Tet
holidays abroad prove more popular this year

Tours at
travel agencies, including Saigontourist, Vietravel, Fiditour and TST Tourist,
for Tet (Lunar New Year) in HCM City have risen by 30 per cent compared to
non-peak periods, despite a 30 per cent hike in prices.

Fiditour
said travellers had booked both domestic and outbound tours at the company
earlier than the previous year, especially tours to long-haul destinations like
Turkey, Europe, Australia and the US.

TST
Tourists said more outbound tourists chose Japan, South Korea, Europe, the US
and India, explaining that local travellers had become familiar with nearby
destinations in neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia.

Lys
Travel said the price of tours to Thailand had risen by 30 per cent to 60 per
cent, from US$328 to $438.

Hoi An removes fees for national heroes, invalids, journalists

Hoi An
authorities have announced the exemption of the entrance fee to the town for
Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, journalists, war invalids and handicapped people, and
children and students under 16.

The
local authorities are offering a 50 per cent discount on entrance fee to
students and soldiers. They are also further considering reducing the entry fee
for diplomatic delegations, scholars and researchers.

In 1999,
the city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as a well-preserved
example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, with
buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences.

Travel club established to cater to tourists from Thailand

A club
of 30 travel companies, mostly in central Viet Nam, has been established in Da
Nang to promote better cooperation for Thai tourists.

The club
aims to strengthen cooperation to improve services, prevent price undercutting,
and boost tourism promotion, targeting Thai visitors who often travel to Viet
Nam via border gates in central region, such as Cau Treo, Cha Lo and Lao Bao.

According to the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, an increasing
number of Thais have been travelling overland to central Viet Nam in recent
years, including some 100,000 expected to enter the country via the central
region this year.

International Food Festival organised in HCM City

The
International Food Festival 2010, an annual event organised by the HCM City
Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, began last Saturday at the September
23 Park in HCM City, introducing the culture and cuisines of 24 countries.

In
addition to traditional cooking, the participants displayed traditional costumes,
dances, songs and games of their countries. The event ends on January 2.

Vung Tau to host buffet tour in Chi Linh Tourist Park

A food
and tourism festival called Buffet Tour – Viet Nam’s Flavour will take place in
Chi Linh Tourist Park in the southern coastal city of Vung Tau from today to
Sunday.

The
event, which aims to promote Viet Nam’s culture, food and tourism to local and
foreign tourists, will be expanded to Da Nang, Quang Ninh, and Ha Noi, even
foreign destinations in the future.

Buffet
specialties from the country’s three regions will be prepared by famous local
cooks including Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van and Dinh Ba Chau. The event is being
organised by Am Thuc (Gastronomy) magazine and Country Eye Group.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News