Vietnam joins int’l tourism fair in Britain

Vietnam’s 21 travel and tourism companies are attending the World Travel Market 2009 (WTM) fair that opened in London, the UK on November 9.
Nguyen Thanh Vuong, deputy director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT)’s travel market department said that Vietnam’s participation in the four-day event aims to promote the country’s image to potential markets, seek new partners and contracts and introduce Vietnam’s preferential policies on investment in the tourism sector.

The WTM 2009 is expected to attract 50,000 visitors and companies from about 200 countries and regions worldwide.


Source:vovnewse.vn

With love from Vietnam

Kirk and Nancy Johnson of Minot are filled with gratitude every time they hug their 5-year-old son. They consider Micah to be a gift from Vietnam, grafted into their family nearly two years ago.

"People always say he's so lucky. We say no we are so lucky," Nancy Johnson said. "He's a lot of fun. We are very grateful we have him."

Adopting Micah from Vietnam has brought an international flavor to their home. The Johnsons are part of a growing movement in international adoptions to maintain a connection with the culture of the child's birth.

"That's who he is. That's part of his identity. He's a Vietnamese-American," Nancy Johnson said.

The Johnsons received the 2009 Multicultural Award from the North Dakota Department of Human Services and licensed child placement agencies for their efforts to nurture the cultural heritage of their son. When they received confirmation they were matched with their son, they studied the culture of Vietnam and learned enough of the language to have basic communication with him when they traveled to Vietnam to meet him in January 2007. While there, they took their son on a tour of his birth country. Upon returning, they have connected with others in the community from Vietnam.

Because Minot doesn't have the diversity of a metropolitan area, the Johnsons have had to be willing to stretch themselves to provide Micah with a connection to his roots.

The Johnsons brought items back from Vietnam that enable them to give Micah a gift from his home country on his birthdays. They also preserve the culture through books and the food. Micah's middle name, Lee, is part of his birth name.

When they moved into their current house and hung photos from their three weeks in Vietnam, their son was so excited, Nancy Johnson recalled. He enjoys watching the video and looking through the photo album of their time in Vietnam, too.

The Johnsons strive to maintain Micah's training in aspects of the Vietnamese culture that they admire, such as a strong sense of community and respect for elders. Elders are important in the Johnson home, where Nancy operates an adult foster care. Kirk Johnson is an environmental scientist.

The Johnsons want to expose Micah to broader cultural diversity through travel. They visited Ireland last summer. They are planning a trip to Kansas City to attend a conference that attracts people from a variety of cultures, including Asian.

The Johnsons might not be able to preserve Micah's native language, although they acquired instructional tapes in basic Vietnamese. The language, based on tones as well as word sounds, is difficult. The couple hasn't been able to speak it well enough to converse with Micah, who has come to understand English well but still is learning to speak it.

Nancy Johnson said their desire to honor the Vietnamese culture comes from the international perspective they gained in travels earlier in their lives. Both natives of Glenburn, Kirk and Nancy met in Bulgaria.

Nancy Johnson said a trip to Guatemala in 1991 was her first exposure to an orphanage. Seeing the babies starving for adequate attention moved her.

"It just broke my heart," she said. "I said, 'God, if I ever have a chance to adopt a child, let me.' It left a lasting impression."

She later spent time in Albania, Bulgaria and Egypt. Kirk Johnson was living in Turkey and traveled throughout that region, including assisting with a project in Bulgaria that Nancy was involved in.

"You see kids, when you live overseas, living in the streets and begging," Nancy Johnson said. "They don't get to go to school if their family doesn't have money to pay for their education. Seeing extreme poverty really affects you."

Living in Turkey after their marriage, the Johnsons began contemplating adoption there. When plans fell through, they started looking at adoptions from other countries. They also were open to adopting an older child, knowing that the chance of adoption is slim for those kids.

