Ambitious “HCM City – 100 interesting things”

To promote “HCM City – 100 interesting things” programme as a regional event and to attract foreign visitors to the city, the local tourism sector has called for the cooperation of tourism service providers and tourists.

The programme’s organizing board, which includes officials from the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Tourism Association and the Vinam Media Company, recently told the media that the programme will be kicked off in late August and last until the end of December.

Based on the opinions of domestic and foreign tourists, the organizing board will choose 100 interesting things about HCM City and advertise them on the media. Specifically, the board will select the top ten impressive hotels, the top ten Vietnamese restaurants, the top ten carriers, the top ten Vietnamese cuisines, the top ten Vietnamese specialties, the top ten destinations, the top ten shopping sites, the top ten tours, the top ten entertainment sites and the top ten outstanding events.

La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that it will be difficult for the city to obtain its goals this year, due to many objective reasons, for instance the global economic crisis and A/H1N1 outbreak.

“HCM City – 100 interesting things” is considered an experimental “game” but the city is ambitious to turn it into a professional and international campaign.

The total funding for this programme is 2.7 billion dong (US$150,000), extracted from the fund for tourism promotion and HCM City’s budget.

Up to two thirds of the total funding will pay for advertising activities. The programme will be advertised at 40 big TV screens placed in the Tan Son Nhat International Airport and tourist destinations in HCM City, on posters, pamphlets, websites, books, DVDs and especially USB-sticks.

Khanh said around 2000 USB-sticks of four gigabyte containing information about HCM City and HCM City tourism will be sent to 1000 foreign travel agencies around the world.

A number of USB-sticks will be presented to 150 foreign travel agents participating in the International Tourism Exhibition of 2009 in HCM City this September.

The HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a contract with Vietnam Airlines so that the Airline will advertise HCM City tourism on its international flights.

Madam Ton Nu Thi Ninh, former Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and an advisor to the “HCM City – 100 interesting things”-campaign, said that this event is a break-through but the organizing board should always think forward and update some of the interesting things when they are no longer suitable.

Ninh also urged HCM City to campaign its people to build a good tourism environment. “Foreign tourists travel to HCM City to enjoy the sights, but they will leave the city if the tourism environment is poor,” Ninh said.

Source Tien Phong/ Vietnamnet

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Tourism property association debuts

The Viet Nam Tourism Property Association is expected to begin operating on Friday in HCM City.

The association represents businesspeople and experts in fields relating to the tourism real estate sector.

It will promote investments and co-operation in the sector, as well as contribute to perfecting the legal environment, according to Phan Huu Thang, one of the association's founders, and head of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Initially, it will focus on identifying difficulties faced by businesses and seek solutions.

Assessment of the current market situations, both in and outside Viet Nam, will help members build suitable plans.

Luong Van Ly, chairman of Dai Nam Long Consultancy Joint-Stock Company, said the country's tourism property facilities needed improvement to compete with regional markets.

"Several foreign investors have shown interest in investing in this area but due to the lack of co-ordination between local companies, their demands have not been satisfied," said Ly.

Association members will be individuals and institutions involved in investment and consultancy in tourism property development, finance, design and construction, brokerage and marketing and tourism real estate.

To date the VnTPA has received 100 business registrations. Foreigners and foreign insituations may become honorary members. The association will be a part of the Vietnam Real Estate Association.

Source Viet Nam News

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Capital city celebrates dance in first int’l salsa festival

More than 100 salsa dancers from around the world gathered in Hanoi on the night of July 30 to join the country’s first international festival dedicated to this increasingly popular Latin dance.

The three-day festival called Linline Salsa Holidays Hanoi 2009 aims to bring world-class talent to train Vietnamese salsa dancers and increase excitement for the dance locally.

“This Latin dancing style has been in Vietnam for a few years, and it has became a joy for the ones who love dancing," said Nguyen Duc Tung from Apsara Dance Studio, one of the event organisers.

"This dancing environment is improved by the increasing number of people learning salsa. Our purpose is to bring a chance for Vietnamese salsa addicts to learn more about the Latin dance, as well as to improve their dancing skill”.

Vietnamese salsa fans will have a chance to witness the amazing dancing steps of three famous dancers including Gupson Pierre from Canada, Sharon Parkir from Australia, and Tommy Mulyono (known as ‘Reyno’) from Indonesia.

Co-organised by Apsara Dance Studio in Hanoi and Linline Production, a Malaysian company specialising in dancing and salsa events, the event started on July 30 night at the Sheraton Hanoi Hotel.

The three famous salsa dancers will conduct workshops on salsa techniques and styles. Performances by dancers come from different countries are also part of the event’s agenda.

To learn more, please visit Apsara dance studio’s website www.apsaradancestudio.com.

