005.
At present, Tuan is providing canyoning trips daily to most waterfalls and cliffs in the city such as Lien Khuong Falls and Pongour, Draysap but the most popular site he introduces on his tour is Datanla River. The river has three spectacular and challenging waterfalls where visitors can spend a full day with plenty of fun and a lovely experience.
“A combined abseiling and canyoning experience is the ideal introduction to this amazingly venturous pursuit,” said Ngo Anh Tuan, now director of Dalat Discovery Travel Company ,who is providing canyoning tours for many other tourism agents in the city.
According to Tuan, the first part of the tour is focused on learning abseiling skills and techniques; from the small practice abseils and then on up to the longer more exciting stuff. They will test new skills by abseiling 25m off a cliff to the lower floor of the Datanla River. After being verified, visitors have lunch and get everything ready for the most thrilling experience of the tour.
The journey is a combination of scrambling, wading, swimming and free water sliding. Participants finish the adventure by a spectacular 30 metre waterfall abseil, an 8 metre free jump into a deep pool and finally trekking uphill to the bus for returning to the city.

By Lan Hieu | dtinews.vn |

Elephants, waterfalls and ruou can

Not many tourists make it to Dak Lak – Dak Nong, which is one of the reasons why it’s attractive. But it’s easy to get to from Saigon - eight hours by bus or 40 minutes by plane to Buon Ma Thuot, the spacious and relaxed regional capital.
Dak Lak – Dak Nong’s charms are waterfalls, elephants, and the milky fermented drink called ruou can. But coffee is what’s most in evidence - tall bushes growing, not in large fields, but in dense plantations clustered round small farmhouses. Vietnam is now the world’s second largest coffee producer after Brazil.

The best way to get around is to rent a motorbike for the day, with or without a driver. None of the main attractions is close by, and though there are buses, relying on them restricts your independence in a way that a sturdy bike never does. The cost with a driver should be around VND200,000 to VND300,000 per day.
Dak Lak – Dak Nong is part of Vietnam’s Central Highlands, and the road from Saigon is a gentle but continuous climb. It’s currently being made the first section of the new road from Saigon to Hanoi so you necessarily have to take the rough with the smooth. Even so, coming all the way by bike, as one lady I met said she’d done, seemed unnecessarily arduous.

The best waterfalls are to the south of the Buon Ma Thuot City, and you can easily see several in one day. The best I saw was Dray Nur Falls in Dak Nong Province, where a huge amount of water cascades down over a wide cliff, even in the dry season. There’s little you can do except be photographed against such scenic splendor, but it’s a fine experience nonetheless.

Less dramatic is Gia Long Falls, some 20 minutes’ ride from Dray Nur Falls. But this series of falls has the advantage that you can clamber over the rocks above and between them. It’s a different kind of experience, but in its way equally attractive.

To get to the elephants, head north to Buon Don in Dak Lak, around an hour’s drive away. You won’t see wild herds, but going for a ride on a tame one (two people per animal) is easily arranged. They wade through a fast-flowing river, and then climb back up onto the bank using their knees.

You can also take a boat trip on the same river, with around ten people to a vessel. Elephant and boat trips both last around 15 minutes, though longer excursions can be arranged. The elephant rides cost VND80,000 (for two people), while the boats are VND20,000 per person.

Dak Lak’s altitude of around 500m means that, like Dalat, it’s cold at nights. But during the dry season it’s sunny and crisp by day, so early to bed, and then an early start in the morning, is recommended. Besides, Buon Ma Thuot doesn’t have a lot to offer in the way of nightlife.

But there’s always ruou can. This fermented rice wine is around 20% alcohol per volume, and is drunk communally through long straws from large jars. But water is continually added, so the strength varies and, just when you feel you’ve had enough, more of the watered-down version is offered. Taken in moderation it’s a very congenial drink, with little in the way of unpleasant after-effects. It’s on sale everywhere in Dak Lak.

(Source: SGT)

Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Song and Dance Festival to open

The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has decided to organise the Song and Dance Festival of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in Quang Tri province in July.
The ministry authorized the Performing Arts Department (PAD) to work with the Quang Tri Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the International Cooperation Department and the Vietnam Musicians’ Association to host the event.

The ministry also asked the PAD to be responsible for developing prorgammes and training performance troupes at the festival.

The festival will provide a good chance for art troupes from the three countries to meet and exchange experience, contributing to strengthening the ties of friendship between the three countries.

(Source: VOV)
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