Working with the Holt International Adoption Agency and Catholic Charities, the Johnsons, then living in Minot, came across Micah's photo among the children seeking adoption. Nancy was immediately smitten with the cute little boy, and Kirk also felt a connection. Kirk had become familiar with the customs of the Vietnamese people in Chicago while attending seminary there.

It took about 1 1/2 years before they could travel to Vietnam to meet Micah, although they were able to send letters and photos for a year prior to the trip.

Nancy Johnson said the adoption process demands patience because of all the paperwork and formalities necessary to ensure that adoptions are properly conducted and result in a good match. One of the reasons they chose to work with Holt was because of the agency's reputation, she said. They knew the money that they were spending on the process was going to care for children awaiting adoption and for social workers and other professionals who are knowledgeable in guiding families through foreign adoptions.

In Micah's case, he had left an orphanage to spend more than two years with a foster family in Vietnam. Having lived in a family environment, he bonded quickly with the Johnsons.

"He just came bouncing around with his big smile," Nancy Johnson said. "I remember thinking he's as adorable as that first picture I saw."

Kirk Johnson cited figures from this country and the United Nations that estimate the number of orphans worldwide at between 44 million and 210 million. That's a wide discrepancy, but even the lower number points to a crisis of national and ethnic warfare, government corruption, disease, drought and famine, he said.

"People who have never considered international adoption as an option should seriously consider pursuing adopting an international child," he said. "This cannot only provide a secure home for a child without hope and a future but provide the adoptive parent or parents with blessings and rewards beyond one's imagination. Do not let prospect of finances, language barriers or other issues keep you from this journey of rewarding challenges."

Source:minotdailynews.com

The Travel Bug by John Soltes THIS WEEK: Vietnam

Vietnam, with its verdant countryside and bustling cities, has a lot to offer adventurous travelers and those wanting to put a face on the Vietnam War.

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is a metropolis that moves like the rapids in a river. Motorbikes putt-putt-putter down the avenues. Artisans sell their wares from street-side stalls. Teenagers line up to get their nightly dose of pho noodles and dancing at the local discotheque. Devotees walk to their churches, their pagodas and their shrines to light candles and incense for someone who came before.

It’s a city that seems endless. But there is an end to the throngs of humanity — a semi-quieter place where a few lessons can be learned.

On the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City is a network of underground tunnels that was used by the Viet Cong during the war, particularly during the Tet Offensive.

Four decades ago, the tunnels were a harried place of strategizing for guerilla fighters.

Today, Coca-Cola is available in the gift shop.

A visit to the Cu Chi tunnels is chiseled into most tourists’ itineraries. Located roughly a one-hour drive (depending on traffic) outside of Ho Chi Minh City’s center, the underground ravines should be visited as a means to engage with the history of the tumultuous war. It is sacred ground that cost many a soldier’s life — and it should be visited with a respect for the casualties of conflict.

As tour buses pull up to the complex, the first stop is a meeting hall where cool drinks are served as plentiful as the propaganda. Before entering the tour, visitors sit through a video presentation that pushes the Viet Cong’s righteousness and the strategic mastery of the tunnel system.

You’ll probably get more satisfaction out of the cool drink.

Next is the actual tour of the tunnels, which stretch for miles or kilometers, depending on who’s talking.

In this particular area — in between Saigon and the border of Cambodia — where the tour buses corral like vultures, there are several holes that have been maintained for passersby to take a look and even take a descent.

Most groups visit the tunnels with an official tour guide, which can be booked back in Saigon.

Along the tour, you’ll have the chance to see grisly contraptions of torture, the place where the Viet Cong and their families ate and slept and a few demonstrations of what life was like in the tunnels (from eating fresh tapioca to an artillery range where visitors can pay money to shoot firearms such as an AK-47).

A group of tourists in front of me were clamoring at the chance to shoot a gun. I kept walking, slightly disgusted, to where visitors can crawl through one section of the tunnel (widened, rumor says, to accommodate larger Western tourists). The experience of crawling through the tunnel starts off easy enough — it’s kind of like ducking under a blanket to play in the dark.

