Travel Weekly Magazine travelweekly The 30th Issue (12 Aug, 2010)

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Flamboyant Island to be an impressive destination in Do Son

Useful tourism information when visiting Vietnam

How to Overcome Culture Shock in a Foreign Country

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Dear Travel Weekly readers!

Welcome to the 30 Issues of Travel Weekly!

First of all, on behalf of all the members at Travel Weekly Magazine I would like to say thank you very much for supporting and sharing with us your ideas since the early days of our magazine.

Born to bring our readers useful and up-to-date information about Travel Busi-ness in Vietnam and around the world to your desktop every Thursday, today, Travel Weekly becomes a part of your daily works for all travel executive as well as travel lovers those who cares about the tourism industry.

We understand that saving a tree is the responsibility for everyone who inter-ested in the environmental disaster as what the Business Travel operators call “Responsible Travel”, therefore, towards the eco-friendly environment, Travel Weekly call our each issue is Eco-Friendly Magazine because we design and “print” and/or publish our magazine in PDF format which allows us to send you immediately via e-mail as well as distribute our magazine to global read-ers. Moreover, at our website, there is even a better way to read our magazine without download which let you choose the first read and then deciding to keep it on your computer for store or further review.

We do hope that everything we do is just to give you everything in travel news for your works and your care. We are looking forward to receive your supports and share with us in the coming time. Thank you for travelling with us!

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How to Overcome Culture Shock in a Foreign Country

http://www.itehcmc.com/

08. Come and experience the new Möv-enpick Hotel Saigon

02. VND 300 billion for four-star hotel in Tay Ninh

VIETNAM NEWS

06. Hotel Equatorial HCMC in top hotel list

03. Mekong Delta’s tourism industry to grow up

10. International Sailboat Festival 2010 postponed until last year

Useful tourism infor-mation when visiting

Vietnam16 - 17Lying on the eastern part of the Indochinese peninsula, Vietnam is an attractive destination for tourists with a beautiful natural landscape, and a unique culture and cuisine. Towards 1,000 years of Thang Long – Hanoi, TravelWeekly’s Editor Board sends you some specific instructions to help you have a perfect trip to Vietnam.

With the investment of DasCo Vietnam Group, the Hoa Phuong Island (Flamboyant Island) will become the first an artificial island in Vietnam and is divided into 5 re-gions representing the 5 petals of the flamboyant flower and the central region representing its pistil.

Flamboyant Island to be an impressive

destination in Do Son

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Culture shock is defined as the feeling of disorienta-tion, insecurity, and anxiety one may feel in unfamiliar surroundings. Values, behaviors, and social customs we routinely take for granted may no longer serve us in our new environment. To adapt to a foreign culture and effectively manage culture shock, one should keep in mind as below article.

How to Overcome Culture Shock in a

Foreign Country

04 - 05

38 - 39

11. The eighth Vietnam - Japan Cultural Exchange Days to be held

12 . Da Nang boosts investment in tourism industry

14. Vietnam Culture to be shine in Grand Celebration

15. Hanoi Expo 2010 to marks millennial anniversary

1,000 YEARS OF THANG LONG - HANOI

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

20. Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao opens in mid September

21. Asia Fitness Convention 2010 to be held in Bangkok

22. Sofitel Fiji announces fifth arts festival

23. Japan increasingly attractive to Aus-tralians

26. STB launches ‘YourSingapore’ in Thailand

29. THAI passengers entitled to shopping discounts

30. Qantas eyes China as hub for Europe

AVIATION NEWS

32. Asiana Airlines named Airline of the Year

35. Polish airline to fly to Vietnam in November

36 - 37. 10 Thai Customs to Know Before Visiting Thailand (part 2)

40 - 41. Exciting Times to be in Medical Tourism

42 - 44. 1. Ninh Chu Beach

DO YOU KNOW

DESTINATIONS

BUSINESS ADVICE

MEDICAL TOURISM

VIETNAM NEWS

Thursday 12.08.2010 www.travelweekly.com.vn

Saigon Investment Group (SGI) kicked off construction on building SGI Lao Hung Hotel in Sam Nua district, Hua Phan province, Laos on 30 July. This will be the first inter-national standard hotel in Hua Phan province; covering on a site of 5,642 square metres has a total invest-ment of 5billion dong. The project is expected to be in operational by 2012.

An international performing arts festival kicked off 9 August in Hanoi. The lineup includes artists from the Netherlands, Thailand, the US, Australia, Myanmar, Japan, and Ma-laysia, as well as nine Vietnamese artists including Nguyen Phuong Linh, Bill Nguyen, Le Huy Hoang, Lai Dieu Ha and Vu Duc Toan. The festival promoted experience shar-ing and creativity in performing arts and will last until 14 August.

Phan Thiet City in Binh Thuan Prov-ince will hold the traditional Nghinh Ong Quan Thanh Festival from 30th August to 1st September. The event will begin with important rituals at Ong Pagoda including a Buddhist prayer ceremony, whale worship-ping and a ceremony where people release lanterns on the river to pray for good life. The festival’s highlight is the procession of Quan Thanh De Quan, accompanied by about 1,000 people doing folk performances in the city centre on 1st September.

Ho Chi Minh City is eager to kick start river tours along its historic rivers. A new tour to the painting village along Sai Gon River, District 2 will get underway in September to begin the Sai Gon – Chu Chi – Binh Duong route. The route is also an impor-tant part of plan to develop riverside tourism over the next ten years in HCMC.

Currently, some operators offered short tours, otherwise, the Ben Nghe – Nha Be and Bach Dang – Binh Quoi route have become popular with the introduction of six floating restaurants and three yachts.

Medium-distance tours are from the Sai Gon – Dong Nai – Sai Gon – Binh Duong and Bach Dang – Cu Chi route. Long-dis-tance tours start from HCMC to a few Mekong Delta provinces as well as Phnom Penh and Shihanoukaville in Cambodia.

Petrocapital and Infrastructure Investment JSC, or Petroland, said a four-star hotel in the southern province of Tay Ninh was built on 8 August 2010, marking its first step into the hospitality sector.

Bui Minh Chinh, General Director of Petroland, told that the realty firm would invest some VND300 billion to develop the Petroland Tay Ninh Hotel on Hoang Le Kha Street in the heart of Tay Ninh Town, some 100 km from HCMC.

The project, covering some 1,2 hectares on Hoang Le Kha Street in the heart of Tay Ninh Town, some 100 km from HCMC, is designed with two blocks of 18-storey buildings, including a 14,400 square meters for office space and a sec-tion for the hotel with 144 guest rooms. Besides, there will be serviced facilities for conference, restaurant, fitness center and spa among others.

Bui Minh Chinh, General Director of Petroland, told that the realty firm would invest some VND300 billion to develop the Petroland Tay Ninh Hotel and scheduled for completion by the third quarter of 2012.

Established in 2007, Petroland is active in investment and construction fields including housing, office and hotel proj-ects, infrastructure development and property trading.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a plan to promote Vietnam tourism on both local and international media. A survey will be carried out to help lo-cal tourism develop a trans-national caravan tourism route from Vietnam to Laos, Thailand and Cambo-dia. The programme will include exhibitions and other promotional events in foreign countries as well as documentaries on a new journey connecting Vietnam with Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Saigon Invest builds hotel in Laos

VND 300 billion for four-star hotel in Tay Ninh

Hanoi hosts int’l per-forming arts festival

Traditional Festival to be hold in Phan ThietInt’l promotion for car-

avan tours approved

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HCMC keeps an eye on riverside tourism

Petroland hotel project in Tay Ninh


Mekong Delta’s tourism industry to grow upMekong Delta’s tourism industry to grow up

VIETNAM NEWS 3

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has approved a plan to de-

velop tourism as a key economic sector in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

According to the ministry said which with the aim at diversifying tourism products and fully exploit the country’s tourism potential, the plan will extends to 2020, supporting the economic transformation of the country and help reduce hunger and poverty.

Under the plan, the Mekong Delta region would focus on the overseas Vietnamese community and South-east Asian tourism market, especially Cambodia, while maintaining current markets in Northeast Asia, Western Eu-rope and North America. Domestically, the area aims to attract more tourists as well, particularly from HCM City and Hanoi and the southeastern region.

The Delta region is expected to wel-come 2,7 million international arrivals and 5,3 million domestic tourists by 2015. 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. Officials estimate that revenue in the region would reach US$723.1 million, with a GDP of $491,6 million by 2015, and revenue of $1,35 billion, with a GDP of $877,1 million 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).

Tourism growth

According to Huynh Vinh Ai, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the Mekong Delta has attained sig-nificant achievements in tourism. Spe-cifically, the number of foreign visitors reached VND1,2 million, a three-fold higher than 2000, local tourists gained VND8 million, contributing in revenue of VND2 trillion for the tourism industry.The country’s coastal areas have lured nearly 70 percent of foreign visitors and more than 50 percent of local tourists, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the gross income of the country’s tourism industry.

