A cruise from Cambodia to Vietnam is frequently surprising, often heart-rending, and always fascinating, reports Clare Mann.

“But you promised,” said a solemn little boy with trusting brown eyes. I had indeed promised to buy a scarf from him but my dollars had gone and now the boat was leaving. I felt an absolute heel as I hurried back up the gangplank of our fairy-tale boat, La Marguerite. We drifted away down the wide, slow-moving milky-brown Tonle Sap river, which flows into the Mekong at Phnom Penh, leaving the disappointed boy far behind.

The heart-rending incident happened after we had been taken to see the recently revived tradition of silk weaving in the Cambodian village of Chong Koh on an island in the river. Old looms, which had been hidden during the dark years of Pol Pot, had now been returned to use. Beguiling little girls selling armfuls of krama, a traditional scarf with multiple uses, had entwined themselves around us and led us around their village, practising their English and wanting our dollars. The girls scampered off, distracted by a motherly Italian tourist handing out sweets, and the boy sidled up full of questions about England. Is it a happy country? Did we all have blue eyes? From him I learnt a valuable lesson: carry plenty of dollars and spread them around to support the local communities and their handicrafts. After decades of violence, tourism is a lifeline for this fragile but emerging country.

Our river cruise started at Siem Reap. After crossing the 100-mile-long Lake Tonle Sap by motor launch, we were to sail 560 miles (900km) down the Mekong to Saigon in a week.

Before joining La Marguerite, we spent the morning immersed in the wondrous temples and ruins of Angkor Wat. Our guide, Mr Son, a former Khmer Rouge soldier, Buddhist monk and now tour guide, proudly showed us the three best-known temples, Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm.

Back on deck, I sipped Angkor beer as I read Jon Swain’s River of Time, a romantic but also disturbing account of being a journalist in Cambodia and Vietnam during the years of conflict, and his friendship with photographer Dith Pran (the subject of the film, The Killing Fields). It was hard to associate the country’s traumatic past with the peaceful scenes slipping by: fishermen casting their nets from delicate sampans, picturesque houses built on stilts, gleaming new pagodas on the river bank, lush paddy fields, children riding water buffalo, and everyone smiling and waving.

How welcomed we felt from our floating palace. We visited Cheung Kok Ecotourism village, where profits from the local handicrafts go towards teachers’ salaries and health care. Our Cambodian guide asked us not to give the local children money, though few asked. Instead he wanted to encourage them to go to school: “Education is my country’s future.”

We were taken to an orphanage, where we wandered freely; a child showed me her precious possessions tucked beneath her bed in a spartan dormitory. While my husband played badminton with some of the boys, I bought paintings by the children and pretty silk bags sewn by the girls. The children, happy and well cared for, sang to us as we sat in the shady garden. An elderly Australian in our group stood up to thank the children. He too had been an orphan. “Never give up and always do your best,” he told them with obvious emotion.

On excursions from the mother ship we visited ornate Buddhist temples and saw engine casings from B‑52 bombers that had been turned into huge drums, stark reminders of a turbulent past. We explored backwaters on tenders to visit markets, floating villages, schools and even a Catholic chapel on the water.

As we peered into houses, lives were laid bare for our inspection. There was no hostility at our prying eyes, only amused grins from the young men as they tinkered with boat engines while endless cameras clicked. But we wondered how long it would be before the novelty of all the attention wore off. We loved Phnom Penh. Our guides suggested we wore “ambassadorial attire” to visit the magnificent Royal Palace home of the present King. The centrepiece is a gold Buddha statue weighing 14 stone (90kg), studded with 9,584 diamonds. In the Russian Market and Central Market, we browsed avenues selling everything from miss-spelt designer knickers to fried beetles and bootleg DVDs.

A few buildings on the busy waterfront remain from the city’s colonial past. We stopped for cocktails at the famous FCC (Foreign Correspondents’ Club). It has a nostalgic air, with upstairs views of the river, geckos on the walls and whirling ceiling fans. It didn’t take much to imagine the brave and hard-bitten war corres-pondents who gathered there not so long ago.

The Khmer Rouge used Tuol Sleng school in Phnom Penh as a detention centre during their brutal rule in the late Seventies. It is now a Genocide Museum. Photographs of the men, women and children who were imprisoned and tortured here stare from the walls. They were then taken to the “killing fields”, mass graves outside the capital, to be executed. Visitors walked around the former class-rooms in stunned silence.

