International parachutists to compete in Viet Nam

DA NANG – International skydivers will convene in the central city of Da Nang late this month to join the country's first ever international paramotor race.

Parachuting competition is expected to create a new trademark for Da Nang City. - Photo coutersy dipr.com.vn

 
Twenty five competitors, three French, one Polish, one American and 20 Japanese pilots, will compete in four events: speed flying, point-counting flying, team flying and rescue flying.
According to the competition organiser – CATI joint stock company – some the participating parachutists are world renowned athletes. For instance, Didier Eymin from France flew through the Sahara desert in 1988; Emilia Plak, from Poland, was the champion of the international gliding competition held in the Czech Republic in 2009 while Jun Asihmine from Japan is the three time champions of a Japan parachuting competition.
The major competing area will be a region with a radius of 100km and ceiling height of 170km above My Khe beach in Son Tra District.
Meanwhile the area for speed flying will be a rectangular space measuring 9km by 1.5km with ceiling height of 300m which stretches from the northernmost point of the major competing area to Ngu Hanh Son mountain.
After five days of the contest starting on May 23, organiser will present three awards. The winner will receive US$10,000, the first runner up will get one parachuting engine worth $3,000 and the second runner up will receive a height measuring kit worth $1,000.
For tourists, apart from enjoying performances by international professional parachutists, they will have chance to try gliding with the competitors by paying VND1.3million ($62).
They also can try the food and drink at Vietnamese food stalls or learn about the city's traditional crafts at the kiosk on the beach.
Nguyen Xuan Anh, Vice chairman of the municipal People's Committee, said the city authorities hoped the Da Nang International Paramotor Race will be a new trademark for the city to attract more tourists. – VNS

Vendors – problem or beauty of Vietnam’s tourism?

VietNamNet Bridge – Peddled wares can be seen in every country in the world, including developed economies. The thing that Vietnam needs to do is turn peddled ware shoulder poles (carrying poles) into the special characteristic to attract tourists, instead of the “threat to the tourism” that state management agencies need to eliminate.

While a lot of foreigners and Vietnamese people have voiced their complaints that Vietnamese vendors try to invite travelers to buy goods with insistence, thus bothering travelers--especially foreigners, others believe that vending should be seen as an original characteristic of Vietnam instead of an “evil.”

“Inviting insistently” better than “keeping indifferent”

Entreating travelers to buy goods, forcing foreign travelers to buy souvenirs at exorbitant prices, cheating travelers with low quality goods all have been cited as the big problems of Vietnam’s tourism that cause a headache to the state management agencies.

However, unlike many other foreign travelers, who complained that they are bothered by vendors, in Vietnam, Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization WTO Taleb Rifai believes that this might not be a “big problem.”

Commenting about the vendors pursuing travelers and inviting them to buy souvenirs, thus causing inconvenience to travelers, or the spontaneous development of “pavement restaurants and shops”, he said this is really a serious problem that hinders the development of the tourism industry in many countries in the world. However, he has not seen the problem in Vietnam.

He went on to say that he can name 40 of 50 other countries which meet more troubles with their problems that Vietnam. When asked about the comments on social networks by some foreign travelers about the bad things of Vietnam’s tourism, he said that social networks are the forums, where everyone can share his thoughts, and that the stories with negative information about Vietnam should not be seen as a big problem.

In Vietnam, foreign travelers can communicate easily with local residents, because a lot of people can speak English. Meanwhile, in Europe, people meet big difficulties in communicating with the host residents, which is also can be seen a problem of tourism.

“I have been to Vietnam three times and I can see new things in Vietnam every time I come. The achievements that Vietnam’s tourism has gained are very clear,” he said.

Especially, Mr Rifai also said he does not agree with the viewpoint that in Vietnam, vendors force travelers to sell goods dear.

“Expensive” is just a concept with relative meaning. Some countries, London, for example, even want to position themselves as expensive destinations, because this could be seen as a character that attracts travelers. And once travelers accept to spend money to buy the goods they are offered, this does not mean a serious problem.

Turning peddled wares into the special character to attract tourists

There were 980 million tourists of the globe in 2011, and the figure is forecast to rise to 1 billion in 2012. This means that one of every seven people on the earth went traveling.

Every country in the world and every tourism site all try to attract travelers with their special characteristics. Vending is one of the indigenous cultural features that can help attract tourists.

A research by Professor Annette Kim from MIT University showed that the peddle ware shoulder poles on the pavements of HCM City not only provide food, create jobs to 30 percent of the city’s residents, but also serves as the original characters to attract western travelers through “non-language images.”

For example, when one sees a roll of paper pressed under a brick, he should understand that someone nearby has petrol to sell. A man knocks a chopstick into a porcelain bowl when he wants to say that he sells noodles. Meanwhile, if one can see a tire, travelers can expect to see a shop when their tires can be patched.

