Continue reading »]]> Are you fascinated about South East Asia and planning for a vacation out there? You must go and explore the incredible Asia. However, even if you are an absolutely healthy and fit person, you should buy travel insurance, before you head towards Asian countries especially Vietnam. Get the best travel insurance by comparing travel insurance quotes online . There is no alternative to insurance; in terms of handling unwanted medical emergencies during a vacation.

Vietnam is a preferred holiday destination

Vietnam is one of the most preferred locations to the travelers, who love to discover Asia. Vietnam is much popular amongst tourists across the world; for its natural beauty, tranquil beaches, stunning landscape, enriched culture, sumptuous cuisines, traditional music and rich literature. Vietnamese are very good people; they treat tourists as their guests. Since 90s, the country has become a major and prominent tourist destination. Tourism in Vietnam has improved a lot during this period. Government of Vietnam has been putting constant effort and making investments for the betterment of Vietnam tourism.

A visit to Vietnam is more likely to be safe and secure. Still you need to have travel insurance prior to you make your visit to Vietnam, because accidents can happen anytime. You will get travel insurance quotes online. Compare them well to choose the best one, which provides maximum coverage.

Importance of having travel insurance in Vietnam

Travel insurance is a must for countries like Vietnam. It is an emerging country with adequate medical facilities. It is expected that you will get required services for any medical emergency. However, your medical bill can go up to thousands of dollars. Therefore, purchase suitable travel insurance after comparing several insurance quotes online, and make an unruffled trip to Vietnam.

Places in Vietnam

Vietnam is the ideal holiday destination. From backpackers to veterans, from nature-lovers to beach-lovers, all tourists and travelers love to travel around Vietnam. The main places of attraction in Vietnam are the national parks. The country has more than 30 national parks. Besides, there are world heritage places, man and biosphere reserve zones, national tourist areas and lots more. Wherever you go in Vietnam, you must carry your travel insurance documents. Compare insurance quotes online and buy Vietnam travel insurance, and start your journey towards Vietnam.

Continue reading »]]> How do you rent an automobile when you arrive at your destination or before you arrive? To rent a car you would first contact one of the car rental agencies that Australia has to offer. The car will be available to rent online. The car rental agency will tell you all of the steps that you would need to do but make sure to have your credit or debit card handy to secure the car hire Brisbane has to offer. The car rental agency can set up an automobile and have it ready for you when you arrive in Brisbane. After arriving on the airplane, locate the car rental booth in the airport terminal.

If you have a car hire Brisbane has arranged, the car should be ready and waiting for you. When shopping for car rentals online, make sure that you tell them the specific dates that you will need the automobile. Go ahead and secure the car online with your credit card or debit information. Cars are easy to rent once you arrive in Australia, but make sure to ask for any deals they have going on. Sometimes it is cheaper to rent by the week than by the day. Car rental can be cheaper if you get an economy automobile as opposed to renting a luxury or larger auto. Depending on your needs, the car-renting agency should be able to assist you in your choices.

Car rental will be an interesting part of your travel. You can rent that automobile you always wanted. Like renting a sporty vehicle or renting that luxury car to sport around town in and impress others. Car rentals are available for business travelers as well as tourist to Australia. Renting the car will allow you to visit areas that you may have not visited due to the cost of cab services. When you rent your own automobile, you have the choices of when and where you want to travel. Car hire Brisbane will assist you with your next car rental in Australia. They will make sure that the car is serviced and ready to drive. The car rent agency also will gas up the car for you and all you need to do is return the auto in the form and perfection that you found it when you arrived in Brisbane.

Continue reading »]]> Saigontourist Travel Service Co provided on-shore services to around 2,000 passengers, mainly from Italy, Spain, and the UK, who arrived on board the five-star cruise ship Costa Classica at Ho Chi Minh City ‘s Navi Oil Port, on Jan. 2012.

After a sightseeing tour of the city, the tourists enjoyed a water puppetry show, went shopping at Ben Thanh Market, and visited the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong city of My Tho

During its 6-day tour of Vietnam, Costa Classica will also drop anchor in the central cities of Nha Trang on Jan. 14, Da Nang on the next day, and Ha Long Bay on Jan. 17.

Saigontourist provided these services to over 115,000 cruise tourists last year, a 10 percent year-on-year increase.

Continue reading »]]> Vietnam is a country of extremes where the people welcome visitors with enthusiasm. Bright colours, divine tastes, a dramatic coastline, and fascinating natural wonders are just the beginning. There are spectacular mountains, glowing verdant rice paddies and an intricate and mysterious coast on the South China Sea. Travel insurance is always recommended for any travel, but especially for adventure tourism.

