Pristine beaches and fresh seafood have lured Russian tourists, part of the top-ten travellers to Vietnam during the past five years, to the coastal cities of Nha Trang and Phan Thiet. Russians mainly opt to travel to the coastal beaches of Vietnam between November and March, the coldest time in Russia , drawn by the fresh air, beautiful nature, friendly locals, cheap seafood and a series of newly constructed resorts in the cities. Nha Trang city hosts 19 islands and two bays that tourists can explore or dive at leisure. Mud and hot spring baths, available at resorts around 5km from the Nha Trang city centre, will help visitors relax after a hot summer's day spent in the sun while coral reefs off Hon Ong Island, 100km offshore of Nha Trang Bay, hosts various types of colourful deep sea life for those interested in being lost in wonder. Nguyen Lan, a Nha Trang city tour operator, said that Russian tourists were not fastidious and enjoyed Nha Trang beach life. "Russian … [Read more...] about Sun, sea draw Russians to Vietnam’s coastal cities
Khanh Hoa
Buddhist cultural centre opens
The Binh Duong Buddhism Cultural Centre has opened at Hoi Khanh Pagoda in Thu Dau Mot township. In addition to a conference hall, classrooms for Buddhist teachings, a library, 13 rooms for monks, lotus ponds, and ornamental trees, the centre also has a 53m-long and 12m-tall reclining Buddha idol and a 5m idol of the Bodhisattva. At a ceremony held to inaugurate the centre, Hoi Khanh Pagoda received a certificate from Vietkings recognising the idol atop the centre as the country's largest Buddha statue and installed a stone board carved with two parallel sentences gifted by President Nguyen Minh Triet. HCM City to hold Tourism Festival The sixth annual HCM City Tourism Festival, scheduled to be held from April 8 to 11 at the September 30 Park in District 1, will showcase tourist services and summer programmes offered by travel agencies. The event, organised by the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Tourism Association, will also feature an array of art … [Read more...] about Buddhist cultural centre opens
Vietnam sea tourism festival to be held in France
The festival, the first of its kind in France, will be jointly organized by Vietnam Airlines (VNA) and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and aims to introduce the country's premier landmarks and tourist sites to foreigners, and realise the government's goal to maintain economic growth, stimulate demand, and boost consumption of service exports. Twenty-five tourism management agencies from sea tourism-rich provinces and cities, such as Khanh Hoa and Da Nang, will join leading hotel, travel and coastal resort businesses at the festival. The France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and hundreds of investors and travel agencies from France and other European countries are expected to attend the event. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the traditional cultures, lands and peoples of Vietnam through a variety of performances, exhibitions and hand-craft product displays, as well as activities featuring the daily life of coastal residents. The festival … [Read more...] about Vietnam sea tourism festival to be held in France
Port seeks funds for relocation
The steering committee set up to move ports on the Sai Gon River and the Ba Son Shipyard out of HCM City has asked the Government for an advance of VND10 trillion (US$588 million) to set up a fund. Sai Gon, Tan Thuan Dong, Rau Qua and Tan Cang ports and Ba Son Shipyard are scheduled to be moved out of the city's urban areas by next year. But since the prog-ramme's inception four years ago, only TanCangPort has been relocated when it moved to District 9 at the end of 2007. Tran Tan Phuc, general director of Portcoast Consultant Corporation, the project consultant, said the advance money would be repaid at the end of the project. Phuc blamed the delay in building new ports on the failure to sell their old premises and raise money. VNS Vietnam takes part in French maritime tourism festival The potential for Vietnam's maritime tourism sector will be highlighted at a festival in Paris from April 28-29. The festival, the first of its kind in France, will be jointly organised by … [Read more...] about Port seeks funds for relocation
Culture-Art in 2011 National Tourism Year
(VEN) - A Da Nang-based representative agency of the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the Phu Yen Province People's Committee held a press conference on March 16 in Da Nang to present the 2011 South Central Coastal Region - Phu Yen National Tourism Year. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has adopted the plan to launch the 2011 National Tourism Year in southern central provinces including Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. Phu Yen Province will host events under this plan, on the occasion of 400 years of the province. The opening ceremony for the 2011 National Tourism Year will be held on April 1 in Phu Yen, and the closing ceremony will take place at the end of the year. Under the theme, "Sea and Island Tourism", more than 30 culture/sport/tourism events will be launched during the year in southern central provinces. These will include PWA (Professional Windsurfers Association) World Cup, an international sailing boat festival, an … [Read more...] about Culture-Art in 2011 National Tourism Year