Asia Pacific Travel Team
Da Nang to build cruise centre in Son Tra District
Da Nang's Son Tra Peninsula and Beaches Managing Board will build a tourist reception centre in March at the second Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Son Tra District.
The existing port will host boat tours around the islet off Hai Van Pass and Son Tra peninsula, the managing board said. It will be the city's second cruise tour launching point, along with the Bach Dang Wharf on the Han River.
About 20,000 passengers take the peninsula's boat cruises every year.
The city has also started building its first cruise port and aquatic sport centre on the east bank of the Han River. First-stage investment for the project is VND203 billion (US$9.6 million).
The Tien Sa port in the central city – the only cruise port – served 120,000 tourists last year.
VNS
Ha Long Bay's beauty seen through the lens
Designated as a UNESCO world heritage site 20 years ago, Ha Long Bay is one of Viet Nam's most popular tourist attractions.
Official recognition was granted in 2000, and a year later, Ha Long Bay outranked 261 other landscapes around the globe to become one of seven new natural wonders of the world.
Since then, Ha Long Bay has welcomed nearly 25 million visitors, turning Quang Ninh into a tourist magnet.
Located 165km from Ha Noi, Ha Long Bay covers a 43,400ha area, including more than 1,600 islands and islets, most of them uninhabited.
UNESCO describes the bay as a "spectacular seascape of limestone pillars" and an "ideal model of a mature karst landscape developed in a warm and wet tropical climate."
Visitors to Ha Long Bay can enjoy the beach at Ti Top Island, discover Surprise Cave,and challenge themselves with water sports. They can take a one- or two-night tour on boats to sleep on the water and go squid fishing at night.
A seaplane service launched last month offers a new way to experience Ha Long Bay. Flying over the sea, tourists may view the islands from a height of 150 to 3,000 metres, which is a new experience for them.
A view of the Ha Long Bay from the sky. |
Thousands of islands and islets rise from the sea. |
Bai Chay beach by the sea. |
A view of Ha Long Bay from the entrance of Bo Nau Cave. |
The Trong Mai Islets (rock of kissing cocks). |
Boats on Ha Long Bay. |
Various kinds of cruises provide one- or two-night tours around the year. |
Cruises dock at the wharf. |
Tourists take a tour around a fishing village in Ha Long Bay. |
Central Highland in coffee harvest season
Tourists visiting the Tay Nguyen (Central Highland) region, the country's largest coffee cultivation area, will see the beauty of ripening coffee orchards as the region is entering the coffee harvest season.
The red colour of ripened coffee beans looks prominent among green leaves. Tourists can see that farmers are now busy harvesting and drying coffee beans. The region has more than 620,000ha of coffee.
Tay Nguyen is well-known for gong culture and ruou can (a kind of wine drunk out of a jar using pipes).
UNESCO recognised the cultural space of the gong in Tay Nguyen as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2005.
The region also has many attractive destinations such as Don village in Dak Lak Province, Yaly waterfall in Kon Tum Province and Dieu Thanh waterfall in Dak Nong Province.
At Don village, tourists can take a ride on an elephant.
VNS
Khanh Hoa province targets 4 million visitors in 2015
This year, Khanh Hoa set a target of receiving 3.4 million visitors, including 840,000 foreign tourists, and earning 5 trillion VND (238 million USD) in revenue.
By the end of November, the province already served over 3.3 million holiday makers, up 22 percent against the same period last year.
Russia continued to top the list with more than 210,000 arrivals, up 60 percent. Other markets such as the Republic of Korea , Australia , China and Belgium all registered growth.
Local authorities have sketched out schemes to improve tourism services, diversify tourism products, and accelerate the implementation of key projects, particularly those in the north of Cam Ranh peninsula and Nha Trang resort city and the conversion of the Nha Trang sea port into a specialised tourism port.
The province will enhance cooperation with domestic and foreign provinces and cities and speed up the construction of the second runway at Cam Ranh International Airport in anticipation of the tourism sector’s growth.
Khanh Hoa is well-known for its beautiful beaches and many relic sites, particularly the Nha Trang Bay, one of the most beautiful bays in the world.
VietjetAir offers over 10,000 cheap tickets during Tet
The travel period for promotional tickets is December 14th, 2014 to February 20th, 2015.
The promotion is only available via the airline’s online ticket purchasing channels: www.Vietjetair.com (also compatible on Smartphones) or www.facebook.com/Vietjetairvietnam (click “Đặt vé” tab). As always payment can be easily made with Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express or any ATM card that has been registered for Internet banking.
The low-priced tickets will be applied for flights from Hanoi, Vinh, Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Hue, Buon Ma Thuot, Quy Nhon, Da Nang, Phu Quoc to Ho Chi Minh city, those from Phu Quoc, Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) to Hanoi, Vinh – Da Lat route and return flights linking Hanoi and Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh city and Taipei (China)./.
Da Nang ranks first among 10 destinations on the rise for 2015
“The port city of Danang is a beacon for foodies, who flock here to sample the famously fresh and bold flavours of Central Vietnamese cuisine,” said the magazine.
“Taste your way through the streets on a walking or biking culinary tour. Work off those bowls of spicy noodle soup with an exploration of the caves and grottos of the Marble Mountains. Be sure to time your nighttime stroll so you pass the Dragon Bridge when its “head” breathes fire over the River Han.”
Tran Chi Cuong, Deputy Director, Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Danang city said that he was really touched when knowing that Danang ranked first in the list for Travellers’ Choice Destination on the Rise awards.
He stressed that Danang has a wide range of peaceful and beautiful natural landscapes that are great endorsements from travellers around the world.