But when you realize how far the tunnel goes, that the walls and ceiling are made of unsteady dirt and that the light from which you entered quickly becomes a pinhole, fear does sidle up next to you.

When you emerge, sweaty and panting, you’ll be thankful for the light in the sky.

Anyone who visits a sight like this probably has a curiosity for war stories and what exactly happened in this country in Southeast Asia. Visiting the Cu Chi tunnels may not provide any answers, but it may set you in the right direction.

It’s a preserved testament to days of sorrow. And for that, it can boast an importance beyond the ubiquitous gift shop selling war propaganda.


Source:leadernewspapers.net

Travel to Vietnam at the library

On Sunday Nov. 22, 2009 join the Friends of the Library, Dorothy E. Henry Branch on a journey to Vietnam. Our travel guide will be Lyne Ciccarelli, who will share her slides and experiences. Cicarelli is a long time resident of Vernon and worked for over 36 years in the secondary schools of New Jersey as a Communications and English teacher. Since retiring, she has traveled with an outdoor/adventure group through Alaska, Peru, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Tanzania and most recently Vietnam. The program will be held in the Community Room of the Library, Route 94, Vernon at 3 p.m. Admission is free with a reception to follow. It is suitable for interested children, teens, and adults. For more information, contact Lynne LaCarrubba at 973-875-6675.


Source:northjersey.com

Ties with Vietnam growing

TIES between Singapore and Vietnam have grown even during the recession, President S R Nathan said on Monday, and look set to deepen as the economic gloom lifts.

At least five senior leaders from both sides have exchanged visits in the past year, one of which concluded with the signing of a defence cooperation pact in September, Mr Nathan said at a state banquet he hosted for visiting Vietnam President Nguyen Minh Triet. Trade ties remained robust.

'Our strong political ties are complemented by equally strong economic ties that continue to deepen even amidst the global financial crisis,' Mr Nathan said.

The state visit is a culmination of a year of high-level bilateral exchanges and serves to further cement already strong bilateral ties, he said.

Mr Nathan announced that in January, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will travel to Vietnam, where he will launch the fourth phase of the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Haiphong, the third-largest province there.

The VSIP is a flagship cooperation project launched in 1996, and now stands on about 5,000ha of land in three provinces in north and south Vietnam. Total foreign investments are valued at over US$2.4 billion (S$3.3 billion).

Source:straitstimes.com

Sheraton Hanoi honoured as Vietnam’s Leading Business Hotel

Sheraton Hanoi has been honoured as Vietnam’s Leading Business Hotel at an annual awards ceremony held by the World Travel Awards in London, UK.
This is the third consecutive year Sheraton Hanoi has been awarded. This year’s vote was the largest ever organised in the 16-year history of the World Travel Awards.

Over 17,000 experts took part in the vote to honour the most excellent services in Asia’s tourism industry. The vote was based on criteria such as training programmes for staff, process of operation and customer satisfaction


Source:vovnews.vn

Wake up to the real Vietnam

Rise and shine, draw back the curtains and see ‘Vietnam Revealed’ - leading Asia specialist, Travel Indochina’s 18-day journey, which gives you the chance to really explore the country’s diverse landscapes, people and cuisine.

Each day is filled with a variety of activities and excursions, but mornings are a particular highlight.

As you wake up to sunrise over a sleepy fishing village, far off the beaten path, you’ll know you’ve discovered the real Vietnam. Bookings made before 24th December 2009, for travel by 19th June 2010, will receive £100 off per person!

Unique morning experiences are included throughout this fascinating itinerary, which stretches the length of the country: from waking up on a traditional junk boat in Halong Bay surrounded by the limestone islands of this World Heritage-listed wonder; to joining a family-run fishing adventure in Hoi An; or waking up on the Reunification Express train between Hanoi and Hue.

