The Costa Classica, which belongs to the European leading company, Costa Croiciere S.p.A, plans to carry passengers to Vietnam every two weeks.

The tour includes visits to Ho Chi Minh City and some places such as Danang, Hoi An, My Son and Hue in Central Vietnam.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the tourists, mostly from Italy, Spain, Japan, Britain and German, will visit the Cu Chi underground tunnel and some businesses, go shopping in Ben Thanh Market and take a ride on trishaws.

In Central Vietnam, they will visit Danang City, Ngu Hanh Son marble mountains, Thien Mu Pagoda, Minh Mang Tomb, the ancient city of Hoi An, and Sa Huynh Museum, and take boat trips along the Huong and Thu Bon rivers.

Saigontourist received over 62,000 sea tourists in the past 11 months.

This is the last time it has come to Ho Chi Minh City according to this year’s schedule. During their two-day stays in HCM, tourists will discover the city through tours by cyclo, find out about Vietnamese culture by taking part in national music performances and traditional weddings as well as cooking courses at Ben Thanh market and go to visit Cu Chi underground tunnels and My Tho city.

Saigontourist is known to have received more than 70,000 sea travellers from China, Britain, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria over the past eight months.

The number of visitors has increased by 80 percent compared with the same period last year thanks to the opening of new tours in Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang and HCM City.

The Republic of Korea’s “Memory of love – Orpheo” opera, will go on stage for the first time in Vietnam at 7h30 pm on November 11, 2010 at the Au Co Performing Arts Center, 8 Huynh Thuc Khang, Hanoi, said the RoK’s Cultural Centre in Vietnam. The event aims to welcoming the success of the ASEAN+3 summit in Hanoi and marking the 18th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The opera about love and memory is performed for the first time in 2007 by artists from Seoul Performing Arts Centre, under the RoK Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Opera artists from Korea will charm audience by beautiful kinds of dancing like Korean dancing, modern dancing and Jazz.

The Deputy Chairman of provincial People’s Committee’s Nguyen Duc Chinh welcomed the Thai delegation’s visit which aims to discuss opportunities and solutions for cooperating in tourism development.

Chinh introduced Quang Tri province’s archaeological, historical, religious and ecological tourism sites for which investment is being called and which are being promoted, such as Vinh Moc Tunnel, La Vang Church, the Dakrong Natural Reserve and Tra Loc Lagoon.

The deputy chairman expressed his hope that, through the Thai senate delegation’s visit, Thai travel enterprises will understand better and invest further in tourism cooperation with localities of their neighbour country.

For her part, Tungaratt Achariyachai praised Quang Tri province’s potential for tourism development. She said the province of Phuket has accelerated its economic development thanks to the tourism sector. The province has become one of the world’s top tourism destinations with 5-6 million visitors each year.

She said Phuket Province wants to strengthen cooperation with Quang Tri Province so as to boost tourism development.

The first exhibition is scheduled to be held at the Houston Museum from September 13, 2009 to January 3, 2010 and the second will be at the Asian Association Museum in New York from February 2 to May 2, 2010.

The antiques were selected to represent the specific characteristics of the cultures in the northern, central and southern regions of Vietnam. The Asian American Association has drawn them from Vietnamese museums in Dong Nai, Long An, Ho Chi Minh, Danang, Thua Thien-Hue and Hoi An.

(Source: VOV)

Nearly 200 photos and exhibits featuring Vietnamese people and landscapes such as Hanoi, Halong, My Son, and Hoi An are being showcased at the event.

The exhibition also introduces the country’s traditional clothes, wood-block prints and handicrafts.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Pham Xuan Sinh, Director of Vietnam Cultural Centre in France said he hopes the exhibition would help strengthen the two countries’ friendship and mutual understanding and link the Vietnamese expatriates in France with their homeland.

The exhibition will last until May 15.

The flights on the new route will be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The new route aims to promote trade and tourism between Viet Nam and Laos.

Champasak province’s chief Sonxay Siphandon said that Champasak province needs support from industries in HCM City, including the agriculture, health care and telecommunications sectors.

Le Thanh Hai, the Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, said that the new route would help develop relations between the two countries. The first Pakse-HCM City flight route was discontinued in 2003.

They hope to conduct the first flight from Hue City’s Phu Bai International Airport to Shizuoka City on the occasion of the inauguration of Shizuoka’s Fujisan (Fuji Mountain) International Airport in early March 2009.

Regular flights connecting two cities are expected to attract more Japanese tourists to Hue City and vice versa, as well as facilitate the travel of overseas Vietnamese students and the two countries’ businessmen.

The cooperation in opening the new air route is part of the two cities’ cooperation program signed in April 2005, which has been also extended to various fields, particularly urban and environmental management, and cultural exchange.

According to Saigontourist, which provides services for Costa Classica cruiser, this is the ship’s trial voyage to Vietnam to prepare for its following trips.

As scheduled, Costa Classica’s passengers will tour HCMC on April 2 and 3 before leaving for Nha Trang Port where they will spend only one day on April 4.

The cruiser passengers will visit Danang on April 5 and then go north to Quang Ninh Province, where they will visit Halong Bay and take part in other activities organised by Saigontourist on April 6 and 7.

Costa Classica belongs to the Costa Crociere S.p.A – the Europe’s largest cruiser group and member of the Carnival Group. Its sister cruisers, Costa Allegra and Costa Marina, often transport tourists to Vietnam via Saigontourist.

So far this year, Saigontourist has catered for 27,000 cruiser visitors.

The wood blocks, submitted for recognition last January, are part of a collection of nearly 35,000 dating from 1697 -1945 used to print literary and historical works. If the entire collection were printed, they would make 152 books, according to the document submitted to UNESCO.

The collection is now being preserved in the State Records and Archives Department at National Archives Centre 4.

Apart from their historical value, marking the development of the wood block carving and printing profession in Vietnam, the wood blocks also are important in terms of their art and skill.

The blocks are of solid wood with letters carved in Chinese or ancient Vietnamese. The letters are carved in reverse so that when the image is printed, it will appear the right way round.

The blocks represent an important part of the country’s feudal history. Under the Nguyen Dynasty, they were used to print posters publicizing social standards, articles on the lives and careers of the aristocracy and historical records. These were original records of the time and it is for this reason that they are considered so valuable to the nation.

The collection boasts many rare and valuable wood blocks, including Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi (History of the Unification of Great Vietnam) and Dai Nam Thuc Luc (Royal Annals of Great Vietnam).

Most of the wood blocks are made of thi tree wood which is yellow and soft, or wood from the nha dong tree, which is smooth and an ivory colour. These kinds of wood are especially good in preserving the shape of the carvings.

Along with Vietnam’s contributions, another 34 nominations from around the world have been accepted as Memory of the World. These include the diary of Anne Frank, the famous Dutch teenager who was killed by the Nazis, a document on slaves in the Caribbean when it was a British colony between 1817 and 1834, artworks by Canadian artist Norman McLaren and some royal Thai documents.

UNESCO launched the programme of World Memory in 1994 to guard against collective amnesia and to call upon the preservation of valuable archive holdings and library collections all over the world ensuring their wider dissemination.

To date, 193 pieces of heritage have been recognised worldwide.

During the week, Vietnamese audiences will be able to enjoy eight Japanese films of all kinds including comedies, animation, and detective movies.

Furudate Seiki, chief of the cultural section, said this is the first time the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City has held such an event.

The film week aims to boost the cultural cooperation between the two countries and offer the people of Nha Trang an opportunity to learn more about Japanese culture.

This was the first time, such a profile on the plateau was jointly prepared and submitted by the management board of the Ha Giang provincial geological park, the

The most important criteria for a stone plateau to be recognised as a global geological park is that it must achieve at least 1,000 points. Of these, 600 points are decided based on scientific perspectives, the rest are on conservative, educational and tourism values.

Earlier on April 9, UNESCO sent independent experts from China and France to the stone plateau for consideration.

There are 69 geological parks around the globe and so far, only one in the Southeast Asian region. If approved by UNESCO, Vietnam will contribute another geological park to the region.

With the aim of preserving Cham culture and serving tourists and researchers, the 768 sq.m centre will be constructed with exhibition and demonstration areas showcasing weaving and pottery.

Many musical instruments and traditional dancing clothes are also being collected for display.

Construction is expected to be completed this year.

Co-organised by the district People’s Committee and the Thang Long Kite Club, the event aims to mark 500 days left before the celebrations of Thang Long-Hanoi’s 1,000th anniversary which will fall on October 10, 2010.

According to Nguyen Ba Hanh, chairman of the Thang Long Kite Club, the flute kites have been made by artisans from Hanoi’s outlying districts of Soc Son, Dang Phuong and My Duc and northern Hai Duong Province.

The Thang Long Club will fly two huge kites, one attached with a 50m² piece of cloth called King Ly Thai To’s edict on the transfer of the capital in 1010 and the other linked to a 35m² national flag of Vietnam.

After this festival, the club will make a record 15m-long kite carrying the king’s capital transfer edict right on the occasion of Thang Long-Hanoi’s 1,000th celebrations in 2010, Hanh revealed.

Established in 1996, the Thang Long Kite Club is home to nearly 40 members, who have represented Hanoi to attend many national kite festivals and won high prizes.

The recognition was announced at the 21st session of the MBA, which is taking place on the Republic of Korea’s Jeju Island from May 21-29.

Nguyen Su, the Hoi An City’s party committee secretary said that the event acknowledged the country’s great efforts in meeting the criteria of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. He added that it is necessary to conserve and develop the world’s biosphere reserves at any cost, especially the protection of the environment and the natural habitat of rare and precious species of fauna and flora.

Apart from the Cham Islands and Ca Mau Cape, three additional biosphere reserves of other nations were also recognised, bringing the total number of the world’s biosphere reserves to 22.

The festival is expected to attract the participation of 150 domestic and foreign coffee businesses.

The festival, which is organised by the Dak Lak People’s Committee, aims to promote coffee exports and attract investment so that Vietnamese coffee will become a world known trademark.

The festival was held on Lim Hill where the Lim Pagoda is located. The pagoda is dedicated to Hieu Trung Hau, who invented Quan Ho.

The festival itinerary included the love duet singing ritual with ancient melodies which have content praising the merit of gods and Buddha. There was also a love duet singing festival with performances of love duet songs exchanged by “lien anh” (brothers) and “lien chi” (sisters), who are ordinary people hailing from different villages.

The love duets are an art form that combines various elements, including music, lyrics, costume, and a unique style of singing that reflects the close relationship between the singers. The rich and diverse tunes and fine lyrics of the songs portray the zest for life and distinctive cultural features of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac.

After Quan Ho was recognized by UNESCO in September 2009, a strategy was adopted detailing a series of measures to be taken from 2009 through 2015 to preserve this art form.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Music Academy, and the departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces have joined hands in assisting the local communities to systematically compile lists of love duet songs, ancient and contemporary, as well as love duet singers, musicians and composers.

Lim Hill, where Quan Ho is performed during the annually festival, will be developed into a Quan Ho Cultural Centre with an area reserved for performances. State agencies have also set out to help local Quan Ho singers establish their association and restore the worship songs which were once used at the Viem Xa Village festival.

