The Hanoitimes - Vietnam’s wonderful cuisine, friendly people, spectacular natural beauty, fascinating history and rich culture appeal to a growing number of independent travelers looking for something exotic and different. Independent travel specialist Avanti Destinations, a free independent traveler (FIT) tour operator, has introduced new food-focused itineraries and cultural experiences in Vietnam. Cai Be Floating Market, Vietnam. Photo: Avanti Destinations According to Avanti’s Executive Chairman Paul Barry, Vietnam’s wonderful cuisine, friendly people, spectacular natural beauty, fascinating history and rich culture appeal to a growing number of independent travelers looking for something exotic and different. “And like much of Southeast Asia, Vietnam offers excellent value for the dollar,” he added. Avanti also announced two new tours that can be added to any itinerary: a shared traditional painting and lantern-making workshop in Hoi … [Read more...] about FIT tour operator introduces new culinary and cultural experiences in Vietnam
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Cu Chi shines in SCMP’s best tunnel tours in the world
The Hanoitimes - South China Morning Post has announced its list of the best tunnel tours in the world and Cu Chi Tunnel, Vietnam is on it. South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper, has just named Cu Chi Tunnel in Vietnam the number one destination among the best tunnel tours in the world. Cu Chi tunnel. Photo: Alamy The tunnels of Cu Chi, 25km (16 miles) northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, were excavated in the late 1940s by the Viet Minh, during the first Indochina war, against the French. The district became a stronghold of the country's liberating forces during the Vietnam War, and the network of narrow passageways was extended and deepened to improve the chances for those inside of surviving aerial bombardment and search and destroy missions conducted by American forces. Viet Cong guerillas spent the daylight hours holed up in their carefully concealed lairs, emerging after dark to conduct military operations or scavenge for food. The … [Read more...] about Cu Chi shines in SCMP’s best tunnel tours in the world
Foreign tourism to Vietnam surges
New perspective: The Ha Long Bay Seaplane Tour provided by Hai Au Aviation Company. The tour is included on the new travel website by VNAT. - Photo vietnam.travel Among the 7.9 million of foreign tourists to Vietnam, Chinese tourists accounted for the majority (4.1 million). Total income from tourism was estimated at VND312 trillion (US$13.5 billion), an increase of 22.5 per cent in comparison with the same period last year. Arrivals by air, road, and sea in the reviewed period recorded annual increases of 22.2 per cent, 63.7 per cent and 1.7 per cent, respectively, while growth was also seen in the numbers of visitors from all five continents. More than 93 per cent of interviewed foreign tourists said they were satisfied with their trips to Viet nam, according to the Vietnam Annual Tourism Report 2017 announced on Thursday by the VNAT. It distributed 27,000 feedback forms to foreigners at 12 international bordergates nationwide, including four airports, four land border gates and … [Read more...] about Foreign tourism to Vietnam surges
Vietnam fines cruise ship for service scam reported by Australian tourist
Tourism officials in Hai Phong said on May 25 that they have fined the tour operator after confirming that the tourist's report was "valid." Lynne Ryan, who was among a group of six Australian tourists visiting Vietnam early this month, came back with disappointment. "Horror trip, Ha Long Bay," she wrote in a Facebook post which drew the attention from many news outlets who published the story last week. Lynne Ryan (R) among a group of Australian tourists tour Ha Long Bay in May 2018, in a photo posted on Facebook. Ryan said her group booked a cruise tour on Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province, which neighbors Hai Phong, with a travel company in Hanoi. She said she had been shown a glossy brochure with beautiful pictures of a boat and its services, but they were not what she and her friends actually received. They had a "junk boat," she said, listing a rat house under the sink in the bathroom, a rat coming through a window, and rat droppings in the room. One of their … [Read more...] about Vietnam fines cruise ship for service scam reported by Australian tourist
There’s more to tour guides than language
Viet Nam News Earlier this year my friends and I visited the mountainous town of Sa Pa with a group of Thai friends. It was the first time our foreign friends had visited the town, so we hired a tour guide who could speak Thai to ensure they had the best experience. Everything was fine during our bus trip from Hà Nội to Sa Pa, but when we visited an ethnic village in Sa Pa, our tour guide did not actually ‘guide’ us as we expected. She remained silent the entire time from when we started walking down a road that leads to the village to when we were in the middle of the village itself. No introduction of the place, no instructions to our Thai friends, which left us with an impression that this was her first time being there as well. The outing was not all ruined, but it was disappointing enough to make one of my friends call the tour operator and complain about the guide. As for me, although having gotten used to independent travelling, I felt that our Thai … [Read more...] about There’s more to tour guides than language