Considered Vietnam’s greatest natural wonder, Halong Bay boasts over 3,000 islands that rise out of the turquoise waters to provide a spectacular natural backdrop. Aboard a traditional junk boat, you’ll visit some of the impressive islets that make this area so unique and then drift off to sleep before awakening again within the heart of this stunning, scenic seascape - the perfect start to anyone’s day!

The experiences continue onboard one of the world’s most fascinating train journeys, the Reunification Express, travelling between Hanoi and Hue. A completely authentic encounter, on this overnight sleeper train, offers yet another morning to remember, as you open your eyes to a new dawn and prepare to disembark into the beautiful city of Hue, which provides a unique window into Vietnam and its complex past.

Morning is far from broken as you wake to get a taste of life as a local fisherman in Hoi An. On a private boat, cruise through ‘Water Coconut Palm Canal’, try your hand at local fishing techniques and navigate a basket boat through the narrow waterways, all before lunch – a sumptuous seafood spread onboard the boat.

Prices for the “Vietnam Revealed” itinerary start from only £1,385 per person and include accommodation, internal flights and road transport, sightseeing, Western tour leader and local English-speaking guides. Book before 24th December 2009, for travel by 19th June 2010, and get £100 off, per person!

Travel Indochina’s emphasis is on taking travellers to see and experience the ‘real’ Asia and, as such, its itineraries stand out from the crowd. With the combination of a western tour leader as well as a local guide, small groups, good standard accommodation, thoughtfully constructed itineraries and fantastic price reductions for 2010, there has never been a better time to book a Travel Indochina Small Group Journey. The new 2010-11 Small Group Journeys brochure is available now and also covers journeys in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, China & Tibet, India and Japan.

Source:easier.com

A Honeymoon To Remember With Aurora Travel Vietnam

19.11.2009 08:18:07 Start your years to come of living together and celebrate a relationship that is yet to shape with Vietnam-based Aurora Travel's Ultimate Honeymoon tour package.

(live-PR.com) - The essence of every restaurateur, hotelier, resort owner or tour operator is a passion for turning each special event into an unforgettable celebration. Whether it's a wedding, birthday, honeymoon, family reunion or even a corporate event, Aurora Travel’s ‘been there, done that’ destination experts exert all their ideas and gifts to help you celebrate your big daspecial day is truly unique.

Last week, this Vietnam-based highly recommended Travel Company proudly announced the kick-off their 7th year of business success by luring the newlyweds to paradise with their ‘Ultimate Honeymoon’ special program, which is carefully tailored so that you can indulge your senses and celebrate your beloved while every single detail is well taken care of allowing you to concentrate on what’s important to you.

‘Sharing memorable moments and special occasions with our guests is what motivates us most at Aurora Travel. We’re delighted, despite the currently unfavorable economic context, the special program will enable couples who celebrate the start of many memorable years together with us to experience the honeymoon they’ve always imagined.’, said Mrs. Hoai Van, Aurora Travel’s Sales Manager, at a Press Brief recently held in Hanoi.

The special package, which ideally includes 13 everlastingly romantic nights, covers the country’s most wonderful destinations, from the breath taking view of the Legendary Bay of Halong and pristine secluded beach in Phu Quoc to the elegant architecture of Hanoi, Hoi An and Hue. Furthermore, it’s also a perfect collection of very best distinctive hotels of Intercontinental Westlake Hanoi, Sheraton Saigon, Le Veranda Phu Quoc, Victoria Hoi An Beach and Resort and La Residence Hue which have all been considered to be unparalleled venues for honeymooners.

So, sit back, relax and let Aurora Travel Vietnam honorably create unforgettable memories to last your lifetime.