An English couple in our group quietly wept as we wandered around the killing fields at Choeung Ek later that day. The site is crude and immediate; shards of human bones and clothing were pushing through the worn mud paths. The central memorial is a tall glass structure filled with hundreds of skulls.

La Marguerite was a welcoming and cool refuge after our excursions. Named after the French writer Marguerite Duras, who grew up in French Indochina during the 1900s, it is elegantly decorated in French colonial style. There is an attentive crew of 42 to look after 92 passengers, and while the eight suites on the sun deck are the largest cabins and have private balconies, our stateroom, one of 38, was very comfortable.

We ate well, with a splendid buffet breakfast and lunch plus a four-course dinner each day. Indeed, we felt in serious danger of piling on the pounds with too little exercise. Although there was a small gym on board we found other distractions more enticing.

Our fellow guests were a diverse and interesting multinational group who quickly acquired nicknames from our travelling companions, Maddy and Christopher. In the evenings we were entertained by local dancers and musicians, films, and talks on the history of the region. Otherwise we played bridge on the deck, swatting the occasional mayfly as they swarmed around the lights.

On day four of the cruise we crossed into Vietnam. The difference was marked: along the riverbank many new factories appeared, the river traffic trebled, with countless laden barges, some piled high with bonsai trees and yellow marigolds in preparation for the Chinese New Year festivities. A family of five may cling to a moped (a luxury) in Cambodia, but the economic surge in Vietnam has brought new prosperity for many and here only one passenger rides pillion, and everyone wears a helmet.

There were a variety of organised excursions: a visit to the house, now a museum, of Marguerite’s lover, a wealthy Chinese; a catfish farm (not for those with delicate nostrils); and a brick works with ancient beehive ovens worked by slender young women for five dollars a day.

But the highlight was a tour by trishaw of the small town of Tan Chau. We cycled down narrow streets, where fighting cocks strutted in cane cages, barbers shaved their customers, coffins were stacked and painted vivid colours and large woks were stirred. And again we received nothing but welcoming smiles and delight at our presence.

Our last day and night were spent in Ho Chi Minh City, still referred to as Saigon by the locals. “Asia on steroids”, as an expat friend described it. We were charmed. But the American Museum made us shudder: heartbreaking photographs, facts and figures about bombs and chemicals used during the war.

A stiff drink at the Rex steadied us, followed by lunch at Ngon in Nguyen Du, patronised almost entirely by friendly Vietnamese who helpfully suggested what we should eat – not entirely successfully. We liked The Deck bar and restaurant, with its twinkling lights over the river, which gave us a glimpse of Saigon’s beautiful people at play.

Outside the cathedral, opposite the handsome colonial post office, a young couple getting married asked us to pose with them in their wedding finery. “Where are you going for your honeymoon?” I asked. “America,” they replied.

(source: telegraph.co.uk)

Since Monday’s decision by UNESCO to list Preah Vihear temple as a Cambodian

World Heritage Site, the Kingdom’s nationalist rapture has subsided just enough to allow for more pragmatic thoughts of the pay-off.

Senior Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker Cheam Yeap said July 10 that he expected the listing of the 11th-century Hindu temple, which had long been hotly disputed by Thailand, to result in a major boon for the ruling party in the July 27 general election.

“I am at Prey Veng near the Vietnam border right now. We told the voters of the success of Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen,” he told the Post.

Yeap said Hun Sen deserved credit for the world body’s decision because he had sent a letter to UNESCO requesting the designation six years ago.

“There is no doubt that Samdech Hun Sen is a CPP leader,” he boasted.

Yeap said Prey Veng residents, particularly farmers, were showing their support for the CPP and were elated and proud of their premier, as was he.

“I cried in front of my wife once I heard UNESCO had made a decision on the temple.”

Khmer-language newspapers this week featured numerous advertisements placed by CPP officials, congratulating Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and CPP President Chea Sim on the world body’s decision.

However, Koul Panha, director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, a Cambodian election monitor, questioned any exclusive claim to ownership of the temple victory and discouraged politicization of the site.

“I think all political parties can use Preah Vihear as a means of attracting voters, but no one party or group should get the credit alone,” he said.

“I think Preah Vihear temple is the pride of all Cambodians, as well as the political parties…. If only one party makes political gains off of Preah Vihear temple, I am afraid there will be an internal dispute that will lead to different attitudes about the temple.”

Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay downplayed the ruling party’s hand in resolving the dispute with Thailand over ownership of the territory surrounding the temple, which for years had been the most significant obstacle to its listing.

“It is the normal obligation of a government to do this. It was not the special job of the CPP,” Chhay said.

