Vung Tau to host first buffet tour

A food and tourism festival called “Buffet tour – Vietnam’s flavor” will take place in Chi Linh Tourist Village in Vung Tau City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province from December 31 to January 2.

The event aims to promote Vietnam’s culture, food, and tourism to local and foreign tourists. It will be expanded to Danang, Quang Ninh, Hanoi and even foreign countries in the future.

Buffet specialties from the country’s three regions will be prepared by famous local cooks, including Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van and Dinh Ba Chau.

The event is being organized by Am Thuc Magazine and Country Eye Group.

(Source: SGT)

Promoting Vietnam’s image to German friends

The Vietnamese embassy in Germany organised a ceremony in Berlin on December 26 to review ‘Vietnam Year’ in Germany.
Counsellor Bui Ngoc Toan reviewed important events in the Vietnamese embassy held on the occasion of Vietnam Year in Germany, especially the Vietnam Festival which took place in Alexander square on August 28-29.

Vietnam’s Consul General in Frankfurt, Nguyen Huu Trang, pointed out activities strengthening the two countries’ relations such as youth exchanges between Hessen State and Vietnam and seminars on law for Vietnamese people studying law in Germany.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Do Hoa Binh said the success of organising Vietnam Year in Germany made contributions to Vietnam-Germany relations, increasing Vietnam’s image to German friends and raising pride for the Vietnamese community in Germany.

At the ceremony, the Vietnamese embassy presented certificates of merit to individuals and groups, who had made excellent achievements in organizing Vietnam Year in Germany.

(Source: VOV)

Tet Flower Festival to return at Tao Dan Park

The Tet Flower Festival will kick off in Tao Dan Park in HCMC’s District 1 on January 28, or five days ahead of the Lunar New Year, displaying flowers of various types and gathering artisans from home and abroad, according to a plan just approved by the city government on December 22.

The 12-day flower festival this year will also incorporate a contest of decorative birds, which has been disrupted for years due to concerns over bird flu disease, according to the HCMC Park and Greenery Company as the festival organizer.

Apart from Tao Dan Park as the main venue, the organizer will also launch a minor flowers festival at Quoc Te Square, or Ho Con Rua as it is commonly referred to.

At the festival, exhibitors and artisans will arrange and showcase flowers, decorative fish and birds, besides miniature models of well-known architecture works including Nha Rong Wharf made from flowers and foliages created by Japanese artists.

Taiwanese exhibitors will also join the festival. The Tet Flower Festival will wrap up on February 8, 2011.

(Source: SGT)

Vietnam woos Malaysian visitors

A gala night to promote Vietnam’s tourism was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on December 20 as part of Vietnam’s campaign to develop this non-smoke industry in 2011.

The tourism promotion programme aims to introduce Vietnam’s land and people, culture and its incentives for tourists.

The gala night, co-held by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia and Malaysia’s Tourism Administration, was attended by officials as well as representatives from tourist agents and the media of the two countries.

Pham Quang Hung, Director of the International Cooperation Department under VNAT, said Malaysia is Vietnam’s top market among ASEAN. Next year, the tourism industry will focus on Malaysia and Indonesia as these two regional markets are close to Vietnam both in terms of geographical location and culture.

In 2010, Vietnam expects to welcome some 5 million foreign visitors. The country set a higher target for 2011, prioritising near markets while exploring distant others.

However, according to Hung, tourist services should be improved and tourist guides should be trained professionally in order to draw foreign visitors to return.

The tourism promotion programme provided Vietnamese tourist businesses an opportunity to directly meet and work with Malaysian tourist companies and agents to exchange information and discuss contracts.

(Source: VNA)

Miss Earth 2010 praises Vietnam at home

In interviews with the Indian news agencies, Miss Earth Nicole Faria was lavish in her praises to Vietnam, the host country of the Miss Earth 2010 pageant.