VIETNAM NEWS



Model of the Flamboyant Island project - Hai Phong


VIETNAM NEWS 5

It’s the first time an artificial island has appeared in Vietnam. With its advantages in location, terrain as well as exceptional value, the Hoa Phuong Island (the Flamboyant Island) becomes the ideal space for living, relaxation and financial investment.

Located in Do Son - Hai Phong with the investment of Dasco Vietnam Group, the Flam-boyant Island not only inherits brilliant and pretty scenery of Do Son but also creates its own pure, unique and elegant beauty.

The Flamboyant Island has a total area of nearly 60 ha. It’s designed into a luxurious resort community with the first 5 star hotel in Hai Phong and about 150 villas for sale. The Flamboyant Island is divided into 5 regions representing the 5 petals of the flamboyant flower and the central region representing its pistil.

* Apollo Villa areaIf Apollo is a sound-mind, talent God of Light, Truth and Art, Apollo villa is a spacious, luxurious and precise place. 56 villas are located on a land facing the sea in the front and poetic mountainous view of Do Son behind. The lake and green park right in the center of this area create one ideal living space for people keen on a peaceful landscape. Total area: 47,910m2

* Poseidon villa area Poseidon, the powerful God of the Sea, “who quakes the earth.” His power and capacity dominate in every villa here. Locating along the main road with the width of 12m, this is the most convenient villa area for the traffic. Nature is airy and romantic, clouds run end-lessly. With a boundless beach, the lapping of the waves dissolving into a whisper of the pine forest on the hill, 61 Poseidon villas are valuable gifts for anyone that knows how to enjoy his life. Total area: 61,941 m2

* Helios villa area Helios, God of the Sun, a powerful God using a metaphor to express potential power, energy and brilliant values of Helios villa area. The Helios area is next to the 5-star hotel, harbor, and seaplane landing place. Moreover, Helios has various natural beaches which are built to serve residents in the Flamboyant Island. This is a large area with 50 of the most luxurious and splendid villas. Some villas are facing the sea to welcome the gentle breeze while others are looking towards the flower garden. Helios becomes an abso-lutely beautiful petal in the overall Flamboyant Island. Total area: 75.884 m2

* Eros area Eros area includes villas for lease, a marina serving residents on the island, and recre-ation places such as: a club, sport house, large-scale swimming pool, medical aid station and kindergarten. Nothing is more enjoyable than having our body served by perfect caring service in fanciful light and scenery of the sea and sky in Do Son. Total area: 63,475 m2

* Zeus five-star hotel Zeus is the king of Gods; Zeus area concentrates every super-utility serving personal pur-poses of the Flamboyant Island owner: harbor, Water Park, seaplane landing space, and airport. Zeus hotel area is also the only place having gentle waves which are appropriate for building a natural beach. Located beside the beach is a five-star hotel with 28 stories in the shape of a sail filled with wind. The unique and modern structure of Zeus hotel is the most outstanding point on the Flamboyant Island. Total area: 80,028 m2

* Trade centerCenter of the project is the pistil planned to be a trade center and food street having modern two-storey architecture with a wavy Teflon (ETFE) roof. This is a recreation and shopping area for residents on the island or an ideal place for holding conferences.

VIETNAM NEWS


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The Vietnam National Administration of Tour-ism (VNAT) has invited tourism agents, hote-liers to join a marketing program in Germany, Belgium and France later this year.

According to VNAT, all international travel companies and hotels from three-star stan-dard and more can join the campaign that will travel to some of Vietnam’s key target markets. VNAT will promote Vietnam as a destination in Germany and Belgium during the Vietnam Culture Week there, and target France during a French event for Overseas Vietnamese.

Marketing activities in Berlin from 28-31Au-gust will include exhibitions, a road show

and meetings with the tourism sector, media and Overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs.

In Brussels, VNAT will organise a road show on 4 September then travel to France 8 -12 September.

VNAT said more than 2,9 million international visitors had visited the country as of end-July, up 34.9% year-on-year. Nearly 1,85 million came for travel, up 44.4% compared to the same period last year. The top ten markets in the January-July period included China with 511,800, up 95.4%, followed by South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Cambodia, Thai-land, France and Malaysia.

VNAT invites tourism industry on Europe campaign

looking forward to extending our high level service to even more guests.”

Other Vietnamese hotels also mentioned in the list include the Sunrise Beach Resort Nha Trang, the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi, the Thanh Xuan Hotel in Hoi An City, the Melia Hanoi, the Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon, the New World Hotel Saigon and the Metropole Saigon Hotel.

According to the select list of Expedia Insiders said the hotel Equatorial HCMC has been ranked among over 110,000 best hotel properties around the world. The list recognised individual hotels that consis-tently deliver excellent services, a great

overall experiences and a notable value.

James Montenegro, General Manager of Equatorial hotel said: “We are pleased that our efforts have been acknowledged by Expedia travellers and we are

Hotel Equatorial HCMC in top hotel list

mailto: [email protected]


Saigon-Ham Tan Tourism Corporation (SHTC), a member of Saigon Invest Group (SGI), held the second phase

ceremony of Marriott - Ham Tan Court-yard Resort in Tan Binh commune of La Gi, Binh Thuan province on 8 August 2010. The project is undertaken by Coma9 and HBC as main contractors.

Saigon-Ham Tan Tourism Complex Project, total area of 200 hectares, situ-ated on the new upgraded area from 1A Highway to Lai Gi, 150 km away from Ho Chi Minh City. The total investment of more than VND3,000 billion (150 million) and will go into operation in 2012. This is a complex including work items, com-mercial service, travel services, entertain-ment, culture and sports resort villas to luxury resort development of advanced, investment has created jobs, accelerate economic development of Binh Thuan and South Central regions.

As part of Saigon-Ham Tan Tourism Complex Project, the Marriott – Ham Tan Courtyard project will be managed by

by Marriott International, Inc. The proj-ect with over $150 million USD in capital investment, including 200-room Courtyard will be unique, consisting of a mix of standard guest rooms in a series of low-rise buildings as well as semi-detached

bungalows located across the expansive development. The project is expected to be in business in 2012 as scheduled, contributing to Binh Thuan economic development.

VIETNAM NEWS 7

Nha Trang gets go-ahead to host Miss Earth 2010

Le Xuan Than, Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Province announced Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan had ap-proved the proposal of the Khanh Hoa Province People’s Committee to host the Miss Earth 2010 in the coastal city of Nha Trang.

Deputy PM Nhan asked the Provincial

People’s Committee in co-ordination with Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Ministry of Foreign Affair and other concerned agencies to ensure security during the event, contributing to promot-ing Vietnam’s image.

According to the plan, about 90 beauty queens from around world would arrive in

Vietnam on 4 November. They will join in charity and environmental protection pro-grams in three provinces before arriving in Nha Trang on 20 November.

The contest’s final round is scheduled to take place at Vinpearl Land Resort and Spa, Hon Tre Island on 4 December.

Construction on Second Phase of Marriott - Ham Tan Courtyard Resort

Miss Earth 2007 - Vinpearl Land

VIETNAM NEWS


Come and experience the new Mövenpick Hotel Saigon

Come and experience the new Mövenpick Hotel Saigon

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The Mövenpick Hotel Saigon Board is excited to announce the opening of the Mövenpick Hotel Saigon on 1st August 2010 after a complete renovation of all guest rooms, public areas and restau-rants. The hotel are proud to present a hotel that has been completely trans-formed, from the exterior of the build-ing to the guest rooms, from the multi-tude of food and beverage choices to the enhanced level of service. A brand new, modern look will welcome and surprise from the moment you step into the lobby.

Come and experience the new Möven-pick Hotel Saigon and take advantage of the various opening specials on offer.


VIETNAM NEWS 9

Guest Rooms

The guest rooms were designed with one goal in mind: Modern design with uncompromising comfort and quality!

To welcome our first guests, the hotel is offering a special introductory room rate of VND 2,360,000++ inclusive of breakfast and free upgrade to our Ex-ecutive Club. This exceptional offer is valid for all bookings from 1st August to September 30th.

IKI – Japanese Restaurant

Without a doubt, the most hip and trendy Japanese restaurant in town. An en-tirely new concept of fresh and affordable Japanese food. Experience IKI and receive 50% off your current bill for your next visit! This promotion runs for the entire month of August. Don’t wait and be one of the first to discover the new benchmark for Japanese food in Ho Chi Minh City! You will be amazed how affordable great Japanese food can be!

Lotus Court – Chinese Restaurant

With the addition of a new Executive Chinese Master Chef, Lotus Court is destined to rival the best Chinese restaurants in the city! A culinary journey through the various facets of Chinese cuisine awaits our guests. If you prefer the traditional or more adventurous approach - Chef Ng has prepared a menu that leaves no wish unanswered. Do try our Sunday Dim Sum brunch as well and take a pick from a vast selection of Dim Sum prepared in our show kitchen in front of your eyes!

Cay Da Café

The freshest bread, cakes and pastries plus an assortment of daily changing sandwiches and pies. A great selection of the finest coffee and tea special-ties as well as funky fruit and herbal tea smoothies. Come and try our home made ice cream and choose your favorite ice cream creation from our special menu. All bakery and pastry items are freshly baked every day, so enjoy a 50% discount on all those items after 6.00p.m.

