Oct
29
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Hoi An becomes one of top ten Asian tourist destinations
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VietNamNet Bridge – The UNESCO-recognized world heritage, Hoi An ancient town, in central Viet Nam, has been named for the first time as one of the ten leading tourism cities in Asia, according to Condé Nast Traveler, the world's premier travel magazine.
This is part of the Condé Nast Traveler 25th Annual Readers' Choice Award which was published recently in New York.
The 111-year-old Sofitel Legend Metropole, located in capital Ha Noi, ranked third among 20 best hotels in the region, according to the magazine.
Two other Vietnamese candidates Park Hyatt Saigon and Sheraton Saigon were also on the list.
Life Heritage Resort Hoi An and Nam Hai were placed the 10th and 14th positions among 15 leading resorts in Asia.
This year, the award drew the participation of 46,476 voters.
Hoi An, an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Asian trading port, is an outstanding material manifestation of the fusion of cultures over time. It was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The town has been completely and assiduously preserved: it is the only town in Viet Nam that has survived intact in this way.
Most of the buildings are in the traditional architectural style of the 19th and 20th centuries. They are aligned along narrow lanes of traditional type. They include many religious buildings, such as pagodas, temples, meeting houses, etc., which relate to the development of a port community. The traditional lifestyle, religion, customs and cooking has been preserved and many festivals still take place annually.
By the end of the century, the rise of other ports on the coast of Viet Nam, in particular Da Nang, and silting of its harbor, led to the final eclipse of Hoi An. As a result of this economic stagnation, it has preserved its early appearance in a remarkably intact state, the only town in the country to have done so. The ancient town is situated on the north bank of Thu Bon River. There is a street running east-west along the river's edge and three further streets parallel to the river. They are intersected at right angles by streets and alleys. Within this area there are houses (often combined with shops), religious monuments such as pagodas, temples, communal houses and family cult houses, a ferry quay and an open market.
The architecture of Hoi An, which is almost entirely of wood, is of considerable interest. It combines traditional Vietnamese designs and techniques with those from other countries.
The typical house conforms to a corridor plan, the following elements occurring in sequence: house, yard and house.
The buildings are: family cult houses, dedicated to the worship of ancestors; the community houses, used for worship of ancient sages, founders of settlements, or the legendary founders of crafts; the pagodas are almost all from the 19th century, although inscriptions show them to have been founded in the 17th and 18th centuries.
They conform to a square layout and decoration is largely confined to the elaborate roofs. In the case of the larger examples, they constituted nuclei of associated buildings with religious and secular functions. Some of the larger pagodas also served as meeting halls. These are located along the main street.
There is a fine wooden bridge, reminiscent of Japanese examples, with a pagoda on it. It has existed from at least the early 18th century, as an inscription indicates, but it has been reconstructed many times. There is also a number of ancient tombs in Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese style within the buffer zone.
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Oct
29
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Keo pagoda is awarded special national relic
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VietNamNet Bridge – The Keo Pagoda in Duy Nhat Commune, Vu Thu District, in northern Thai Binh Province, has been recognised as a special national relic for its unique historical, cultural, architectural and artistic values.
The province held a ceremony on October 24 to receive the title and officially open the 2012 Keo Pagoda Autumn Festival.
After the first ceremonies, the delegates, along with many Buddhist monks, nuns, followers and tourists, offered incense in commemoration of Buddhist monk Duong Khong Lo and those who took part in the pagoda construction, from the 17th century.
Just over 130 km away from the capital Hanoi, Keo Pagoda, which was built in 1632, is an ancient building but has 102 rooms, more than any other pagoda in Vietnam.
There are two passages, which separate the pagoda from the temple. They are designed with curved roofs that join together at the 11.5m-high iron and wood bell tower.
The tower has three storeys, each of which possesses its own tiled roof and bronze bell.
The 108,000m2 pagoda is home to a wealth of ancient artefacts, which range from intricately engraved wooden dragons to a collection of over 100 statues.