Apart from the State’s efforts, local people are encouraged to get involved in preserving Quan Ho.

“No one can preserve the arts as well as their creators. Let the people take on the stewardship of their own culture,” Prof. Dr. Ngo Duc Thinh, Vice Chairman of the Asian Folk Culture Association and member of Vietnam’s National Heritage Council, emphasized.

Department Vice Director, Truong Minh Tien said the festival is expected to welcome folk artists, food experts and representatives from travel services across the country and foreign diplomats.

Hanoi’s cultural and spiritual values will be popularized with domestic and international friends throughout the event, he said.

The festival is divided into three sections called the food and drinking space, the Hanoi cultural space and the national folk games space.

There will be about 130 stands displaying special foods and drinks from the Northern, the Central and the Southern parts of Vietnam that are symbolized by Dong Xuan, Dong Ba and Ben Thanh markets, respectively.

This annual event is expected to showcase an art performance rich in Asian traditional identities.

After attending the festival, Vietnam ’s art troupe will give a performance tour in service of overseas Vietnamese in China.

The program, featuring cultural activities such as a fashion show, performances of traditional music and dances, opened in Sakai City, Osaka, where the Consulate General of Vietnam was recently introduced at the beginning of September.

The event aims to give Japanese people knowledge of the land and people of Vietnam and draw more Japanese visitors to the country.

As planned, seminars on tourism will be organized at every destination with the participation of tourist companies from the two countries. The program will give out free Vietnam guide books to visitors.

The event, co-organized by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam Airlines and Danang City, will move to Nagoya and end in Tokyo on September 18.

Together with “Vietnam Show 2009,” the “Hello Vietnam” Festival 2009 will be organized in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo between September 19 and 20.

The festival will include a musical performance and an ao dai show, in which Vietnamese and Japanese artists and members of the Vietnamese Youth and Student Association in Japan will participate.

On the occasion, Vietnamese restaurants in Tokyo and surrounding areas will present Vietnamese specialties like pho and nem cuon (spring rolls).

The organization committee expects to attract more than 100,000 visitors to the festival.

The city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Department of Trade and Industry has organized the month of discounts in cooperation with entertainment parks, shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, travel agents, transport providers and many other trade and tourism services.

The capital city of Hanoi and the central city of Danang have organized similar programs for tourists.

A ceremony on December 21 as part of the program will welcome the 3-millionth foreign visitor to HCMC.

The department estimated that HCMC would welcome 3.1 million international visitors this year, up 20% year-on-year. Tourism revenue will reach VND41 trillion, up 17% year-on-year.

The tourism department expects to welcome 3.5 million foreign visitors next year, and hopes to earn VND49 trillion. SGT

Made from 2m tree trunks, the coffins contain bones along with some coins and terracotta jars and dishes.

An official from the Quang Tri Museum said the tombs were possibly buried in the 11th century and the remains may belong to people of the Kinh ethnic group. He said the museum would retain the materials for further research.

The agency’s report shows a total of 14 million tourists, domestic and foreign, in Vietnam in seven months, a year-on-year increase of 13%.

The report indicates that Northern provinces have taken steps to attract more tourists such as improving fee collection and strengthening security at tourist sites. They have also liaised with border provinces of neighbouring countries to promote tourism, launch new tours and develop new tourist products.

At the meeting, the tourism watchdog asked travel businesses in Northern Vietnam to focus on campaigns such as the one to promote the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi and National Tourism Year 2010. It also urged them to accelerate the establishment of an association of travel agencies and another one for hotels with the aim of improving Vietnamese businesses’ competitiveness in domestic and regional markets.

Director General of VNAT Nguyen Van Tuan said his agency will concentrate on tourism promotion campaigns inside and outside the country and long-term human personnel training. In addition, he said, VNAT will boost investments in order to upgrade the tourism sector’s infrastructure.

Vietnam has potential to develop a very strong homestay tourism market, a Malaysian tourism official told the Malaysia Homestay Seminar and Travel Mart at the Duxton Hotel Saigon in HCMC. “We are proud of our country and the achievements of homestay tourism. Your country is endowed with beautiful natural landscapes, your country has enough human resources, and I think you, Vietnam, can also develop homestay tourism as much as we are doing and have done,” said Mohd Akbal Setia, Director of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board in HCMC on October 23. Dato Hj Sahariman Hamdan, Chairman of Malaysia Homestay Association, said that homestay tours are an experience where tourists stay with selected families, interact and experience the daily life of these families and local culture. The local tour operators that attended the event were very interested in the success of Malaysia’s homestay industry. It is not classified as accommodation, Setia said. Tourists to each state in Malaysia can taste the state’s unique culture and entertainment activities such as traditional dances, songs, food, folk games and sports, he said Homestay visitors get to witness first hand farming practices such as rubber tapping, fish farming, paddy farming, cocoa, palm oil, fruits and jungle trekking, white water rafting, and craft villages, he said. “We have jungle homestay, we have island homestay, we have paddy homestay, we have mountain homestay, so we offer diverse options for tourists,” Dato Shahariman said. As far as landscapes and places of interest were concerned Vietnam was on a par with Malaysia and should exploit the potential, the conference heard. “Homestay’s development is based on the landscapes, cultural and historical values and people, said Lam Van Son, Director of Can Tho Tourist Company. “We can have mountain homestay in Daklak, Sapa, Lai Chau, island homestay in Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, orchard homestay in Can Tho, Vinh Long, craft village homestay in Hanoi and highlands homestay in Dalat,” Son said. Huynh My An, marketing manager of Viettours said, despite having 54 ethnic groupings with rich cultures and histories, we still don’t know how to promote it to international tourists. Established since 1995 at Temerloh Village in Pahang State, the Malaysian homestay program has spread to 227 villages around the country. Local villagers are trained by the governmental organizations and can earn good incomes, said Dato Sahariman, adding that last year, Malaysia had 161,000 tourists that used homestays. “The Malaysian government has provided significant funding to build infrastructure in remote areas and a lot of farmers can speak English to communicate with tourists. In Vietnam, we need support from government and an association for homestay tourism,” said Nguyen Thi Anh Tho, Director of Viet Legend Travel. “We have homestay services scattered in some regions such as Mekong Delta, Mai Chau, Buon Ma Thuot and Dalat but they have developed in isolation, so we are not using everything we can to develop the service,” Tho said.

As currently scheduled, from October 1-5, 2008 around 100 representatives from tourism associations, travel agents and several reporters from Japan and the RoK will survey and conduct business in Nha Trang.

According to the Tourism and Commerce Promotion Center, over the past several years, Vietnam has been one of the top safe and attractive destinations most favored and selected by foreign tourists.

The number of tourists from Japan and the RoK is on the rise. However, only Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are familiar destinations for potential tourists from those countries, while Nha Trang has not yet been advertised widely in the Japanese and RoK markets. Thus, a the cooperative program between Khanh Hoa’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department and the Vietnam Aviation Corporation has been established, with the aim of successfully attracting Japanese and Korean tourists to the Central Coast city.

The Tourism and Commerce Promotion Center will introduce the tourist attractions and tourism products of Nha Trang for the two Fam trips. They will also survey scenic areas such as the Ponagar Tower, Long Son Pagada, Nha Trang Bay and the Ponagar Tower Hot Spa Center.

The fair, co-organised by the provincial Industry and Trade Department and the Fair and Trade Joint Stock Company VIASI, aims to introduce the provincial trade and tourism potentials to promote economic and commercial cooperation.

It also helps create opportunities for domestic and foreign businesses to enter the provincial market and the border economy.

The fair displayed various kinds of trade-tourism products, including counterfeits and low quality commodities to help customers distinguish goods on sale in the local market.

This traditional epic narrative, similar to the Finnish epic, “Kalevala”, was pieced together using several different epic and folklore tales from several Vietnamese ethnic minority groups.

The epic yarn includes a mythological section explaining the origins of the Earth, rice and buffalos, as well as the stories behind many other creatures.

The second section of the tale is a heroic epic telling how Mon Man, the eponymous hero, defeats a series of enemies.

“The Descendant of Mon Man” was written by the translator, Dr. Bui Viet Hoa, who has spent many years studying epic tales from around the world, including a translation of Finland’s “Kalevala” epic tale from Finnish to Vietnamese in 1994.

Bui Viet Hoa successfully completed a doctoral thesis at the University of Budapest on the subject of “Comparing the Kalevala Epic of Finland and the Birth of Earth and Water Epic of the Muong Ethnic Minority of Vietnam“.

The author applied the same methodology that Elias Lonnrot, the author of the “Kalevala”, used when writing “Kalevala”. Using this methodology, the author, in addition to taking the role of a collector and a note taker, also takes the role of the narrator and an artist. Through the use of this method, poems and their topics are integrated into the tale in the best possible manner.

Illustrations for the epic tale were created by Dang Thu Huong, whose paintings have been displayed at the international exhibition “The Sound of Kantele” organised in Finland, Hungary and Vietnam in 2005.

The elaboration of the linguistic form and the revision of geographic and human names were undertaken by Dr. Vo Xuan Que. Finnish experts also participated in the project.

Propaganda posters must show cultural traditions during the 1,000-year history of Hanoi, represent Hanoi as a peaceful city and the country’s cosmopolitan centre of culture, science, education and economics.

Works submitted to the contest must be original, never shown in public before and be on paper sized 54cmx79cm.

Entrants should send their works to the Hanoi Information and Exhibition Centre at 93 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, the deadline for submissions is December 10.

The organising board will award one first prize worth VND10 million, two second prizes, three third prizes, ten consolation prizes and three prizes for the best collectives.

The prize-giving ceremony is scheduled to take place in late December 2009.

According to the Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism department of the northern mountainous Lao Cai province Tran Huu Son, the advancement was attributed to a campaign launched by the province from early October to the end of December.

Lao Cai province is preparing for a Fansipan climbing competition to open in Sa Pa town on Nov. 14. The competition expects to attract 300 climbers.

Fansipan is the highest peak in Indochina at 3,143 m. It is dubbed “the Roof of Indochina”. The mountain is to be approved as one of the very few ecotourist spots of Vietnam with 2,024 floral varieties and 327 faunal species.

The organisation will stand side by side with Vietnam in preserving and promoting heritage values via new cooperation programmes and projects, UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Katherine Muller Marin said at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 21.

UNESCO recognition of the doctor steles in Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam; Thang Long Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi; Dong Van stone plateau, and Giong Festival as world heritages showed Vietnam’s success in preserving, promoting and upholding the value of heritages in 2010, Katherine said.

The success also represents the efforts and consideration of the government, she said.

The UNESCO Chief Representative called for Vietnamese people and relevant agencies to be more responsible in the preservation and popularisation of cultural heritages.

The Guide Awards are sponsored annually by the executive of the Vietnam Economic Times to celebrate the Year’s Best of products and services in the tourism sector in Vietnam.

This is the second year that Luxury Travel has won this award. Winners of the annual The Guide Awards were selected based on votes by Vietnam Economic Times readers, surveys of tourism and hospitality products and services conducted in 2008-2009 by travel journalists of Vietnam Economic Times and the organizing board under stringent criteria of the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism and Vietnam Economic Times.