Get married and enjoy a honeymoon stay in Hanoi

Be one of the first couples to get married in our brand new hotel, the perfect venue for any wedding and enjoy a free honeymoon trip to Hanoi. The Möven-pick Hotel Saigon will provide the couple with air tickets, airport transfers and a two night stay at the stylish Mövenpick Hotel Hanoi. This opening special is applicable for all weddings confirmed from August 2010 to February 2011.

Mid Autumn Festival – Moon Cakes

This year the Mövenpick Hotel Saigon will help you to convey the message from your heart to your family, friends or colleagues via a vibrant assortment of colours and flavours. Choose from six distinctive flavours, our moon cakes come in boxes of four, priced at VND 488,000 net. Special discounts are avail-able on volume order.

Mövenpick Hotel SaigonAdd: 253 Nguyen Van Troi Str., Phu Nhuan Dist., HCMC

Phone:+ 84 8 3844 9222 Fax:+ 84 8 3844 9198Email: [email protected]

VIETNAM NEWS


VIETNAM NEWS10

The organising boat for the Mui Ne – Binh Thuan International Sailboat Festival 2010 decided to put off the event until 8-11 December 2010 instead of 21-24 October 2010, said the Binh Thuan Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism on 5 August.

Ms. Le Thi Thanh Lien, Deputy Director of the Binh Thuan Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism said that the result of postponement is due to the provincial People’s Com-mittee, concerned agencies and donors need more time to prepare for this event.

With the title of “Sailboat, Sea and Sun”, the Mui Ne – Binh Thuan International Sailboat Festival 2010 is expected to attract 20 sailboat teams and 20 sea beauties from Russia, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, U.S, France, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Hong Kong, China, Greece, Spain, Belgium, Finland, New Zealand, Argentina, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the Republic of Korea.

International Sailboat Festival 2010 postponed until last year

International Sailboat Festival 2010 postponed until last year

Illustrated Picture


Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City will become the first cities to launch a big sale programme designed to encourage cus-tomers spending and shopping tourism.

Hanoi kicked off the Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010 yesterday, 11 August and the central coast city of Da Nang on 19 August while HCMC has announced the Special Sales Promotion programme will

begin with the Grand Sale Fair to open at the Phu Tho Gymnasium in District 10 from August 31 through September 4.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) plans to kick off the pro-gram this month as a part of the national tourism marketing campaign “Vietnam – Your Destination”.

At the request of VNAT, the Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism and trade industry of the three cities would have to team up to carry out the program. In two months, local and international tourists could enjoy discounts of 10% to 40% at shopping centers, supermarkets, and re-tail outlets among others in Hanoi, HCMC and Da Nang.

However, unlike similar big sale programs in neighboring countries like Thailand and Singapore, promotional activities for the event have remained insufficient. Other incentives like visa fee exemp-tions for international travellers and VAT refunds have not been worked out.

VIETNAM NEWS 11

The 2010 Vietnam – Japan Cultural Exchange Days will take place in Hoi An from 21-23 August.

The annual event will begin at Hoi An Sculp-ture Garden on 21 August, featuring a wide range of cultural and sporting exchange activities including a performance of Koto (a Japanese traditional musical instrument); a tea ceremony; calligraphy; Japanese traditional clothing (Kimono and Yukata) and Japanese cooking classes.

Other cultural activities will be held such as traditional dance and musical instruments shows, a dragon dance, a floating lantern festival, a street exhibition of photographs about festivals, culinary activities together with many other sports exchange events in-cluding cross-river boat race, stick-pushing, etc.

Several famous Japanese art troupes, in-cluding Iwami Kagura royal dance troupe, Daisuwa Taiko drum troupe and Sakai City’s lion dance troupe, will join the event.

The first Vietnam – Japan Cultural Exchange Days took place in Hoi An in 2003 and it has become an annual event since then. The event aims to strengthen Vietnam-Japan friendship and cooperation as well as to popularize the charms of Hoi An, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site.

The eighth Vietnam - Japan Cultural Exchange Days to be held

Major cities to begin Grand Sale Programme

Illustrated Picture

VIETNAM NEWS


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Da Nang will issue new policies to encour-age investors to invest in major tourism sites including Ba Na Tourist Site, Son Tra Pen-nisula, My Khe beach and Non Nuoc beach. The local authorities also offered plans to focus on tourist safety, investing in improv-ing infrastructure, transportation and flight schedules.

A travel promotion campaign via mass me-dia, advertising and marketing will also take place locally and internationally this year.The city will increase marketing activities by publishing tourism brochures and main-taining websites with travel information for domestic and foreign tourists, tour organis-ers and travel agencies.

As part of a media campaign, the authorities

will support local agencies to co-operate with foreign partners in Japan, China and Singapore to produce promotions and cre-ate new tours.

A tourism programme between Da Nang and neighbouring provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue will be expanded.In recent years, many international-standard hotels have been built in Da Nang, including 4- and 5-star luxury resorts Furama, Sandy Beach and eco-tourism resorts Ba Na and Son Tra. Since 2001, Da Nang has reported a 15 percent annual visitor growth. The city expects to attract 1.4 million visitors this year, including 350,000 foreigners, and earn more than VND1 trillion (US$55 million) from tourism.

A large number of visitors have turned back on domestic tours when airline ticket prices are higher than to 30-35 percent since Viet-nam Airlines halted the discounted airfares which are offered previously from 1st July to 15th August.

According to travel agents at HCMC said customers have switched to cheap tours of Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore which have a range of interesting activities.

Tran The Dzung, Deputy Head of the Do-mestic tourism promotion programme at HCMC, said that the group sold airplane tours for 2,089 visitors in July and 4,052 visi-tors in June. Most of them booked tours in May and June before the National Flag Car-rier stopped offering discounted airfares.

Saigontourist said they sold Thailand tours to 541 travellers and Cambodia tours to over 1,500 travellers in July, up to 15 percent and 30 percent, respectively, compared to June. Also, Viet Media Travel Corporation received 60 overland visitors to Laos per week, seeing a two-fold increase against June.

According to Nguyen Manh Hung, Head of the Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the Thang Long Royal Citadel will open for tourism in middle of September 2010. After being recognised as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, currently, the citadel has still closed for preserva-tion and conservation to open before the celebration of 1,000 years of Thang Long – Hanoi. Regarding UNESCO’s proposals on the continued excavation, Hung said that in the celebration year of the 1,000th birth-day, it is not suitable to excavate, and that the exaction may continue in 2011. The central part of the Thang Long Royal Cita-del has an area of 18,395 square meters, including the Hanoi ancient citadel and the archaeological relics at No. 18 Hoang Dieu. Professor Phan Huy Le compares it to “a living historical collection” covering all the history of Thang Long – Hanoi with many precious architectural features and artifacts from the 7th century.

Domestic tour numbers decrease

Da Nang boosts investment in tourism industry

Thang Long Royal Citadel to be open in mid-September

Thang Long Royal Citadel to be open in mid-September

VIETNAM NEWS


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http://tca.gfcexpo.com/

Vietnam Culture to be shine in Grand CelebrationVietnam Culture to be shine in Grand Celebration

Entrepreneurs join caravan for Hanoi’s great celebration

A n art programme to mark 1,000 years of Thang Long – Hanoi will be not only for artists but also attract the attendance of all walks of life

throughout the capital city.According to Dr. Luu Tran Tieu, President of the Vietnam Cultural Heri-tage Association said in the past few days, the Thang Long Royal Citadel has been recognised as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee; Giong Saint Festival has also been submitted to UNESCO for its recognition.Pham Quang Long, Director of the city’s Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism said the department is preparing art activities for ten-day giant celebration. Specifically, a live show with the title “Dem huyen ao Ho Guom” (The fanciful night of Sword Lake) was held in Hanoi and nine other provinces and cities throughout the country as well 16 foreign cities, where Vietnamese overseas live in, will broadcast the Vietnam Television

channel on the evening of 10 October.At 6 a.m. on 10 October, all bells and drums in pagodas, churches and schools will beat as a signal of the great day’s beginning. Also, a solemn ceremony, a national parade and a cultural festival will take place at My Dinh National Stadium.The Grand Celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi will set a record for the greatest number of artists to join any single event in Vietnamese history.30 foreign art troupes from Italy, France, the US, Spain, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, the UK, Korea, China, Rumania, Russia and more have registered to take part in various activities such as fine arts perfor-mances, food fairs, exhibitions, trade promotion activities and others.Apart from local people, many foreign individuals and organizations have provided material and spiritual support for the Grand Celebration.

Young Vietnamese entrepreneurs will join a car-avan named “Thang Long Millennial - Cultural Journey” on 4 October to mark the 1,000th an-niversary of Thang Long - Hanoi.The businessmen will drive themselves from Ho Chi Minh City to provinces of the Central High-lands and the central coastal region and then stopping in Hanoi. They will also hold meetings and forums to promote trade and investment at each locality. The mission will participate in practical actions

to contribute to environmental protection and in co-ordination with 1,000 outstanding business-men to attend a live dialogue with the Prime Minister and the Open Asian Entrepreneurship Forum in Vietnam during the event.

