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Travel News
New tours, destinations and promotions to the Mekong Delta were introduced at a seminar held on May 16 in Ha Noi.
About 50 travel agents and companies from delta provinces attended the function.
Tomorrow, delegates will visit Hai Phong's Cat Ba tourist area to learn about ecological and homestay tours in the province.
Mai Tien Dung, vice director of the Ha Noi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that the number of foreign tourists to Viet Nam and the Mekong Delta had decreased in the first quarter.
"The activity will contribute to developing Vietnamese tourism," he said, "It also creates a chance for travel agents to exchange experiences and promote their products."
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Due to huge tourist growth, Phu Quoc Island will need around 3,000 new hotel rooms in the next two to three years to meet the increasing demand, said a provincial official.
Le Minh Hoang, director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Kien Giang Province, Phu Quoc Island welcomed around 38,000 tourists per month at the start of the year, but this number has now doubled to around 70,000 per month. Currently, the island has approximately 2,900 rooms, with only 600 rooms having star ratings.
Phu Quoc International Airport opened at the end of last year creating a stepping stone for Phu Quoc’s high tourist growth. Some investors have also started tourism projects but the implementation progress is slow.
“By the end of the year, Phu Quoc will have two to three new hotels, but the number of rooms is still small with only 100-200 rooms each. We need big hotels which can supply 500-600 rooms and good services,” he said.
According to Hoang, the hotel room shortage has made the province reconsider plans to attract overseas tourists to Phu Quoc Island. “We have built up plans to open road and sea routes from Phu Quoc to Thailand and Cambodia but are carefully considering accommodation plans.”
Next week, representatives of Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Tien Giang provinces and Can Tho City together with the Thai ambassador in Vietnam will study a sea route connecting Phu Quoc Island with destinations in Thailand and Cambodia.
“Kien Giang, Thailand and Cambodia have prepared a plan for sea tourism, but we want to re-study it and cooperate with other provinces in the Mekong Delta to attract tourists,” he said.
The province will propose the Government to open an air route between Phu Quoc and Thailand to promote tourism development. The airport in Phu Quoc is now able to handle large aircraft, while airports in Thailand can also welcome adjoining international flights.
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At the working session, which took place within the framework of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Russia from May 12-15, the two sides agreed to actively implement signed cooperation agreements.
Accordingly, the two sides plan to organise the Vietnam-Russia Tourism Business Forum in Moscow this September, and then take turns hosting the event annually.
They also agreed to support each other in promoting each country’s potential to help the two peoples understand more about each country’s tourism values.
The Russian side is willing to help Vietnam teach the Russian to Vietnamese tour guides to serve more Russian tourists in Vietnam.
On this occasion, the two agencies signed a cooperation plan for the 2013-2015 period.
Tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Russia has seen remarkable development, contributing to Vietnam’s economic development and the two countries’ relations.
Over the past five years, Vietnam has enjoyed a 50 percent surge in the number of Russian tourists coming to the country, with 176,679 arrivals in 2012.
In the first four months of this year, 112,000 Russians came to Vietnam, a year-on-year increase of 51 percent.
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At the working session, which took place within the framework of Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Russia from May 12-15, the two sides agreed to actively implement signed cooperation agreements.
Accordingly, the two sides plan to organise the Vietnam-Russia Tourism Business Forum in Moscow this September, and then take turns hosting the event annually.
They also agreed to support each other in promoting each country’s potential to help the two peoples understand more about each country’s tourism values.
The Russian side is willing to help Vietnam teach the Russian to Vietnamese tour guides to serve more Russian tourists in Vietnam.
On this occasion, the two agencies signed a cooperation plan for the 2013-2015 period.
Tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Russia has seen remarkable development, contributing to Vietnam’s economic development and the two countries’ relations.
Over the past five years, Vietnam has enjoyed a 50 percent surge in the number of Russian tourists coming to the country, with 176,679 arrivals in 2012.
In the first four months of this year, 112,000 Russians came to Vietnam, a year-on-year increase of 51 percent.
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Day two of H2H 2013 got off to a warm, humid start. We stretched as a group at Hoa Binh’s stadium before setting off under an overcast sky. The day’s ride was shorter than the first, at 60km, but it included the first significant hill as well – a 260 meter ascent over 5.5 kilometers. As amateur cyclists we were all nervous, though I knew what to expect.
I made it to the top drenched in sweat, but I felt good. I had struggled on this hill in 2012, but there were no such problems this time, with the exception of the honking trucks and buses. Those of us who made it up first waited at the top to cheer on everyone else, and it was great seeing everyone smile as they conquered the biggest challenge we would face until the mountains south of Hue.
We rocketed down the other side of the hill and rolled through beautiful countryside on our way to Vu Ban. The sun eventually burned through the overcast, the roads were smooth and the traffic light. It was a great day for cycling.
Sadly the smooth riding ended about 15 kilometers outside of Vu Ban. On our cheap road bikes, which had no suspension, the unpaved, rocky road was torture. At least it was better than the previous year, when thick mud had obscured huge potholes. After an hour or so of bone-rattling riding we lurched into Vu Ban, a tiny town that reminded us Saigon-dwellers that there are still parts of the country without paved roads, regular electricity or even restaurants.
Day three was an 80 km trek from Vu Ban to Quan Lao. We would be hitting the amazing Ho Chi Minh Highway today, but the first stretch was on the awful road out of Vu Ban. Children ran to the road and shouted ‘hello!’ while waving at us, but I couldn’t even wave back since the bumpy road forced you to keep both hands on the handlebars at all times. Incredibly all 20 riders made it out of the mess without puncturing a single tire, and we rolled onto the mercifully smooth highway.
This part of the route skirted Cuc Phuong National Park, regarded as one of the most beautiful areas of Vietnam, and for good reason. Karsts draped in green stretched as far as the eye could see.
We stopped for lunch in a town called Cam Thuy, situated on an intersection between the Ho Chi Minh Highway and the smaller road we were turning onto. This was where we really started to notice what would go on to become on the most frustrating aspects of the ride: the need seemingly every driver in Vietnam sees to lay on their horn whenever they approach another road. Of course, living in Saigon the sound of traffic is relentless, but it seems worse in the countryside. As we sat at a nuoc mia shop on the side of the road our eardrums were nearly ripped open as countless trucks and buses blasted away for no apparent reason. Many of them seemed to find it funny, judging by their faces.
The rest of the day’s ride was hot but flat, and the local schools were letting out as I rolled into Quan Lao. Chaos ensued, as hundreds of students tried to shout, “hello!” and “what your name?!” while steering their bikes. I pulled into our guest house and waited for the rest of the team to arrive. It had been a great first three days of riding.
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