Tourists ride elephants to visit Hue royal citadel

VietNamNet Bridge – Two elephants have been used to serve visitors to the Hue royal citadel at Hue Festival 2012, besides tramcars.

Tourists can also touch and take photo with these elephants.

The cost for a tour on elephant is VND150,000 ($7.5) for two persons. The elephant will take visitors to ‘stroll’ in the royal citadel.

The Center for Preservation of Hue Relics bought the elephants two years ago. They have been trained since then to perform circus. They will be used to serve tourists during the Hue Festival only.

Tours by elephants is considered a new tourism product in Hue. However, some say that the royal palace is a solemn place so riding elephants in this place is disrespectful.

Dan Tri

DIFC 2012 - Team Perfomance Schedule & Program

DIFC 2012 - Team Perfomance Schedule & Program

29 April 2012 - First Competition Night

• 16:30 Invited Guests arrive
• 18:00 Entertainment and Cultural Show
• 19:30 Welcome VIPs 
• 20:00 Official Performance
• 20:20 Opening Ceremony & Welcome Speech by Chairman
• 20:35 Team Canada Display - David Whysall International Fireworks Inc.; champion of DIFC 2008
• 20:55 Interval/ Entertainment
• 21:10 Team Viet Nam Display - Team Da Nang .
• 21:30 Interval/ Entertainment
• 21:45 Team China Display - Liuyang Dancing Fireworks Group Co., Ltd; champion of DIFC 2009

30 April 2012 - Second Competition Night

• 16:30 Invited Guests arrive 
• 18:00 Entertainment and Cultural Show
• 19:30 Welcome VIPs
• 20:00 Official Performance
• 20:20 Team France Display - Jacques Couturier Organisation; champion of DIFC 2010 
• 20:40 Interval/ Entertainment
• 20:55 Team Italy Display- Parente Fireworks, champion of DIFC 2011 
• 21:15 Interval/ Entertainment
• 21:30 Prize Giving and Closing Ceremony

Da nang announces ticket prices for firework festival

In Hanoi, tickets are available at the Danaland Investment and Development JS Company, the third floor of Naforimex building, 19 Ba Trieu Street.

In HCM City, tickets are sold at the Viet Media Travel JS Company, 175 Nguyen Thai Binh Street, District 1.

In Da nang, tickets are available at the Trung Vuong Theatre, 35 Phan Chau Trinh; Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theatre, 155 Phan Chau Trinh; Tourism Promotion Center, 32A Phan Dinh Phung, Danang Event and Festival Organising Center, 78 Le Duan and Viet Art JS Company, 62 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai.

Tickets are sold at three prices: VND300,000 for a seat on the C1 stand; VND250,000 for a seat on C2 stand and VND200,000/person for the C3 stand.

If tickets are sold at higher prices, buyers can report to inspectors of the Da nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism through the following phone numbers: 0511.3886761 or 0905.155.159.

Nam Nguyen

Arrivals at Cambodia's airports up 20 per cent

Arrivals at Cambodia’s two biggest airports increased by about 20 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2012, according to Cambodia Airports.

Industry insiders said economic progress in the region coupled with increased flights added to the passenger count at Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport, which saw increases of 14 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

The two airports counted 608,281 arrivals during the first quarter, up from 505,318 during the same period last year. International arrivals rose by about 27 per cent during the period.

“The improvement in the Asia-Pacific economy also contributed to the growth. We noticed a lot of tourists from these countries where there is a large number of middle class people,” Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said.

About 1.84 million tourists from ASEAN and East Asian countries visited Cambodia in 2011, or 69 per cent of total incoming tourists, ministry data showed.

Ho Vandy, co-chair of Cambodia’s Tourism Working Group, said airlines have boosted flights on increased demand.

“I noticed that some existing airlines are increasing the number of flights because they have an increase in number of passengers to our country.” 

Figures from Cambodia Airports also showed that the amount of cargo passing through Phnom Penh International Airport rose by about 30 per cent, while domestic cargo through Siem Reap International Airport rose by 91.17 per cent.

Source - phnompenhpost

Hue Festival attracts artists from 30 countries

This years biennial Hue Festival, held in the former imperial city of Hue , will feature 40 different groups of performers from nearly 30 countries from all five continents and run from April 7-15. 

From France, the street performing act Carabosse will bring a unique fire lighting act to the festival. While the Combo Box and Ego will also play their brand of jazz along various streets.

The Nantes based trio Smooth, is a jazz-funk/ electronic outfit, who first got together in 2005. Their music is a mix of influences from different times and places that could easily have been played in a 1960s underground venue in London or a Berlin café in the 70s.

Many have put together special acts to perform at the festival, including “ Russia, My Love” by the Raduga dance troupe from Khabarovsk in Russia.

Added to this, Deep Roots, a Cuban folk group, will bring a colourful and exciting dancing and singing performance to the festival.

The band Cuartoelemento from Argentina, singer Manou Gallo and composer Max Vandervorst from Belgium are also set to entertain the public with their unique performances.

All the acts will give their first performance for patients in hospitals in Hue and for workers and soldiers throughout the city.

(Source: VNA)