Detailed itinerary and contact details are available at

www.vietnamstay.com/tour/ultimatehoneymoon.htm

Sorce:live-pr.com

SIA hosts Travel Agents on a visit to Vietnam

Singapore Airlines Colombo recently hosted their 10 Top Travel Agents to a Business cum Familiarization trip to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) in Vietnam. In a bid to create a new and exciting destination to the Sri Lankan traveler, the agents were taken to view first-hand what Ho Chi Minh City had to offer. The business part of the trip was a trade interaction session with Inbound Tour Operators in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Agents signed up as buyers for the two-day 5th International Travel Expo (ITE) that was held at the Phu Tho Exhibition Center. The first day saw the agent’s registering for the ITE and making appointments with sellers. In the afternoon, a briefing session followed with many Vietnamese sellers and members of the Vietnam Tourism Authorities making presentations and highlighting the beauty and attractions of the country.

It was emphasized the not only was it easy to sell Vietnam but buyers were asked to look into the possibility of selling “Three Countries – One Destination” i.e. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Later that evening a grand gala welcome dinner for the Buyers and participants, hosted by the Tourism Authority of Vietnam, was held.

The following day, the ITE was ceremoniously declared opened to the trade at the Indoor stadium which had many colourful booths from many countries (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, India, Thailand, Malaysia and even the “Singapore Flyer” was represented) and the agents spent the rest of the day meeting with the sellers and getting an insight into what they could offer the visitors. Furthermore the Agents were pleasantly surprised to receive at the ITE, a copy of the ‘DULICH’, a Vietnamese Tourism Trade Magazine with a large group photo of the entire Sri Lanka contingent arriving at Saigon Airport. The meetings continued into the following day as well. After a farewell lunch, the Familiarization part of the tour began.

The Agents were taken on a half-day city tour to the now-unused Reunification Palace (the place where the American war in Vietnam officially ended), a factory that specializes in making paintings and very delicate laquerware from mother-of-pearl shells and powdered egg shells and a visit to the first museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, a traditional medical house.

A day of leisure followed where the agents indulged in hunting for souvenirs in the local market and the following day they set off very early for a 2-day “Mekong Delta” tour which took the form of a two and a half hour drive to MyTho city (pronounced “mee tho”).

At MyTho, the Agents were taken on a motorized boat ride to villages located along the Mekong River to observe the villagers going about their daily work, visiting a coconut sweet factory, listened to traditional Vietnamese music while sipping honey tea and munched on the wide variety of fresh tropical fruit available in the locality and finally paddled in a canoe through the mangroves to reach the location where the finals of the next Miss World 2010 Contest was to be held.

The hotel is still under construction and is planned to open in August 2010 in time for the pageant in October. After a typically Vietnamese lunch, the journey resumed with a bus journey to the city of Can Tho (pronounced “can thur”) and after crossing the Mekong River yet again by ferry, the Agents arrived at the luxurious Ninh Kieu 2 hotel, their stopover for the night.

After a very early wakeup call the next day, the Agents left by boat again to visit the Cai Rang Floating Market to watch the trading activity going on among hoards of small boats dexterously weaving their way among the many larger boats in the water after which the Agents, very reluctantly, had to leave for the Airport to catch the flight home.

General Manager SIA Sri Lanka, Chia Chow Hwee said, “I hope that the first-hand insight into Vietnam and specifically Hi Chi Minh, gained by the participating agents, will help them to sell the destination better to their clients. Singapore Airlines with up to 25 flights a week to Vietnam covering Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi is well placed to support increased trade and tourism links between Sri Lanka and Vietnam.”

The agents agreed that they all enjoyed the tour and thanked SIA for organizing the Familiarization trip despite it being a very bad year for world tourism as the trip had opened many selling opportunities for them.

Source:dailymirror.lk

Vietnamese economy poses no threat to Thailand

The Vietnamese economy poses no immediate threat to Thailand, which has healthy investments in that country, says the Thai ambassador in Hanoi.

Pisanu Chanvitan says Thailand's economy is still far more advanced than Vietnam's.