Last year, six winners in the category of tour operators are named Exotissimo Travel, Saigon Tourist, Ben Thanh Tourist, Vietravel, Buffalo Tours and Luxury Travel.

Vietnam Economic Times magazine, which includes The Guide Magazine, is one of the country’s leading economic, travel, leisure and lifestyle publications. Launched in 1992, it now has four different versions distributed in Europe, Asia and America. All versions poll their readers annually to select the best companies in tourism and hospitality industry.

Luxury Travel has emerged as the first luxury tour company in Asia. The Guide Award referred to the Oscar of Travel Industry in Vietnam, is the most prestigious award given by the Vietnamese tourism industry.

“The accolade is very encouraging for all of our luxury travel advisors and our company. We are not about being the biggest but about being the best. We are committed to provide the international luxury standards of product and service. Our goal is to continue to raise the bar in service excellence and further develop Vietnam as a luxury travel destination catering to the discerning traveler”, said Mr. Pham Ha, Founder/CEO of Luxury Travel Vietnam

Luxury Travel Co., Ltd. is a 100% fully registered and privately-owned Vietnamese company. It was founded by luxury travel specialists since 2004 when Vietnam had just opened its doors to worldwide luxury tourism.

The company’s depth of experience and large infrastructure enable it to create unique itineraries with the operational confidence to fulfill client expectations. Among Luxury Travel’s clients are ambassadors, French ministers, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and others.

Luxury Travel is headquartered in Hanoi and has offices around Vietnam and management offices in Laos and Cambodia. Luxury Travel has won numerous travel awards for excellence.

The tour will take visitors to destinations in Hanoi that have made a significant cultural, humanitarian, architectural or social contribution to the city during the country’s history.

The tour starts at the Royal citadel and then goes on to the old original house at No. 87 Ma May Street, Bach Ma temple - the eastern defender of the former Thang Long citadel, O Quan Chuong - the eastern gate of the citadel, Voi Phuc temple - the western defender of the citadel and Hanoi’s old quarter.

The city tour also will also take tourists to the statue of King Le, the Hanoi Opera House, My Dinh new urban area, the National Conventional Centre and Hanoi ’s Museum.

According to the Deputy Director of Hanoi’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Mai Tien Dung, the tour will enable tourists to get a comprehensive look at Hanoi.

The Deputy Director of the Hanoitourist travel company, Tran Thanh Cong, said that the tour combines both ancient and modern sites and is highly rated by local travel firms as a tourist attraction. In addition, the tour will also help to attract investment in popular tourist spots included in the tour.

Many of the painters, who are all members of HCM City’s Chinese Fine Arts Club, prefer to compose with watercolour and Chinese ink.

Most of the artworks shown at the annual event are thuy mac (ink and wash) paintings.

Many masters of thuy mac and calligraphers who are well-known in HCM City are participating in the show, including Ly Tung Nien, Truong Han Minh, Ly Khac Nhu, Truong Lo, Huynh Tuan Ba and Tran Van Hai.

Their love of nature, birds, beasts, trees and mountains, is evident in every stroke.

The exhibition also displays many calligraphy works in Mandarin Chinese that depict poems of the late President Ho Chi Minh.

Huynh Van Muoi, head of HCM City Fine Arts Association, said although the artists were seasoned veterans they still showed dedication and passion.

Many of the artists in the show have received prizes in HCM City and the southern region.

The week-long exhibition showcases 105 selected photos from more than 3,400 entries submitted to a contest focusing on the country’s development and its people.

The contest is held every five years by the Vietnam Pictorial Magazine and the Vietnamese Association of Photographic Artists.

The contest’s first prize was awarded to Tran Cao Bao Long from Ho Chi Minh City.

The organising board also presented two second, four third and six other prizes.

More than 300 items, documents and pictures displayed at the museum reflect the Party and the State’s attention and the people’s participation in defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.

The two-month exhibition will also showcase the efforts of border working missions and the results of border demarcation and the planting of landmarks between Vietnam and neighbouring countries of Laos, Cambodia and China.

Pictures of Vietnam’s activities to preserve its sovereignty on the East Sea are also on display.

On the occasion, the museum held a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding and receive the Ho Chi Minh Order, the second highest distinction bestowed by Vietnam.

Over the past 50 years, the museum has collected and preserved more than 83,000 items, pictures, documents, books and newspapers, including valuable items related to the revolutionary life of President Ho Chi Minh, leaders of the Party and the State, and revolutionary veterans.

Over the past 20 years, throughout the nation’s on-going renewal process, the museum has opened mobile exhibitions in more than 300 localities.

The museum has received five orders, including two Orders of Labour and three Orders of Independence.

Three village elders have been invited to the class, funded by the Ford foundation, to pass on their skills in making and playing the Taleh, Ta lun and Ta let flutes to 15 learners from Dak Rang Village.

The class, running from February 15 through March, is part of a project to preserve ethnic communities’ cultural heritages.

This year, the project will open two similar classes in other villages.

“Written symbols appear in almost all kinds of literature and art. It connects peoples and countries. It is the basis of civilisation.”

No wonder then that the 64-year-old has blurred the distinction between painting and writing in most of her 54 works that are on display at the Nhung Con Chu (Written Symbols) exhibition at the HCM City Fine Arts Association.

The works, 54 lacquer paintings and eight sculptures, have several novelists’ and poets’ handwriting on them.

Their appearance and meaning make the works even more appealing.

Her father Kim Lan is a popular writer who loves painting.

As a child Hien had the opportunity to meet famous writers, many of them her father’s close friends, like Nguyen Hong, Nguyen Cong Hoan, Van Cao, Ngo Tat To, Nguyen Tuan, and Nguyen Dinh Thi.

This is her fifth solo exhibition of such works since 2005, all organised under the theme The Flow in Ha Noi and HCM City.

She has also been a part of several group exhibitions since 1968.

Her works are displayed permanently at venues like the Viet Nam Museum, the National Fine Arts Museum, Revolution Museum, and the Army Museum in Da Nang.

“Russian cultural days in Viet Nam” will take place from November 14 to 22, 2010 in 3 cities of Ha Noi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City to show friendship and solidarity between Viet Nam and Russia Federation. This is an activity in the framework of co-operation program of culture and art in period 2010 – 2012 between two countries.

This is the second time the “Russian cultural days in Viet Nam” program has been held (the first time in 2007). The program includes many special art and culture activities such as photo exhibition about Russia and Russian people in 29 Hang Bai Street, Ha Noi. The exhibition will open on November 14, 2010. In addition, organization board will present two Russian movies in National Cinema Center (Ha Noi), Thang Long Cinema (Ho Chi Minh City) and Le Do Cinema (Danang).

Especially, 75 artists from 3 Russian art troupes of Bach Duong, Youth and Classic will perform in Viet Nam. During in Viet Nam, the Russian artists will exchange with students of National Music Institute in Master-class program. In this program, the students will have opportunity to study, exchange vocal music skill. In addition, the Russian artists will teach some music sessions for Vietnamese students.

Nearly 100 pictures on display at the “Hanoi Today” exhibition were shot by Dominique de Miscault, a French painter, sculptor and installation artist.

The photos are only part of a collection of thousands of pictures Dominique had taken during her visits to Vietnam.

“I first came to Vietnam in 1992 and I have been back more than 20 times. Each time I wander around the streets, I can feel apparent changes in the people’s life there, especially in Hanoi which has become richer and larger,” the painter said. “I hope it can preserve its unique attraction forever,” she added.

So far, Dominique de Miscault has organised 15 exhibitions under various themes on the life and culture of Vietnamese people throughout France and Vietnam and published the “Hanoi Today” book.

As an editor-in-chief of the France-Vietnam Perspective Magazine, a publication by the France-Vietnam Friendship Association, Dominique has written many articles about the country and people of Vietnam as well as the traditional friendship between the two countries.

She has frequently joined in fund-raising activities to support victims of Agent Orange/dioxin in Vietnam.

For her significant contributions, she was awarded the “For the Cause of the Vietnamese Press” Medal by the Vietnam Journalists Association in 2006.

For anyone unfamiliar, the floating market is a strange concept. However, visitors will understand as soon as they see the boats filled with vegetables, fruit and various consumer goods running back and forth along the river that runs through Cai Be Town to make sales transactions, from early morning until late in the evening.

Tourists can hire a powerboat to sail along the river to experience exactly how buoyant and animated a floating market is. Cai Be Market begins from about 5 a.m. as merchandisers purchase their goods there and then sail to other provinces. It is currently one of the biggest wholesale markets in the Mekong Delta region.

The wooden boats sell flowers and agricultural products, domestic goods and food. On the deck of one boat, we can see a family and even some dogs, pigs and chickens as the boat is their mobile home. The boats can stop to bank at land whenever and wherever their drivers like.

Tourists can also enjoy their breakfast, a hot bowl of Hu tiu My Tho (My Tho-style noodle soup) with a dark coffee, on the boats.

The special market forms on the place that meets the river flows of Vinh Long, Tien Giang and Ben Tre and gathers hundreds of boats which carry goods, especially agricultural goods from other provinces, including Vinh Long sweet potatoes and Hau Giang pumpkins. Cai Be Town, where those rivers cross, is renowned for its fruit including the terracotta colored oranges, the sweet Hoa Loc mangoes or Xa Li guavas.

Tourists need not ask what each boat sells, as products are clearly visible, allowing customers to choose the boat they would like to see.

Alongside the floating markets are houses and construction sites built close to the river or even on the banks, as people there mostly earn their living by fishing or selling products on boats. At sunset, sailing along the river to contemplate the old and new buildings casting shadows on the water will give tourists unforgettable memories.

After sailing on the river for a while, tourists can drop by a farmer’s house to take a rest, spending the day in fruit farms, tasting local cuisine and produce, and listening to old stories.

For those who have a tight schedule, visiting Cai Be floating market or the fruit farms will only take one day.

The speeches all confirmed that gong cultures in Vietnam and in other Southeast Asian countries share essential similarities, which have a deep influence on the socio-economic aspects of each country.

The presentations also mentioned measures to preserve and build on these cultural values. Some scientists held that such preservation should be community-based and incorporated into the curricula of schools, especially those in areas inhabited by ethnic minority groups, for the sake of sustainable cultural development.

Vietnamese professor To Ngoc Thanh said that it is vital to pay attention to and nurture artisans as human treasures. Meanwhile, Dr Hiroshi Hoshino shared Japan’s experience of implementing its government laws on protecting cultural assets since 1950.

Vietnam’s space of gong culture in the Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen) was recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2005.

Vietnam’s Saint Giong Festival has been put among 47 nominations for recognition as the world intangible cultural heritages by the UNESCO. The list was announced by the UNESCO on November 9. At present, 166 heritages of 77 countries have been recognised as world intangible cultural heritages. Vietnam has a number of heritages in this list, including the Viet Nam court music, the cultural space of gong in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlanders), Ca Tru and the Bac Ninh folk songs. Saint Giong Festival is a unique traditional event in Vietnam, held annually from the 6th-12th of the fourth lunar month in many places in Vietnam to commemorate the legendary national hero who grew from a 3-year-old child into a giant overnight to help drive out invaders from the country. The 9th of the fourth lunar month is the major day for the biggest Saint Giong Festival at Phu Dong Village in Gia Lam District of Hanoi where this national hero was born. The festival is a chance for visitors to watch the performance of traditional rituals and artistic activities which have been handed down from generations to generations.

