Treasure of Mekong tours in Vietnam

16 days -15 nights: Luang Prabang - Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hue - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City - Phnom Penh - Siem ReapDay 1: Luang Prabang - Arrival (D)Upon arrival at the airport, you are met and transferred to the hotel. Luang Prabang is perhaps the best-preserved traditional city in Southeast Asia. The tranquility and charm of this town with its splendid natural scenery and cultural sights make it one of the most delightful places to visit in Laos . After a short rest, we visit the impressive stupa of Wat Visoun and the shrine of Wat Aham, Wat Mai; we then climb up to the top of Phousi Mount for an enjoyable exploration of the sacred, gilded stupa as well as a beautiful sunset view of the city and the Mekong River. From there, we explore Street Night Bazaar, where you can find the lovely collection and handmade textile by local and hill tribe people surrounding Luang Prabang. Overnight in Luang Prabang.Day 2: Luang Prabang - Pak Ou Cave - Kuangsi Water Fall (B/L)After breakfast, we enjoy a short-guided tour seeing the city's oldest temple of Wat Sene and the magnificent Wat Xiengthong with its roofs sweeping low to the ground, which represent the classical architecture of Luang Prabang temple. We then board a cruise upstream on the Mekong River, which also gives us a beautiful view of the tranquil countryside as well as an interesting visit to the mysterious of Pak Ou Caves, crammed with thousands of gold lacquered Buddha statues of various shapes and sizes.In the afternoon, drive to the beautiful Khouangsi Waterfall where you can splash around in the pools or walk along the forest paths, return to Luang Prabang by late afternoon and continue to Ban Phanom, a well known weaving village, return to the city by late evening, for observing the sunset at Wat Siphouthabath. Overnight in Luang Prabang.Day 3: Luang Prabang - Hanoi (B/L)Free time for relax until time for transfering to airport for flight to Hanoi. Once again our guide will meet you and transfer you to Hanoi city. Lunch at local restaurant before check-in at hotel. After two or more hours relax, our cyclo tour do not make you more tired but more relax. After one hour ride around the trading area in Hanoi Old Quarter, the cyclo will stop you at Ngoc Son Temple for a short visit, then take one minute walk to Thang Long theatre for Water Puppet show. Overnight in hotel in Hanoi.Day 4: Hanoi (B/L)In the morning to visit Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, House on Stilt, One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc pagoda, Quan Thanh temple, Army Museum and Hanoi Flag Tower. Time for lunch and check-out. In the afternoon, visit Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (The First National University established in 1076). The next visiting place should be the Museum of Vietnam Ethnology in Cau Giay District or just go shopping around Silk shops and Art shops in Hang Gai street. Overnight in hotel in Hanoi.Day 5: Hanoi - Halong Bay (B/L/D)Today we leave Hanoi to Halong Bay, "Dragon Descending to the Sea". Upon arrival, we will embark to a junk /boat for a cruise around Ha Long Bay. While the junk cruising caves, grottoes, floating villages and beaches on Ha Long bay, having fresh seafood lunch on boat. Stop for a while for an excursing to Surprise Caves, (Grotto of Surprises) and Swimming, Kayaking (kayak cost is not include in this package) if weather permitted. Have dinner on board. In the evening, enjoy the night fishing (if weather permitted). Overnight on board.Day 6: Ha Long Bay - Hanoi (B/L)In the morning, cruising more in the Halong bay before return to the Halong pier. Having lunch in Halong before return back Hanoi. Overnight in Hanoi.Day 7: Hanoi - Hue (B/L)Free time in the morning before transfer to the airport of Hanoi for noon flight to Hue. Transfer to a local restaurant in the city for lunch before check in. In the afternoon we pay a visit to the Imperial Citadel, constituted from the Real Fortress and the Forbidden City, and the market of Dong Ba. Overnight in Hue.Day 8: Hue - Hoi An (B/L)In morning we embark on a dragon boat sail along the Huong River to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, and