However, the ambassador told Thai Rath newspaper, Vietnam has certain advantages including political stability, thanks to its one-party rule and cheap labour.

Last year, Vietnam's economy grew 3%.

Mr Pisanu said that medical advances in Vietnam lag far behind Thailand. For difficult cases, well-to-do patients still travel to Thailand for treatment because Vietnam's health care expertise is lacking.

Nor was Thailand's status as the world's top rice exporter under threat from Vietnam.

Mr Pisanu said Vietnam exported about 5 million tonnes of rice last year while Thailand exported 8-9 million tonnes.

Thai rice is more expensive because of its higher quality especially the world famous Hom Mali, while Vietnam exports cheaper varieties.

Vietnam can face typhoons several times a year, causing extensive damage to rice fields.

Vietnam's rice cultivation area is similar to Thailand's, but Vietnam has a growing population. As its population grows, Vietnam will probably export less rice.

Vietnam's rulers like to talk about their plans for the economy, but sometimes these projects can be many years off.

Vietnam said it would put in a high-speed train, similar to the bullet train in Japan, running from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

The news excited Thai readers but most did not realise that work on the railway won't start until 2036, or nearly 30 years into the future.

In 1990, Vietnam began to open the country to foreign direct investment, creating special industrial zones and expanding the economic zone in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thailand is ranked 9th among foreign investors in Vietnam. Investment is concentrated in agri-business, cement, real estate, and motorcycle parts.

Mr Pisanu said Thailand exported more than 10,000 tonnes of fruit to Vietnam last year, including longan, mangosteen, durian and mango.

Food processing including canned fish is another bright prospect for Thai exporters. Several Thai canneries have set up operations in Vietnam and are doing good business.

Engineer is a

'political victim'

Sivarak Chutipong, 31, the Thai engineer arrested in Cambodia on a spying charge, is being used as a pawn in the diplomatic dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, argues a Matichon newspaper writer.

Sivarak worked for Cambodia Air Traffic Services, a subsidiary of Thailand's Samart Telecom.

He was arrested last week on a spying charge, after he allegedly transmitted the flight schedule of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's premier Hun Sen to Thailand.

The newspaper argues the engineer was a victim of the conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia concerning Hun Sen's appointment of Thaksin as economic adviser.

If Sivarak is found guilty by a Cambodian court, he could be jailed for 7-10 years and/or fined 50,000-250,000 baht.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Thaksin's flight schedule was not secret information and Thailand already knew Thaksin's likely flight movements.

Suthep argued that Cambodian authorities may have misunderstood the intention of the government, which never intended to inflict any harm.

Yet the Matichon writer was not satisfied with explanations offered by the Thai Foreign Ministry and Samart Telecom in defence of Sivarak.

The government, the writer said, should protect Sivarak's honour and tell international observers that Cambodia's allegations are trumped up.

Miscellany

Cambodia has expelled all Thai staff from Cambodia Air Traffic Services after a Thai engineer on staff was charged with spying.

Phnom Penh has filed national security charges of stealing classified information against engineer Sivarak Chutipong.

Cambodia has now ordered all Thai nationals working for CATS to leave the company and prohibited them from re-entering until the legal proceedings against Mr Sivarak are completed, Samart Corporation Plc president Watchai Wilailuck said.

CATS, a fully owned subsidiary of Bangkok-based Samart, holds a concession to run air traffic control services in Cambodia.

The firm employs nine Thai officials at Cambodian airport, in management or senior engineering positions. About 200 other staff are Cambodians.

Mr Watchai was told Cambodian authorities would send their own people to run the company.

"We need to follow Cambodia's order and are asking the Thai government to negotiate with Cambodia.

'We have nothing to do with their diplomatic dispute, but it is affecting our business," Mr Watchai said.

Thailand and Cambodia are signatories to an investment protection agreement, to protect each other's private businesses.

Source:bangkokpost.com