The NewOpenWorld has sent a message of congratulations to the Halong Bay board of campaigning on July 24, praising its efforts bring Halong Bay from the initial list of 440 nominees to the final stage of the voting.

The bay which was twice recognised by the UNESCO for its landscapes and geological values ranks 12th among the 28 successful landscapes in terms of votes, according to the NewOpenWorld’s website on July 21.

The Amazon rainforest, which stretches through nine countries in South America, leads the voting.

Asian countries have six nominees in the final round, of which three were recommended by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, namely Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The campaign will continue to vote for the seven new wonders of nature, which will be unveiled in 2011.

The event, co-organised by the Vietnamese association in Lion, the Rhone-Mekong club and the Association Connaissance des Arts, is part of the Francophone festival.

The Minister Counselor of the Vietnamese Embassy in France, Nguyen Van Trung, commented that the activities are aimed at improving local knowledge of Vietnam’s culture and further strengthening relationships between the Asian nation and the Francophone Organisations.

Various exhibitions and programmes are being held that will feature paintings and other art, traditional dress performances, martial arts and traditional foods.

The list integrates 90 different cultural elements proclaimed as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001, 2003 and 2005. The list, according to a 2003 convention, seeks to recognize and preserve living components of cultural heritage, such as oral traditions and expression, performing arts, social practices and rituals, festivals, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship. Nha nhac was proclaimed in 2003 and gong culture was proclaimed in 2005.

The 90 cultural expressions and spaces on the list are located in 70 countries worldwide, with 14 from Africa, eight from Arab states, 30 from the Asia-Pacific region, 21 in Europe and 17 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to UNESCO’s website, nha nhac, literally meaning “elegant music”, refers to a broad range of musical and dance styles performed at the Vietnamese royal court from the 15th to mid-20th century.

Nha nhac was generally featured at opening and closing ceremonies associated with anniversaries, religious holidays, coronations, funerals and official receptions. Performances featured numerous singers, dancers and musicians dressed in sumptuous costumes. Large orchestras included a prominent drum section and many other types of percussion instruments, as well as a variety of wind and string instruments. All performers had to maintain a high level of concentration and were expected to follow each step of the ritual meticulously.

Among numerous musical genres that have developed in Vietnam, only nha nhac can claim a nationwide scope and strong links with traditions in other East Asian countries. The genre developed during the Le dynasty (1427-1788) and became highly institutionalized and codified under the Nguyen monarchs (1802-1945) as a symbol of the dynasty’s power and longevity.

The role of nha nhac was not limited to musical accompaniment for court rituals, however. It also provided a means of communicating with and paying tribute to the gods and past kings, as well as transmitting knowledge about nature and the universe.

But events that shook Vietnam in the 20th century – especially the fall of the monarchy and decades of war are threatened the survival of nha nhac. Deprived of its court context, the musical tradition lost its original function, surviving only through the efforts of some former court musicians.

Certain forms of nha nhac have been maintained in popular rituals and religious ceremonies and serve as a source of inspiration for contemporary Vietnamese music.

The cultural space of the gongs in Tay Nguyen (the Central Highlands) of Vietnam covers several provinces and seventeen Austro-Asian and Austronesian ethno-linguistic communities.

Closely linked to daily life and the cycle of the seasons, their belief systems form a mystical world in which the gongs produce a privileged language between men, divinities and the supernatural world.

Behind every gong hides a god or goddess who is all the more powerful when the gong is older. Every family possesses at least one gong, which indicates the family’s wealth, authority and prestige and also ensures its protection.

While a range of brass instruments is used in the various ceremonies, the gong alone is present in all the rituals of community life and is the main ceremonial instrument. Each instrumentalist carries a different gong measuring between 25 and 80cm in diameter.

The manner in which the gongs are played varies according to the village. From three to 12 gongs are played by village ensembles made up of men or women. Different arrangements and rhythms are adapted to the context of the ceremony, for example, the ritual bull sacrifices, the blessing of the rice or mourning rites.

But economic and social transformations have drastically affected the traditional way of life of these communities and no longer provide the original context for the gong culture. Transmission of this way of life was also severely disrupted during the war decades. Old craftsmen are disappearing and the interest of young people has shifted towards Western culture. Stripped of their sacred significance, the gongs are sometimes sold for recycling or exchanged for other products.

At this week’s meeting, therefore, the committee also considered ways to increase public awareness, especially among youth, of the importance of safeguarding intangible heritage. Vietnam also submitted to UNESCO an application for quan ho (Bac Ninh folk love duets) to be recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The Hue Festival 2010 will feature many large-scale, impressive cultural art performances alongside hundreds of special tourism programmes to honour the unique cultural values of Vietnam in general and Hue in particular, expand the international exchange and promote tourism in the country.

Particularly, the “Navy manoeuvre under the Nguyen Dynasties” on the Huong River with the participation of 900 people was re-enacted to review the tradition of founding and defending the country, glorifying the power of Vietnamese people in the war.

Besides the Grand opening and closing ceremonies, a variety of well-staged and interesting performances will also take place, including the Ao dai Grand show, the “Oriental night” programme, the performance of Viet’s beauty of the second edition called “the resonance of Ngan River”, many community activities like Hue Poem Festival, science seminars and the painting exhibition themed “From Thang Long Ancient Capital to Hue Ancient Capital” on Trang Tien Bridge of hundreds of painters and fine arts students should be paid great attention.

Officials from the two provinces made the statement at a meeting on August 10 on the occasion of a visit to Australia by a delegation from Hoi An City, led by the deputy head of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Dung.

The delegation attended a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Kiama City Council and other activities to commemorate the 64th anniversary of Vietnam’s August Revolution and National Day held by the Vietnamese Consulate General in Sydney.

The two sides reviewed the implementation of a cooperation agreement which was signed during a visit to Hoi An City by a delegation from the Kiama City Council last November.

Mayor of the Australian city, Sandra McCarthy, said the meeting helped not only strengthen the two countries’ friendship but also created cooperation in the fields of business, tourism and community activities.

After the meeting, Kiama City plans to hold more cultural exchange activities and reciprocal visits, she added.

The same day, a joint flag-raising ceremony was held in commemoration of the anniversaries being celebrated on both sides.

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Sydney and the delegation from Hoi An presented Vietnamese books and magazines to the Kiama City library and enjoyed a musical performance of Vietnamese students after the ceremony.

Kiama City is a famous tourism site in the state of New South Wales. Over the years, local people and enterprises have donated about AUD 240,000 to Operation Smile Vietnam to provide healthcare services and perform free operations on Vietnamese children born with facial deformities, such as cleft palates and hare-lips.

This film will be broadcasted on TV5’s Tourism Discover programme, which introduces unique tourist sites to the French-speaking community. The film will be on TV5 Quebec (Canada) in January 2010 and on global TV5 Monde in March 2010.

In Vietnam, apart from shooting the world natural heritage site of Halong Bay, the French film crew paid special attention to the community tourism model, with Vit Co Xanh ecological tourist site as the example.

France is a key market for the Vietnamese tourism industry. Around 300,000 French visitors come to Vietnam annually to discover culture, history and ecological tourism.

The first Quan The Am Festival was held in 1960 on the 19th day of the 2nd lunar month to inaugurated the Quan The Am (the Goddess of Mercy) Statue in Hoa Nghiem Cave on Thuy Son Mountain and became an annual event from 1991.

This year’s three-day festival is held monumentally with the display of the world’s largest jade statue of the Buddha.

The statue, named “The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace,” measures 3.5m tall, including the lotus base and fan throne, and weighs 4.5 tonnes.

The statue is modelled on the Siddhartha Gautama Buddha inside the Mahabodhi Stupa in India’s Bodh Gaya.

It is carved from an 18-tonne Nephrite jade boulder called “Polar Pride” found in Canada in 2000 and considered the world’s largest piece of pure jade. The rock was transported in late 2006 from Vancouver in Canada to   Bangkok, Thailand, where Thai sculptors finished the statue a full two years later.

The statue has been displayed at the pagoda from March 13-15, the first destination of its world tour before being placed permanently at the Mahabodhi Stupa of the Atisha Centre in Australia.

On display at the festival also included a 2.4m x 6.1m painting made of waste cans, which depicts the overview of Danang City.

On this occasion, the festival’s organising board will hold auction sale of best calligraphy works to raise fund for Agent Orange victims.

In her opening speech, Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, said the millennium anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi is an important event of the country.

“We believe that with the strong contingent of more than 1,000 journalists and a network of bureaus in all 63 provinces and cities nationwide and 27 foreign countries, the website will be an effective and special information channel that diversifies forms of promoting the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and timely provides all-in information on the capital city as well as the whole country,” she said.

VNA Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Loi said, “the advantage of having four languages, which no other e-paper in Vietnam has, will make an important contribution to implementing the goal of promoting news for foreign service as part of the media campaign on the millennium celebration in particular and the capital city of Hanoi in general.”

He affirmed that VNA will actively improve the content of the website in order to make it more plentiful and useful to readers.

Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism Tran Chien Thang and VNA leaders together clicked the button to launch the Thang Long-Hanoi website.

The website is designed and managed by the VNA’s e-paper Vietnam Plus.

Apart from information about Hanoi and activities to mark the 1,000th celebration of Thang Long-Hanoi, the website gives detailed information about the capital relating to its history-geography, administration, culture, artisans, craft villages, gastronomy, among much else. It also provides useful details on the city’s entertainment venues, tourist sites, hotels and entrepreneurs for the benefit of both tourists and companies seeking business opportunities in Hanoi.

To date, nearly 900 entries in the Vietnamese language and hundreds of others in other languages have been posted on the website.

The photo albums include rare photos of the ancient quarter of Hanoi, Long Bien Bridge and collections of maps of Hanoi from the 19th century.

Workshops, film screenings, contemporary art performances and concerts in Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City from November 8-December 10 will make Open Academy 2010 different from other German art exchange programmes in Vietnam.

At a press briefing on November 8 in Hanoi, German artist Veronika Radulovic, who has a strong attachment to Vietnam, said the project will gather 10 key German artists who have developed major initiatives in the contemporary arts and have close relations with Vietnamese contemporary artists.

Sound, light and stage and space installation and arrangement will be hot topics at workshops, she said.

The project, jointly held by Goethe Institute in Hanoi and Vietnamese colleges and art centres, will also benefit the public, media artist Maria Vedder said.

The German partner may soon repeat the project by creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese artists to perform in Germany.

Open Academy 2010, funded by the state of Berlin, is part of “Year of Germany in Vietnam 2010”, which marks the 35 th anniversary of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic ties.

At a press conference on November 5, 2008 French photographer, Sebastien Laval, said he has been coming to Vietnam since 1955 and recognised the strange attractiveness of Vietnam’s land and people. He soon began to record images of the daily life and culture of Vietnamese ethnic minorities in late 20th century and early 21st century.