A real escape from the bustle of Ho Chi Min City (HCMC), the Mekong Delta offers rustic accommodation in a beautiful tropical setting. It is peaceful and cool with lots of activities available for those who want. Cooking classes, a fabulous floating market, live performances of folk songs, biking around the islands and much more.

Also near HCMC are the Cu Chi Tunnels. They were used by the North Vietnamese guerrillas to hide during the Vietnam War. They were also used as supply and communication lines. They are 121 kilometres long and today a well preserved memorial park. Visitors can enter the safer areas.

Hue is the old imperial capital and still the capital of the intellectual and cultural heritage of Vietnam. Hue has hundreds of tombs, pagodas, temples and palaces of which some are now ruins. This complex of monuments in Hue is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been restored and preserved. Visitors also love this city for the food. It is famous for its cuisine and no one should leave Vietnam without tasting some of the flavourful dishes.

A completely different UNESCO World Heritage site is Halong Bay. It has many beautiful and mysterious caves where at least 20 are open for visitors to explore. The Do Go or Cave of the Sticks is the place where a Mongol invasion was stopped in 1288 with sticks in the water that were tipped with steel. These caves and some of the islands can be seen by tour boat in one day, but it is much better to stay overnight on Cat Ba Island and take more time to see the sights.

For visitors seeking a beach holiday destination, Mui Ne Beach is a good choice. It has a long white sand beach with many resorts. A favourite with the surfing crowd, there are many more water sports available. Kite-surfing, windsurfing and excellent swimming in the clean, clear water are a few of the activities, and the resorts offer many more. The climate is protected by the sand dunes, so when the rain comes to the rest of the country, Nui Ne Beach just gets bigger waves and remains sunny.

Continue reading »]]> Hue Festival 2012 will coincide with the National Tourism Year for the north central coastal region, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced at a press briefing in Hanoi on November 23.

The opening ceremony of Hue Festival will be held on April 7, 2012, showcasing distinctive music and dance programs, carnivals, religious rituals, traditional cuisine, and performances by famous artists from many countries around the world.

During the nine-day festival, various activities will take place, including the Imperial Night, Oriental Night, Nam Giao Offering Ritual, Ao dai Fashion Show, installation art displays, a Children’s Festival, Hue Poetry Festival, and culinary shows.

The event is considered an ideal opportunity to promote Vietnam tourism sector and introduce traditional Vietnamese culture to international visitors.

(Source: Saigontimes)

Continue reading »]]> HCM City has welcomed 1,100 foreign scientists, doctors, and academics who have come on a MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) trip for an ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies conference that runs from yesterday (Nov 17) to tomorrow (Nov 19).

The city-based Ben Thanh Tourist said the visitors are staying at luxury hotels like the Sheraton and Park Hyatt and will visit the Cu Chi guerrilla warfare tunnels and other attractions after wrapping up a workshop. This is the biggest MICE group Ben Thanh has served in 2011.

HCM City tour companies roll out festival promotions

Several travel agencies in HCM City have announced discounts for Christmas and New Year package tours.

Saigontourist Travel Service is offering a wide some 300 inbound and outbound tours, including Lunar New Year package tours for overseas Vietnamese, older people, and honeymooners. Saigontourist’s Christmas and New Year tours will take travelers to Paris, Rome, Zurich, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Viet Travel Media Corporation has announced a promotion programme with over 100 inbound and outbound tours.

Tourists who book tours to Da Lat, Ninh Chu,õ and Phu Quoc Island in November will get discounts of 40 to 45 per cent.

More traditional fork art shows to serve tourists

Mekong Artists JSC will organize folk music performances at the HCM City Opera House on the 15th and 23rd of each month for foreign tourists.

Hon Viet (Soul of Viet Nam) will feature various traditional arts such as cai luong (southern opera), hat xam (blind buskers’ songs), nha nhac (royal music), circus performances, and martial arts.

The programmes will start at 5pm, while tickets will cost VND100,000; 180,000; and 300,000. Vietnamese dishes will be served at the theater for audiences to taste.

There are other similar cultural shows being held in the city now – like Xin Chao (Hello), organized by Xin Chao Art Performance Co Ltd, and Duyen Viet (Vietnamese Charm), held by Van Tuan State and Cinema JSC.

(source: vietnamnet.vn)

Continue reading »]]> Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay has been named in a temporary list of the world’s 10 new wonders of nature by the New Open World Corporation, four days before the poll ends. By November 6, Ha Long Bay had more than 8 million voting messages.