The event will be jointly held by Nam Phuong Tourist Company, Vietnam Young Entrepreneurs Association and Young Entrepreneurs Associa-tions in Ho Chi Minh City as well as other prov-inces and cities.


1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoidays to come

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Hanoi Expo 2010 to marks millennial anniversary

T he tourism sector will plant a flag on the nation’s Fan-

sipan peak, the highest moun-tain in the northern province of Lao Cai to welcome the capital city’s millennium birthday.

According to Mai Tien Dzung, Deputy Director of Hanoi’s Culture, Sport and Tourism Department, said a group of 85 people working in tourist sec-tor will set out on their climb up the 3,143-m mountain on October 26.

This is a joint activity between the municipal Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism and the Vietnam National Adminis-tration of Tourism to welcome Thang Long-Hanoi 1,000th birthday and the 2010 National Tourism Year.

A big international fair will take place from 30 August to 5 September at the Vietnam Exhibition and Fair Centre as a part of activities celebrating the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi.The two-part fair will cover 20,000m2 with about 750 booths representing 300 domestic and foreign business-es in area of agriculture, construc-tion, trade and technology.Section A1 will depict Hanoi’s socio-economic achievements and poten-tial through many pictures, docu-ments, charts and artifacts. This section will also have 30 pavilions introducing the land, people, culture and potential for economics, invest-ment, trade and tourism of countries such as France, India, South Africa, Denmark, Chile and Cuba.Meanwhile, Section D will be re-served exclusively for agricultural products, methods and technology. This section is expected to create favourable conditions for agricultur-al businesses to seek opportunities for trade and market expansion.


days to come 1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoi

VIETNAM NEWS



V ietnam is an attractive destination for tourists with a beautiful natural landscape, and a unique culture and cuisine.Most visitors to Vietnam will need a valid visa to enter the country, though citizens of a few countries are eligible for a visa on

arrival. A tourist visa is valid for about 30 days, depending on each specific case.Customs procedures in Vietnam are quick and simple. To enter and exit Vietnam, visitors are required to fill out an arrival - departure card (available in Vietnamese and English).Passengers also must make customs declarations in the following cases: bringing an amount of goods exceeding the duty-free limit, unaccompanied luggage, temporarily imported and re-exported or temporarily exported and re-imported professional tools, habit-forming drugs, medication worth over 30 USD, cash of over 7,000 USD or the equivalent in other foreign currencies of over 15 million VND in Vietnamese currency. Goods forbidden for import and export are also included.Visitors can take taxis, motorbikes from the airport to downtown. They may also go by bus in major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City.In Vietnam, the official language is Vietnamese. Almost all tour guides can speak English, French, Russian, Japanese or Chinese.Entering Vietnam, tourists should use Vietnamese dong (VND) for payment in daily transactions.Traveller’s cheques and credit cards can be exchanged into Vietnamese dong at banks and at major hotels and restaurants.Foreign currencies can be changed into Vietnamese dong and cheques at banks and foreign exchange counters. Banks are open from 7:30 or 8:00 am to 15:30 pm and closed on Saturdays and Sundays.The forex rate changes everyday. When leaving Vietnam, visitors can change Vietnamese dong into foreign currency at forex coun-ters at airports.

VIETNAM NEWS


days to come 1,000 years of Thang Long - Hanoi

Things to keep in mind when visiting Vietnam- Do not drink water directly from the tap, especially after flooding.- Avoiding using “xich lo” (pedicab) services in the evening.- Wear tidy and suitable clothes when visiting local houses, temples and pagodas.- Do not take along valuable things when going out at night or swimming in the sea.- Do not give money to ethnic minority people directly. Instead, send a donation to a local charitable fund or present them a small gift such as a pen.- Ask permission before taking photos, particularly in remote areas.

Things not to miss- A tour of Hanoi’s old quarter.- An overnight stay on Ha Long Bay- A boat trip on the Huong River in Hue, visiting imperial tombs- Sleeping in guest-house amid riverside gardens in the Mekong delta.- A “xich lo” ride to view the colonial French-architecture quarter in Ho Chi Minh City.- Ordering tailor-made clothes at a local tailor shop.- Enjoying traditional “Pho” rice (noodle soup).- Watching a traditional water puppet show in Hanoi.- Attending the mid-lunar month festival in Hoi An ancient town.- Drink “can” wine (sipped from a jar through long straws).

VIETNAM NEWS


http://itehcmc.com/2010/

VIETNAM NEWS


http://www.travelweekly.com.vn/

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


20

Travellers wanting to catch some rays in China should head to Fuzhou, in the province of Fujian. The southeastern city has been named as China’s hottest city over the past decade, according to a list compiled by Song Yingjie, a weatherman with China Central TV. Fuzhou recorded a total of 375 days of temperatures in excess of 35ºC during the 10-year period, ahead of Hangzhou (355 days), Chongq-ing (343) and Changsha (326). Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing and Hangzhou are often referred to as the ‘Four Stoves’ or China’s hottest cities.

Hotels in Hong Kong experienced a 54.6% rise in revenue per available room (revPAR) in June 2010, while Beijing’s hotels surged 41.2%. These are the findings of the latest citywide data reports from STR Global, provided exclusively to TDA. Last month, five of the seven studied markets recorded double-digit year-on-year revPAR rises, with Singapore also experiencing a major increase, climbing 50.6% year-on-year. Only Bangkok, still feeling the effects of the political protests, and Dubai saw declining revPAR.

The cumulative figures for the first half of 2010 saw most markets rebound strongly from the troubles of 2009. Beijing (+35.7%), Hong Kong (+37.7%), Singapore (+39.9%), Sydney (+41.9%) and Tokyo (+18.7%) all saw significant revPAR rises, when measured in US dollars. Despite its recent troubles, Bangkok’s strong start to the year allowed half-year revPAR to grow, albeit marginally.

A new Hilton hotel is opening in Shanghai’s Hongqiao area, which is regaining importance since the upgraded Hongqiao Airport recommenced serving international flights.The 682-room Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao will start up in mid-September in the Minhang district, just 15 minutes from the airport. The location will also prove attractive to travellers with business in the newly developed Hongqiao Development Zone.

The three-tower hotel is close to metro lines and upscale shop-ping malls in a neighbourhood long preferred by expatriates. It is also just across the road from the nine-hole Hongqiao golf course.

In the four room categories available, the 335 Standard and 221 Deluxe rooms are a minimum of 46sqm while the 73 Executive rooms are a spacious 59sqm and the 53 suites range between 79sqm to 238sqm. All rooms offer high speed internet access and Wi-Fi, 42-inch LCD televisions, rain showers and Crabtree and Evelyn bathroom amenities, as well as tea- and coffee-making facilities.

Executive-room guests in Tower 3 have access to the executive lounge with complimentary breakfast, all-day refreshments and free Wi-Fi and booking of the lounge’s conference room for two hours a day, free pressing of one garment per stay and use of the gym, pool and spa facilities among others.The hotel offers a ballroom measuring 1,706sqm, plus six well-equipped meeting rooms and a boardroom. Six F&B outlets in-clude the all-day dining Essence, the Cantonese Yue Xuan, the western MED Grill, the lobby lounge Pulse, a Deli and Vine, a wine bar with a well-stocked cellar and tasty snacks.

Chinese energy consumption, per unit of GDP rose 0.1% year-on-year in the first half of the year, the Na-tional Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said. China cut energy use per unit of GDP 14.4% between 2006 and 2009, and aims to reduce it by 20% between 2005 and 2010.

The Chifeng Musuem in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is due to open on 8 August, when it will become China’s largest permanent exhibition of the ancient Hongshan culture. Xinhua reports that the attraction, which has been under construction for three years, will display artifacts and informa-tion from the aboriginal culture that existed in northern China about 6,000 years ago.

Goa tourism sees Japanese Bud-dhists as a travel market with strong potential. With their strongBuddhist beliefs, local authorities believe that India’s Buddhist roots and ancient sites could help bring Japanese pilgrims to Goa, reports the Times of India. According to the state’s Tourism Director Swapnil Naik, a Buddhism circuit is already in place and representatives will be sent to a travel fair in Japan to promote the concept.

Fuzhou named China’s hottest city

Chinese energy consumption climbs

Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao opens in mid September

Chinese museum dis-plays ancient culture

Goa eyes Japanese tourists

Singapore, China hotels lead recovery in JuneSingapore, China hotels lead recovery in June

View from Hilton Barbados Hotel

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Singapore


INTERNATIONAL NEWSINTERNATIONAL NEWS 21

The Asia Fitness Convention 2010 (AFC 2010), which is being organized for the second consecutive year at Centara Grand’s Bangkok Convention Centre @ Central World, is aiming to attract over 700 fitness and health professionals and enthusiasts from the Asia Pacific region from 17 - 19 September, 2010.

