People visit Sac Forest in HCM City’s Can Gio District. The city is planning to develop river tourism to take advantage of Can Gio Mangrove Forest, a UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve in the district. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hai

By the end of this month, the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will compile agency opinions and report to the People’s Committee on the kind of infrastructure that should be built for river tours.

Last year, several river tours to Can Gio Mangrove Forest were launched by travel companies, attracting many foreign tourists.

Phan Xuan Anh, director of Viet Excursions, said his company had launched two pilot tours in the Can Gio Mangrove Forest near the Thi Vai River over the past five months.

In late April, Nguyen Thi Hong, deputy chairwoman of the HCM City People’s Committee, and a group of officials from relevant departments, took a river tour from the city’s District 1 to the Can Gio Mangrove Forest, a UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve in Can Gio District.

The trip was done as part of a research programme on the possible development of stopover stations on a river tour in Can Gio District.

One of the stopover stations could be a swift-breeding farm in Tam Thon Hiep Commune.

One of the tours organised by Viet Excursions lets tourists row kayaks in the Can Gio mangrove forest, visit salt fields on foot, and climb the 10-metre-high Giong Chua Mountain.

On the other tour, tourists travel by boat to visit Can Gio Mangrove Forest and listen to a tour guide describing the flora and fauna of the forest.

About 1,000 foreign tourists on cruise ships, most from Germany and the US, have taken the tours this year.

Investment

However, Can Gio District needs to do even more for tourism development, according to Anh.

Tourists enjoy exploring Can Gio, but the area has no souvenir or handicraft products. Tourists could also visit farms that raise swifts, according to travel agencies.

The Can Gio District-based Phi Long Boat Joint-Stock Company plans to develop swift farming on an area of more than 50ha in Can Gio and build a centre to exhibit Viet Nam’s swift nests.

With its two passenger ships, one carrying 400 passengers and the other 200, Phi Long wants to open a Can Gio – Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province river tour.

Le Van Sinh, head of the Can Gio Protection Forest Management Board, said the Can Gio Mangrove Forest was classified as a protection forest, which meant that the use of its rivers and canals for tourism development was still limited due to state regulations.

This waterway issue needs to be solved so that tourism in Can Gio can be developed, according to Sinh.

One of the tasks that should be given first investment priority is the planning and building of wharves at stopover stations on river tours.

He said that the city should conduct research on how to allow the use of rivers and canals in the Can Gio Protection Mangrove Forest to serve tourism services, including floating restaurants, water skiing and boat rowing.

source from: dtinews

An art programme entitled “Ho Dynasty Citadel – the Proud of Vietnam” will be held following the ceremony to honour the historical and cultural value of the citadel.

Many activities will also be organized to celebrate the event, including a village market, a festival of Ly-Tran dynasty folk games, and a display of objects, photos and articles about the citadel and the Ho Dynasty to promote tourism in the region.

On the occasion, Thanh Hoa province will also host an International Conference for UNESCO National Committees in Asia-Pacific Countries on June 15-17.

The citadel was built under the reign of King Ho Quy Ly and became the capital of Vietnam from 1397 to 1407.

According to estimations, about 25,000cu.m of stone was used to build the walls of the citadel, and each stone had an average weight of 10-20 tonnes.

On account of its unique architectural and historical values, it was recognised as a World Culture Heritage by UNESCO on June 27, 2011.

Pictures of the Ho Dynasty Citadel:

source from: dtinews

King Le Temple seen from the top of Ma Yen Mountain.

Every year the temple and the nearby Dinh King temple attract hundreds of thousands of people who come to pay their respects to King Le who fought courageously, protecting the country from the threat of invasion from the Chinese in the North.

Before occupying the throne and becoming the first King of the Le Dynasty, Le Hoan was an excellent general under King Dinh Tien Hoang. After the death of King Dinh, Le Hoan received support from the king’s wife and other military men, taking the throne and leading the fight against the army of the Song dynasty of China and began the southward expansion process against the kingdom of Champa.

The temple of Le King was first constructed in 1010 after the capital was moved to Thang Long, now Hanoi, on the area of the ancient capital.

The temple was re-constructed from 1600-1606 and has been well maintained. The temple still holds the precious pieces of ancient sculpture on rock and wood, reflecting a period of prosperity in Vietnamese history.

The two gates leading to King Le Temple.

The temple, laid on a rectangle shaped ground; running in the direction from West to East has been classified as a National Historic site, together with King Dinh ’s temple, which is just a few hundred meters away.

