BBC chosen for Vietnam tourism commercial

Vietnam will put a television commercial on BBC in a tourism promotion campaign this year though it has cut down on the budget for tourism commercials on international TV channels.

BBC has almost completed a 30-second commercial featuring the country’s famous attractions, said Nguyen Van Tinh, Director of the International Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Tinh said that the three-month campaign could start in the next one month and that the commercial would be aired three times a day. The country’s beautiful beaches and sea tourism services are given a strong focus in this commercial, he said.

“It will be broadcast on BBC in Asia Pacific and Australia, which are among the key markets of the country’s tourism industry,” he said.

The campaign costs around VND3 billion, he said, adding the tourism sector this year would spend less on commercials on international TV channels because its entire marketing and advertising budget for all of this year is a mere VND35 billion, down by VND5 billion compared to last year.

In addition to international media as a tourism marketing channel, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is preparing to join the Fair Tour 2011 from May 6 to 15 and the Vietnam month next month, with both events to take place in France. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has planned to organize more trips for media and travel agencies from France, Thailand, China, South Korea, the U.S., Western Europe, and Japan to explore places of interest and tourism services in the country.

VNAT reported the country received more than 1.51 million foreign visitors in the first quarter, up 11.9% year-on-year, and the total number of local tourists reached 11 million. The nation’s total tourism revenue was VND55.2 trillion in the period.

The agency expects 5.3-5.5 million foreign visitors will visit the country this year, compared to 5.05 million last year.

(Source: SGT)

Photo exhibition on Ha Long Bay opens in France

A photo exhibition entitled “Ha Long Bay - the world’s natural wonders” is taking place in Paris, France.

The event offers an opportunity for Vietnam to promote the image of Ha Long Bay to international friends and overseas Vietnamese in France with the message “Vote for Ha Long Bay as the world’s natural wonders”.

 On display at the event are 50 art photos which have been selected from thousands of high quality masterpieces on Ha Long Bay.

 The event was co-organized by the Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition Department, and the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France.

The exhibition will last through to May 10.
Halong Tours
(Source: VOV)

Party Chief pays tribute to Hung Kings

 Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong offered incense to the Hung Kings, the nation’s legendary founders, at the Kinh Thien Palace in the Hung Kings Temple relic complex in the northern province of Phu Tho on Apr. 12.

The incense offering ceremony, the major activity of the Hung Kings Temple festival, was aimed at expressing gratitude to the predecessors and praying for peace for the people and prosperity for the country.
 

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Phu Tho People’s Committee affirmed that young generations would give themselves to the way the Party and Uncle Ho had chosen to build a strong country and contribute to peace and friendship in the world.
 

After the ceremony, Party leader Trong laid a floral tribute at the relief wall of President Ho Chi Minh and soldiers of the Tien Phong (Vanguard) Brigade in the relic complex.
 

Vietnam has submitted documents on the worship rituals dedicated to Hung Kings to the UNESCO to seek recognition of their status as Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity.
 

The annual festival to commemorate the Hung Kings, which falls on the 10th day of the third lunar month, was first recognised as a national event in 2007.
 

There are over 1,400 places of worship dedicated to the Hung Kings across the country and numerous festivals are held every year to commemorate the nation’s founders. The festival at the Hung Kings’ Temple in Phu Tho province is the major official event dedicated to the Kings.
 

This year’s festival was held from April 7-12, with a wide range of cultural activities taking place in Viet Tri city, at the Hung Kings’ Temple and surrounding areas.

 The Hung Kings Temple is located on Nghia Linh Mountain , Phong Chau district, in Phu Tho province, about 100km northwest of Hanoi . It is a complex of ancient tombs, monuments and temples.

(Source: VNA)

Hung Kings’ death anniversary commemorated

Phu Tho province has made preparations for this year’s festival to commemorate the death anniversary of the Hung Kings, as well as preserving the local areas tangible and intangible heritage.Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan offering incense to the Hung Kings at their temple

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan made this statement during her working visit to Phu Tho province on April 6.
She also offered incense in commemoration of the nation’s ancestors at their temple.
Nguyen Doan Khanh, a member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Phu Tho provincial Party Committee, briefed the vice president about the province’s socio-economic situation and informed her about the process of compiling information on ‘Hat Xoan Phu Tho’ , the traditional folk singing of the province, and the worship rituals dedicated to the Hung Kings which have been prepared to seek UNESCO’s recognition of them as aspects of intangible cultural heritage.