Cambodia’s tourism sector, on the other hand, is less concerned with political points.

Ho Vandy, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said on July 8 that 162 tour operators have begun promotion plans for package tours of Cambodia’s expanding heritage corridor. They will advertise in about 100 countries.

Vandy said the proposed package includes stops at Angkor Wat, Koh Ker temple in western Preah Vihear province, Preah Vihear temple, and Wat Phu, another Khmer temple in Laos.

But the immediate concern, Vandy said, should be developing Cambodia’s overland routes to Preah Vihear, which at present are rutted and jarring, making the temple far more accessible from the nearby Thai border.

Then restaurants, hotels and shops will follow, he said.

Minster of Tourism Thong Khon agreed, saying that there eventually will be four roads leading to the temple and at least one key artery will be completed by next year.

“I already sent a letter to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation to push for the road construction,” he said.

The first sign of things to come actually preceded UNESCO’s decision; in May the newly formed Preah Vihear National Authority, or PVNA, deployed 22 heritage police.

Hang Soth, director of the PVNA, a commission under the Council of Ministers, said the heritage police are charged with protecting the site from looting and vandalism.

He also said that the Thai border crossing at Preah Vihear will remain closed until Thai nationalist fervor simmers down, a worry he blamed on opposition activists in Bangkok.

“We respect our neighbor and the neighboring nation respects us,” he said.

But in Thailand, bruised nationalism remains unappeased, and the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is suffering from the fallout.

On July 10, Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama stepped down after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had acted illegally in signing an agreement supporting Cambodia’s bid to have Preah Vihear temple listed as a World Heritage Site without the permission of parliament.

His move had been approved by Samak’s cabinet, which the court also decided had violated the Thai Constitution in acting without parliamentary consent, a verdict that observers said could lead to a major cabinet reshuffle.

In his emotional resignation speech, Noppadon maintained he had acted in good faith in signing the agreement with Cambodia.

“I insist I have done nothing wrong. I have not sold the country out. I love Thailand, and would not cause any damage to the country.”

AFP

UNESCO’s decision to list Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site sparked impromptu street parties throughout the country this week.

Former King Norodom Sihanouk has responded to Thai critics of the deal, saying that those claiming parts of the temple are in Thailand, including the main entrance, ignore “historic facts” and were bent on sabotaging Cambodian-Thai relations.

Meanwhile in Preah Vihear province, the party rages on.

“We have danced for three nights and we will continue,” Ley Eang, proprietress of a coffee shop near the temple site, said.

“We are excited with the temple’s registration. We expect it to bring more tourists and investors who will improve people’s living conditions here.”

Preap Tan, provincial governor of Preah Vihear, said he had overseen a massive celebratory ceremony the morning of July 10 that drew upwards of 5,000 people to T’beng Meanchey, the provincial capital.

“People have danced every night and held ceremonies everyday. No one told them to. They do it themselves,” he said.

“We will have fireworks for the next three nights and cheer the temple.”

Source:     Phnompenhpost

But since the ultra-Maoist’s disastrous drive from 1975 to 1979 to turn the country into an agrarian utopia bereft of markets, money and technology, Cambodia has quietly picked itself up and is poised to become one of the major rice exporters in the region, experts said.

From the dismal postwar years, Cambodia has steadily rebuilt its irrigation systems, developed its technology and slowly but surely reclaimed thousands of hectares of rice fields from land mines.

‘Cambodia will become a major rice exporter,’ Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun said. ‘We achieved food security in 1995, and last year, as well as self-sufficiency, we had 2 million tons left over for exports.

‘We currently have 2.5 million hectares under rice cultivation, but we expect to increase that to 3 million.

Cambodia’s rice producers and millers are optimistic about their future, and this year, Cambodia even sold subsidized rice to African countries, including Guinea, as a humanitarian gesture.

So confident is Cambodia of being able to hold its own with the big regional rice players in the future that Prime Minister Hun Sen has been a key proponent of a proposed regional rice cartel similar to that of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Thailand’s brainchild, the proposed Organization of Rice Exporting Countries, was aimed at protecting the region’s major rice producers but has deeply concerned major importers, such as the Philippines, which said it would only benefit major producers.

Phou Puy, president of the Cambodian National Rice Millers Association, said new growing techniques, rice strains and irrigation projects could potentially double the country’s rice crop by 2015.

‘With these changes, Cambodia’s traditional one-time-per-year harvest can increase to two, even three times a year,’ Phou Puy said. ‘By 2015, that could provide exports of 10 million tons.