The French photographer coordinated with the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Asian Ethnic Association in 2005 to seek images of daily life and portraits of Vietnamese ethnic minorities.

The first photos of Pa Then ethnic minority were introduced in 2006 at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. This year, on the occasion of Festival Hue 2008, Sebastien Laval decided to display his photos of three other ethnic minorities (including Co Tu, Ta Oi and Pa Ko) in central Thua Thien-Hue province.

He asked the Ministry of Construction to coordinate with Kien Giang province to hire foreign experts for the implementation of infrastructure plans.

He urged relevant ministries to focus investment on constructing main roads on the island. The Phu Quoc International Airport and An Thoi sea port must be completed on schedule and more international air routes should be opened to the island, the PM said.

Regarding power supply, the PM said in the long run, the island will be connected with the power grid on the main land, but in the immediate future, the Vietnam Coal and Minerals Corporation should conduct a feasibility study for building a 100MW thermo-electric power plant to supply power to the island in next two years.

The Phu Quoc Island, having another name as Dao Ngoc (Pearl Island), for its cultured pearl, gathers great potentials to become a major tourist centre of the country.

Located in southwestern Kien Giang province, 45 km from the mainland, the 565 sq.km island owns 32,000 ha of primeval forests, beautiful and clean beaches, and undamaged coral reefs. One of its beaches, named Bai Dai (Long Beach), has been chosen by the ABC News as one of five beautiful and clean beaches, but rarely known in the world.

The information was released at a press briefing in Hanoi on October 24 by the Vietnam National Tourism Administration.

A number of meetings will be held during the forum, including meetings of ASEAN Tourism Ministsers and ASEAN plus Tourism Ministers, a meeting of ASEAN National Tourism Organisations (NTOs), and meetings of ASEAN NTOs + 3 (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), and ASEAN NTOs + 1 (India, Russia, Australia and New Zealand).

Delegates will review the implementation of cooperation programmes and discuss ways to promote tourism cooperation among ASEAN member countries and between ASEAN and its dialogue partners

An ASEAN Travel Expo will also be held to create a chance for service providers, tour sellers and operators to seek business opportunities and attract tourists from potential markets.

The regional tourism forum was held in Malaysia for the first time in 1981. Since then it has been held annually in ASEAN member countries on the rotary basis.

The exhibition, jointly held by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism is just one of activities being held to mark the 55th anniversary of the city’s liberation day on October 10 and the 10 years since UNESCO recognised Hanoi as a City for Peace. The event is also to celebrate Hanoi’s 999th founding day.

Philipe Chaplain is the first foreigner to create a website containing photos of Hanoi’s Old Quarter in the past.

He has also competed at the annual international contest on Thang Long-Hanoi since 2006 and won first prize in 2008.

The Deputy Director of Hoi An Relics Preservation and Management Centre Nguyen Duc Minh told that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNSECO) commended Vietnamese craftsmen on the chapel’s conservation as its traditional values have been kept in line with other preserved sites in the ancient city.

The chapel was restored at a cost of more than VND 537 million, of which 605 was provided by Hoi An’s local authority.

“The restoration project demonstrates the commendable commitment by private individuals to cooperate with the local authorities in the conservation of a World Heritage property. As one of Hoi An’s key landmarks, the newly-refurbished chapel now stands out as living landmark in the heritage city, serving clan members, the local population and visitors alike,” said UNESCO about the chapel.

Located about 50m from the japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An City, the Tang Family Chapel is typical of 18th and 19th -century overseas Chinese clan halls, with a succession of smaller entry halls leading to a large central hall for worshipping ancestors.

The chapel is now still in use by the Tang Clan as a place of worship, while also serving as a tourist attraction.

This year, UNESCO granted 13 awards to cultural heritage conservation projects in the Asia-Pacific region, including three awards of distinction, four awards of merit, four honourable mentions and the jury’s commendation for innovation.

This is the third time Vietnam has received a UNESCO award for this reason. Vietnam took the award for excellence for the Hoi An preservation project in 2000 and the award of merit for a project to preserve the architecture of six old traditional Vietnamese houses.

Danish Ambassador in Vietnam Peter Lysholt Hansen said this is the biggest cultural event to be held during a Danish State’s visit to another country.

The programme, comprising 11 cultural activities, has begun on October 28 and last until November 20 in Hanoi, the central city of Hue and Ho Chi Minh City.

It will see the attendance of the Danish Queen Margrethe, accompanied by the Danish Crown Prince and Princes and Ministers of Culture and the Environment.

The highlight of the programme will be a road show that will be held on November 3 at the Ly Thai To Garden.

The show will feature a cocktail of performances of contemporary and traditional dance and music. It will be joined by hip hop dance troop Danish Uppercut, The Blue Van Band, the Batida troupe, and the Copenhagen trio.

According to the Danish Embassy, the programme is aimed at exchanging artistic activities and experiences between the two countries’ artists and promoting artists’ interaction with the audience.

The book, entitled “Cuisine Identities of Thang Long-Hanoi,” is being written by Dr. Nguyen Nha, Head of the Institute of

The writer said he had to look up age-old documents and visit families who lived in Hanoi long ago for materials in his book.

In an effort to help the world know more about Vietnamese foods, the institute has launched a programme entitled “Jointly prepare Vietnamese foods for the world.”

Under the programme, the institute offers courses for foreigners who want to learn how to cook Vietnamese dishes and Vietnamese people who plan to go overseas for work and study. In addition, the institute collaborates with enterprises sending Vietnamese cooking utensils and usage abroad.

During the five-day event, several programmes, which express the unique and rich Vietnamese culture, will take place in the city.

According to director, People’s Artist Tran Binh, the programme will feature different arts forms, including traditional song and dance, chamber music, and fashion featuring contemporary music.

“The programme divides into two parts. While the first part, Huong Sac Vietnam (Vietnamese Fragrances and Colours), is devoted only to traditional art forms, the second one will present other art and musical forms and ao dai (traditional dress) fashion show,” Binh said.

During the first part of the programme, 50 artists of the Vietnam Central Light Music Theatre will stage a number of performances, including monochord. An ethnic k’ni instrument (of the Central Highlands region), a symphony featuring different traditional instruments and dances Hon Quat (Paperfan’s Soul) and Nhung Canh Hoa Cham (Cham Petals).

In the second part, a performance featuring a well-known repertoire by Russian and Vietnamese composers will bring together artists who studied in Russia for a number of years. Pianist Tran Thu Ha, violinist Ngo Van Thanh, and cellist Tran Thi Mo, also veteran lecturers at the National Institute of Music, will perform the composition Ke Chuyen Song Hong (Tell the Story of the Red River ) by Vietnamese musician Huy Du.

The well-respected violinist Bui Cong Duy and pianist Vu Ngoc Linh will present a musical piece by Tchaikovsky, while soprano Bich Thuy and bass Quoc Hung will perform classical Russian and Vietnamese songs. A fashion show featuring ao dai also will be presented by 12 models and dancers.

Young pop singer Luu Huong Giang will perform trendy Russian songs to lighten the atmosphere and help the event appeal to younger audiences.

“To prepare for the Days of Vietnamese Culture in Russia , all artists have had to practice every day over the past two months. We expect that the audience, both the Russian people and the Vietnamese community in Russia , will get a unique chance to revel in the finest in art and culture from the Asian country,” Binh said.

Together with art and music events, a film festival is also being organised in Moscow and St. Petersburg . National and international award-winning movies will be screened, including Rung Den (Black Forest), Song Trong So Hai (Living in Fear) and Chuyen Cua Pao (Pao’s Story).

A photo and painting exhibition and a good fair will also be held in Moscow and St. Petersburg .

A seminar conducted by the Vietnam Administration of Tourism to introduce the country’s tourism potential will take place in Moscow next September 16, 2008.

The government has agreed to spend VND25 billion on the promotion of the tourism sector in 2009, including US$204,000 for 320 broadcasts, each lasting 30 seconds, on the BBC, said Nguyen Van Tinh, Head of International Cooperation Department under Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

He added that the promotion programme will have a total air time of 20 weeks, including eight weeks in the Asia-Pacific, six in Europe and six in America.

In addition, the ministry will buy advertising on taxis in Britain featuring a Vietnamese young girl in traditional long dress standing on the Halong Bay, a world natural heritage site.

The first flight of the route was carried out on ATR-72 plane.

The HCMC-Can Tho-Phu Quoc flights will serve passengers every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

Vietnam Airlines offers passengers to the newly-open route with a discount price of VND304,000 (USD18) for each section (from HCMC to Can Tho, Can Tho to Phu Quoc and vice versa) till May 30.

This was Vietnam Airlines’ 31st domestic air route and the third one to the Mekong delta region.

In recent years, demands for travelling from HCMC to Can Tho increased sharply. The airlines expects that along with the Hanoi-Can Tho route, the new air route would help bring passengers to Can Tho and other Mekong delta provinces, even to Phu Quoc, the country’s largest resort island, off shore Kien Giang Province.

In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam Airlines opened five new domestic and international air routes and is actively making preparations to join the global airline alliance Skyteam in June.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Dao Van Binh said the Huong Pagoda Festival is the biggest and longest annual festival in Vietnam that lasts through three spring months, welcoming more than 1 million pilgrims and tourists each year.

Since the first day of the first lunar month, over 160,000 tourists have visited Huong Pagoda, said Nguyen Van Hau, Vice Chairman of the My Duc District People’s Committee and Head of the Festival Organising Board.

Nearly 200 high-quality boats have been added to the fleet of more than 4,000 boats to serve tourists during this year’s festival, he added.

Also the same day, exhibitions of Buddhist antiques and fine arts opened at the compound of the Thien Tru Pagoda as activities to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha – Hanoi chapter.

A Buddhist Culture Week and a ceremony to float flower garlands and coloured lanterns on the Yen Stream will be held during the festival.

The festival also featured a display of Vietnam’s handicraft products as well as the nation’s culture, tourism and cuisine.

Addressing the opening ceremony on August 28, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Thanh Son, who is also Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, spoke highly of the initiative to host the festival in Germany, saying that it is a good opportunity to enhance the exchange between the two peoples.

Berlin Deputy Mayor Harald Wolf said that the relationship between Germany and Vietnam has become closer over the past 35 years through the exchange of experiences, culture and high ranking delegations as well as political and economic activities.

There are around 20,000 Vietnamese people in Berlin, said Wolf, adding that the Vietnamese community in Berlin now has a stable position in the society, contributing to diversifying Berlin’s cultural life.

A wealth of information and images promoting Vietnam’s natural beauty, history, culture and achievements were displayed prominently at the fair.

Tran Mai Lan, Vietnam Airlines’ representative at the event, said that her company has been involved in the fair for the past few years, which is important as Belgium has recently established itself as one of the airline’s most lucrative Western European markets.

Despite the difficulties facing the transport and tourism sectors as a result of the global economic crisis, a number of experts at the fair asserted that Asia, particularly Vietnam, is still a destination that possesses a great deal of allure for European holidaymakers this year.

The memorandum will be a foundation for both countries to increase art and cultural cooperation in the period, including exchanges between concerned agencies and individuals.