On the same day, over 300 enterprises from across the country took part in a gathering to show their gratitude to the ancestral lands and their ‘back to roots’ spirit.

Speaking at the event, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan said that Vietnamese enterprises have made significant contributions to socio-economic development, the elimination of hunger, poverty reduction and social security in the country. She hoped that they would continue their investment and co-operation in the province to further the development of the local area.

Earlier in the day, a display entitled ‘Sentiments of the Whole People and International Friends towards the Hung Kings’ was held at the Hung Kings museum. Works on display included 40 historical objects, 37 paintings and 17 bronze drums, presented by collectives and individuals at home and abroad to celebrate the death anniversary of the Hung Kings and the Hung Kings Temple Festival.

A huge ceramic painting was unveiled at the Hung Kings Temple National Historical Site. Themed ‘Festivals in the Ancestral Lands’, the scene comprises 1,400 ceramic pieces produced in Bat Trang pottery village in Gia Lam district, Hanoi. The painting is 72 metres long and 9.9 metres high and cost VND 24 billion.

(Source: Nhan Dan)

Hung Kings’ worship seeks UNESCO title

Vietnam has submitted documents on the worship rituals dedicated to Hung Kings in the midland province of Phu Tho to the UNESCO to seek its Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity recognition.

The worship rituals dedicated to Hung Kings, the nation’s legendary founders, have existed through thousands of years, deeply taking root in the Vietnamese people’s mind and the annual festival to commemorate the Hung Kings, which falls on the 10th day of the third lunar month, was recognised as a national event in 2007.
 

Nguyen Tien Khoi, Director of the Hung Kings’ Temple Relic Complex said that “Hung Kings worship rituals” is part of the Vietnamese people’s culture of worshiping ancestors. Throughout history, Hung Kings’ worship rituals have always been the source of the national culture’s internal power, contributing to fostering national pride, solidarity and patriotism of the Vietnamese people.


The Hung Kings worship rituals represent not only the belief in the protecting saints in the spiritual cultural life of the Vietnamese people but also the nation’s ethic of gratitude to the predecessors, Khoi said.


He noted that there are over 1,400 places of worship dedicated to the Hung Kings across the country and numerous festivals are held every year, every where to commemorate the nation’s founders. The festival at the Hung Kings’ Temple in Phu Tho province is the main and official event dedicated to the Kings.
 

This year’s festival will be held from April 7-12 with a wide range of cultural activities, taking place in Viet Tri city to the Hung Kings’ Temple and surrounding areas.
The festival will draw participation of several provinces nationwide, including Tuyen Quang, Hoa Binh, Nam Dinh, Quang Ngai and Dong Thap province, which represent the three regions of the country.

Some 5-6 million visitors will make the pilgrimage to Phu Tho to offer their respect.

(Source: VietnamPlus)

HCMC Tourism Day 2011 to be held in April

The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Day 2011 will be organised from April 7 to 10, said the organizing board of the annual event. The event is co-organised by the HCMC Tourism Association and the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

So far, 80 tourism units in HCMC and from 24 provinces and cities nationwide have agreed to showcase their products, with more than 150 booths to be displayed at the event.

On this occasion, the organizing board will honour the high-quality Vietnamese tourism trademark voted by consumers. Moreover, there will be art and cultural activities, such as “The best singing voice of the tourism sector” and the “Saigon Market – Dalat Flower – Mui Ne Beach – Phu Quoc Tourism Heaven – Haiphong Red Flamboyance of Poinciana Flowers” photographic exhibition.

At the event, travel agencies will supply new products as well as special preferential policies to attract tourists, especially focusing on tourism products for summer 2011.

Total costs for the organisation of the event are nearly VND3 billion, of which VND1 billion will be spent on tourism promotion.

(Source: CPV)

Vietnam welcomes 1.15 million foreign visitors in the first three months

Vietnam received more than 1.15 million foreign visitors in the first quarter of the year, representing a year-on-year increase of 12%, reported the General Statistic Office (GSO).
 In March only, as many as 475,000 holidaymakers came to Vietnam, up 5% over the same period last year.

China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, the US, Taiwan (China), Australia, Cambodia, France, Malaysia and the UK remained Vietnam’s biggest tourism markets.

In particular, the number of Japanese visitors travelling to Vietnam in March reduced slightly, despite the adverse impacts of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in the country.

Around 43,500 Japanese tourists arrived in Vietnam, down just 8% from the previous month, but up 10% over the same period last year.

In the January-March period, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed approximately 900,000 foreign visitors, up 6% over the same period of 2010.


Source VNA