Sophisticated wood and stone sculptures colored in golden and crimson and dated from the 16th and 17th century help bring a sacred atmosphere into the interior area. Tourists have to pass the temples of the subordinates in order to see the final parts of the construction, the temple where there are statues of the King and his family.

Meanwhile, the temple only serves worship practices towards the king, his wife and his elder son, who succeeded him in power. The real tomb of King Le is isolated one kilometer from the frequently-visited temple. The tomb, with the backdrop of the Ma Yen Mountain and facing the picturesque rice field, was built in the early 20th century.

source from: vietnamnet

Experts say tailor made tours are suitable to the office workers, who do not have overly high incomes and their time is not flexible. Tailor made tours usually have reasonable prices, designed for short term holidays with near and familiar destinations. However, the tours have a big advantage that they are designed in specific ways to fit the taste of travelers, so that travelers can spend their time well together with relatives and friends.

In Vietnam, tailor made tours seem to be more popular in HCM City than other cities and provinces. The eventful life of Saigonese and the bustling travel activities have both led to the higher demand for tailor made tours there.

Nguyen Huu Tho, an engineer born in the north who has settled in HCM City, said that previously, when he lived in Hanoi, he always thought that one should think of traveling only when he has a lot of money. However, he has changed his mind since the day she moved to HCM City.

“Most of the young families in HCM City spend their time to take two travel trips a year,” Tho said.

“Traveling does not always mean going to the places where people have never been before. In many cases, these are just the opportunities for families to relax and discover the new features of the life, which they would not see if they only spend time on works.

Tho said that with the current job, he usually has to work on holidays, therefore, he tries to travel with the family on weekend. The destinations could be the suburbs, or they can go further to Binh Duong or Long An provinces with tailor made tours.

Many people may think that it would be less costly to organize tours themselves instead of booking tours with travel firms. However, Tho thinks that it would be better to use professional services.

“Professional tour designers can offer the tours with interesting activities, while we only have to enjoy the tours,” Tho said.

“The trips can bring more friends to me, and business opportunities as well,” he added.

Tailor made tours are not very popular in Hanoi, but taking the tours is a growing tendency. Ha Dang Phu, a tour operator of a travel firm in Hanoi, said the clients are mostly office workers, not families. The travelers who book tailor made tours mostly pay attention to the purposes of the tours and team building activities, while they do not attach too much importance to the destinations.

“In general, they choose short distance tours, less than 100 kilometers, and the destinations which can provide high quality services such as Ba Vi, Tan Da resort, Dong Mo, Son Tay, Mai Chau, Dai Nai Lake or Tam Dao mountain.

Located near Hanoi and familiar to many people, but the destinations still can attract travelers with open space, natural beauty, good services, different cultural features which allow to organize interesting collective activities.

Phu said that tailor made tours still cannot attract tourists in the north, who have the habit of organizing tours themselves and do everything to cut down expenses.

However, Phu also said that the marketing has not been done well to catch the attention of the public.

Hieu Nguyen, a tour operator in HCM City, also said that people have changed their viewpoints about traveling. “It’s more important to decide who to go with than where to go,” he said.

source from: vietnamnet

This is the first time pilot tourist projects have been tried out in the area and their popularity will be assessed to ascertain their sustainability .

The two tours, which focus on discovering the natural beauty of the Rao Thuong River , the Swallows Cave and the mysterious Phong Nha Cave , are ideal tours for people who love nature and want to explore the Park, a World Natural Heritage site, in more depth.

On the Rao Thuong-Swallows Cave tour, tourists will have the chance to take in the stunning beauty of primeval forests, the clear Rao Thuong River and imposing mountain scenery that surrounds the cave, one of the biggest of 300 caves in the area.

The subterranean tour of Phong Nha Cave will be a new experience for tourists, as they will be able to row boats at their own leisure along the underground river that flows throughout the 1,500 metre long cave.

The two new tourist destinations are part of Quang Binh’s Tourism Month 2012, to mark the region’s National Tourism Year.

source from: dtinews

Nguyen Viet Thanh and Hoang Hai Tinh will display 50 photographs featuring the daily life and simple beauty of Vietnam.

This is the fourth time for Viet Thanh and the first time for Hai Thinh to exhibit their photos in the US.

Viet Thanh, a photojournalist of Vietnam News, has won a golden prize at the Asian Press Photo Contest and many first and second prizes at domestic and international photographic contests.

In 2010, Hai Thinh won the best cultural photo title at the Gauruda International Photographic Contest in Indonesia and was then chosen as one of ten international photographers to join the “From Born to Berlin” photographic exhibition in Berlin.

