Summer schedule approved for airlines; Frenchman to tour Viet Nam by horse; HCM City hosts ASEAN TV extravaganza; New resort planned for Phan Thiet; More domestic tourists go local

Vietnam Airlines will operate a total of 36 international routes to 14 countries.

Most of the carriers fly to the country’s largest international airports, Noi Bai in Ha Noi and Tan Son Nhat in HCM City.

CAAV said the two latest carriers to operate flights to Tan Son Nhat are the US-based Northwest Airlines and Australia’s Qantas Freight who will begin to fly daily in June.

Vietnam Airlines will operate a total of 36 international routes to 14 countries, while low-cost Jetstar Pacific will fly on eight domestic routes and increase the frequency of flights on the HCM City-Ha Noi route.

Frenchman to tour Viet Nam by horse

Thierry Posty, a French traveller who has toured more than 100 countries on horseback, is in Ha Noi to prepare for a cross-country trip.

The 51-year-old psychologist, who alternates between his job and riding to other countries, said this was his first time in Viet Nam and hoped to better understand the nation after his journey.

Posty began travelling around France at the age of 18 and claims to have ridden more than 65,400km on horseback in over 33 years of globetrotting.

He said he loves nature and wants to make friends with people. “I want to explore the world in my own way,” he said.

On his journeys, he takes mainly cooking and medicine. He rides 40km a day and uses maps instead of the global positioning system.

After Viet Nam, he plans to travel around Laos, Cambodia, and China.

HCM City hosts ASEAN TV extravaganza

ASEAN Television Charm 2009, a cultural exchange show by Ho Chi Minh City Television in collaboration with China’s Guangxi Television, kicked off on Tuesday and will end today.

Participants have come from Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Each country has sent two beautiful and talented women involved with art or television to showcase its unique cultural features. Linh Nga of Bong Sen Music and Dance Troupe and HTV editor Hong Phuong are the Vietnamese representatives.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, they visited tourist sites in HCM City, including the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Cu Chi Tunnels.

New resort planned for Phan Thiet

The provincial authority of Binh Thuan has licensed Van Phuc Thinh Company to build the Tan Dai Duong (New Ocean) eco-tourist resort in Ho Minh commune in Phan Thiet city.

The 15ha resort, to cost VND57 billion (US$3 million), will develop the eco-tourism potential of the northern part of Phan Thiet. Its construction is scheduled to take two years.

More domestic tourists go local

Many wealthy vacationers are choosing to holiday at luxury resorts in the country instead of going abroad. Such bookings now account for 20 per cent of the business of some travel firms, according to deputy director of Hanoitourist, Tran Thanh Cong. He said these are mostly high-income earners who have lost interest in travelling to Southeast Asia, Western Europe, China, the US, or South Korea.

He said travellers prefer short trips for a few days. Resorts along the central coast between Quang Binh and Phan Thiet and Phu Quoc Island are favoured by travellers who like bathing in the sea and sightseeing at the same time.

At Vietnamtourist in Ha Noi, the number of domestic vacationers going to upscale resorts accounted for 10-15 per cent of the clients. A manager at Vietnamtourist said the phenomenon peaked in 2008 when such clients accounted for 40 per cent.

In Summer, Vietnamese vacationers make up 50-60 per cent of all guests at the Golden Sands Resort & Spa near Hoi An.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News