With the theme of ‘Raising the Bar’, the or-ganizers of this year’s event are bringing in 40% more world-class presenters and providing more workshop and sessions than last year. Some of the world’s lead-ing fitness experts coming to share their latest exercise techniques, regimes and nutrition programs include Fabio Comana, Steve Cotter, Carrie Ekins, Joe Friel, Jen-nifer Galardi, Fraser Quelch, Jim Stoppani, Peter Twist and Tim Ziegenfuss.

“This year, as the fitness and health industry is growing so fast in Asia, we have also included sessions on how to manage fitness clubs, how to attract and retain members and sustain profitability. These sessions will be led by Paul Brown,

CEO and creator of the Face2Face Reten-tion System, and Tracy Minnoch-Nuku, SEA Director of Les Mills Asia Pacific, from Australia,” said Dr. Suzanne Hosley, Managing Director of Fitness Innovations (Thailand) Ltd., on behalf of the event organizers.

Running in conjunction with the AFC 2010 will be a Fitness Exhibition, which will of-fer fitness and health-related products and services at considerable discount to not only the delegates of the convention, but also to members of the health-conscious general public.

Confirmed exhibitors so far include Adidas, Alkem Pte Ltd., American Coun-cil on Exercise (ACE), Central Trading Co. Ltd., COB Group Co., Ltd., Johnson Health Tech (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Les Mills Asia Pacific, Nshactive, Oasis Hong Kong, Sportathlon (Thailand) Ltd., STOTT Pilates, Sun Sport Marketing Co., Ltd and Wellnex to name but a few.

Open from 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. daily,

the exhibition will command part of the main hall on the 22nd floor of the Centara Grand’s Bangkok Convention Centre. Various free exercise demonstrations will take place 3 times a day from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. and from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

The AFC 2010 will also have pre and post convention sessions in Kettlebell certifica-tion, yoga teacher training, group exercise choreography development, personal training, business management, triathlon training and a number of other topics. A post-convention Beach Party is also being planned to take place at the Pullman Pat-taya Aisawan during 20 - 22 September.

Last year, the Convention was attended by over 500 fitness, health and sports profes-sionals and enthusiasts from countries around the Asia region as well as from Australia, USA, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain, and generated an approximate revenue of Baht 100 million for Thailand.

Asia Fitness Convention 2010 to be held in Bangkok Asia Fitness Convention 2010 to be held in Bangkok

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Singapore

www.brandsavvy.com.vn

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


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Artists from across Fiji are saying bula to brushstrokes and trading their kava for carving tools in prepa-ration for ART ON THE ISLAND V set to take place at the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa in October 2010.

One of the biggest events on Fiji’s cultural calendar, ART ON THE ISLAND V is a celebration of Fiji’s artistic talent, presented by local arts charity CreatiVITI in association with Sofitel Luxury Hotels.

A gala event to launch the eight-day exhibition at the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa will take place on Friday the 1st of October. Tickets to the gala launch are F$20 per person. The visual and heritage arts event, which includes craft markets, will be open for Sofitel guests and the public to enjoy until Saturday the 9th of October 2010.

ART ON THE ISLAND V spokes-person and CreatiVITI Secretary Maria Rova says, “Our mission is to develop arts and crafts in Fiji through training, promotion and the enjoyment of creative expression in a setting accessible to the whole community.

“Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa has always been very supportive of the arts community in Fiji, and this upcom-ing exhibition a great way for us to further showcase Fiji’s emerging art

talent to the world.”

A celebrated artist in her own right, Maria Rova’s work is on permanent display at the Sofitel.

Other Fijian artists who will show-case their work at the hotel as part of the exhibition include local painter Joe Bilbu, and drawings by Lautoka artist Apimeleki Vakarau, a quad-riplegic (victim of a rugby accident) and talented artist who draws while lying on a mattress on the floor, using ink pen on bark cloth. Previously commissioned by Sofitel to create artworks for display in guest rooms, Api’s minute pen strokes reflect the very limited movement he has left in his arms and hands, making him an inspiration in person and on paper.

General Manager Adam Laker says, “Maria Rova and Apimeleki Vakarau are two of many local artists featured on walls in public spaces and in guest rooms at the Sofitel.

“Maria was one of the first artists we supported when we launched the resort in 2006, and indeed her colour and creativity is still one of the first things our guests see when they check in, with a huge Rova original on display directly behind our recep-tion desk to greet visitors on arrival.

“In addition we have many other

local artists’ work on display in each and every guest room at the hotel. For Sofitel it’s a simple yet important way for us to support the local arts community and ensure that Fijian culture permeates the hotel and inspires our visitors each and every day.”

CreatiVITI is a membership-based organisation representing artists from across Fiji and home to Fiji’s only pottery production studio, with showroom, mini-gallery and a crafts garden hosting demonstrations and classes.

The organisation specialises in custom ceramic commissions and promoting local artists paintings, pottery, drawings, sculpture, handi-crafts, pottery classes CreatiVITI also runs kids craft activities, , sea-sonal craft markets in addition to its annual art competition.

As Denarau’s most sophisticated in-ternational resort, the Sofitel blends traditional French influences that are the hallmark of the Sofitel Luxury Hotels brand with more exotic Fijian charms to offer a choice of modern facilities that extend to a Mandara Day Spa retreat, the world’s first Pure Fiji concept store, the Turtle Club for kids, plus an impressive line up of award winning restaurants, bars and new sidewalk café Parisienne.

Sofitel Fiji announces fifth arts festivalSofitel Fiji announces fifth arts festival

“The upcom-ing ‘Art in the Island V’ exhibition is a great way for us to further showcase Fiji’s emerging art talent to the world,” said Maria Rova, Art on the Islad V spokesperson and CreatiVITI Secretary.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


23INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Hotels.com has selected its top 10 hotels with the best views, with Asian properties featuring prominently. Asia Pacific properties took seven of the 10 slots, with the new Marina Bay Sands hotel a notable inclusion. Kempinski’s Commune by the Great Wall and the Oberoi Amarvillas, Agra, which overlooks the Taj Mahal, also featured. The full Hotels.com list is as follows:- Marina Bay Sands, Singapore- The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, Camps Bay, Cape Town, South Africa- Four Seasons, Hong Kong- The Oberoi Amarvillas, Agra, India- Qualia, Hamilton Island, Australia- Blanket Bay Lodge, Glenorchy, New Zealand- Four Seasons Golden Triangle, Thailand- Il San Pietro di Positano, Positano, Italy- Commune by The Great Wall, China- Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge

Australians are arriving in Japan in increasing numbers. Com-pared to June 2009, Australian arrivals in Japan were up 26.8 percent in June 2010, according to a preliminary report by the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO).

For the first six months of 2010, cumulative Australian visitor ar-rivals totaled 117,200 - up 14 percent on 2009 figures.

Australia represents Japan’s sixth major inbound tourism market behind South Korea, China, Taiwan, USA and Hong Kong.

The increase in Australian arrivals is mostly due to the increase in flights to Japan, special sale airfares, the ‘Visit Japan Year 2010’marketing campaign which ran until March 2010, and con-tinued consumer confidence, the report cited.

Japan is proving attractive to all of its 14 major inbound markets, recording increases on 2009 figures across the board. Cumula-tive visitor arrivals from all markets were up 35.8 percent on 2009 figures.

The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) has set its annual international visitor arrivals target at 10 million in 2010, 15 million by 2013, 20 million by 2016, 25 million by 2019, and 30 million in the years beyond.

Asian hotels offer best rooms with a view

Japan increasingly attractive to AustraliansJapan increasingly attractive to Australians

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

http://www.la-residence-hue.com/

INTERNATIONAL NEWS



INTERNATIONAL NEWS 25

India has now seen the opening of its first Aloft hotel, which is a brand owned and operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. The new Aloft Chennai OMR-IT Expressway property is also the 42nd prop-

erty to open in the world for this brand. It has 130 rooms and accessible technology.

The Aloft Chennai, OMR - IT Expressway, is situated on the Old Mahaba-lipuram Road (OMR), a place known for its abundance of IT companies, capitalising on one of India’s fastest-growing and most important indus-tries.

Each of Chennai’s loft-style rooms will include “design-led” features such as high ceilings, Aloft’s signature bed and walk-in showers, as well as free wifi and large high-definition TVs that link to most common electronic devices.

But hot on Chennai’s heels is the 170-room Aloft Bengaluru Whitefield, due to open in less than a week’s time and already taking bookings for stays starting September 9. Like Chennai, the Bengaluru property is situ-ated in an IT-industry hotspot.

One more Aloft is due to open before the year is out – the Aloft Coim-batore Singanallur which launches 1 December. The Aloft Ahmedabad, SG Road, and Aloft Chandigarh Zirakpur will open next year, while the Aloft Bengaluru Cessna Business Park is slated to open in 2012.

Aloft, with its 40-strong portfolio, has pursued a rapid expansion since its US debut in June 2008, having gone global within its first 15 months. Star-wood recently announced its first London property and second in Europe, the Aloft London Excel, due open in time for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The first Middle Eastern Aloft opened in Abu Dhabi in October last year while Europe’s first property, the Aloft Brussels, is due to launch 1 Sep-tember this year.