The others in the top ten include: the Dead Sea in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan; the Grand Canyon in the US; the Great Barrier Reef off Australia and Papua New Guinea); Jeita Grotto cave in Lebanon; Jeju Island in South Korea; Komodo Island in Indonesia; Puerto Princesa Underground River in the Philippines; the Sunderbans in Bangladesh and India; and Vesuvius Mountain in Italy.

Eamonn Fitzgerald, who is in charge of the New Open World Corporation, said the list could change in the remaining days of the campaign before the final list was released November 11.

Tran Nhat Hoang, director of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Tourism Promotion Center, said that Ha Lang Bay has great hope to enter the list of seven wonders if Vietnamese continue sending messages to vote for the site.

The Tourism Promotion Center has mobilized 300 volunteers to join online forums to urge members to vote for Ha Long Bay.

To vote for Ha Long Bay, one has to go to the website http://www.new7wonders.com and follow instruction on the website or send a text message (“Halong”) to 147.

On September 27 New7Wonders Foundation chairman Bernard Weber announced that Ha Long was among the 28 finalist candidates for the new seven wonders of nature.

(Source: VNA)

Continue reading »]]> The Saigontourist Travel Service has coordinated with Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations to organize a festival to advertise HCM City tourism in New York.

Chairman of the HCM City municipal People’s Committee, Le Hoang Quan and head of the Permanent Mission to the UN, Le Hoai Trung, attended the November 4 event along with more than 200 invited guests from US travel agencies, overseas Vietnamese, and staff from Vietnamese representative offices in New York City attended the promotion.

Chairman Le Hoang Quan said HCM City considers promoting tourism as one of the major tasks to introduce Vietnam and its people, culture, and society to the world, as well as its historical sites, economic potential, and achievements to call for investment in its renewal process.

Every year, HCM City organizes promotional tourism events such as the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia tourism fair and an international tourism fair that attract nearly 140 domestic and foreign travel agencies.

The city received 2.9 million foreign visitors in October 2011 and it expects to welcome 3.4 million in 2012.

Visitors to the event had the opportunities to watch films introducing HCM City, its residents, tourist destinations and achievements and traditional Vietnamese food.

(Source: VOV)

Continue reading »]]> The HCMC Tourism Association has continued to petition Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the central bank to allow travel agencies to enjoy commercial term interest rates from deposits instead of the low rate for call deposits.

Nguyen Thi Khanh, vice chairwoman of the HCMC Tourism Association, said that the organization would continue to send the petition to relevant agencies until they get a convincing reply.

“We proposed this solution earlier this year and were told to wait but no feedback has come so far,” according to Khanh. She noted that such support was needed for tourism businesses given the current increasingly difficult economic conditions.

As per the Tourism Law, any firm applying for a business license in the international travel segment is required to deposit a sum of VND250 million at a bank. This amount will be used as an indemnity for customers in necessary cases.

Upon the confirmation of a deposit from the bank, VNAT will grant the travel agency with the license.

A source from VNAT told the Daily that total deposits by nationwide travel agencies had risen to around VND200 billion as of earlier this year.

VNAT has suggested using profits from deposits on travel promotion activities but encountered objections from companies. These firms said that the right to decide on how to use profits belongs to them.

With non-term rates like now, each of such enterprises will annually lose dozens of millions of Vietnam dong as interest sums from deposits. The money is a lot for the companies, as most of them are small and medium-sized enterprises.

SGT

Continue reading »]]> The Vietnam – China International Trade Fair 2011 will take place from November 11-16 in Lao Cai province, The Northern border province of Vietnam.

The six-day fair themed “Cooperation – friendship for integration and development” expects to attract 300 enterprises showcasing goods at 700 pavilions , including 250 pavilions of Chinese businesses, according to Lao Cai center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion.

Displays will include agricultural products, seafood, automobiles, machinery and equipment, electronics, clothing, footwear, furniture and handicrafts.

There will also be a signing of economic contract and a seminar on promoting trade and investment held as an aside to the fair.

The fair will offer provinces in the North-West advantageous opportunities to introduce projects seeking investment capital from Vietnamese – Chinese investors. This event will also enhance co-operation and foster economic development for provinces in the “Kunming – Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong” economic corridor.

The first Vietnam – China International Border Trade Fair was organized in 2001 in Lao Cai (Vietnam) and has been hosted alternately by Lao Cai (Viet Nam) and He Kou (China) every year since then.

(Source: CPV)