Summer tour packages

In June Linh Chi of Hanoi booked a ticket to Da Nang for traveling this week for VND4.2 million ($180). She recently booked a ticket on the same route for a friend who will accompany her, and the fare had fallen by nearly 20 percent to VND3.5 million. On the Vietnam Airlines website, the fares from Hanoi and HCMC to Da Nang, one of the busiest tourist hotspots this summer, have declined by 50-60 percent since late June. On Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways, the fares are VND1.6-2.5 million. A month ago a return trip from Hanoi to Phu Quoc cost VND7 million, but has now fallen by nearly half. Airfares on the Hanoi-HCMC route, one of the world's busiest, were up to VND6 million last month but are now no more than VND5 million. A Vietnam Airlines spokesperson said with travel demand showing signs of slowing down and the summer tourism season coming to an end, airfares are coming down. As children prepare to return to school after nearly three months and families wrap up their … [Read more...] about Travel becomes cheaper as peak summer tourism season ends

The Czech Republic last week joined Germany and Spain in denying new visas related to Vietnam’s new passport, with all three citing a lack of birthplace information. They said the new passport model does not meet the technical standards of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) parameters. Outbound tours to Europe rocked by passport tangle, illustration photo “The Czech Republic agrees with other member states of the EU and will stop recognising the new passports. The decision is effective from this moment,” said a notice posted on the website of the Czech Embassy in Vietnam on August 2. The moves have damaged the plans of some travellers who had already booked tours with specialised travel agents. Nguyen Van Tai, director of Vietsense Travel, told VIR that the company has cancelled the tours of five customers who bought tickets to visit Eastern Europe in September. “The company has been heavily affected, losing hundreds of millions of VND (equivalent to … [Read more...] about Outbound tours to Europe rocked by passport tangle

Domestic tourism is on a rapid recovery after a two-year hiatus, but this sudden and rapid recovery also makes both tourists and workers feel tired. Tra My, who lives in Hanoi, took a trip to Dak Lak last weekend. My said it took her more than 40 minutes to check in and go to the airport, instead of the usual 15 minutes. “The airport becomes too crowded for the number of passengers that need to be served every day. Congestion occurs as soon as you reach the airport. Luckily, the flight was delayed for 30 minutes, so I was not late,” My said. A bumper summer for domestic tourism The same situation also tends to occur with road and waterway routes to some tourist destinations such as Quang Ninh and Haiphong. Minh Quan from Bac Giang shared that his family had to wait more than four hours to take the ferry from the mainland to Cat Ba island during a trip to Haiphong a few days ago. “Each large ferry can carry nearly 20 cars, and a small ferry can carry nearly 10, but … [Read more...] about A bumper summer for domestic tourism

FLC Luxury Hotel Quy Nhon. (Photo: flc.vn) Hanoi (VNA) - Australian magazine Traveller has listed Vietnam among the eight "best places to go in Asia for a holiday." It recommended December-March, when the weather is "pleasant," as the ideal time to visit the long, sandy beaches of Vietnam. It particularly recommended Quy Nhon, the beach resort town on the south-central coast . "Long a staid domestic destination, beautiful beach-flanked Quy Nhon has acquired hipster mojo and is tipped as the next Da Nang." The magazine also advised tourists to explore Ninh Binh, famous for paddleboat tours through limestone karsts and paddy rice fields. In the Central Highlands, Da Lat, a summer retreat of the French during the colonial period, is well known for adventure sports such as trekking, mountain biking and rafting, it said. A lesser-known destination in the northwest not to be missed is Dien Bien Phu, which used to be a major battlefield during the war, it said. … [Read more...] about Vietnam among Asia’s best places for holiday: Australian travel magazine