Quoc Dung

Taiwan Tourism Promotion Workshop

On 9th May 2012, the Taiwan tourism promotion workshop was held at Sheraton Hotel (Ha Noi). The workshop had the attendance of Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT); Mr. Liu Hsi Lin, Deputy General Director of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau; Mr. Bui Trong Van, Chief of the Vietnam Economic & Culture office in Taipei, Mr. Huang Chih Peng, Chief of the Taipei Economic & Culture office in Vietnam and delegates, travel agencies, airlines, journalists of Vietnam and Taiwan.

This is the first tourism promotion workshop held by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau in Vietnam. The workshop aims to promote new Taiwan tourism image as "Taiwan - The Heart of Asia" and “Project Vanguard For Excellence”; to exploit emerging markets in South East Asia, including Vietnam to attract international tourists to Taiwan.
VNAT organized "Vietnam Tourism Roadshow in Taiwan" twice in 2009, 2010 and achieved positive results. In 2009, the number of tourists from Taiwan to Vietnam reached 271,643 arrivals; in 2010, this number was 334,007 arrivals, up 23.7% over previous year; and in 2011, there were 361,051 arrivals, up 8.1% over 2010.

In the workshop, the Vietnam Economic & Culture office in Taipei and the Taipei Economic & Culture office in Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation to facilitate and promote tourism exchanges, cooperation between the two sides.

Speaking at the event, Deputy General Director of VNAT Nguyen Manh Cuong said that the workshop helps Vietnam’s travel agencies and tourists to understand more about Taiwan tourism and Taiwan would become a favorite destination of Vietnamese tourists.

In the working program in Vietnam from 8th -11th May 2012, beside the promotion workshop, the Taiwan tourism delegation also made survey on Vietnam tourism market, visited and worked with leaders of VNAT, VITA (Vietnam Tourism Association), discussed on cooperation issues as: supporting tourism promotion, organizing seminars on investment tourism, conducting specialized tourism programs, training tourism management human resources ...

Translated by Thu Giang (TITC)  

HCM City to develop river tourism

Authorities in HCM City plan to exploit the area's river tourism potential with new programmes, including tours of Can Gio Mangrove Forest. 

People visit Sac Forest in HCM City's Can Gio District. The city is planning to develop river tourism to take advantage of Can Gio Mangrove Forest, a UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve in the district. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hai

By the end of this month, the city's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will compile agency opinions and report to the People's Committee on the kind of infrastructure that should be built for river tours.

Last year, several river tours to Can Gio Mangrove Forest were launched by travel companies, attracting many foreign tourists.

Phan Xuan Anh, director of Viet Excursions, said his company had launched two pilot tours in the Can Gio Mangrove Forest near the Thi Vai River over the past five months.

In late April, Nguyen Thi Hong, deputy chairwoman of the HCM City People's Committee, and a group of officials from relevant departments, took a river tour from the city's District 1 to the Can Gio Mangrove Forest, a UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve in Can Gio District.

The trip was done as part of a research programme on the possible development of stopover stations on a river tour in Can Gio District.

One of the stopover stations could be a swift-breeding farm in Tam Thon Hiep Commune.

One of the tours organised by Viet Excursions lets tourists row kayaks in the Can Gio mangrove forest, visit salt fields on foot, and climb the 10-metre-high Giong Chua Mountain.

On the other tour, tourists travel by boat to visit Can Gio Mangrove Forest and listen to a tour guide describing the flora and fauna of the forest.

About 1,000 foreign tourists on cruise ships, most from Germany and the US, have taken the tours this year.

Investment

However, Can Gio District needs to do even more for tourism development, according to Anh.

Tourists enjoy exploring Can Gio, but the area has no souvenir or handicraft products. Tourists could also visit farms that raise swifts, according to travel agencies.

The Can Gio District-based Phi Long Boat Joint-Stock Company plans to develop swift farming on an area of more than 50ha in Can Gio and build a centre to exhibit Viet Nam's swift nests.

With its two passenger ships, one carrying 400 passengers and the other 200, Phi Long wants to open a Can Gio – Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province river tour.

Le Van Sinh, head of the Can Gio Protection Forest Management Board, said the Can Gio Mangrove Forest was classified as a protection forest, which meant that the use of its rivers and canals for tourism development was still limited due to state regulations.

This waterway issue needs to be solved so that tourism in Can Gio can be developed, according to Sinh.

One of the tasks that should be given first investment priority is the planning and building of wharves at stopover stations on river tours.

He said that the city should conduct research on how to allow the use of rivers and canals in the Can Gio Protection Mangrove Forest to serve tourism services, including floating restaurants, water skiing and boat rowing.

| VNS | May 11, 2012 10:53 AM