Aloft hotels debut in IndiaAloft hotels debut in India

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) launched in Thailand its new destina-tion brand – “YourSingapore”. An evolu-tion of the “Uniquely Singapore” brand, “YourSingapore” underpins Singapore’s strengths as a destination that offers an experience which can be easily person-alised by the visitor, thanks to its concen-

tration of sights, sounds, tastes, culture and attractions coupled with unparalleled user-centricity.

As a brand, YourSingapore articulates Sin-gapore’s uniqueness and captures what travellers seek – a personal travel experi-ence. Visitors can look forward to an emo-

tional reward of empowerment campaign website facilitates sharing of experiences among travellers and local residents alike, and will be powered by up-to-date multi-media content about all things Singapore. The website www.yoursingapore.com will deliver a new virtual experience that no other destination website currently offers. In the past few years, the way that people plan and book travel has fundamentally shifted from passive content consumption to the active engagement of empowered individuals, primarily due to the domi-nance of digital and social media. Video-on-demand, online news, blogs and websites that enable social interaction have changed the way that travellers seek and obtain information. YourSingapore is a response to the pervasive influence of digital media and the rise of virtual com-munities, as well as consumer demands for personalised travel plans.

Singapore welcomed 318,000 Thai visitors who spent S$501 million in 2009, mak-ing Thailand the 10th largest source market of visitors to the city state. In the first six months of 2010, close to 200,000 Thais have visited Singapore, which is an increase of 27% over the same period in 2009.

STB launches ‘YourSingapore’ in Thailand

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http://www1.messe-berlin.de/vip8_1/website/Internet/Internet/www.itb-asia/englisch/index.html

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


Business Events Sydney expands China presence

Business Events Sydney expands China presence Business Events Sydney (BESydney) is expand-ing its sales and marketing reach in China with the opening of a new office in Shanghai. Ms Shu Ping Chen has been appointed as Business De-velopment Manager to be based in Shanghai. “Asia is a key growth area for us especially China, where we have seen strong interest in Sydney for outbound corporate incentive groups. We are delighted that Shu Ping has joined us,” said BESydney Chief Executive Officer, Jon Hutchison.

BESydney works closely with the New South Wales (NSW) government to align priorities and collaborate on winning business events for Sydney. Business development efforts are focused primarily on core segments; finance and insurance services, information communication technology (ICT), pharmaceutical, manufactur-ing and direct selling sectors.

Shu Ping boasts an impressive background, with over 10 years working in the tourism industry. She has strong knowledge of the Australian tourism product from her past roles, where she has attained the Aussie Specialist Certification awarded by Tourism Australia.

Reporting to Sinead Yeo, Business Development Director Asia, Shu Ping will be responsible for developing relationships with key corporate clients from the priority sectors.

Her most recent position was as Business Devel-opment Manager with Experience Tours Austra-lia, a division of the Australian Outbound Travel (AOT) group, where she was responsible for the markets of Singapore and Vietnam.

“Since opening the BESydney office in Hong Kong in 2003, we have confirmed an estimated $373 million worth of business from Asia for Syd-ney, of which 77% originates from China.” said Hutchison.

BESydney secured 69 business events in 2009/10, a significant increase from the previous record of 47 wins in 2002/3. These events will deliver an estimated $179 million to the NSW economy.

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AVIATION NEWS


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http://tca.gfcexpo.com/


AVIATION NEWS 29

Passengers flying THAI Airways should remember to hold onto their boarding passes.By showing their boarding pass-es to the customer relations staff of popular Bangkok malls, Siam Paragon, Siam Center, The Em-porium and Siam Discovery, they can receive “The Pride of Thai” card which offers five to 10 per-cent discounts in the establish-ments as well as up to 70 percent reductions in big department stores. First and Business class clients even enjoy the services

of a personal stylist and premium giveaways at Siam Paragon and The Emporium.Special promotions are also avail-able at Siam Ocean World, Para-gon Cineplex, Big Loft, Mob.F, Coffee Bean by Dao, Asia Books and Laser Definition.The campaign runs until April 30, 2011. The initiative is part of THAI’s World@THAI programme, aimed at boosting tourism, in partner-ship with a variety of commercial establishments.

Tiger Airways has reported strong passenger volumes and load factors for July 2010.From August 2009 to July 2010, a total of 5.4 million passengers chose to fly with Tiger Airways, an increase of 51% over the 3.6 million passengers who booked in the preceding 12 months. Av-erage load factor for the 12-month period to July 2010 was at 86%, an increase of 5 percentage points year-on-year.The number of passengers in July 2010 grew 42% over last year to 523,000. The average load factor across both airlines in Asia and Australia for the month was a very strong 89%.“Externally, the robust economic performance and outlook in the Asia Pacific has significantly boosted demand for air services, es-

pecially on the routes operated by Tiger Airways. In addition, our recently increased frequencies and new routes to points in China are seeing very high demand,” said Tony Davis, President and Group CEO of Tiger Airways Holdings. “We are capitalising on the ongoing strength in economic growth and visitor arrivals in Singapore by growing our business with the largest increase in Tiger Airways Singapore’s network since its inception. New ser-vices are being introduced to Taipei, Trichy and Trivandrum, and frequencies are being increased on existing services to China – including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. We are also increasing services in Australia with the commencement of services from Avalon Airport in November.”

THAI passengers entitled to shopping discounts

Tiger Airways Reports Strong passenger volumes for July 2010

AirAsia X will launch daily direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Seoul from 1 November 2010.Flights depart from Kuala Lumpur International Airport for the six-hour journey to Seoul, arriving at Incheon International Airport. Return flights depart Seoul and arrive in Kuala Lumpur next day. An Airbus A330 aircraft feature premium flat-bed seats in Busi-ness class.KLIA-Seoul Incheon is AirAsia X’s 11th international route. It also flies to Australia, India, Taiwan, China and London.

AirAsia X offers Kuala Lumpur-Seoul air route

AVIATION NEWS


30

Qantas has identified China as a potential base for its passenger and freight operations to Europe, it has been reported.China offers a “huge opportunity for us”, Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce said in a Herald report.“We would love to hub out of China into Europe.”Though Qantas has been approved air rights by Chinese authorities, it is still waiting on approval from European regulators.However, Mr Joyce’s enthusiasm was tempered by the airline’s tumultuous history with China. The air-line lost “a lot of money” during the global financial crisis, conceded Mr Joyce, having to cancel flights between Shanghai and Sydney in 2001 and unable to reintroduce them for another four years.In January, Qantas’ budget offshoot Jetstar chose Singapore as its main hub in Asia, over Ho Chi Minh City or Bangkok. The low fare airline is look-ing to fly to Athens and Rome with new Boeing 747 aircraft, the first of which are due to arrive in 2012.‘’Singapore is a focus for us … but eventually, if our pan-Asian strategy works, you could see the Jetstar and Qantas operations based in a number of cities in Asia,’’ Mr Joyce said. ‘’Jetstar will eventually have multiple hubs in Asia.’’

Qantas eyes China as hub for Europe

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited’s (THAI) Techni-cal Department and Societe Concessionaire De L’Aeroport (SCA), the airport operator of Cambodia, signed a four-year extension contract for aircraft maintenance services at Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport. This is an extension of the previous agreement made in 2004 for handling such airlines as Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Korean Airlines, and Silk Air.At the signing ceremony in Phnom Penh, Captain Montree Jumrieng, Managing Director of THAI Technical Department, announced, “THAI’s Technical Department was honored to have been awarded the con-tract extension for Technical Handling Services of airlines operating at

these two airports. The SCA and THAI’s Technical Department have enjoyed a long standing cooperation. THAI’s Technical Department is determined to maintain the good reputation it has built with proven reli-ability, by following the IATA Standard Ground Handling Agreement.”“This agreement,” said Mr. Nicolas Deviller, CEO of SCA, “will en-hance our airports’ services for carriers serving medium range des-tinations and, in the future, the prospected companies with long haul flights. Aircraft maintenance, which requires high level of expertise, is a major driving force for the development of the Kingdon’s internation-al airports and partnering with Thai Airways International, a reputable airline, is definitely a plus.”

THAI extends maintenance contract in CambodiaTHAI extends maintenance contract in Cambodia

NOi dung: Qantas coi China nhu trung tam du lich cua cac nc Chau AuHinh anh: Qantas


AVIATION NEWS 31

Japan Airlines and Vietnam Airlines are to expand the scope of their bilateral agreement from 1 October 2010, to again offer VN-operated codeshare flights between Nagoya (Chubu) and Ho Chi Minh, as well as between Tokyo (Narita) and Hanoi.Vietnam is one of few countries that have successfully maintained a high economic growth. Complemented with a rich and captivating cul-ture, its cities remain key destinations in South East Asia that attract many foreign business and leisure travelers.From 1 October 2010, JAL and VN will be able to collectively offer code-share flights on 8 routes that effectively connect vital gateways in Japan - Tokyo (Narita), Osaka (Kansai), Nagoya (Chubu) and Fukuoka, with both Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

Vietnam and Japan Airlines to Expand Codeshare

THAI Airways and Tiger Airways are forming a new low-cost carrier - Thai Tiger. Thai Airways will own 51 percent of the new airline, while Tiger Airways will hold 49 percent.

