As part of Da Nang’s 'Year for Culture and Urban Civilisation 2015' programme, the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has instructed local river tourism businesses and owners of tourist boats operating on the Han River to show civilised behaviour towards their customers and leave a good impression on them.

The tourist boats have been asked not to play music too loud at night which affects local residents living nearby, and to remind their passengers onboard not to throw litter into the river in order to ensure local environmental sanitation.

Only new tourist boats are allowed to operate on the river in order to enhance the quality of the river tourism service for visitors and ensure domestic waterways safety.

Da Nang now has a total of 25 tourist boats and powerboats which can accommodate between 8 and 250 passengers each. Since the start of the year, the Han River Dragon, the Phu Quy Tourist, the Da Nang, and the ‘Ngua Bien’ (Sea Horse) boats have been newly-built or upgraded and they have all been put into use.

Source: baodanang.vn

Famous for taking photos inside Son Doong Cave, photographer Ryan Deboodt is also well-known for capturing impressive shots of the caves in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, including Va and Nuoc Nut caves.

Tours to explore Va and Nuoc Nut caves will be featured beginning July. It is considered to be new and attractive destinations for both domestic and foreign tourists, alike.

Some photos featuring the beauty of these two caves:

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to exempt visas for citizens from five European countries, including Italy, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom and France.

Free Vietnam Visa for citizens of Italy, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom and France.

This decision takes effect from 1 July, 2015 within one year and could be considered to extend. Citizens from these countries can visit Vietnam with Free Visa regardless any purpose within 15 days.

Currently Vietnam is a unilateral visa exemption for countries including Japan, Korea, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Belarus; and exemption of visa on the basis of reciprocity with nine ASEAN countries. In addition, international visitors to Phu Quoc island will be exempt from visa for 30 days.

Some says that The Lim is derived from the local singing and dancing festivals and considered as homage to the old love story of Truong Chi and My Nuong. The Lim is also dedicated to people living at old villages around the Lim mountainous region and at the two banks of Tieu Tuong River.

The Hoi An People's Committee has decided to develop tourism and services in An My Village in Cam Chau Ward to create more new attractions for visitors to the ancient city, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The tours will take in farming and fishing, with visitors doing work on farms like growing vegetables and rice and catching fish.Located 3km from Hoi An and 1.5km from Cua Dai Beach, An My has paddy fields, natural ponds and vegetable farms.

Source: VNS

According to the report of the Provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, in the first five months of this year, Quang Binh was estimated to welcome 1,385,099 tourists, rose by 7.4% from the same period last year.

Of tourists, international arrivals were estimated to reach 24,599, rose by 16.34% from the same period last year. Total tourism revenues reached over VND1,500 billion, rose by 7.27% from the same period last year, of which revenues from tourism activity were an estimation of over VND233 billion, rose by 9.64% from the same period last year.

This is a breakthrough in tourism, helping to promoting socio-economic development, developing other industries, shifting economic structure towards increasing density of services in GDP in association with poverty alleviation for the community.

Source: quangbinh.gov.vn

Da Lat city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong plans to organise a slew of events to attract local and foreign tourists in summer, the country's high season for tourism.

The highlight will be the Mua Pho Nui (Rains in Mountain City) festival in August. It will feature activities like playing games in the rain, dating in the rain and driving tandem bicycles on the streets and pedalos in Xuan Huong Lake.

There will also be cultural and art performances in Lam Vien Square on weekend nights and a free summer film programme.

The city has cool weather all year round and many beautiful landscapes and historic sites like the Da Lat Flower Park, Love Valley, King Bao Dai's Palace, Truc Lam Temple, Prenn Waterfall and a unique complex with hundreds of giant clay replicas of famous landmarks, animals, and all kinds of mundane things like vehicles, bells, houses.

The number of tourists to Da Lat has been increasing since the start of summer. It received 300,000 tourists last month, up 12 percent year-on-year, according to the Lam Dong provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Source: VNA

Adventurers and those interested in discovering wild landscapes should head for Mo So Mountain in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang. The trip is certainly an exciting and unforgettable experience as it is home to huge and mysterious limestone caves.

Mo So (white stone) Mountain is located in Ba Nui Hamlet, Binh An Commune, Kien Luong District of Kien Giang Province and is about 27km from Ha Tien Town to the southwest. It is surrounded by a small valley with lots of trees and monkeys.

Mo So is among the unique limestone mountains in Kien Giang, which include Hang Pagoga, Phu Tu Islet, Chong Islet, and Thach Dong.

In the wartime, Mo So was a solid basis of Kien Giang soldiers in the southwestern area.

To get to the mountain, tourists should travel on Kien Luong-Ha Tien Street to get to Ba Hon T-junction, then turn left in the Hon Chong-Binh An-Hon Phu Tu direction and travel 7km more. They should follow a small path near Holcim cement factory to go 5km more to get to Mo So.

According to scientists, the whole region was 2m below sea level millions of years ago and the mountain was formed by a sea erosion process that left holes and caves in strange and mysterious shapes.

The first cave to discover is Quan Y (army medical department) which was used as a location to treat the wounded and sick soldiers. The cave is 300m long and so cool that locals call it an air-conditioning cave. The further people go inside the more excitement they get as there is a sky well above where hundreds of bats fly inside. The tour guide will use a flashlight to show tourists some mysterious words on the caves’ ceilings and many stones in shapes of a dolphin, a bell and hands of Buddha, which can deliver pure sounds whenever tourists knock on them. There are corners in the cave where people can see some long and huge roots of old trees.

Another interesting cave is Hai Voi Rong (dragon’s antenna) where travelers can admire two huge limestone blocks in shapes of a dragon’s antenna dropping from the cave’s ceiling and other stones looking alike a God of Wealth or a king’s crown. There are other caves, including Nuoc (water) which is 20m above sea level and Tien (money) which was known as a place to cast money.

The ideal time to visit Mo So is dry season when water levels in the caves are low. Those coming to the site in rainy season should rent a small junk to get inside the caves. They are advised to hire a local guide for VND150,000.

Tourists are recommended to carry light belongings, and wear casual clothes and sandals as there are many slippery stones and they should also mind their head.

There are many food shops at the site so tourists can take a break on some hammocks and enjoy coconut drinks or local snacks.

Source: SGT

The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap considers ecological tourism a priority in the province’s Tourism Development Plan for 2015-2020. Under the plan, Cao Lanh—Dong Thap’s capital city—will feature lotus flowers and green architectures.

In 2015, Dong Thap will give a facelift to most of its major tourist sites – the Nguyen Sinh Sac relic, the Xeo Quyt relic, the Tram Chim National Park, Gao Giong ecological tourist site, the Go Thap and Thap Muoi lotus field relic, Sa Dec city and Binh Thanh floating village.

Sa Dec city, which has been known for its flower farms, will become a land of flowers with a flower street running from Sa Nhien to Ca Dao. The Tram Chim National Park, which is home to dozen of bird species, is another area for tourists to experience nature in Dong Thap.

Source: VNA