Signatories to the memorandum were Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh, and his Danish counterpart, Carina Christensen.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Hoang Tuan Anh said in recent years, Vietnam has had an opportunity to learn from and hold exchanges with Denmark in the field of culture thanks to cultural support funds and projects financed by the Danish government.

At present, Denmark is funding seven projects in Vietnam which focus on facilitating dialogues between cultural managers and policy makers, promoting literature for children and improving management in the performing arts.

Minister Hoang Tuan Anh requested that Denmark increase assistance to exchange activities aimed at promoting Vietnam’s image and culture in Denmark so as to promote mutual understanding with the Danish people.

He also called for Denmark to vote for Halong Bay as a world nature wonder and for Thang Long Imperial Citadel to become a world cultural heritage site.

The Danish embassy has worked with the Vietnam Fine Arts University, the Tuoi Tre Theatre and concerned agencies under the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to organise various cultural activities throughout the ten-day visit of the Danish Queen.

Prominent among the activities are a street art festival, a Vietnam-Denmark rock concert and an exhibition of a Danish-funded emergency room.

As part of the activities to welcome the Queen’s visit, the Hanoi Writers’ Society, the Kim Dong publishing house and the Danish Writers’ Society on November 2 held an awards ceremony for Vietnamese children’s authors in 2008-2009.

At the ceremony, the organising committee launched a writing competition for children in 2009-2010 period with the theme of “Dialogue with the nature” and kicked off a picture exhibition by Vietnamese and Danish painters.

The event introduces 43 large-sized paintings by 11 Vietnamese and 11 Korean artists. The paintings showcase a variety of mediums such as oil on canvas, lacquer, silk, water-colour and wood.

Korean artists attending the exhibition are all members of the Korean Art Association in different ages and most of them love Vietnam.

The exhibition is being organized by the Korean Culture Centre in Vietnam, the Korean Art Association and the Vietnam Art Museum, at the Vietnam Art Museum in Hanoi.

With its abundant natural tourism resources, its unique, UNESCO-recognised cultural assets, together with political stability and a dynamic economy, Vietnam is an attractive destination for foreign visitors, according to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh.

Cooperation in culture and tourism between Vietnam and China contributed to promoting exchange, mutual understanding and trust between the two nations, Vietnam’s Ambassador to China Nguyen Van Tho said.

Meanwhile, Head of the China National Tourism Administration’s Department of International Relations Promotion Liu Kezhi said that China plans to increase multifaceted cooperation with Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam.

Since the two countries signed an MOU on tourism in 2000, visitors from China have always accounted for the largest number of foreign tourists to Vietnam.

In 2007, Vietnam welcomed 558,719 Chinese tourists and 650,055 in 2008.

Japanese artists entertained the local audience with three special dances, while their counterparts from Vietnam won the applause for a series of folk singing performances such as cheo, quan ho, xam and chau van.

The head of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs, Aoki Tamotsu said, in the context that folk cultures have fallen into oblivion and faced a threat of deformation in many countries, the festival is expected to help preserve and maintain intangible cultural heritages of both nations.

This is also a valuable chance for the local people to enjoy special folk cultural performances of Japan and Vietnam, he added.

The festival, co-organised by the Embassy of Vietnam in Japan and the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs, forms part of the annual International Folk Performance Festival 2009.

Since 1996, the agency has invited art troupes from foreign countries to perform in Japan during the International Folk Performance Festival.

More than 3,200 artists from 13 districts and towns in Phu Tho Province and 18 other provinces and cities nationwide joined in a parade that ended up at the Hung Vuong Museum.

The museum, which has been built on a site of 15,000m², was inaugurated the same day.

On the occasion, the Deputy Chairwoman of Hai Duong People’s Committee Dang Thi Bich Lien presented the museum with two pottery vases made in the famous Chu Dau craft village and an embroidered picture.

During the ten-day festival, an exhibition of artifacts dating back to the era of the Hung Kings (approximately between 2897 BC and 1550 BC), the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) and the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) will be held.

Also on the occasion, 50 traditional pictures for worshipping are on display at the provincial Cultural House to respect the cultural spiritual values of Vietnam’s ethnic community.

The Culture and Sports Festival of the north-eastern ethnic groups began with 136 athletes from nine provinces taking part, namely Phu Tho, Bac Giang, Ha Giang, Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Quang Ninh and Lang Son.

According to legend, the Vietnamese nation, named Van Lang, was founded by Emperor Hung Vuong about 40 centuries ago. This dynasty lasted for 18 generations and led Vietnam towards development.

To honour the country’s founding fathers, the holy Hung Vuong site was built in 250BC in Phu Tho and has since become one of the most popular sites in the country. The annual Hung Kings anniversary is held on the 10th day of the 3rd lunar month.

The dynasty made many outstanding achievements including the founding of old Vietnam as an independent nation and the establishment of several institutions, administrative, social and economic, which made up the original Vietnamese nation.

According to Vu The Binh, Director of the Department of Travel under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the incentives aim to lure more foreign tourists to the country during those two months and are part of a programme to boost tourism this year. The programme entitled “Vietnam – Your destination” was announced by VNAT in March.

During the two months, trade centres, shops and other tourist service providers in Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Hanoi will offer 10-50% discounts for both domestic and foreign tourists.

This is the second time the tourism sector has asked the government to exempt international tourists to the country from visa fees.

Last year, after a proposal from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the government agreed to grant free visas to foreign visitors when they booked packaged tours under a promotion campaign dubbed “Impressive Vietnam”. The campaign ended in late last year.

According to Binh, the exemption is a chance to boost the country’s tourism and encourage travel firms to compete fairly by improving their tourism services.

“The exemption not only helps tourists save on expenses but also lures more international tourists to Vietnam in the coming time,” said Binh.

The plan, which extends to 2020, will aid in the country’s economic transformation and help reduce hunger and poverty, according to the ministry.

The main goals are to diversify tourism products and fully exploit the country’s tourism potential. The plan calls for linkage among provinces and cities in the region and additional investment in tourism projects of international standards.

Under the plan, the Mekong Delta region would focus on the overseas Vietnamese community and Southeast Asian tourism market, especially Cambodia, while maintaining current markets in Northeast Asia, Western Europe and North America.

Domestically, the area aims to attract more tourists as well, particularly from HCMC and Hanoi, and the southeastern region.

The Delta region hopes to welcome 2.7 million foreign visitors and 5.3 million domestic tourists by 2015, according to the plan.

By 2020, the region expects to receive 3.9 million foreign tourists and 6.5 million local visitors. By 2015, there would be 37,150 hotel rooms and a total of 50,000 by 2020.

The aim is to employ 154,700 people in the Mekong Delta tourism sector by 2015 and 236,600 by 2020.

The Mekong Delta region would focus on developing rural tourism (orchard and river tours combined with home-stays); cultural tourism (exploration of ethnic cultures), eco-tourism (tours of ecological systems in the area), and high-quality spa therapy tourism (including Kien Giang Province’s Phu Quoc Island and Ha Tien Town).

In recent years, the Mekong Delta has attained significant achievements in tourism, according to Huynh Vinh Ai, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

For example, in 2009 the number of foreign visitors to the region reached 1.2 million, three times higher than in 2000, while local tourists were 8 million compared to 3.4 million in 2000, resulting in revenue of 2 trillion VND for the tourism industry.

Tourism in the Mekong Delta region has also created stable jobs and raised the income of local residents, according to Ai.

According to the recently approved plan, the Mekong Delta region would concentrate investment in hotels, high-quality resorts and recreational sites of international standard.

It would also aim to preserve and enhance the environment, develop festivals to diversify tourism products, train more tourism staff, and conduct research on applying technology in the tourism industry.

The Mekong Delta can be reached by air, land, river or sea. The region has airports in Can Tho City, Phu Quoc Island, Rach Gia Town and Ca Mau Province.

Under the ministry’s plan, two international airports will be built.

Located in southwest Vietnam, the Mekong Delta region, with an area of nearly 40,000km² and a population of 18 million, includes 12 provinces and one major city, Can Tho. The region extends from Long An Province in the north to Ca Mau Province in the south.

The ship then leave for central Da Nang City.

Meanwhile, more than 1,300 Chinese tourists on board the SuperStar Aquarius visited Ha Long Bay in northeastern Quang Ninh Province, a UNESCO-recognised world natural heritage.

Saigontourist expects to receive over 1,000 tourists on board the Super Aquarius Ship at Tien Sa Port in Da Nang City on November 11, 2008.

The company has so far this year welcomed over 85,000 foreign visitors by sea, representing an 80 percent increase over the same period last year.

About 60 kilometers from Can Tho City, Vi Thanh Commune attracts travelers to its canal along Xa No Park with its poetic surroundings. The park runs along Tran Hung Dao Street, protecting visitors from the sun with its many green trees. It is amazing to walk in the park under the moonlight to watch the boats silently float on the canal.

The canal was formed in 1901-1903 by two French people, Duval and Guery. At night, departing from Vi Thanh Market, tourists can stroll along the canal to taste the rustic flavor of the delta. Along the canal is a statue garden with dozens of white stone sculptural works. Stepping onto the overpass, travelers can see the great length of the canal.

Xa No Canal is also a venue for exciting boat races which always draw shouts and shrieks from the crowd.

In the center of the commune is a one-hectare lotus pond which is a great place to take photos. The park has a theater that can hold about 1,000 guests to enjoy artistic performances. Near the pond is a museum displaying documents and artifacts featuring the history of Hau Giang Province.

The roads of Nguyen Hue, Le Loi and Dong Khoi have been decorated with special lights from January 18 until February 14. Colorful lights were bunched on various themes to convey the warm and jubilant messages of the Tet Festival 2009.

An 8m-high, 3m-diameter lotus-shaped lamp was built on the roundabout of Nguyen Hue – Le Loi Road. A 0.8×1m yellow-apricot blossom gate stood on Le Loi Road. Dong Khoi Road was illuminated by a system of LED lamps.

The organizing board campaigned offices and people who own houses on these roads to self decorate the front of their houses and offices with lamps.

On January 23, the Nguyen Hue flower street will open. The Banh Tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake) Festival will be kicked off on January 25. The Door Shows will start on January 31. On the lunar New Year’s Eve, firework shows will be organized at several places in the city.

A special art show will run from 10:00pm to 12:00am of the lunar New Year’s Eve at an outdoor stage on Le Duan Road, in front of the Thong Nhat Palace.

Themed “A thousand years of quintessence” the fair is part of activities to celebrate the Thang Long-Hanoi millennium anniversary and the National Tourism Year in Hanoi, Luu Tien Long, Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Commerce, said at a press briefing in Hanoi on March 8.

In addition to promoting exports, developing and improving the products of Hanoi craft villages, the week will promote the traditional cultures of the villages over the past 1,000 historic years.

It will also include other activities like a contest for artisans on a signature souvenir design for the millennium anniversary.

Visitors will have a chance to witness the process by which crafts are made, and even take part in the production themselves. The organising board will also arrange a tour of five outstanding craft villages in combination with other tourist sites around Hanoi.

The week will cover workshops on the potential and development of Hanoi handicraft villages and shows for craft items.

The design contest and craft village tour were launched in February.

Attending the opening ceremony were Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan, Japan’s Senator Matsuda Iwao and Ambassador to Vietnam Sakaba Mitsuo.