Thai Tiger plans to start up domestic and international servic-es in January 2011, pending regulatory approvals, but has yet to announce its routes. It will fly out of Suvarnabhumi Inter-national Airport, offering short-haul, point-to-point services within a five-hour flying radius. Airbus A320s will be used on the flights.Although based in Bangkok, Thai Tiger will not operate routes that may overlap with those provided by THAI.Key officials of both airlines lauded the joint venture. Piyas-vasti Amranand, THAI president, said: “We believe that this move will provide revenue opportunities for THAI and allow THAI to be more competitive in the region with the antici-pated growth in the low cost market”.Tony Davis, Tiger Airways group president, said that from Thailand, the new airline would be well positioned “to offer low fares to even more parts of the Asia-Pacific region” in-cluding destinations in North Asia and the Indian sub con-tinent. “Spreading our paw-print means greater economies of scale for Tiger Airways which in turn enables us to lower costs and fares even further.”

THAI and Tiger Airways form low-cost carrier

Illustrated picture

AVIATION NEWS



AVIATION NEWS 33

More than 17.9 million air travellers from over 100 different nationalities took part in the 10 month survey, between July 2009 and April 2010. These Passenger’s Choice awards are respected and recognised around the world for being the only truly global, independent passenger survey of airline standards. Established in 1999, the Skytrax survey and awards apply an unmatched level of integrity and transparency that is un-matched.

Commenting on the Airline of the Year 2010 award received by Asiana Airlines, Ed-ward Plaisted of Skytrax said: “this is a fantastic achievement for Asiana Airlines to be named winner of this top Airline of the Year Award, and Asiana Airlines are clearly meeting and exceeding their customer’s expectations. This award represents a true recognition of the front-line product and service that Asiana Airlines is delivering to it’s customers, and being the Passenger’s Choice awards underlines the fact that Asiana Airlines are succeeding in satisfying the hardest critics - their users.”

Asiana Airlines President and CEO, Mr Young-Doo Yoon, said : “We would like to ex-press our most heartfelt appreciation to our customers who voted us for Skytrax 2010 Airline of the Year Award. Asiana Airlines is extremely honored to be recognized as the world’s top airline by our customers and to be awarded our industry’s highly es-teemed accolade from Skytrax. To be the winner of the 2010 Airline of the Year Award is even more special and holds greater meaning, as it is ‘The Passenger’s Choice’.”

1. Asiana Airlines2. Singapore Airlines3. Qatar Airways4. Cathay Pacific5. Air New Zealand6. Etihad Airways7. Qantas Airways8. Emirates9. Thai Airways10. Malaysia Airlines

The top 10 places in the Airline of the Year were:

Asiana Airlines named Airline of the Year

AVIATION NEWS


Vietnam Air is looking to board 12 million passen-gers over its domestic and international flights in 2010, after the carrier became a full member of the global airline alliance Skyteam.The figure was released at a function for other Skyteam member airlines to welcome membership of Vietnam’s national car-rier, held in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday 5 Au-gust, Viet Nam Business News reported.2010 is an important year for Vietnam Airlines as the airline is expanding fast in terms of network coverage and transport capacity, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Air, Duong Tri Thanh said.“We currently have 68 aircraft and our number of passengers will sur-

pass 11 million and prob-ably reach 12 million this year.”Should the carrier reach the target, it will be a sig-nificant increase on the 9.34 million that it hosted in 2009.For Skyteam, the inclusion of Vietnam Air marks a major step for the alliance and signals clear intent to gain a firmer foothold in the Asian market.“By welcoming its first member in Southeast Asia, the alliance significantly strengthens its network in Vietnam and in the re-gion,” Country Manager of Air France in Vietnam, Thierry Beragnes said.Last year, Vietnam Air posted revenue of over VND24.6 trillion, includ-ing VND150 billion in pre-tax profits

Cathay Pacific (CX) customers can now make changes to their online bookings without having to go through reservation of-fices or travel agents.

The new service enables them to change or re-issue their tickets on CX’s website, www.cathaypacific.com through its Calendar Display feature. It al-lows them to choose alterna-tive flights or travel dates and applies to all e-tickets, whether unused or partially flown.

It also covers all flights, whether inbound or outbound, one-way or round trip, as well as those in-volving interline partners. Nor-mal ticketing rules and Terms &

Conditions still apply.To access the booking change facility, passengers need to click on the website’s “Manage My Booking” function, and then click on the “Change Booking” icon. Features include ticket eli-gibility checking, calendar dis-play, re-pricing function, offers for tickets in other far groups and ability to reissue e-tickets.

This online facility was first launched in the US, and will be rolled out next in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe, and by year-end, in Hongkong. It will be available in all CX markets by the second quarter of 2011.

Vietnam Airlines aims for 12 million passengers in 2010

Ca

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AVIATION NEWS


Poland’s LOT Airlines has announced its plan to make its maiden passenger flight from Warsaw to Hanoi in Novem-ber this year, offering passengers more air connections be-tween Europe and Vietnam in the winter schedule.The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) con-firmed that the Polish carrier had been granted the traffic right to fly on the Warsaw-Hanoi route on Mondays, Wednes-days and Saturdays from 13 November.LOT Airlines has loaded fares for the Warsaw-Hanoi service on www.lot.com, with the return fare starting from 2,450 Pol-ish zloty, or equivalent to US$800. The carrier said on this website that tickets to Hanoi were also available for pur-chase at ticketing offices and sales agents.LOT Airlines, a member of STAR as the world’s biggest air-line alliance, will operate its Boeing B767-300 aircraft for the Warsaw-Hanoi service.The route to Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi is one of LOT’s 10 new routes to be opened this year. With this route, LOT will join the list of carriers operating non-stop flights be-tween Vietnam and Europe.Currently, Vietnam Airlines has direct services from Hanoi and HCMC to Germany’s Frankfurt and France’s Paris and vice versa. Air France now conducts flights between Paris and Vietnam via Thailand’s Bangkok, but is planning non-stop services to Vietnam.Thierry Beragnes, country manager of Air France in Viet-nam, told that the European carrier’s schedule to operate non-stop flights between Paris and this emerging market later this year.Other foreign airlines including Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Thai International Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Air-lines and Malaysia Airlines also offer flights between Viet-nam and Europe via their hub airports in Bangkok, Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore.Vietnam’s overall aviation market is picking up strongly in 2010, and this encourages local and foreign airlines to increase frequencies and launch new flights in and out of Vietnam.Qatar Airways has recently publicized a massive plan to be-gin four weekly services between Qatar’s capital of Doha and Hanoi via Bangkok on November 1, and add three flights to its weekly schedule for the Doha-HCMC route to bring its total weekly services between Vietnam and Doha to 11.CAAV’s latest figures unveiled some 45 airlines are exploit-ing 55 international air routes to and from Vietnam. The first half of this year recorded 15.2 million passengers and more than 273,000 tons of cargo on both domestic and interna-tional flights, up 20.3% and 31.8% respectively over the year earlier period.

Polish airline to fly to Vietnam in November

35

DO YOU KNOW


36

“ Part 2 For many travellers, Bangkok is the first stop on travels in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia. With its chaotic veneer, Thai cus-toms are easily overlooked in Bangkok. Respect the local people by know-ing these ten cultural points before you embark on travels in Thailand.

”

10 T

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ore

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7 Religious Objects

About 95% of Thailand’s population is comprised of Buddhists from the Theravada school. Despite teach-ings against material attachment, many Thais worship Buddha im-ages and don amulets for protec-tion.

Various animist practices have also been integrated into Thai religious life. Most buildings boast spirit houses or altars, where offerings of food and garlands are made to appease the spirits inhabiting the land. Avoid touching such dis-plays as some Thais can be highly superstitious, fearing disruption of harmonious balance.

8 Bodily Conduct

Based on Buddhist beliefs, the head is the most valued part of the body while the feet are the lowest, sym-bolizing attachment to the ground, a cause of human suffering.

Touching someone’s head is highly offensive, as is raising your feet or pointing them at people or religious objects.

Shoes are to be removed before entering homes and religious structures.

Most types of attire are tolerated in areas frequented by tourists. It is a good idea, however, to cover up when visiting temples and shrines. Those wearing sleeveless tops, short skirts, shorts, and flip flops may be denied entrance.

It is not unusual to encounter signs prohibiting women from entering highly sacred

places, such as temple libraries. Women who wish to worship do so outside the buildings.

Also, while it is taboo for a woman to touch a monk or pass things to him directly, polite conversation is fine.

9 Destinations

Thais are generally addressed by their first names, preceded by the honorific title Khun, appropriate for both men and women. In more casual settings, mono-syllabic nick-names are used.