Nicole Faria left Vietnam to her country - India – on December 13, 2010 after being crowned as Miss Earth 2010 in Nha Trang on December 4, 2010.
Faria’s return was warmly welcomed by the local media and local people. Hundreds of Indian waited at the Chhatrapti Shivaji Airport in Mumbai to greet Faria. A big party was held to congratulate Faria’s victory.
“My mailbox is full of congratulations. People warmly welcomed me at the airport and I have not had time to see my friends,” she said in an interview with a local newspaper.
She said she brought home the best memories about an interesting trip to Vietnam.
“I had wonderful time in Vietnam and I’ve had many new friends. Vietnamese people are very friendly. Kids are lovely and I’ve learnt how to use chopsticks. I want to return to Vietnam…” she said.
Nicole Faria, 20, is an Indian model and beauty queen from Bangalore. She is the first woman from India to win Miss Earth
Faria has been in the modeling business since 2005. She has shot for fashion magazines like Elle, Cosmopolitan, Vogue among others.
Faria won the Miss India Earth title at the Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2010 beauty pageant in Mumbai. Pantaloons Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant competition in India, which annually selects three winners to compete internationally. She won along with Manasvi Mamgai, who was crowned Femina Miss India World 2010, and Neha Hinge who got the Femina Miss India International 2010.
Faria represented India in the Miss Earth 2010 beauty pageant in Vietnam, and was crowned Miss Earth 2010.
She won the Miss Talent, the first special award in the 10th Miss Earth pageant. She performed a graceful belly dance that combined Oriental and Middle Eastern style in an event that raised VND100 million, which was donated to the HCM City Red Cross, to support flood victims in the central region of Vietnam.
(Source: VietNamNet

Festival to promote tea growers and brands

The third Lam Dong Tea Culture Festival 2010 will be held in Bao Loc City in the Central Highlands Province of Lam Dong from December 25-27 to promote the trademark and potential of the country’s tea industry.
According to Bui Thang, Bao Loc People’s Committee’s Chairman and head of the festival’s organising board, the highlight of this year’s festival will be a night to celebrate Bao Loc city’s B'lao tea brand which has been around for decades, and honour outstanding tea growers.

During the festival, a seminar on measures and conditions for the development of Vietnam ’s tea sector, a tea products exhibition, a tea drinking night and a parade will take place.

Vietnam now ranks fifth in tea exports in the world. The country’s tea products are present in 110 countries and territories.

In 2009, Vietnam earned 178 million USD from export of 133,000 tonnes of tea, a year-on-year increase of 21 and 27.3 percent in value and volume, respectively.

The country expects to ship 120,000 tonnes for 200 million USD in 2010.

Tea growing and processing started in Bao Loc in the 1930s. The acreage for tea trees makes up 50 percent of agricultural land in the locality.

The city gains an annual output of 72,500 tonnes with a revenue of 500 billion VND (25 million USD), equal to 20 percent of the local industrial production value.

(Source: VNA)

Southern music seeks UNESCO recognition

Efforts are being to compile a national dossier on Nghe thuat don ca tai tu (Southern amateur music) to be nominated to UNESCO as a mankind intangible cultural heritage. March 2011 is the deadline for Vietnam to forward its dossier, said the Head of Vietnam’s National Academy of Music Associate Professor Le Toan, adding that there will be an international seminar held on southern amateur music in Ho Chi Minh City in January, 2011. A film crew from the institute began a fact-finding tour in mid-November to shoot a documentary on southern amateur music in 14 southeastern and Mekong Delta provinces over two months. Professor Tran Van Khe said that there has been no study affirming the date of southern amateur music but many researchers say that this art was formed in when land in the South of the country was reclaimed at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century. This kind of folk art is performed by southerners after their working day is over, he added. The instruments, namely the dan co (also known as a dan nhi), the Vietnamese two stringed fiddle, dan tranh (also known as the dan thap luc) or 16 string zither and the doc huyen cam (monochord), are used in this art but nowadays the monochord has been replaced with a guitar. Southern amateur singers’ groups have now formed into semi professional clubs to meet the demands of tourists for this genre of music. Officials say that they hope to the compilation of a dossier to ask UNESCO for recognition of the music as an intangible culture would contribute to protecting the nation’s cultural heritage at an international level and raise the community’s awareness of the art while promoting the country’s image to attract more tourists. Professor Tran Quang Hai said that the north boasts ca tru or ceremonial singing and quan ho (love duets) while the central has nha nhac (Hue royal court music) and the Central Highlands is famous for its gongs but southern amateur music has not yet been honoured. Although it has existed for more than 100 years, southern amateur music has traditionally been accompanied by cai luong theatre. Southern amateur singers’ clubs can be found everywhere from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho, My Tho, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau and this model should be developed for researchers to explore and complete a dossier, said Hai. Tran Viet Dung, Acting Head of the Cultural Section of the Ca Mau Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that his province has more than 600 clubs that confirms the strength of this form of art. Meanwhile, authorities of the Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that the music is very much in southern people’s blood and everyone can sing even a little. This remains an art that cannot be replaced in the future, they said. The Deputy Director of Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Van Hoang, said that southern amateur music originated from Vietnam court music and was taken long ago to the South of the country.