Other ideal places in the list include Sihanoukville of Cambodia, Limassol of Cyprus, Ao Nang of Thailand, Bodrum City of Turkey, Naha of Japan, Hurghada of Egypt, Kazan of Russia, Manaus of Brazil, and Eilat of Israel.
Y Ty commune - The another world covered by dense white clouds
Rustic charm: The fascinating earthen houses of Y Ty are unique architectural wonders
Nestled against 2,700m Nhi Cu San mountain, the commune rarely sees the sun and is often covered by dense white clouds.
Leaving Lao Cai train station and driving the 70km to Bat Xat along mountainous roads that stretch like wild snakes, you will reach this foggy land, 2,000m above sea level.
From the car windows, you can see zigzag tracks sunk deep in forest leaves and houses that appear and disappear in the clouds.
"Coming to Y Ty, I thought I was lost in another world," said 25-year-old Trinh Hai Yen.
Clouds cover the roads, villages and mountains, merging with the horizon right in front of you. No wonder visitors have the experience of entering a different world.
Terraced fields
Above it all: Clouds are seen everywhere in Y Ty
Terraced fields rise and fall on the hills, beautiful all year round. According to Yen, May is "pouring water season" in Y Ty. As locals transplant rice seedlings, visitors are treated to the sight of glittering ponds. After that, the hills are covered by green.
"Terraced fields are full of glittering water running from high mountains. They pile up like stairs to the sky and co-ordinate with colourful clouds to create an awesome painting," said Yen.
Professional and amateur photographers welcome the chance to take stunning photographs.
"I am very interested in taking nice pictures of clouds and fields. This is the third time I have been here," said 30-year-old amateur photographer Tran Van Thuong.
According to user kynhong's post on nhiepanh.vn, when the sun appears, you can see colours in each field: the yellow of fields that have just been ploughed, the brown of land, the violet of mud and the green of new fields. After it rains, clouds swoop down to the surface of fields like white blocks of cotton.
Kynhong has gone to many places to take photographs such as Sa Pa, Mu Cang Chai, Bac Ha and Muong Khuong, but for him Bat Xat was the most attractive due to the imposing altitude. Terraced fields are typically 1,500m above sea level, but the terraced fields in Y Ty are over 1,600m.
Among the various ethnic minority groups in Y Ty, Ha Nhi people are known for making terraced fields. Despite variations in terrain, they still create wide, beautiful fields that fit the curves of valleys and high mountain slopes.
Earthen houses
Mud huts: Earthen houses look like huge mushrooms
A trek through the commune offers a fabulous view of earthen houses, which have unique architectural features. The houses have 40-50cm-thick walls made of clay and roofs made of straw grass. Their average area is about 60-80sq.m. They have only one main door and a small arched window for ventilation, retaining warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer.
Seeing the simple architecture of earthen houses, no one would think that people here have to spend around one month building them. The time to repair or build houses is after each crop. After choosing a suitable place, they begin to lay the foundation with stones. Then they build the walls. Soil is put into a mould and people use wooden pestles to jam the layers together, creating solid walls. Finally, they fit wooden beams and purlins together to shape the roof. Seen from above, the houses resemble huge mushrooms.
According to Yen, before leaving, you shouldn't miss the chance to visit the Saturday market, full of the agricultural products and colourful traditional clothes of Ha Nhi, H'mong, Dao and Giay people.
Come back Tam Coc on harvesting time
The best time to visit Tam Coc, the natural special relic, is between late May and mid-June when endless paddy field is turning yellow
It takes tourists nearly two hours to boat along Ngo Dong river to tour around Tam Coc, starting from the Van Lam wharf at the cost ranging from VND 60,000 to100,000
Tam Coc means three caves, including Ca, Hai and Ba being formed by the Ngo Dong river flowing through mounts and is regarded as the inland Ha Long Bay
The peaceful beauty amidst mighty setting of Tam Coc has attracted a large number of visitors and photographers at the beginning of each summer
Tam Coc is an ideal destination for both Vietnamese and foreign visitors to enjoy a day-long picnic as it is only about 100km from the capital city of Hanoi
At this time of the year, local people are harvesting their only rice crop of the year
... or taking a walk to roads surrounded by yellow-colored paddy field to visit Thai Vi pagoda dedicated to the Kings and famous generals of the Tran dynasty
Khmer Culture Museum reopens after two years of restoration
Located in Tra Vinh City's Ward 8, the museum is an interesting place for tourists who want to study about the culture, materials and spiritual life of the Khmer people in the Delta.
The museum has many photos and more than 800 valuable items, including musical instruments and traditional farming tools. It also contains small replicas of Tra Vinh's 141 Khmer pagodas and statues more than 300 years old.
Built in 1995, the spacious area is surrounded by many flowers and ornamental trees. The museum is one of only two Khmer cultural museums in Viet Nam.
The 4th Golden Tourism Week in ThuaThien - Hue
The event will welcome the year's two millionth visitor to the site and the 30 millionth guest to Hue since it was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage in 2003.
In addition, top 3 travel agents will be awarded and a conference on tourism services will be held.
Tourists will also enjoy ticket exemption or discount when visiting heritage sites.
In January-November, Hue welcomed over 1.8 million visitors, including 846,000 foreigners, and earned over VND 129 billion in revenue, fullfilling the target one month ahead of the yearly plan.
Earlier, in September, 2013, Hue commemorated the 20th anniversary of its imperial relic complex recognised as a UNESCO world cultural heritage site, and 10 years of the Hue Royal Court music’s inclusion as an intangible cultural heritage of humankind.