‘Currently, we stand at between 2 [million] to 5 million tons, depending on weather conditions,’ he said.

The 2015 projection would have Cambodia matching neighbouring Thailand’s export predictions for 2008. Thailand is currently the world’s largest rice exporter.

Cambodia is increasingly also becoming a player in biofuel production, but Phou Puy denied that that development would put to use land that could be planted for rice.

Vast industrial farms have sprung up on the north-western border with Thailand, producing corn and soybeans, and jatropha, which is endemic to Cambodia and a prime source of biodiesel, now takes up hundreds of hectares.

‘But these crops grow where rice doesn’t, so they do not impact on our rice yield,’ Phou Puy said. ‘I have no doubt Cambodia has the potential to match or surpass our rice-producing neighbours.

Such a development would be a major achievement not only for the country but also for donors who have poured billions of dollars into Cambodia’s agricultural sector.

While China has been a key donor for irrigation development, alongside others including the Asian Development Bank, Australia has led the way in Cambodia’s technological and scientific advances, funding research and development projects.

The Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute has benefited from millions of dollars in Australian aid and in return has been integral in developing new strains of rice, more resistant to the whims of climate change and the ravages of insects.

The institute’s mission is to educate individual growers in a country where the bulk of people involved in agriculture work on mostly small family plots.

These sorts of measures have been so successful that Chan Sarun envisages a second lucrative niche market in organic rice, which demands a higher price but costs farmers less to produce because they don’t use expensive fertilizers and pesticides.

‘Organic rice is very popular,’ the minister said. ‘We aim to reduce chemical fertilizer use step by step. The world prefers natural food, so we are moving in that direction.

Mechanization will not come overnight, and experts agreed the days of Cambodia’s rice farmers plodding patiently behind a plough pulled by cows or buffalo were not numbered.

But they said simple techniques with the right cropping, strains and a guaranteed water supply might one day take Cambodia to the top of the region in producing one of the world’s most precious staples.

The exhibition entitled “Say no to products of wild animals on the verge of extinction” aims to convey a message that these species are protected by laws and wild animal products’ trafficking will be fined and prosecuted.

The exhibition, which is being held by the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) under the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in association with the General Departments of Customs and Environment, opened on May 11, 2010 and will last through May 2011.

The tourism stimulus campaign 2010 has seven main areas, three of which are brand-new. They are a sales program in the “low” season called “Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010,” aiming to attract more domestic and foreign guests, an on-point tourism promotion program for those visiting Vietnam with the motto “Friendly Vietnam welcomes you” and a countryside program for overseas Vietnamese.

Diversified stimulus

According to Nguyen Van Tuan, Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and general manager of the second campaign, the campaign is specifically aimed to increase the number of domestic tourists as well as those from Vietnam’s main markets. In particular, it focuses on high-spending tourists who stay many days in Vietnam in order to increase tourism revenues. In general, VNAT hopes to welcome 4.2 million international arrivals and 27-28 million domestic tourists, Tuan stated.

Among the three new programs, the tourism industry will concentrate more on the “Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010” program in the low season to attract more customers. This kind of tourism through sales has recently developed strongly, says Vu The Binh, Director of Department of Travel under VNAT, adding that this is probably the main income generator for the tourism industry in many countries in the region.

To achieve good results, VNAT will cooperate with the Trade Promotion Bureau under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Vietnam Airlines to carry out the program during August and September in big cities and major tourism centers across Vietnam like Hanoi, Danang and HCMC.

Many activities will run during the two months of the program such as organizing lucky draws for customers at supermarkets and shopping centers that register to join the sales program, opening the Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale Fair 2010 with discounts from 10-50% and much more. Tourists who participate in the sales programs will also get some additional benefits like a value-added tax refund, tourist privilege cards and shopping coupons. At any shopping place participating in the program, tourists can show their passports or ID cards to receive the benefits.

“Traveling combined with shopping is a trend that is now growing well,” Binh says. “The revenue from shopping by tourists is the main source of income for the tourism industry in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. These countries have been successful in organizing sales campaigns for the past few decades. Vietnam will follow the trend, but we will do it in different ways to adapt to Vietnam’s specific conditions.”

Response from enterprises

Businesses in the travel and hospitality sector hope that after the first campaign last year, the tourism authorities have more experience in organizing a tourism stimulus campaign so that the tourism industry and enterprises will benefit from the second campaign.

