Another Christmas season has come and many people are planning their Christmas and New Year holidays. At this time of the year, many travel companies are offering their customers attractive tours with special discounts. Going to sea seems to be the most popular choice for many travelers this year. By this time of the year, most tours offered by Vietravel Company to Nha Trang, Phu Quoc and Con Dao island are fully booked, thanks to the company’s special year-end promotions. Customers signing up for these tours receive discounts up to 150 USD package. Luu Thu Mai is head of Viettravel’s marketing division: "Vietnamese tourists enjoy going to hot regions for winter vacations. They often go to Nha Trang, Phu Quoc island and Con Dao at this time of year. Phu Quoc and Con Dao are two new popular destinations for visitors with standard tourist services because of their many natural scenic spots and delicious food." Ms. Mai said a new direct air route between Hanoi and Phu … [Read more...] about Christmas and New Year holidays in Vietnam
Vietnam
Lawmakers want one more holiday in Vietnam
Vietnamese laborers will have another legal day off with pay as from this year to commemorate Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam, heard a house session Wednesday. Members of the National Assembly agreed on an amendment to the Labor Law which makes the Lunar March 10 a public holiday, totaling the number of holidays in Vietnam to 9 annually. They also agreed to make the amendment effective as from this year, with the anniversary falling on April 26. The amendment is expected to be officially adopted on April 3, the final day of the ongoing house session. Vietnam has the fewest holidays in comparison with other countries in the region. For instance, Indonesia and Thailand have 13 days, the Philippines 12, and China 10. Vietnamese history, bordering on mythology, has it that the Hung Kings reigned in what is now northern Vietnam between 2879 and 258 BC. There are over 1,400 places of worship for the Hung Kings around the country and annual festivals are … [Read more...] about Lawmakers want one more holiday in Vietnam
Russian tourists – a huge potential for Vietnam’s tourism
Around 100 representatives from Vietnamese travel companies, hotels, resorts and agencies have taken part in a seminar on the Russian tourism market, held by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PAPA)'s Vietnam Chapter in Ho Chi Minh City. At present, Russia is not yet included in the list of Vietnam's top ten tourism markets, but visitors from this European country possess a huge potential for Vietnam's tourism sector. According to Andrey Sorokin, Capital Tour Company's Director in charge of the Chinese and Vietnamese markets, more and more Russian visitors prefer to spend their holidays in Vietnam. The Capital Tour Company, one of Russia's three biggest travel agencies, has brought the largest number of Russian tourists to Vietnam. From January, 2006 to September, 2008, the number of Russian visitors to Vietnam increased by 50%. Mr. Sorokin estimates that by 2015, up to 150,000 Russian tourists will visit Vietnam. In recent years, the cooperation between the two … [Read more...] about Russian tourists – a huge potential for Vietnam’s tourism
Foreign volunteers enjoy holidays in Vietnam
Wearing a gauze mask, Hiu Yan Lau from Hong Kong (China), climbed an iron scaffold and started scraping the walls clean. Dust covered hair and clothes of other volunteers in the room. Lau is among 20 young volunteers in Vietnam for a two-week long program launched by the Peace for Volunteer Vietnam, a non-governmental organisation, as of July 4th. Lau is an accountant in Hong Kong (China). She confided that she had to complete some work before going to Vietnam. For her, a twelve-day stay in Vietnam, part of her 18-day leave a year, deserved to be spent. Like Lau, Sandra Rosa from Portugal, had to fulfill her one-month work for her two-week voluntary activities in the S-shaped country. Sandra, with a smile, said that she felt glad and useful when painting the house for needy children by herself. In the first voluntary week, all participants re-painted four classrooms at Vinh Son Class of Compassion in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Lau shared that she had not done such a … [Read more...] about Foreign volunteers enjoy holidays in Vietnam
Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival
The festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, which falls in mid September in the Western calendar. It has evolved into an event with both cultural and commercial value. The Mid-Autumn or ‘Trung Thu’ Festival is associated with the legend of Cuoi, a popular Vietnamese fairy tale that explains the origin of the festival. According to the legend, a man named Cuoi was very famous because he owned a magic banyan tree that could cure any illness. Cuoi’s wife got angry because Cuoi seemed to love the tree more than her so one day when Cuoi was out treating a sick neighbour, she poured dirty water on the roots of the tree, which made it leave the ground. Cuoi suddenly returned at that very moment to see the tree fly up to the sky. He tried to grab it but failed to pin it down and was taken up to the moon, where he lives together with his tree to this day. That’s why every year children light lanterns and take part in processions … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival