Oct
11
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Low occupancy doesn't make hotel rates decrease
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VietNamNet Bridge – Hotels in HCMC constantly complain about low occupancy despite average room rates of 3-5 star hotels in the first nine months rising 1% year-on-year at VND1,995,000 per night.
Foreign tourists take photos in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral in downtown HCMC.
The city reports 2.72 million international tourist arrivals in the first nine months.
Average room occupancy fell 3% against the same period last year, staying at 68.7%, said the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Leaders of several hotels and travel firms confirmed that room rates at 3-5 star hotels in HCMC picked up slightly but many hotels have applied flexible sales policies.
“Sometimes, hotels accept the price of US$80 per night for rooms worth over US$120, but they will offset losses through groups of business customers,” said a hotel representative.
Nguyen Anh Vu, general director of the five-star Majestic Hotel, said the average room rate of his hotel rose slightly from US$126 to US$126.4, but the average occupancy rate dipped 6.9 percentage points to 71.7%. The room rate inched up thanks to online sales and high-grade customers.
“We cannot increase room rates, and even have to cut prices for important groups of customers. The market outlook is not optimistic, our whole year revenue is forecast to drop 1.5%,” said Vu.
According to the tourism department, 3-5 star hotel room supply has significantly increased in recent times, heating up price competition among hotels. There are currently around 10,000 hotel rooms of three to five stars citywide.
Previously, many five-star hotels publicly announced their room rates and occupancy, but now the information is concealed.
“Hotels are competing fiercely with one another. Their policies have changed. General managers do not allow their staff members to reveal information about room prices, occupancy rates and VIP customer groups,” said a source from a five-star hotel in District 1.
Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travelink, said his company did not receive notices of price hikes from HCMC-based hotels this year.
Despite no huge price hike, room rates in HCMC are still higher than neighboring countries. Tourists traveling to Thailand or Malaysia can get a hotel room at an average price of US$120, while those coming to HCMC pay US$150 for rooms of the same grade.
According to the tourism department, the number of international tourist arrivals to HCMC in the first nine months is estimated at 2.72 million, rising 12.3% year-on-year. The tourism sector has gained VND48 trillion in the year to date, up 25% against the same period in 2011.
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Oct
11
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More and more visitors visit central coastal region
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The central coastal region is famous for beautiful and pristine beaches and has attracted many tourism investment projects in recent years.
My Khe and Sa Huynh beaches in Quang Ngai Province were planned as ecological tourist attractions since 2000, however, so far none of the projects have taken shape.
Tens of projects for building tourist complexes had been approved, but not carried out, because of land compensation and site clearance delays, causing huge inconvenience and distress to local residents. They cannot build houses on their land and have lost their farmland as well.
Quang Ngai has currently 75 pending projects. The local authorities have revoked licenses of 11 slow-moving developers, granted an extension to 60 projects and examined four plans.
The coastal road in Hoai Nhon District in Binh Dinh Province which is one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the Central Region has attracted nine tourist projects worth VND15,000 billion.
They include Nhon Hoi Trade Center covering an area of 94 hectares at a total cost of VND181 billion, implemented in 2007 by Quoc Thang Company. To date, fewer than half of the projects have been implemented.
The Rainbow Resort licensed in 2006, on an area of 56 hectares, was kicked off in 2009 and is expected to complete in 2014.
Another high end resort worth VND1,840 billion by Binh Dinh Youth Company was kicked off in 2009. The investor has spent about VND14.6 billion to carry out the project while mainly focusing on exploiting titanium.
Tourist projects like Vinh Hoi Hotel, Linh Phong ecological and cultural-spiritual tourism site, Hai Giang tourist area have been slow in implementing.
Binh Dinh Province has delegated investors to continue to develop Hai Giang tourist area and Vinh Hoi Hotel, and examined and revoked projects that have not become financially viable.
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Oct
11
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The attraction of Binh Thuy home's antique
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VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly 30 years ago the French film director Jean Jacques Annaud went to the southern city of Can Tho to shoot scenes for his film The Lover. He was seduced by the beauty of the ancient house of Binh Thuy, and decided that it would form a part of his movie.
Stately mansion: The heavily ornamented Binh Thuy House was built in 1870. — VNS Photos
Many people saw the house in the film – which featured Jane March and Tony Leung Ka-fai as a French girl and a Chinese man who fell in love in 1920s Viet Nam – and have made the journey to Can Tho to visit it.
Recently I was one such visitor. During a short stay in the city I braved the rain with a friend, rented a motorbike and visited the house, which can be found in Bui Huu Nghia Street, Binh Thuy District, 5km from Can Tho.
To our surprise, the house appeared even more beautiful than the one we remembered from the film. The grey skies overhead could not dim the spectacular beauty of its East -West architecture and the radiant flowers sitting in front of the green windows above the balconies painted pink.
The colourful look of the house made us forget that it was built more than 140 years ago.
Annauld found the unique design of the house particularly appealing, with its combination of eastern and western cultures.
Precious: A round marble-topped table stands in the house by Vuong Bach Lien
While the outside appearance of the building is a French design, the interior is totally Vietnamese.
The centrepiece of the house is a large ancestral altar, which is lacquered in red and trimmed with gold.
The house's biggest surprise however is its treasure trove of ancient objects that have been preserved for generations. There is a round marble table dating back to the 18th century, a couple of 19th century hanging lamps, and a set of French table and chairs from the 17th-century reign of Louis XIV.
The house is also equipped with beautiful ancient wooden furniture, and everything from the wash basin to the jars in the kitchen are valuable antiques.
According to Ngo Thi Ngoc Lien, the old woman charged with looking after the house and receiving visitors, many collectors regularly come to ask the family to sell the ancient objects. Their request has always been refused, even during times when the life of the owner's family was very difficult.
The 300sq.m house has witnessed the rise and fall of her family through Viet Nam's turbulent history. It was built in 1870 by a family named Duong, who first arrived in the southern region by the late 19th century.
The actual owner of the house is Duong Chan Hien, the grandson of Duong Chan Ky, a landlord who was a developer in the 20th century. According to Lien, when French colonialists occupied the region they forced her family to leave the house, and soldiers lived in the building during those years.
The house has now become a place of worship for the Duong family. During festive days and anniversaries of family members death, the children and grandchildren gather together to commemorate their ancestors and organise big celebratory parties. Except on those special days, the house is open to visitors for the whole year.
Lien said that she has welcomed tourists from many different countries, a lot of them drawn to the house by The Lover.
"I am surprised to see such an old and beautiful house. The quiet ambience of the place is very reminiscent of some scenes in The Lover. I am touched to see that such an old place could be preserved and stay undamaged," says Tran Nhu Nguyen, a visitor.
I was completely charmed by the house; its architecture, its history and also its wonderful 4,000sq.m garden. We were given a quick tour of the garden and enjoyed the wide range of flowers planted. It hosts various kinds of orchids and cacti.
Lien explains that Duong Van Ngon (1905-85), from the fifth generation of the Duong family, loved orchids. He tried to collect various kinds along with other flowers. His descendants have cared well for the garden, which includes a 40-year-old 10-metre cactus.
Famous: A poster for the film L'amant (The Lover) signed by director Jean-Jacques Annaud
was given to Duong Minh Hien, the owner of the home.
After our tour we sat down at a stone table under the yard's giant trees and took another look at the outside of the house.
The rain continued to fall heavily and so we sought shelter under a wooden roof where the Duong family used to drink tea in the old times. The downpour made me remember the rainy scene from The Lover where the Chinese man begs his father to allow him to marry the French girl that he loves.
Inspired by the success of the location in that film, numerous local directors have chosen to shoot their movies in Binh Thuy. It has starred in Chan Troi Noi Ay (The Distant Horizon), Nhung Neo Duong Phu Sa (The Silt Ways), and Cay Tre Tram Dot (the Hundred-Knot Bamboo Tree).
Thanks to its antique beauty, it has been recognised as a national relic for architectural arts by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism since March 2009. This new recognition has made the house even more attractive to visitors.
The provincial government and descendants of the owner are trying to keep the house protected while also publicising it all over the country.
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Travel firms with the plan to sell tour in flooding season
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11/10/2012 08:31:09
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Getting the kinks out
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11/10/2012 08:28:28
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Hongkong travel agencies toward out of central area
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11/10/2012 08:26:38
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Develop Green tourism
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11/10/2012 08:23:47
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Food art at children's exhibition
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10/10/2012 08:58:00
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Finding Old classic drama scripts
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10/10/2012 08:56:30
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Bac Giang honoured with official titles
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10/10/2012 08:52:05
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preserving cultural heritage beside Community role
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10/10/2012 08:50:58
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HCM city host Chamber Music Concert
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10/10/2012 08:48:59
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