It has also preserved many valuable antiques, such as a pair of candlesticks from the Mac Dynasty, pottery and altars from the Le Dynasty and several imperial boats.
The Keo Pagoda Autumn Festival is held annually from the 13th to 15th of the ninth lunar month, in honour of monk Duong Khong Lo, who is said to have cured King Le Thanh Tong from illness.
In addition to the traditional religious rituals that commemorate the Buddhist monk, the festival also hosts a variety of cultural activities that reflect the lifestyle of the Red River Delta’s agricultural communities.
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Oct
29
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More and more charity tours will be launched by travel firms
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VietNamNet Bridge – Charity tours have been added into the lists of tourism products offered by travel firms. However, the firms still keep very cautious in developing the new product.
In fact, charity programs have appeared on the “menus” of many inbound tours designed for high end travelers for a long time. However, charity tours have just become a new tendency among people who love traveling for discoveries.
Vietravel Hanoi has become the first travel firm in Vietnam that runs an advertisement campaign for charity tourism, having designed the tours to northern mountainous provinces, where ethnic minorities live.
With the new tourism products, travelers not only can enjoy the sightseeing, explore the nature and culture of the high land, but also can be closer to local people with charitable activities to be organized at schools, mountainous villages. They would also be able to donate books, mosquito nets, blankets and clothes to local children, to help improve the quality of local people’s meals, or deliver medicines to them free of charge.
Duong Mai Lan, a senior executive of Vietravel Hanoi, said the launching of the tours associated with social purposes has led to the sharp increase in the number of travelers since 2011 and the diversification of the travelers.
Hanoi Redtours and Vietran Tour have also added charity programs into the tours from Hanoi to the northern provinces of Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Cao Bang, Bac Kan and Dien Bien. With the tours, travelers would be able to visit nursery schools, primary schools, donate clothes and join extracurricular activities with ethnic minority children.
Especially, an executive of Hanoi Redtours said the firm sets up low fees for the tours, while it does not strive for profits when developing the tours. However, this would help attract travelers to the destinations remaining unfamiliar to many people.
Meanwhile, Vietran Tour encourages travelers to bring old clothes, books, pens and sweets with themselves, so that they can donate to local children if they want.
Thu Anh from Vietran Tour said that charity tours have been applauded by travelers, especially those who are office workers or middle aged people.
The tours have also attracted young travelers, who love discovery trips and want to learn more about the local traditions and culture. Meanwhile, charity activities would help them do that, while making the trips more interesting.
The hurdles on the way
Though having realized the attractiveness of the new type of tourism, travel firms still have not developed the tours in a large scale.
Lan from Vietravel said travel firms have to take very costly and careful field-works in order to design the tours. It takes a lot of time to discuss with local authorities about the plans, seek information about the people who need help, draw up charity plans, and follow a lot of other procedures.
In some cases, it takes more time than planned to design a tour, mostly because of the obstacles relating to the administrative works.
In general, big travel firms would find it easier to contact local authorities and organize larger scale charity activities. This explains why small travel firms still keep hesitant about the tours.
Deputy Director of Hanoi Redtours has affirmed that charity tourism would develop strongly in the future thanks to its high sociability and competitive tour fees. Meanwhile, local authorities can cooperate with travel firms to attract more travelers by setting up reasonable policies to attract tourists.
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The imagine of tourism for peace
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29/10/2012 08:54:54
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Lagoon known for seafood
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29/10/2012 08:48:49
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Study Vietnam Hotel Booking Online Tips
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29/10/2012 08:46:47
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A bean cake record will be displayed
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29/10/2012 08:44:57
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Performance of HCM City Circus troupe is attracted
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29/10/2012 08:38:58
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Paintings show in Orphans
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29/10/2012 08:34:57
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language Day with learning language
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29/10/2012 08:31:19
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Korean singer to see fans in Vietnam
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29/10/2012 08:25:40
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Hanoi welcomes Apsara dances show
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29/10/2012 08:19:36
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