Nha
Trang makes Spratly Islands focus of fifth annual Sea Festival

The fifth annual Sea
Festival to be celebrated in Nha Trang city on June 11-15 will be centred on the
Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago this year.

Authorities in Khanh
Hoa Province, where Nha Trang is, said the festival will feature a photo
exhibition of the islands, a music show, a film screening, and a conference on
Truong Sa Island District. Artists from France, South Korea, China, Cuba, and
Russia will perform at the event which is aimed at promoting the province’s
traditional cultural values and tourism.

The festival will also
include a celebration of bird’s nests, a beauty pageant, and a Vietnamese goods
fair on Nha Trang, Doc Let, and Bai Dai beaches.

Epikurean all
set to open luxury resort in Nha Trang

The Singapore-based
hotel management company Epikurian Villas Hotels&Hideouts will open a new luxury
hotel in Nha Trang on April 2.

An Lam – Ninh Van Bay
Villas Resort, built on 20ha in Ninh Van Bay, will open 18 of its proposed 35
villas in the first phase. Rooms start at US$400 per night but are offered at
$350 until August.

Last December
Epikurean announced it is taking over the Bai Tram Hideout Resort in the central
province of Phu Yen, which spreads over some 90 ha and has seven luxury
private-pool villas.

Ha Long Life
Heritage resort launches luxury boat tours

Life Heritage Resort
Ha Long Bay has launched four private luxury boats in Ha Long Bay that are
decorated with the history and culture of the bay. They are built and operated
to Certified Marine Standards and equipped with modern maritime safety features
and equipment.

Each boat has a 32sq.m
cabin with an upper deck, a dining terrace, and sundeck. All of them have
kayaks, swimming ladders, diving and angling equipment. Customers can design
their own itinerary of the bay and its limestone caves, islets, and secluded
beaches.

Six hour cruises cost
US$220 for two, including a set lunch, and for additional persons up to a
maximum of four, $65 each.

HCM City misses
out on large cruise ships as port proves unsuitable

Tour operators serving
cruise ships have reported a sharp increase in the arrival of cruise tourists
but say the lack of ports to accommodate such vessels is hindering the
development of this segment.

Phan Xuan Anh,
chairman of Viet Excursions, said in the first quarter his company served many
cruise ships including the QE II, Queen Mary II, Arcadia, and Artemis, with each
carrying 1,500 to 2,000 passengers.

But large vessels like
the Queen Mary II cannot dock at Sai Gon Port because of the low clearance of
Phu My Bridge and have to dock in Ba Ria-Vung Tau instead, he said.

Doan Thi Thanh Tra,
marketing manager of Saigontrourist Travel Service Co, said the company had
expected to serve nearly 20,000 cruise tourists in the first quarter, but some
large ships decided to go to Da Nang instead because they cannot drop anchor in
HCM City.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News