Tran Kim Long, General Director of Bong Sen Corporation, which manages a number of hotels, restaurants and travel agencies nationwide, told the Weekly that although he cannot tell exactly what effects the stimulation program brought to the company’s business last year, Bong Sen supports the campaign. One way or another, such a campaign has had positive effects on the company’s business results in particular and enterprises and Vietnam’s tourism in general.

Since late last year, affiliates of Bong Sen Corporation, including Palace Saigon Hotel, Bong Sen Saigon Hotel, Bong Sen Annex Hotel, Vietnam House Restaurant, Lemongrass, Brodard Bakery and Lotus Tours have already had plans for 2010. Many promotion programs to stimulate sales are the main parts of the plans.

Long says that these plans will be actively adjusted to adapt to market developments during the year as well as to correspond to VNAT’s stimulus campaign. “If VNAT organizes such campaigns continuously, this is really a good chance to create the conditions for enterprises in the tourism industry to boost their business,” he says. “I hope that this year’s campaign will have better effects on Vietnam’s tourism. Moreover, to make an effective stimulatus campaign, it is necessary to have good, comprehensive cooperation among the four main elements of the tourism industry, including tour operators, hotels, shopping centers and airlines.”

Phan Dinh Hue, Director of HCMC-based Viet Circle tour operator, agrees with Long: “We always welcome such campaigns, so this year we will also join with price discounts from 5-10% and other programs. More discounts will be offered if other suppliers also provide more discounts.”

Meanwhile, Saigontourist Travel Service Co. already plans to boost activities to popularize Vietnam’s tourism brand in international markets by participating in fairs and exhibitions. Besides introducing tour programs in Vietnam and seeking more partners, these events help people understand more about Vietnam’s tourism potential.

To support VNAT’s campaign, the flagship air carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced a 50% discount for domestic flights from March 1 till the end of this year. It will also work with VNAT to promote Vietnam’s tourism abroad and through mass media.

Long, Hue and other business people comment that this year’s campaign seems more professional. So, to get better results, they say that Vietnamese tourism should focus more on training human resources and building infrastructure to meet tourism demands. The infrastructure system has seen some improvements, but they are not comprehensive. Community participation in tourism is also very important.

If a really friendly image of the Vietnamese country and people combined with a better infrastructure system are created, Vietnam’s tourism will grow, Hue says. “In my opinion, VNAT must have a good long-term strategy as well as a detailed plan for every year,” Hue adds. “This work needs the participation of a group of experts, and then VNAT will design specific activities based on consultations. It is a fact that so far VNAT has made plans by itself, so they often do not meet the practical demands of tourists and travel agencies.”

Above all, these enterprises hope that with the second tourism stimulus campaign, companies in Vietnam’s tourism sector will start to actively cooperate with each other. VNAT’s role is only to provide direction.

“Technically, it is quite tough for Cambodia to host it, especially from the NOCC capacity, but that depends on the government leaders who have clear and long vision on the matter,” said Vath Chamroeun, secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC).

He said a number of factors such as human resource, sports structure, sport management, environment, and financial resource needed to be reviewed before a country decided to lodge a bid for the regional sports event.

It was reported that Laos had to spend about US$100 million to host the multi-sport event in 2009, according to Chamroeun.

A founding member of the SEA Games that was launched in 1959, Cambodia has never hosted the event.

Chamroeun said during a meeting of the SEA Games Federation Council in Jakarta on May 28-29, the Cambodian delegation was advised to host the SEA Games in 2015.

(source: BERNAMA)

The events are aimed at promoting the country’s image as well as investment, trade and tourism and boosting bilateral cooperation with the countries.

The PM directed the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry to draw up plans to hold Vietnamese Days in both countries.

The events will also be part of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-China diplomatic ties, the Vietnam-China Friendship Year 2010 as well as the 60th anniversary of Vietnam-Russia diplomatic relations.

A smaller Water Festival is held around Angkor Wat, but for the real thing you’ll have to go to Phnom Penh.

In Khmer the annual Water Festival is called Bonn Om Toeuk. The Water and Moon Festival ushers in the fishing season. It also marks the reversal of the current in Tonle Sap river. Boat races as well as fireworks displays are held at the river.

Date in 2008:
11-12-13 November

More than 300 boats, propelled by precision-trained oarsmen, take part in the annual boat race, the highlight of the Water Festival or Bonn Om Touk. This is one of the major events in the Kingdom which attracts multitudes of people from the various provinces to the capital Phnom Penh.