(Source: VNA)

Month of discounts for HCMC visitors

The hub of Vietnam’s tourism, HCMC, will launch a month-long promotion for visitors to the city with attractive discounts from December 15 to January 15. It will promote the city as a tourist destination during the high season, the tourism department said.
The city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Department of Trade and Industry has organized the month of discounts in cooperation with entertainment parks, shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, travel agents, transport providers and many other trade and tourism services.

The capital city of Hanoi and the central city of Danang have organized similar programs for tourists.

A ceremony on December 21 as part of the program will welcome the 3-millionth foreign visitor to HCMC.

The department estimated that HCMC would welcome 3.1 million international visitors this year, up 20% year-on-year. Tourism revenue will reach VND41 trillion, up 17% year-on-year.

The tourism department expects to welcome 3.5 million foreign visitors next year, and hopes to earn VND49 trillion. SGT

(Source: SGT)

Con Dao listed in top ten islands in 2011

Con Dao Island has been voted as one of best ten islands of the world for a romantic holiday in 2011 by Lonely Planet Magazine (England).

Con Dao comprises 16 islands and islets and was known worldwide for the political prisons during the French colonial time and American war time. At present, it is considered as a heaven for tourism with smooth beaches shaded by evergreen trees, fresh air, clear blue waters, primitive forests and abundant wildlife. White sand dunes slope gently to the sea, luring tourists not only to swim, play with the waves and discover the beauty of the coral reefs with scuba diving, but also to fish or squid.

Apart from Con Dao Island, the list of top ten islands includes: Socotra (Yemen), Torres Strait (Australia), Yaeyama (Japan), Iles du Salut (Guyana), Ulleungdo (Korea), San Blas Archipelago (Panama), Penghu (Taipei, China), Bay Archipelago and Hog Island (Honduras), Ssese (Uganda).

The Lonely Planet Magazine has also chosen Halong Bay among the top ten destinations by boat. Other destinations in the list include Fjords (Norway), Amazon River (South America), Franklin River (Australia), Quetico Provincial Park (Canada), Backwaters of Kerala (India), Milford Sound (New Zealand), Greek islands and Disko Bay (Greenland), Galapágos Islands (Ecuador).

Thuy Hang (Edited)

(Source: TITC)

Ha Giang receives UNESCO certification on Dong Van Plateau

A ceremony to receive UNESCO recognition of Dong Van Stone Plateau as a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks (GGN) was held in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang on December 1.
The chief Representative of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi , Katherine Muller Marin and Secretary General of UNESCO Vietnam National Committee Pham Sanh Chau, handed over the UNESCO certificate to Ha Giang Province.

Addressing the ceremony, Secretary General of UNESCO Vietnam National Committee Chau said that the success of Dong Van Stone Plateau Geological Park is the result of pure determination to create Vietnam ’s first geological park in Ha Giang.

Chau also highlighted the selection of a geological park development model by Ha Giang People’s Committee to eradicate hunger, reduce poverty and step up socio-economic development.

The plateau is Vietnam ’s first pilot model of a geological park for the future and this will promote Vietnam ’s image around the world, said Chau.

It will help eliminate hunger and reduce poverty for more than 250,000 local people on the plateau, he added.

Dong Van Stone Plateau was recognised as GGN member on October 3, 2010. The plateau has now become Vietnam ’s first geological park and only the second geological park in Southeast Asia, after the Langkawi Geological Park in Malaysia .

Dong Van, which has remained untouched for hundreds of millions of years, has mammoth rocks spread over the four districts of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Meo Vac, and Dong Van, and is 1,000m above sea level.

The plateau is 80 percent limestone and has the fossils of thousands of species of prehistoric creatures from 400-600 million years ago.

It is also home to several cultures that have sprung up over the centuries. The 574 sq.km plateau now houses 250,000 people belonging to 17 different ethnic groups.

(Source: VNA)

Ha Noi to host National Fine Arts Exhibition 2010

The National Fine Arts Exhibition 2010 representing Viet Nam's fine arts industry will open at the Viet Nam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts in Ha Noi on December 1.
The event has been organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in co-ordination with the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association.

On display will be representative works from the 2006-2010 period to gauge fine arts development during the process of national industrialisation and modernisation towards global integration.

863 works of art by 735 artists including paintings, graphics, installations and sculptures will be displayed to reflect contemporary life and society from different angles.

The exhibition will run until December 15 at Hoa Lu Street, Ha Noi.

(Source: VNS)