the tomb of Khai Dinh Kinh. Lunch at local restaurant. In the afternoon transfer to Hoi An through the famous of Hai Van Pass. Passing Danang, the car will stop for the visit to Cham Museum. Cham Museum is the open air collection of Cham sculpture. Overnight in Hoi An.Day 9: Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City B/L)In the morning, you will walk to visit ancient tiny town Hoi An. The visit will includes Japanese covered bridge, some Chinese Assembly Halls, and some typical Vietnamese houses of 18 century. In the afternoon, transfer to Danang Airport for evening flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City - Cu Chi (B/L)In the morning drive to Cu Chi, one incredible city basement constituted from one series of tightened tunnel, used from the Vietcong during the war with the Americans. Lunch at local restaurant. In the afternoon pause to the colonial buildings of Saigon like the Independent Palace, Post Office and the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Ben Thanh market. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City - Vinh Long - Can Tho (L)Our car will pick up at your hotel in early morning. Upon arrival at Cai Be, embark a private boat to cruise around Cai Be Floating Market to see local people being selling, buying, exchanging goods from their boats. Visit local garden and house to see orchard, rice crisped producing process, .. After lunch taking a cruise along river to see peaceful tranquil life of villagers, admire marvelous natural natural setting of Mekong Delta region. About 3 pm, the boat will arrival at Vinh Long, walking around to explore Vinh Long Market. Then transfer to Can Tho City. Over night in Can Tho. Day 12: Can Tho - Cai Rang - Chau Doc (B/L)Cruising along the small and picturesque tributaries by boat, we will see the Cai Rang floating market (the nicest one with heaps of rowing boats). Take in the beautiful scenery and the daily activities of the locals who lives along the Mekong canals and you will roam through the village to visit a rice husking mill and a rice noodles making shop. Then continue going to Chau Doc via Long Xuyen. Check in on arrival. Visit the Sam mountain to enjoy the a breath-taking view on the Vietnamese-Cambodian border with flat rice fields and nice canals, visit caved pagoda. Over night in Chau Doc.Day 13: Chau Doc - Phnom Penh (B/L)In morning departure in boat to Phnom Penh going back one of the arms of the Mekong. Arrival and lunch. In the afternoon, visits of the city, in particular of the National Museum, rich art of Khmer, of the Silver Pagoda, inserted in the fencing of the Royal Palace, Preahkeo Morokot & Central Market. Overnight in Phnom Penh.Day 14: Phnom Penh - Siem Reap (B/L)In morning departure by flight to Siem Reap and transfer your hotel in the city. Angkor, luminous understood them of the great reign Khmer, is one of more important testimonies that the human genius knew to create in the field of the limbs, the architecture and the urban planning. Lunch at local restaurant. Then start tour to visit famous temple Angkor Wat with enjoying sunset from top of Bakheng Hill. Overnight in Siem Reap.Day 15: Siem Reap - Angkor Complex (B/L/D)Breakfast at hotel, then visit the Angkor Thom: South Gate, Bayon, Baphoun, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of Leper King and Phimean Akas temple. Lunch at local restaurant. Afternoon, transfer to visit Angkor Ruins: Thommanom, chao Say Tevoda, Takeo, Ta Prom, Banteay Kdey and Sras Srang until Sunset. Dinner at local restaurant with Apsaras show & overnight in Siem Reap.Day 16: Siem Reap - Departure (B)After breakfast, transfer to take the Tonlé Sap for a cruise on the lake with the visiting to floating village to explore the fish man life. Then visit Chantier Ecole-Artisant d’Angkor. Free time for shopping before departure home.Type of tour: - Private tour. (This is the sample tour, you may go with all details above or we can modify to fix your way of travel) - Easy tourDeparture: Any dayFeature of tour: This Indochina vacation tour organize for travelers, who want to know the charmng of Angkor - Siem Reap and charming of Vietnam. You will understand Cambodia and Vietnam with:- Our history- Our literature- Our religious