The three-day festival, which takes place on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Hoi An Ancient City being recognized as a world cultural heritage site and the city receiving a certificate recognising the Cham Islands as a World Biosphere Reserve, includes various programmes spotlighting the culture of Japan and Vietnam.

According to Japanese Ambassador Sakaba Mitsuo, during the festival, visitors will have a chance to see the “Japanese People’s Street”, which existed in Hoi An 400 years ago.

After the town was recognised as a world cultural heritage site in 1999, many Japanese experts arrived here to help preserve it, he said, adding that this was evidence of the deep relationship between Vietnam and Japan over the past 400 years.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Thanh Son affirmed that Japanese traders who came to Vietnam during the early 16th century laid the foundation for present day Vietnam-Japan exchange activities.

The friendship and cooperation between the two nations have continuously developed over years, especially in politics, economics, culture and education, towards a “strategic partnership”.

To honour traditional cultural values, a Vietnamese cultural space was recreated featuring 30 houses with typical designs of Dong Son (Thanh Hoa Province), Gong (Central Highlands provinces) as well as My Son and Hoi An characteristics.

The organising board invited Prof. Tran Van Khe and Prof. Hoang Chuong to talk about the development of folk music.

Apart from familiar activities, such as the Japanese tea ceremony, taking photos in the Yukata costume, there are three troupes from Japan with 300 artists who will, for the first time, take part in a drumming performance. Pianist Highuchi Ayuko will also play the piano.

A seminar “Hoi An-10 years of being a World Cultural Heritage Site” will be held to review Vietnam’s activities and achievements in preserving and upholding the cultural values of the ancient town which bears the imprint of Japanese culture.

On the occasion, Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan handed over a certificate from UNESCO recognising Cham Islands as a World Biosphere Reserve to leaders of Quang Nam Province and Hoi An City.

The Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism made the said-above announcement on January 26.

The result of the second assessment round will be informed in June and the result of the final round will be announced at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritages in Kenya in November.

The Giong Festival is held from the 6th day to the 12th day of the 4th lunar month every year at Phu Dong (or Giong) Village in Gia Lam District, Hanoi, as well as in some other regions of the capital including Phu Ninh Village in Soc Son District and Xuan Dinh Village of Tu Liem District. The main festival day is on the 9th day of the 4th lunar month.

The festival is original, because it commemorates a legendary character that ancient Vietnamese turned into an immortal saint.

The festival celebrates Saint Giong, a legendary Vietnamese hero who fought against the northern invaders.

The legend says that once upon a time, a poor woman from Giong Village went to the rice paddy and saw a giant step. Curious, she stepped onto the step; not long after, she discovered she was pregnant and then gave birth to a son she named Giong. As a three-year old, the boy still didn’t know how to speak and never laughed. But when the country was invaded, the boy suddenly began to speak and asked the King to give him an iron horse, an iron suit of armour and an iron rod, so that he could fight against the invaders. He then rose up to become a giant.

After having fought triumphantly the enemy, he and his horse went to Soc Mountain. On the mountain top, he removed his armour and flew into the sky with his horse. This festival is considered one more testament to the indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese nation when pitted against foreign invaders.

Festival performances recount Saint Giong’s celebrated battles as his troops squared off against the aggressors, symbolised by crowds of people from four communes in Phu Dong Village.

The festival also involves young boys and girls acting out the performance’s most important parts, after having practiced for the festival all year.

The gala, organised by the national flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy in France, the Vietnam Permanent Delegation to UNESCO and the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee, was part of oversea activities to celebrate the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi next month.

It was also held at a time when the Thang Long Royal Citadel has been recognised by UNESCO as a cultural heritage site of the world.

Addressing the function, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Le Kinh Tai spoke highly of the initiative to organise the event and stressed traditional cooperation in many areas, particularly in culture and arts, between Vietnam and France .

The selection of the UNESCO headquarters in Paris as a venue for the gala shows Vietnam’s gratitude to French leaders and UNESCO for practical assistance to Hanoi ’s millennium celebrations, he said.

The gala night featured performances by Vietnamese singers and an art troupe from the Thang Long Song and Dance Theatre.

Vu The Binh, Director of the Travel Department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that activities were being taken to improve services and tour guides quality, and to address undercutting among local tour operators. Cooperation with tourism agencies of Thailand and Laos is also being bolstered to increase the number of visitors from the region, he said.

“We need to address unfairly competition between travel companies first, and to improve the quality of tour guides and make attractive tours for Thai and travelers from ASEAN,” he said.

Binh said the tourism agency and relevant authorities have agreed to join hands to arrange activities to welcome overland travelers via border gates in the central region.

Under the support of the tourism agency, 22 travel firms, mostly in the region, have established a club to improve services instead of undercutting one another.

Binh said VNAT and the Tourism Authority of Thailand early this month had inked an agreement on tourism cooperation for the central region. The agency will meet with the national tourism agency of Laos for similar cooperation.

Thai travelers are the target guests for the program, he said.

“We want to develop the region as an attractive destination for Thai and travelers from ASEAN,” Binh said.

Thai tourists usually travel to the region via the border gates in the central region, such as Cau Treo, Cha Lo, Lao Bao and Nam Can. The tourism agency expects more than 100,000 Thai visitors to come to the region this year.

Binh said because of a lack of tour guides for Thai visitors, the tourism agency is going to help travel firms there to train quality tour guides.

The National Tourism Year 2010 will be held in Hanoi along with many activities to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the capital city.

The event will be an opportunity for Hanoi’s tourist industry to increase its profile and become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region and the world.

In preparation for the event, Hanoi’s tourist industry has introduced a number of new tours and special tourist products and will put on more events to attract more tourists throughout the year.

The festival will open on the first day of Tet (February 14) with daisies, orchids and apricot and peach blossoms. With an investment of nearly VND300 million, the Suoi Cat tourist site will be ablaze in the multicolored spectacle of 20,000 flower pots and a flower “dragon”.

The festival will also feature performances of national record makers such as Xuan Dieu who can play the flute, drink milk and play darts with his nose, Kim Tuan who can peel off coconut covers, pull cars with his teeth and lie on nails, and Bao Cuong who can gulp scissors, chew hot coal and break bricks with his head. Tourists can also join folk games.

Vu The Binh, Director of the Travel Department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that activities were being taken to improve services and tour guides quality, and to address undercutting among local tour operators. Cooperation with tourism agencies of Thailand and Laos is also being bolstered to increase the number of visitors from the region, he said.

“We need to address unfairly competition between travel companies first, and to improve the quality of tour guides and make attractive tours for Thai and travelers from ASEAN,” he said.

Binh said the tourism agency and relevant authorities have agreed to join hands to arrange activities to welcome overland travelers via border gates in the central region.

Under the support of the tourism agency, 22 travel firms, mostly in the region, have established a club to improve services instead of undercutting one another.

Binh said VNAT and the Tourism Authority of Thailand early this month had inked an agreement on tourism cooperation for the central region. The agency will meet with the national tourism agency of Laos for similar cooperation.

Thai travelers are the target guests for the program, he said.

“We want to develop the region as an attractive destination for Thai and travelers from ASEAN,” Binh said.

Thai tourists usually travel to the region via the border gates in the central region, such as Cau Treo, Cha Lo, Lao Bao and Nam Can. The tourism agency expects more than 100,000 Thai visitors to come to the region this year.

Binh said because of a lack of tour guides for Thai visitors, the tourism agency is going to help travel firms there to train quality tour guides.

The project, developed by Japan’s Waseda University and Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, is part of a programme begun in 1998 to research and preserve the historical and cultural heritage of Hue Citadel.

At the conference on August 13 to report the programme’s results during 1998-2008 in Hue City, more than 100 scientists and researchers from local and foreign organisations including the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the university and the centre also drew the plan for rebuilding the palace.

The Can Chanh Palace, built in 1804 during the Nguyen Dynasty, was where the emperor met his courts, the public and ambassadors from other countries. It was the Tu Cam Thanh (forbidden Citadel)’s largest and most beautiful palace.

Two chefs have been invited from Sheraton Saigon hotel in Ho Chi Minh City to cook 24 popular dishes of Vietnam’s three regions such as pho (noodle soup with beef or chicken), nem cuon (raw spring roll), bo cuon la lot (beef roll) and cha gio (spring roll), to be featured on the month’s menu at the Westin.

The hotel’s director, Charlie Dang, said his hotel plans to include some Vietnamese dishes in its daily menu after the event, which is sponsored by Vietnam Airlines’ China office and Tida Cafe.

Diaz made the statement at the end of the 11th Fun Cup Windsurfing Competition which concluded successfully in the province on January 30.

According to him, Binh Thuan can host the world event thanks to its ideal climate among other conditions and the fast development of the sport in Vietnam.

The 11th Fun Cup Windsurfing Competition drew the participation of 45 windsurfers from 13 countries including Vietnam, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Russia and Germany.

Besides amateurs, this is the first time professional windsurfers including the world leading ones participated in the competition.

Pascal Lefebvre, manager of the Jibe’s Beach Club which organises the annual competition, said that the event aimed to create a playing field for tourists.

Many of the items are considered national treasures, such as a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva that is available for public viewing for the first time. Made of elephant’s tusks, the statue dates back to the 18th-19th centuries.

Another treasure is a Thanh Mai bronze bell that is believed to be made in 798, making it the oldest in Vietnam.

The show has been organised by the Ha Tay Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the UNESCO Club.

The Mui Ne Hot Mineral Mud Center in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province is about 200km east of HCMC. The center is opposite the Tien Dat Resort in Phan Thiet.

Opened last year on an area of 4.5ha, the center offers warm mineral water soaking, warm mineral water bathing under a man-made water fall, hot mineral mud-bathing and many other services.

The center’s owner, Viet Tin Joint-Stock Company, is using a hot mineral water spring, around 800m from the center, and a mud mine in Tuy Phong District of the province.

After changing into clothes provided by the center, tourists can enjoy the service in tubs in green banana gardens. There are about 17 tubs for mud-bathing, each of them big enough for three or four people. Private tubs are available on request.

The mud here is not as thick as the mud in Nha Trang, but the Mui Ne Hot Mineral Mud Center has the advantage of green and well-aired spaces. All the mud tubs are placed apart by bananas. It’s enough privacy for visitors to enjoy bathing.

After trying the mud-bathing service, tourists will come to the warm mineral soaking service area and then to the hydropathy area before going to the man-made warm mineral water fall to enjoy water massage.

One special service is a swimming pool with around 1,000m³ of warm mineral water and smaller massage pools. There is a nice bar at the center of the swimming pool.

There are no accommodations here but the owner said that around 80 four-star and 100 five-star standard rooms as well as a spa and luxury services would open soon.

Hot mineral mud-bathing is VND95,000 per person for a tub of four people, VND200,000 per person for a tub of only one and VND550,000 per person for a special tub for two.

Mui Ne Hot Mineral Mud Center
Add: 133A Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, Phan Thiet City
Tel: (84-62) 3743 482 / 3743 481

The first and second rounds of the tour were held in China and Hong Kong.