They arrive by buses, cars, bikes, cyclos, bicycles and even trucks. Many stay over in the city during the three-day festival, lending support to their boat team. Others use this opportunity to explore the sights and sounds of Phnom Penh - for many it is the only occasion to visit the city.

Source: Frizz Restaurant

The ASEAN Tourism Forum is a cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as one tourist destination and the most important activity of the ASEAN tourism cooperation framework. The annual event—held this year from January 15-21, 2011—involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 10 member nations of ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

This year’s forum marked the 30th anniversary of ATF, and Cambodia—the honored host country—made sure the occasion was an utterly unforgettable one. On the evening of the opening ceremony, delegates enjoyed a sumptuous open-air catered dinner on Diamond Island, which was transformed by hundreds of tables bedecked in sheets of golden silk. Once dinner finished, delegates were invited to the show arena, where they were graciously welcomed with speeches by Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sok An, and Minister of Tourism Dr. Thong Khon.

After the welcoming speeches, over 600 singers, dancers, and artists from the Ministry of Fine Arts took to the stage, treating delegates to a host of brilliant song and dance acts that showcased both traditional and contemporary art forms. The performances embodied this year’s ATF’s theme—“A World of Wonders and Diversity” perfectly, not only by presenting the incredible diverse offerings of Cambodia, but of all of ASEAN. Highlights of the evening included hundreds of dancers clothed in resplendent costumes acting out the Ramayana, a fashion show featuring stunning Khmer fashions from pre-Angkorian to modern times, and a choreographed end sequence incorporating all the flags of the ASEAN nations. State of the art sound effects and pyrotechnics elevated each performance to a whole new level.

Finally, in a magnificent ending to the ceremony, delegates watched as the Phnom Penh sky was set aglow with an array of multi-colored fireworks that bloomed above the city’s Tonle Sap river. The jaw-dropping display, viewed by participants of the ATL from Diamond Island, lasted a full 30 minutes and made for a remarkably memorable welcome and official start to ATL 2011.

The “1,000-year-old Thang Long-Hanoi” book collection, key projects to celebrate the millennium anniversary of the capital city has been implemented by the Hanoi Publishing House (HPH) since September 2006.

The collection covers various fields, including geography, socio-economics, literature, history and culture.

At present, the HPH is speeding up the compilation of the books in order to complete the collection before the millennium anniversary. To date, 21 book titles have been published.

In addition to the specialised collection, the publishing house has also released 25 book titles about Thang Long-Hanoi for local libraries and high schools in Hanoi. Five e-books about the capital city will be also published on the occasion.

The project will also collect and systematise documents about Thang Long-Hanoi in Vietnam and foreign countries in order to build a database on Thang Long-Hanoi’s civilisation. The collection and systematisation process is expected to be completed in June this year.

Earlier, the People’s Committee of Hanoi City has launched a campaign to seek valuable and rare books and documents about Thang Long-Hanoi and 412 valuable sets of documents have been collected so far.

First, you catch bus No.12 at Ben Thanh Bus Station at Cong Xa Paris Roundabout in HCMC’s District 1 with the fare VND15,000 per person to go straight to the gate of Giang Dien Fall Ecological Tourist Park. Second, you have to buy an entrance ticket for VND35,000 for an adult or VND25,000 for a child. Along the way to the waterfall there are trees, flowers and green lawns planted carefully. Those create beautiful scenery and fresh air for a day to relax. In order to get to the waterfall, you can walk one kilometer or catch an electronic train for VND10,000 per person one way.

With an area of nearly 68ha, the park is ideal for camping over the weekend, especially in the hot and muggy weather. If you want to save money, prepare food at home, bring cooking devices to make a barbecue and enjoy a happy time with friends and relatives. Giang Dien has camping areas and also rents tents for VND100,000 and VND120,000 or you can use a canvas on the green lawns along the way to the fall.

In the summer, everyone wants to bathe in the sea or soak the body in a waterfall to escape the heat and enjoy cool water. In addition to swimming under the waterfall, tourists can rent a single or a double bicycle to go around. Single bicycles rent for VND10,000 each and double bicycles for VND20,000 each for 45 minutes. It is a kind of entertainment loved by the young. Two people can also rent a boat to enjoy Heart Lake for VND30,000 per hour.

You can have a place to relax on the weekend and enjoy a natural friendly atmosphere but at a low cost.

The exhibition, running until April 23, is part of activities to welcome the national commemoration of Hung Kings death and the 1,000th founding anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

After being displayed in the Hung Temple, the photos will be showcased at Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown Hanoi on the occasion of the millennium anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.