Vietnam travel in brief 05/09

Mui Ne attracts more visitors
Domestic and foreign travelers are increasingly flocking to Mui Ne in Binh Thuan Province. According to the provincial tourism authority, the coastal city received more than 35,000 guests during the recent extended holiday weekend from last Friday to Tuesday.

In the first eight months of the year, some 1.3 million people made their way to Binh Thuan, a year-on-year increase of 14 per cent. About 125,000 of them were foreign tourists from Germany, Russia, Australia and the US, among others.
Quang Ngai hosts Korea-VN festival
The Central province of Quang Ngai is hosting a four-day cultural exchange festival beginning today to showcase Quang Ngai’s cultural highlights and Jeju Island, a self-governing province in South Korea.
Local artists will recite traditional Vietnamese poetry, play music and exhibit local artwork. Panpipe and gong performances will be also featured. Ethnic H’re musicians will play kaleu folk songs accompanied by their traditional ching and aradon musical instruments.
Festival-goers can get a look at a traditional Jeju house, notable for lacking any front door or gate. A photo exhibitition will flaunt Jeju’s natural beauty with shots of Mount Halla, South Korea’s highest peak.
A photo exhibition highlights Jeju’s natural beauty with shots of the Dolharbang Grandfather Stone, Baeknok Lake, Manjanggul Lava Tube Cave and Mount Halla.
Jeju’s Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes were recognised by UNESCO as a Natural World Heritage Site last year.
Eco-tourism tour in central province
The Nuoc Mooc eco-tourism site in Quang Binh Province opened to visitors last Saturday.
Some 30 km from world natural heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Nuoc Mooc boasts spectacular natural landscapes such as the Gio (Wind) Waterfalls and other ecotourism potentials.
To mark the occasion, a drive for locals and visitors to vote for the park as one of the world’s natural wonders was launced.
Ben Thanh Tourist’s honeymoon tours
Ho Chi Minh City-based Ben Thanh Tourist is promoting special honeymoon tours to central and northern provinces. Couples looking for sand and surf can choose from tours to Hoi An, Nha Trang, or Halong Bay, while those in the mood to escape the heat would enjoy the Da Lat tour.
The tours cater to couples who do not want to travel alone rather than with large tour groups, and are tailored to suit customers depending on how much time they want to spend with other tourists and how much time they want to explore the cities on their own.
Dinner parties with candles, flowers and wine can be arranged for couples, who will receive special gifts, such as fruit and flowers in their room, as part of the package.
HaLong Bay drops in popularity
Halong Bay has fallen to 16th place on an online poll of the top 77 vote-getting natural wonders at www.new7wonder.com. This is the fourth consecutive drop in the last month.
Taking the lead in the race to become one of the new seven world natural wonders is Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. Bangladesh’s neighbour India has two spots in the top 15: Sundarbans Forest at 2nd place and the Ganges River at 14th.
The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is calling for domestic and overseas tourists to vote for Halong Bay. If it drops out of the top 21 before the end of the year, it will be ousted from the poll.
Vietnam culinary and art week in Bangkok
Bangkok got a taste of Vietnamese cuisine and culture at an exhibition last week.
The Vietnamese Modern and Classic Culinary&Art Week served up a Vietnamese buffet at Thailand’s Triple Two Hotel, courtesy of Vietnamese chefs from Que Huong – Liberty hotels, Metropole Hotel and Madagui Theme Park. Photos and drawings of Vietnam’s landscape and people were on hand.
The cultural event, which ran from August 22-31, was part of a co-operation programme between the Thai Narai Hotel and the Vietnamese Que Huong Liberty Group.

VIETNAM TRAVEL IN BRIEF 30 - 8 - 2008

Thac Bo Temple Thac Bo Temple recognizes historic culture relic Hoa Binh’s People’s Committee has just issued the decision No.1858/QD-UBND that recognizes Thac Bo Temple as a provincial historic cultural relic. Thac Bo Temple is located in the Vay Nua Commune of Da Bac District in the northern province of Hoa Binh. Hoa Binh authorities expect to attract more visitors after this important announcement.
Every year, over 1 million visitors come to Thac Bo Temple. At present, the Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism of Hoa Binh is working on a campaign to develop tourism for Hoa Binh Lake. The authority is waiting for the decision from the Government to recognize Hoa Binh Lake as a national tourist area.

Corn noodles of Phu Yen

Corn noodles are made from corn and is very delicious and sweet-tasting if noodle makers use the corn from the Tuy An and Dong Xuan areas of the central province of Phu Yen.

For a long time, corn noodles were a traditional product of the Tuy An people. Over 90 percent of the population of Tuy An made corn noodles however in modern times young people have not followed family traditions. At present, only a few families remain making crn noodles in this area.

Visitors will have a chance to taste corn noodles during festivals or Lunar New Year. Corn noodle soup is quite different from other soups as the soup is cooked with Giang leaf and goby fish which is caught at the O Loan lagoon. If one doesn’t have the time to follow the traditional recipe, mixing fish sauce with chili then adding the mixed fish sauce to the broth and the corn noodles will make a satisfactory variation.

Those who travel to Phu Yen shouldn’t miss the opportunity to taste the corn noodle soup at the Chi Thanh market in the An Dan commune.