Sunrise over Tam Giang Lagoon by Hai Thinh

Lao Chai-Spa by Hai Thinh

Respect by Hai Thinh

Layers of cloud by Hai Thinh

Trying his luck by Hai Thinh

Making incense sticks by Hai Thinh

Reading morning newspaper by Viet Thanh

A Thai ethnic kitchen by Viet Thanh

Tho Ha festival by Viet Thanh

School children warming up around a fire by Viet Thanh

A girl making incense sticks by Viet Thanh

Dancing class by Viet Thanh

Chuong village by Viet Thanh

Dong Ho village by Hai Thinh

source from: dtinews

Local people are hard-working, full of energy and enthusiasm and always optimistic about their future.

Foreign visitors

Locals rowing amidst spectacular mountainous scenry

source from: dtinews

An Islamic mosque in Muong Cha, Da Phuoc Commune, An Phuoc District, An Giang Province

The Cham minority in An Giang Province, who are mostly Islamic followers, are often called by many names such as Chàm, Chà, Chà Và, Chà Và Ku, Chiêm Thành, Gia Va, Mã Lai, Khmer Islam, Champa, Chm, Chm Bàni, Chm Islam, Chm Chuk, Chm Kaphir or Chm Jet. But Cham people do not like to be called Chà Và, which probably comes from Java, an Indonesian island, because they consider it racial discrimination.

Their Islamic mosques in An Phu District are the most unique features. The Masjid Jamius Sunnah Mosque is greatly admired thanks to its original architecture with the dome like a prominent garlic in the sky. Masjid is a place of worship for followers of Islam while Cham people consider it a name that Allah (God) put in the Koran. And Jamius Sunnah means beautiful things.

Most of Islamic mosques are decorated with paintings or carvings of Arabic characters or sentences from the Koran to honor Allah. The mosque has a lecture hall covered by a carpet. Iman, the head of the mosque, will stand next to the hall to host ceremonies such as weddings, funerals or other important rituals of Cham Moslems.
Before attending a ritual, followers must wash their faces, hands and feet carefully in accordance with the Sambayang rules, and tidy up their attire. According to the Islam, those with a clean body and well-dressed attire will be accepted by Allah when they pray in the mosque.

Muong Cha is also famous for brocade weaving and the popular workshop which most tourists choose to visit is owned by Tares, 75, who pursued this traditional craft more than half a century ago. Crossing a 500-meter-long wooden bridge and travelers will arrive at the shop that they can buy brocade products for souvenirs such as scarves, hats, handbags and sarong, among others.

At the end of the bridge are two Cham-style boats, and on the bank of the Da Phuoc River is a Cham house on stilts. Every day, locals cast the net to catch fish in the river, which is a main job of Cham people in the flooding season. Thanks to this job, their income is better and their living condition is thus improved. Visitors, especially foreign tourists, are very excited about contemplating the daily life of the locals.

source from: dtinews

The honor came as the resort on the private beach along Nha Trang’s Tran Phu Boulevard was listed once again in the Conde Nast Traveller Gold List.

Six Senses Spa in Khanh Hoa has also announced that it will be the first in Vietnam to launch a full professional and retail range of oxygen detoxification treatments as of December 23.

source from: thanhniennews

According to New7Wonders Foundation’s website, Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh has been officially named a new wonder of nature together with Iguazu Falls at the border of Brazil and Argentina, Jeju volcanic island off South Korea, and Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines.

Recognition of the Komodo National Park in Indonesia, South Africa’s Table Mountain, and the Amazon Rainforest in South America is still provisional as the foundation’s vote validation process is underway, the website said.

A Vietnam News Agency report Friday quoted New7Wonders Chairman Bernard Weber as saying that they hoped the victory will help heighten Vietnamese people’s awareness of the need to protect their natural landscapes.
Asked if Vietnam will have to pay monthly fees to the organization, Nguyen Van Tinh, chief of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, replied in the negative.

Meanwhile, Jean Paul De La Fuente, director of New7Wonders, said in the report that they have never charged any country that has won the recognition.

They only charge paid by countries or localities that participated in the campaign was the US$199 registration fee when it was launched, Fuente said.

Ceremonies marking the recognition will be organized in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay on April 27 and May 1 respectively, the news agency said.

Launched in 2007, the New7Wonders of Nature campaign started with more than 440 locations from about 220 countries. Finalists were chosen by phone and SMS voting.
source from: thanhniennews