Mui Ne Beach witnessed tough competition among 70 outstanding professional and amateur athletes from 19 countries around the world, including China, Russia, the US, and Vietnam.

KTA’s Executive Director Neil Godbold said Vietnam was selected for the first time to host Kiteboard Tour Asia at Mui Ne Beach for its beautiful beach, good weather and large number of sports lovers.

In the women’s 5000m course racing event, Nuvia Gomes of Spain won first place, followed by Katarin Bogwardt of Germany and Ally of Australia. In the men’s event, first place went to Jo Narapichit of Thailand, while David Gomes of Spain and Lai Hoang Phi of Vietnam finished second and third respectively.

In the women’s performance event, Katarin Bogwardt of Germany claimed the victory, followed by Nuvia Gomes of Spain and Julia of Vietnam. In the men’s event, Jo Narapichit of Thailand took his second victory, while two Vietnamese athletes, Nguyen Ngoc Kin and Lai Hoang Phi, won second and third place.

The next round of the tour will take place in the Philippines at the end of February, and the finals will be held in Thailand.

This is the second time the event has been organized since the Hue Festival 2008 to uphold the values of traditional Vietnamese culture, introducing Hue’s royal music, dance, costumes and customs.

The Xa Tac ceremony includes two parts - one for the king, his mandarins and troops to parade from the imperial palace and another at the Xa Tac altar.

The director of the Hue relics conservation centre, Phung Phu, said that in the past, the ritual was held twice a year to pray for peace and prosperity in the nation. It first appeared during the early Le Dynasty.

This is the annual award by Vietnam Tourism Association in granting to international tour operators and hotels.

The event took place in Hanoi on July 2, 2009 with the participating of representatives of awarded enterprises, VNAT’s agencies, provincial tourism departments, sponsors and press agencies.

Sunrise was recently awarded by The Guide Magazine for Excellence 2007/2008 in Vietnam. Since the opening in September 2004, Sunrise has proved to be recognized as a five star luxury hotel in Nha Trang amongst some of the country’s top hotels and resorts in Vietnam.

This is part of activities by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to mark the 64th anniversary of the August Revolution and Vietnam’s National Day, September 2.

Prominent among those present at the opening ceremony were Lao Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Ta Minh Chau.

The exhibition features paintings on the activities of the late President throughout major historical periods and in his normal daily life, as well as the Vietnamese people’s affection, especially that of young children, for their leader.

The exhibition is expected to last till August 29.

Delegates called for governments to increase infrastructure investment for the tourism sector and encourage both local and foreign companies to invest in the three countries’ economic development triangle.

The triangle area includes Vietnamese provinces of Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Dak Nong, Lao provinces of Atopu, Sekong, and Salavan, and Cambodian provinces of Stung Treng, Ratanakiri, and Mondunkiri.

At present, Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces of Vietnam arrange tours to Cambodian and Lao localities through the Bo Y border gate.

A 30-day limit will be placed on the use of the vehicles which must be passenger cars owned by foreign organisations or individuals with registration plates obtained in foreign countries.

In cases of unforeseen circumstances, drivers can extend their permits by 10 days.

Decree 80/2009/ND-CP requires that the right-hand-drive vehicles have valid certificates of technical safety and environmental protection.

The drivers must be nationals of countries with left-hand traffic regulations and hold specific driving licences and approval documents from the Ministry of Transport.

The Government has set a time limit of five working days to process applications with complete and valid dossiers.

In cases of disapproval, reasons must be given to applicants within three days.

Meanwhile, a transport ministry spokesman said moves are underway to make road signs more convenient for right-hand-drives.

David Wilson, a British tourist, said the regulation would help boost the country’s tourism industry as there are nearly 60 countries in the world which drive on the left.

Earlier on June 14, Saigontourist welcomed a Costa Classica Cruise Ship with 1,500 international passengers on board who visited Halong, Danang, and Hoi An in two days.

Since the beginning of this year, Saigontourist has received more than 40,000 international visitors traveling on luxury ships, such as Costa Classia, Costa Allegra, SuperStar Virogo, Amadea, Columbus and Europa.

Halong Tourism Festival 2011 will be held from April 28 to May 2. The opening ceremony will officially open in Bai Chay area on May 1 with its full pomp.

The main highlights will include art performance and Carnival 2011 themed “Halong wonder sparkling in colour” to mark its 5th annual celebration.

Mong Cai, Dong Trieu, Uong Bi, Van Don and other localities are busy preparing to introduce their special products and cultural values at the festival.

2011 is a decisive year of the voting campaign for Halong Bay to become one of the world’s natural wonders, launched by New Open World (NOW).

Over the past month, Quang Ninh has welcomed 270,000 tourists, including 167,000 foreigners and earned VND260 billion in revenue, an increase of 20% from a year earlier.

Flights will depart from HCM City late in the afternoon and early in the morning on the next day. This was an ideal flight schedule for tourists and businessmen to save time. The new air route will be a suitable choice for passengers who want to link flights from China to Vietnam’s central region, South East Asia and Australia.

On the occasion, Vietnam Airlines will apply discounts on a return ticket at a price of VND5,830,000 for passengers from Vietnam to Beijing for the period from November 20 to December 16, 2010.

The tomb was found by construction workers who were digging into the Thanh Den Mountain’s side to expand the acreage of the Tan Phu Xuan cement plant.

The exterior coffin is made from large pieces of ironwood while its boat-shaped interior coffin is carved out from a big tree trunk, a style belonging to the Dong Son culture, which existed more than 2,000 years ago.

No vestiges of bones were found except a rush map used to cover the dead.

Archaeologists also found seven large trays, four human statues, plates, bowls and combs, all made from wood, and several terracotta pots, jars and bowls with beehive and line patterns.

According to archaeologists from the Hai Phong Museum , the tomb is believed to date back to the 2nd-3rd centuries AD or 1,800 years ago.

Most visitors are from Australia. This is the first time Princess Daphne comes to Vietnam.

Saigontourist will conduct tours of Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi tunnels and My Tho City in Tien Giang Province for these visitors. They will also take part in a wide range of activities, such as shopping at Ben Thanh Market, watching water puppet show, walking around Cho Lon area, visiting Phuong Nam Lacquer Workshop and enjoying coconut sweets, fruits and honey of the Mekong Delta region.

The cruise will leave Ho Chi Minh City on December 31 and will return to Vietnam on January 15.

In 2010, Saigontourist received more than 60,000 visitors from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain who came to Vietnam by cruise ships. The company also joined the union of cruise ship suppliers in Asia to promote cruise tourism in Vietnam.

The information was released on April 9 by the Director of Bac Ninh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Dang Tuc.

In addition to recognizing 40 Quan Ho artists, Bac Ninh Province will upgrade the Quan Ho Folk Song troupe to the Quan Ho Folk Song Theatre and establish a Faculty for Quan Ho at the provincial culture and arts college.

The province will also support Quan Ho by restoring some traditional festivals, collecting Quan Ho melodies, and publishing recordings to introduce the art form to domestic and foreign audiences.

Bac Ninh now has three Ca Tru clubs and is one of 15 provinces nationwide where Ca Tru is performed.

The exhibition, which is part of “RoK Week in Vietnam”, displays photos depicting the two countries’ special and traditional cultural characteristics, daily life and beautiful landscapes. It is a good opportunity for Vietnam and the RoK to strengthen their mutual understanding and introduce their land, people and culture to international friends.

Under the theme of “Vignette and light - feeling from the earth”, the exhibition is showcasing more than 70 works of five RoK and four Vietnamese photographers as well as 30 works of six students from the two countries.

The exhibition will last through October 24.

A conference to review a cooperative programme to develop tourism in 2010 was held in Sa Pa district, Lao Cai province on November 1. This was the second time the eight northwestern provinces agreed to unite to establish tourism trade names in the region. At the event, delegates drew experience from projects over the two years of the programme. They focused on implementing the Northwestern Path in coordination with the Netherlands Development Organisation in Vietnam (SNV), assessing cooperation with the business sector in developing tourism in the region, and preparing to connection Luang Prabang (Laos) with the four provinces of Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau and Lao Cai. Bui Thi Kim Dung, Vice Chairwoman of Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee, suggested two, three or four provinces should coordinate to design common tourism products, and all eight northwestern provinces should create a regional framework to propose to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism so they can develop policies suitable for the tourism in the region. Delegates also agreed to organise the National Tourism Year in 2013 and put the northwestern tourism development cooperation programme into the national tourism promotion programme for the 2011-2015 period. In the future, the VNAT will assist in raising the quality of human resources, to facilitate the promotion of tourism trade names in the wide-open northwestern region.

The cruise ship will take travelers to tourist sports along Vietnam ’s coastline, including Hai Phong, Da Nang , Nha Trang, HCM City , Vung Tau, Con Dao and Phu Quoc.Its four-star ship, Jupiter, which is 175 meters long and 22 meters wide, offers restaurants, a health spa, karaoke rooms, a dance hall and entertainment area. It is capable of carrying 1,200 people.

Sam Lam. Chairman of the Executive Council of Jupiter Cruises Ship, said that Jupiter wants to provide good tour service by sea at reasonable prices to be come the first choice of every Vietnamese and Asian tourists. Many foreign cruise companies expect to develop this luxury tourist service in Vietnam as the country is seeing strong development of tourism.

Vietnam has more than 3,260 km of coast with many attractive bays and beaches and famous world heritage sites like Ha Long Bay and Nha Trang Bay , thousands of islands and a system of major sea ports. Vietnam has been emerging as an attractive destination to foreign shipping firms and travelers by sea.

This is the third consecutive year Sheraton Hanoi has been awarded. This year’s vote was the largest ever organised in the 16-year history of the World Travel Awards.

Over 17,000 experts took part in the vote to honour the most excellent services in Asia’s tourism industry. The vote was based on criteria such as training programmes for staff, process of operation and customer satisfaction.

Ten years ago, Germany’s Cologne Zoo embarked on a nature conservation project signed with the Quang Binh Province under which it has engaged in helping the local authorities enforce conservation of biodiversity and endangered fauna and flora at the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

The Cologne Zoo has also assisted the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to build a rescue centre for wild animals. The centre was designed for the accommodation, quarantine, feeding and breeding of small to medium-sized mammals, but it also included enclosures for turtles.

Since 1999, the Cologne Zoo has coordinated with the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in conducting research on amphibian and reptile. Their joint efforts have results in the discovery of 14 new species of reptiles and 10 new species of fish and a detailed list of 96 reptile species and 45 amphibian species at the park.

In 2007 alone, experts spotted five endangered primate species, including Ha Tinh langurs in the park. In 2009, night fieldwork also captured images of several rare species, such as flying squirrel, deer, chamois, and Ha Tinh langurs.

The Cologne Zoo has also provided training for the park’s staff to improve their capacity in conducting research and enforcing rescue and protection measures.

To further their cooperation in biodiversity research and conservation, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and the Cologne Zoo signed a memorandum of cooperation for the 2008-2013 period.

Apart from pledges for continued collaboration in biodiversity research, forest protection, wild animal rescue and environmental education, the two sides will work together to create livelihood and stable income for local people inhabited in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park’s buffer zone.

In September this year, the German Government committed to continue funding the project on “conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.