US$100mil tourism complex to be built in Thua Thien-Hue
The Thua Thien-Hue Province administration has approved development of a giant tourism complex on Con Son Island that will have residential and amusement facilities.
To be built by the Vietnam Construction and Technology Development Joint Stock Company, the complex will have an urban zone, resort, five-star hotel, theater, exhibition and convention center, tennis courts, luxury villas, and water sport and aquatic entertainment facilities on a 200-hectare area in Thuan An town.
To cost VND1.6 trillion (nearly US$100 million), it will be developed in three stages from 2009 to 2015.
AirAsia launches 1 million free seats
AirAsia - the largest and leading low-cost carrier in Asia- will be giving away 1 million free seats for all its domestic and international destinations from all of its seven hubs primarily in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor), Thailand (Bangkok) and Indonesia (Jakarta and Bali).
This free seat campaign includes over 105 routes in Asean, and China network including AirAsia X’s long haul destinations. Some of the hottest international destinations included in this campaign and which only AirAsia flies directly from Kuala Lumpur are Makassar, Manado, Solo, Krabi, Chiang Mai, the newly launched Guilin, Shenzhen, Haikou, Bandung and Vientiane.
Other destinations include Bali, Jakarta, Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, Macau, Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong and many others. And to make the deal sweeter, AirAsia’s new destinations like Perth and Melbourne (Australia) serviced by AirAsia X are also included in this free seat campaign.
The free seats are available for the following booking period from 26 – 31 August 2008 and travel period from 1 April to 31 July 2009
This 6 days offer is available exclusively online at www.airasia.com
Quang Ninh greets over 3.5 million tourists in first 8 months
Quang Ninh Province’s Culture, Sport and Tourism Department said that the province had attracted an additional 1.7 million tourists over the past eight months, contributing to increasing the number tourists visiting the province to 3.5 million for the period.
In August, Quang Ninh welcomed nearly 360,000 tourists. Total turnover from tourism reached an estimated nearly VND 1.7 trillion in the first eight months this year. Mr. Le Toan, the Director of the Quang Ninh Provincial Culture, Sport and Tourism Department said this is the largest-ever number in economic terms.
In spite of having only been in operation for a short time, the establishment of Quang Ninh Province’s Culture, Sport and Tourism Department has helped the province’s culture and sport sectors connect to tourism activities, and the province’s tourism is expected to continue to prosper in the future.
Movenpick Hotels & Resorts begins operations in Vietnam
Movenpick Hotels & Resorts’ first foray into Asia’s hottest hotel development market centres on the country’s very first upscale property.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, a Swiss hotel chain with more than 90 hotels existing or under construction worldwide, made Ho Chi Minh City’s five-star accommodation scene this month by assuming management of the Omni Hotel Saigon, which opened in 1994 as the city’s inaugural international-standard hotel.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts’ arrival in Ho Chi Minh City is the first in a series of steps the group plans for a country that welcomed more than four million visitors in 2007—a 16 percent increase over the previous year. A similar overhaul-and-operate strategy has been scheduled for the former Guoman Hotel in Hanoi starting in January, as well as the development and handling of up to three more hotels in Vietnam by 2010.
Movenpick Hotels & Resorts was founded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1973 and moved into Germany in 1980. In 2003, it was recognised as the “fastest growing hotel chain in the Middle East” at the World Travel Market in London.
The business began its Asian expansion in 2006, when it signed a management agreement with a hotel in Bangalore, India, and assumed operations of a holiday resort in Phuket, Thailand. Movenpick Hotels & Resorts’ current plans for this region include adding three or more properties to its portfolio in Vietnam.
Vietnam-RoK charity golf tournament helps homeless people
A Vietnam-RoK charity golf tournament will be held in northern mountainous Phu Tho province to raise funds for homeless people, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Vietnam announced on August 30.
The tournament, the first of its kind in Vietnam , will take place at the Tam Dao Golf Course on September 2 and is expected to draw the participation of RoK Ambassador Im Hong Jae and businesses from the two countries.
The organising board said it hopes the event will help attract more attention and support from businesses for charitable activities. The board has so far raised over 10,000 USD in support for the local homeless.
The tournament is organised by the RoK’s Pang Rim Neotex Co. Ltd, a fibre material company operating in Phu Tho province.
(Source: SGGP, ND, CPV, VNA)