More traditional monikers cover categories such as colors, animals, and fruit, including Daeng (red), Lek (small), and Moo (pig); these days, you will encounter nicknames such as Good, Money, and Benz (as in the luxury auto).

10 Bathroom Basics

Outside of large cities, squat toilets rule. These are flushed by pouring water from an adjacent bucket into the hole. Also, used toilet paper is to be discarded in the bin provided; never try to flush it down as it most plumbing isn’t designed to handle paper.

Traditional washrooms include a trough filled with water where a ladle or bowl is used to sluice water over the body. In areas where out-door bathing is the norm, women will don a cotton sarong or wrap-around, and men will bathe in their underwear.

DO YOU KNOW 37

BUSINESS ADVICE


3838

It is common to experience culture shock when living in a foreign country for an extended period of time. Culture shock is defined as the feeling of disorientation, insecurity, and anxiety one may feel in unfamiliar surroundings. Values, behaviors, and social customs we routinely take for granted may no longer serve us in our new environment. To adapt to a foreign culture and effectively manage culture shock, one should keep the following in mind:

Do not automatically perceive anything that is different to be “wrong” or “negative”. Withholding judgment will allow you to be an objective observer and will facilitate the process of cross-cultural understanding. Also, if you are going to a country with which you no close to nothing about, do a little background information. As you learn about the country in which you are going to, keeping an open mind is necessary, and, who knows, you may find the reason for something you may not understand.

This increases your communication skills and it helps you to integrate with the local community. It also demonstrates your interest in the new country.

Do not assume or interpret behavior from your own cultural perspective or “filter”. Behavior is not data. For example, Ameri-cans often use the phrase “How are you?” to mean “hello” or “I acknowledge your presence as I pass you in the hall.” A for-eigner may wonder why Americans don’t respond in detail to this question about one’s well-being. Thus they may interpret the behavior of walking away before one has a chance to respond to the question to be “uncaring”, “superficial” or even “rude”. An American knows otherwise and would probably not be offended that someone did not take the time to respond to this question. Remember: If in doubt, check it out!

Even as you become savvier about rituals, customs and protocol in your new environment, be careful not to attribute an expla-nation or rationale to what you now believe you know. A little bit of knowledge can be misleading. Psychologist Geert Hofstede wrote that ‘culture’ is like an onion that can be peeled, layer by layer, to reveal the content. It takes a long time to really under-stand a culture in its social and historical context.

Respectfully ask questions, read newspapers, and attend a variety of festivals and events.

Establishing a routine will give you a feeling of safety.

Don’t be too hard on yourself if you make a cultural gaffe or don’t know what to do in a social situation. Laugh at yourself and others will laugh with you. Most individuals will admire your tenacity and effort to understand their ways, especially if you are devoid of judgment and cultural comparisons that subtly and perhaps unconsciously convey a veil of superiority.

• Whenoneexperiencescultureshockitisnaturaltowithdrawtothecomfortofwhatisfamiliar.Trynottogiveintothetemptation to isolate yourself. • It’salwaysgoodtokeepintouchwithfamilyandfriendsbackhome.However,spendingtoomuchtimecommunicat-ing with them can exacerbate homesickness and delay the acculturation process.• Bepatient.Ittakestimetoadapttonewsurroundings,anewcultureandanewlifestyle.

Keep an open mind

Make an effort to learn the local language

Get acquainted with the social conduct of your new environment

Do not take cultural familiarity or knowledge at face-value

Make sure you get to know people in your new environment

Try to achieve a sense of stability in your life

Most importantly, maintain a sense of humor

Tips

By A

my,

Adam

and

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doz

BUSINESS ADVICE


37

MEDICAL TOURISM


40

These are very exciting times to be involved in the medical tourism industry. This industry has grown so significantly in the past few years it is really hard to comprehend. There are more hospitals and governments marketing their cities, regions, countries and medical services than ever before.More Medical Tourism Facilitator companies have started and many country specific Medical Tourism Facilitator companies have been created to handle inbound Medical Tourism. Many countries around the world are now pro-moting themselves for healthcare services and those that aren’t are in the process of implementing their plans to get into the international healthcare sector. Insurance companies and employers around the world are more open minded than before about implementing medical tourism and allowing for global benefit plans within their health insurance program. New health insurers and employers have implemented Medical Tourism, but they have been doing it very quietly and not broadcasting it.Healthcare Reform in the US may be one of the most exciting trends so far for the medical tourism industry. Almost every insurance company, employer and health insurance agent is under the belief that Healthcare Reform will significantly increase the cost of healthcare and health insurance in the US because Healthcare Reform did not re-form “costs”. In a recent survey, almost one hundred percent of respondents in the US insurance industry felt that Healthcare Reform would have a positive impact on Medical Tourism and more Americans would travel overseas. Healthcare Reform in the US and Healthcare Reform and health insurance reform in other countries will be a large topic at this year’s World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress 2010.

By J

onat

han

Edel

heit

MEDICAL TOURISM


41

Bring a lot of business cards because you will need them! See you September 22-24 in Los Angeles!

This year’s 3rd Annual World Medical Tourism and Global Health-care Congress, scheduled to take place from 22-24 September at Los Angeles, will be bigger and better than ever. We are focused this year on bringing in as many buyers of healthcare as possible, from employers, insurance companies, health insurance agents, governments and Medical Tourism facilitators. We allocated a huge budget this year to create a VIP Buyers Program that will cover certain expenses for up to 200 buyers of healthcare who may not have otherwise been able to afford to come to the conference. This is in addition to the already large number of healthcare buyers that are already planning on coming to the conference anyway!We are very excited about the addition of our Global Health Insur-ance, Expatriate Healthcare and Travel Insurance Conference we have added this year in2010 which will bring a new dimension to the conference and an even larger number of buyers. Many insur-ance companies and employers are going multinational and now have employees or insured all over the world. These insurance companies and multinational employers are creating new insur-ance policies that are global and allow the insured to receive medical care anywhere in the world. This opens up a whole new market of patients traveling for medical care.This year we are also organizing a Global Healthcare Reform Min-isterial Summit, which will focus on Healthcare Reform and health insurance reform occurring around the world, and will bring to-gether Ministers of Health and Healthcare Leaders to discuss problems, hurdles and solutions in healthcare and health insur-ance reform occurring in countries around the world. This means we will have the highest quality and level of senior healthcare leaders from around the world in attendance in Los Angeles in September.A significant practice to remember is that most business done in the medical tourism industry is through personal relationships and building trust and friendships. This can’t be done through imper-sonal email or telephone conversations. People in the industry need to get out to the conference, network and build the founda-tions of strong business and personal relationships in order to suc-ceed in the future.

L ocated in Ninh Thuan prov-ince, Southeast of Phan Rang, Ninh Chu beach is considered

one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam. Ninh Thuan province prides itself in several beautiful beaches, among which is Ninh Chu Beach, with more than 10-km length and the shape of a nice crescent. Ninh Chu, located in Binh Son, Van Hai commune, Ninh Th-uan province, is one of the top beach-es of the Middle of Vietnam for every tourist, who comes here to explore an extremely different landscape.

Ninh Chu is attractive with rows of popla humming in the wind just nearby the beach as if they were whisper-ing to the blue sea and singing about its fine sand dune - the daughter of the sea and sky. Thanks to this, you can lie down on the popla leaf carpet, without umbrella or bench, to restfully watch the sky.

The sand is yellowish, quite clean and fine. The beach features special shape of a crescent, with a very clean and charming sea. The original beauty of Ninh Chu is not for a hurry trip but carefree one, so as to enjoy the fresh air of the sea area. Entertaining yourself freely in the cool and blue water, contemplating purple sunset on the long stretching sandal slopes, and the small dreamlike vil-lages near the seaport, will make you feel attached to the nature, clear sky and peaceful clouds and water.

Specialty: Nearby the beach, there are also Nai pond, which is full of fish, shrimp, prawn, lobster, craw-fish, cuttle-fish, etc., Ca Du and Da Chong Mountains with dif-ferent sized rocks piling up, which create a harmonious natural view.

Like other beaches, the popular types of entertainment here are swimming, sailing, diving, fishing, sun-bathing, and so on. What is more here might be the ideal walking trips. From Ninh Chu, tourists can travel to Tri Thuy hamlet, where exists a harmonious landscape of sea-view and mountain-view. The mountain is not full of plants or grass, but lots of grayish white rock-gardens with dif-ferent heights, which are adorned with some small trees. On the moun-tain side stands some ancient pago-das and scattering small tile-roofed houses. Walking on a few steps, you will reach a small wild beach, which is beautiful with green poplar forest and rocks of weird shapes on sand. Should you need a nice quiet space to hide from hasty daily life, this is the ideal selection!

Perhaps, you get a bit tired of walking, dropping by some grape gardens on your way and having some fresh grapes might boost your energy. The wonderful taste of fresh grapes to be eaten at the gardens would never fade away in your mind!

www.littleorienttravel.com

Travel Weekly Magazine travelweekly The 30th Issue (12 Aug, 2010)

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