Source VNA

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Concert spotlights Vietnamese, Japanese traditional music

A concert featuring both Japan’s traditional music, Gagaku, and Hue royal music of Vietnam was held on the evening of July 17 at the Thai Hoa Palace in the former imperial city of Hue.



The World Heritage Concert, the third of its kind, saw performances from leading Gagaku artists accompanied by the Tokyo New City Orchestra, as well as artists from local troupes. Well-known Japanese conductor Togi Hideki was also present at the show.

The concert is one in a series of activities to promote international cultural exchange. It was jointly organised by the World Heritage Concert Committee, the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and the People’s Committee of Thua Thien-Hue Province.

On the evening of July 14, the Tokyo New City Orchestra, for the first time, entertained local audiences in HCMC with various special performances.

Source VNA

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Delta province places bet on potential for tourism

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Ben Tre is seeking VND1.5 trillion (US$84.5 million) in investment funds for seven projects to further develop its tourism potential.

Despite current economic difficulties, the province had allocated VND10 billion for the tourism sector during the first six months of this year, said the provincial Department of Planning and Investment director, Do Minh Duc.

"However, the sum was not enough to solve the internal difficulties in its hospitality industry, Duc said.

Lack of typical tourism products, human resource shortages, inadequate accommodation and insufficient tourism infrastructure were problematic for the province in attracting visitors, he noted.

Currently, the province has 35 hotels, only one of which has a three-star rating. This lack of good accommodation causes problems for local authorities trying to host large events in the province, according to the provincial People's Committee vice chairman, Nguyen Quoc Bao.

"Therefore, the province is trying to attract investors for three-and four-star hotels," Bao said.

In order to attract more arrivals, Viettravel Deputy General Director Trieu Cong Tinh Thanh suggested the province engage in tourism promotion by building unique products out of coconuts to lure tourists.

For the seven tourism projects needing investment, support was needed from domestic investors and also from consulate offices in HCM City to find suitable investors, said a representative from Saigontourist.

In the first six months of this year, the province hosted over 240,000 visitors, 100,000 of whom were foreigners, an increase of 11.5 per cent over last year that was mainly attributed to the new Rach Mieu Bridge across the Tien River.

Revenue from tourism was estimated at VND105 billion ($6 million), a yearly rise of 30 per cent.

Ben Tre's plan for tourism development by 2015 would require about VND1 trillion ($61.2 million) to implement; the figure required would be VND2.49 trillion ($140.3 million) by 2020.

Under the plan, the province aimed to attract 780,000 tourists by 2015. By 2020, 1.16 million tourists are planned for, hopefully bringing in VND1.82 trillion (over $100 million) in revenue for the province.

"Top priority is being given to developing the tourism sector, and favourable conditions for investment in the sector are being created," said the provincial People's Committee chairman, Nguyen Thai Xay.

The province would continue to streamline its administrative procedures by applying its "one-door" policy, offering investors effective assistance while implementing their projects and some incentives such as land rental reduction.

Source Viet Nam News

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Seasonal specials rabbit dishes July at Gia Dining Room

Gia Dining Room has a range of promotions on offer during July, including a seasonal special on rabbit that features stewed rabbit leg with red wine, ham and vegetables and grilled rabbit leg served in Dijon mustard sauce and roasted potato.

Gia Dining Room has a range of promotions on offer during July, including a seasonal special on rabbit that features stewed rabbit leg with red wine, ham and vegetables and grilled rabbit leg served in Dijon mustard sauce and roasted potato.

On Saturdays and Sundays, Gia's Seafood Delicacies promotion includes a four-course seafood lunch and one bottle of French wine for two ($25.00 per person).

Last, the Wine Dinner promotion includes a four-course dinner and free flow of Chilean wine for $32.50 per person.

For more information visit www.giadiningroom.com.

Source Vietnamtourism

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Vietnam's students join exchange programme in Japan

A group of 16 Vietnamese high school students have taken part in a series of activities within the Vietnam-Japan goodwill exchange programme in Japan.

This was the second Vietnamese student group to visit Japan under the programme held by the association of international human resource development of small and medium-sized enterprises (IMM Japan), said Takashi Kazama, Head of the IMM Japan’s Overseas Management Division.

The programme aims to enhance mutual understanding among high school students as well as people of both countries, thus promoting exchanges and cooperation between the two countries, he added.

While in Japan from June 30-July 10, eight female and eight male students together with their peers from the Yokohama International High School in Kanagawa prefecture took part in an environmental protection workshop and cultural exchanges.

The Vietnamese students experienced a three-day homestay, and visited Tokyo Disneyland, Aqua City in Tokyo, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji and Kiyomizu shrine in the ancient city of Kyoto and the Museum of Peace Commemoration in Hiroshima

They took opportunities to visit some small and medium-sized enterprises in Kawasaki.

Source VNA

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