Flying boats fill the sky in Nha Trang; Three-star hotel opens on Con Dao Island; Viet Nam cuisine promoted in Jakarta; Summer tour of Sa Pa on offer; Fair boosts Binh Thuan tourism

Mai Linh Corp, the investor of the flying boat team, has employed Italian and French pilots for the service. Travellers can also pilot the boats due to safe engines and easy-to-use steering systems after a training course of 21 flying hours. They will be equipped with helmets and wireless headphones to receive directions from ground control.

Three-star hotel opens on Con Dao Island

Con Dao Island, also known by Western sailors as Poulo Condore, has opened its first three-star hotel as part of the Sai Gon-Con Dao Resort. The 82-guest room hotel is adjacent to 1930s villas that have a total of 30 rooms.

Nguyen Huu Tho, general director of Saigontourist Holdings Company, the owner of the property project, saw the islands as an attractive destination for tourism development. Con Dao, 180km off Vung Tau city, which comprises 16 islands, is known for its historical sites related to the wars against the French and the US.

Viet Nam cuisine promoted in Jakarta

Some 400 guests, including diplomats and businesspeople, attended the opening day of the Vietnamese Cuisine Week which was recently held at the Grand Melia Hotel in Jakarta. Internationally known chef Bobby Chin, who is based in Ha Noi, also attended the event. The Melia Jakarta invited three chefs from Melia Ha Noi to prepare specialties for the Cuisine Week. Le Quang Cong, Vietnamese counsellor to Indonesia, said the week provided a good opportunity to promote Vietnamese dishes in this ASEAN country.

Summer tour of Sa Pa on offer

HCM City-based Hasatour has launched a series of tours for the summer including the HCM City-Ha Noi-Sa Pa-Cat Cat-Ham Rong Tour.

On the first day in Sa Pa, tourists will visit Cat Cat Village, 2km from Sa Pa and home to the ethnic Mong. On the second day the tour heads to Ham Rong mountain to visit a garden with hundreds of rare and beautiful orchids, and to Tam Mon Cave. A panaromic view can be seen from the top of the mountain. The final day is spent in Ha Noi.

Fair boosts Binh Thuan tourism

Binh Thuan Trade and Tourism Fair 2009 will be held in Phan Thiet City between June 17 and 23. The event will include 200 booths featuring a variety of products including agricultural and forestry goods, handicrafts, and fine arts. The provincial authority has a also revealed a plan to upgrade tourist attractions in Phan Thiet, including Duc Thanh School where President Ho Chi Minh used to be a young teacher, Ho Chi Minh Museum, Van Thuy Tu Temple, the Cham Tower Complex Posainu, and Suoi Tien Tourist Park and sand dunes.

The Nam Hai introduces yoga retreats

The Nam Hai Resort and Spa in Quang Nam province has launched the first of its series of holistic retreats from July 3 to 6. Classes over the three-night weekend are led by New Zealander Nicky Poole, who leads the popular Breathing Room Yoga studio in HCM City.

Poole said the challenging, transformative style of yoga is simple to learn, with students allowed to flow through movements at their own pace. It connects students to their prana (life force energy) by leading with breathing and allowing movements to unfold naturally.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News