Travel

Scene at the event (Photo: VNA) Sydney (VNA) – The Vietnam tourism promotion programme for Australia and New Zealand arrived in Sydney on the evening of August 15 as part of its five-city tour. The event, organised by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and supported by 15 Vietnamese tourism companies, toured around four cities in Australia and one in New Zealand.   The programme featured networking events, a roadshow, and musical performances. This was the first time it had taken place in New Zealand and third time in Australia. Speaking at the opening ceremony in Sydney, VNAT General Director Nguyen Van Tuan said the two countries have always listed amongst the top ten tourist markets in Vietnam. In 2017, Vietnam welcomed more than 370,000 Australian visitors, up 15.5 percent year-on-year, while the respective figures for the first seven months of 2018 were 238,000 and 9.1 percent. The demographic has tended towards staying for a long period of … [Read more...] about Vietnamese tourism shines in Australia, New Zealand

Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh City (Source: VNA)   HCM City (VNA) – Foreign arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City have soared more than 14 times over the past 25 years, accounting for about half of the nationwide total, an official reveal on August 16. Deputy director of the municipal Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa told a seminar, held in the city that the number of foreign tourists in Ho Chi Minh City reached 519,000 in 1993 and surged to about 6.4 million in 2017. The figure hit 3.8 million in the first half and is forecast to reach about 7.5 million later this year. Inbound tourists soared from around 1 million to 24.9 million last year. Revenue from tourism marked a 40-fold increase during the 1997-2017 period, making up roughly 11 percent of the city’s gross regional development product (GRDP). Hoa said travel firms of the city have proved their prestige and brand names to inbound and outbound tourists, and often make up among half of the top 10 … [Read more...] about Foreign arrivals to HCM City up 14 times over 25 years

Container hostel in Quang Binh attracts visitors (Photo: VNA) Quang Binh (VNA) - Visitors nationwide are attracted by a container hostel service in Dong Hoi city, Quang Binh province as they love its versatility and eye-catching interior décor. “Why not hostel” sets itself apart from other conventional hotels as the rooms are constructed only by using containers. This is also the first container hostel in Vietnam, bringing fun to every vacationer. "Why not hostel" has 22 rooms (Photo: VNA) Anh Dung, a visitor staying at a container hostel, expressed his surprise at the convenience of the service. “I always associate container with simplicity, yet this container hostel is different. The bright, fun colours really catch the eyes and rooms are fully-furbished as well,” Dung said.   Meanwhile, other visitor, My Linh was curious how containers can be reused and turned into hostels in such a creative way. Container hostel offers full service to ensure … [Read more...] about Colourful container hostel in Quang Binh attracts visitors

Hanoi hop-on hop-off bus (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Hanoi Transport Service Company (Transerco) has just introduced a lower price ticket for its hop-on hop-off bus service in Hanoi in an effort to attract more passengers. The ticket at 196,000 VND (nearly 9 USD) is offered for passengers who don’t want to hop off during the bus ride. Doug Edwards, a visitor from Australia, said the new service is very convenient for foreign tourists like him, who want to look around Hanoi to familiarize with the city. “We want to spend an hour to explore the city, so this is a good way for us to find where we are going in the city later on,” Edwards said.   The bus tour has serviced thousands of passengers (Photo: VNA) Transerco launched roofless double-decker buses for the first time in Hanoi in May, aiming to boost the city’s tourism rather than for public transport. The buses have 80 seats. They are equipped with automatic multi-lingual narration systems … [Read more...] about Hanoi hop-on hop-off tour costs less, offers more

A site selling local farm produce in Lam Dong (Photo: Vietnam Agriculture) Hanoi (VNA) – The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is home to 35 agrotourism sites, a figure expected to rapidly increase in the years to come. Visitors can experience various activities in the local farms. For example, the Long Dinh Joint Stock Company in Lam Ha district welcomes 80-100 tourists per day to its organic tea farm, with 700 coming on some holidays. Meanwhile, DL Nature farm tourism complex in Da Lat city provides visitors with services to explore local fruit and vegetable gardens, stores selling Da Lat specialties and cafes. Each day, it serves 150-200 visitors. Kien Huy farm tourism company in Lac Duong district offers super fruits and vegetables grown using high technology. Cau Dat company in Da Lat city allows sightseers to visit its 220 hectares of tea, a more than 100-year tea processing plant and a vegetable garden applying smart technology. Annually, the company serves more … [Read more...] about Lam Dong province develops agritourism