A mountain bike through the remote mountainous region surrounding Sa Pa District in the northern province of Lao Cai will commence on Friday. The three-day 'Vietnam Mountain Bike Marathon' race promises a truly pioneering ride against a backdrop of the highest peaks in Indochina and Hoang Lien National Park deep in the far north, organizer Topas Travel said in a press release on Wednesday. According to the organizer, racers will be the first to tackle these trails through rice terraces and ethnic minority villages. The route covers large parts of very remote mountains, meaning competitors will have access to landscapes that typically remain out of reach. The first day includes a 50km journey north of Sa Pa to an area populated largely by the Hmong ethnicity, while the second day features a 68km ride to a southern locale inhabited by the Tay and Red Dao people. The race then will conclude with a shorter stage around Sa Pa Town through Black Hmong villages. “We have spent countless hours as a team out in the mountains seeking out great trails for people to race on,” David Lloyd, one of the event’s directors said. “The result is a hard, but extremely beautiful race that was born from our collective passion for Vietnam and riding bikes,” he added. “We are now very excited to welcome international riders and show them what Vietnam has to offer.” Participants from 22 countries have signed up for the race. Among them is a group of Vietnamese sponsored by Cube Vietnam. "Cube is very happy to be supporting a team of Vietnamese riders in this race,” Christina Lin, representative of Cube Vietnam, said in the press release. “We want to not only support young cyclists …
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Sleet forecast for northern Vietnamese mountains as cold snap strengthens
Sleet, a mixture of rain and snow, is likely to fall on mountain peaks in northern Vietnam over the next few days as an enhanced cold front causes temperatures to plummet. The cold front located north of Vietnam has strengthened and started moving south as of Wednesday morning, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting. It will begin affecting mountainous areas in the northern region on Thursday and later extend its influence to other northern, north-central, and central localities on the following days. Rain will begin falling in northern provinces from Thursday morning and in central provinces from Thursday night. The weather will also turn frigid in northern and north-central Vietnam from Thursday night. In provinces such as Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Lang Son, the lowest temperatures will likely be around eight to 11 degrees Celsius. A map detailing the localities in northern Vietnam where sleet and frost may occur from January 7 to 9. Photo: National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Temperatures will dip to between four and seven degrees Celsius in mountainous areas, and below 0 degrees Celsius at mountaintops. From January 7 to 9, it is likely to sleet at locations over 2,000 meters high, namely Fansipan, Lao Than, Ky Quan San, and Nhiu Co San in Lao Cai Province; Pu Si Lung, Khang Su Van, and Ta Lien in Lai Chau Province; Phu Luong, Lung Cung, and Ta Xua in Yên Bai Province; Tay Con Linh, Lung Cu, and Chieu Lau Thi in Ha Giang Province. At other summits below 2,000 meters high, the low temperature will result in frost. During this period, average lows in localities between north-central Quang Binh Province and central Quang Ngai Province will be 13-17 degrees Celsius. From January 9, provinces in south-central and southern Vietnam will also be affected by the cold spell, with temperatures dropping at night and early in the morning. Like us on Facebook or follow us on …
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Northern mountain province wants airport upgraded
The airport, situated 290 kilometers from Hanoi, has the potential to serve defense and search and rescue operations, the province said in a proposal to the Ministry of Transport. It is one of two military airports in the mountainous northwest, with the other being Dien Bien Phu Airport in Dien Bien Province, 460 kilometers from Hanoi. But the proposal pointed out that since the latter’s runway is too short for large military aircraft, Na San Airport could become a strategic asset in the region for the military. The upgrade would also foster economic development since a traveling time of nearly seven hours to the province from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi is a major challenge in attracting tourists, it said. The province is known for its Moc Chau District, a popular backpacking destination where ethnic people grow tea and rice. Son La said the airport could be funded by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, its own coffers and other sources. The corporation has finished a pre-feasibility report for the airport renovation. An independent consultancy had proposed to the ministry that Na San Airport should be excluded from the development plan for the next decade since it is expected to have a demand of only 0.5 million passengers a year by 2030. Several localities have recently sought approval for airports to boost economic growth, including the northern province of Ninh Binh , the central province of Ha Tinh and the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau . The country currently has 22 civilian airports, including 10 international air hubs, with Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City and Noi Bai in Hanoi being the two biggest. …
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