Jumping from rock to rock to rock over a creek formed off Austria's Jamtal glacier, scientist Andrea Fischer worries that precious scientific data will be irreversibly lost as the snow and ice melt faster than ever. "I couldn't have imagined that it would ever melt as dramatically as this summer... Our 'archive' is melting away," says the glaciologist. Fischer -- vice director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences -- has spent more than 20 years surveying Jamtal and four other Alpine glaciers across Austria's highest peaks for the oldest areas of ice. For scientists looking to reconstruct the Earth's climate in the distant past, such ice formations are a unique time capsule stretching back thousands of years. The glaciers contain an invaluable treasure trove of data -- as they grew, the ice encapsulated twigs and leaves, which can now be carbon-dated, Fischer explains. And based on the age of such material and the depth … [Read more...] about Austrian scientists race to reveal melting glaciers’ secrets

The event introduced the attractiveness of Seoul's outstanding tourism infrastructure. This promotion program is also a bridge to explore cooperation opportunities, new tours, new tourism product packages, and expand the market among leading travel agencies in Seoul and Vietnam through B2B Travel Mart program. There were 11 Korean companies in four different industry participated in this travel networking program, including: travel (D.J.C Korea, Woori Club Tourism, Jack World), hotel (Lotte Hotel and Resort, Ninetree, Sofitel Ambassador Hotel), entertainment services (Naturelabs, Modern han, 7luck Casino), and transportation (Premium Pass International). Head coach of the Vietnamese men’s football team Park Hang-seo debuted as the Global Tourism Ambassador of Seoul City According to the survey results on the RoK’s tourism potential in 2021, Southeast Asia is considered as one of the leading important markets in the world when possessing the highest percentage of people … [Read more...] about Seoul City promotes tourism in Vietnam

The Ho Chi Minh City tourism department is seeking feedback on a proposal to impose a small ‘tourism tax’ on visitors for each night spent in the city. Money raised from the proposed VND23,000 tax, equivalent to roughly one U.S. dollar, would be spent on improving the local tourism infrastructure, the department said in its proposition to the municipal administration. Inspiration for the tax came from revisions to the law on tourism, effective from January 2018, which will allow localities to create a fund for tourism development with revenues generated from tourists. The proposal has so far received positive feedback from local travel companies, who say the fee will be insignificant to tourists but will have huge upsides for Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism infrastructure and promotional opportunities. Tran The Dung, deputy director of The He Tre Travel, said it is a good idea to have a new source of capital, funded by tourists who enjoy services offered by the city. “The lack of … [Read more...] about ​Ho Chi Minh City mulls ‘tourism tax’ for overnight visitors

The program will preserve and promote traditional cultural values. Vietnam will adopt clean and high-tech agricultural models linked with tourism development, according to a decision signed by Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh early this month. Under the decision, a rural tourism development program will be executed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development within the framework of a movement to build new rural areas in the 2021-2025 period. Local tourists enjoy farming activities in Quang Ninh Province. Photo: Yen Duc Travel Company Promoting rural tourism is one of the key tasks of the National Target Program on New Rural Development for 2021-2025, which focuses on changing farming and rural economy mindset, thereby contributing to supporting localities to realize new rural construction goals in a sustainable manner. According to the program, rural tourism will be built in a sustainable and inclusive manner with multiple values, … [Read more...] about Vietnam boosts agro-tourism model

Singer Olivia Newton-John, who soared to the top of the world's pop music charts in the 1970s and 1980s with such tunes as "I Honestly Love You" and "Physical" and starred in the hit movie musical "Grease," died on Monday at age 73 at her home in Southern California. The death of the British-born, Australian-raised performer was announced on her Instagram account, saying she "passed away peacefully" at her ranch home "surrounded by family and friends." Newton-John, a four-time Grammy winner, had disclosed in 2017 that a recurrence of breast cancer had metastasized and spread to her lower back, forcing her to cancel performances. Twenty-five years earlier Newton-John had undergone a partial mastectomy, leading her to become an advocate for breast cancer research and other health issues and to establish a cancer treatment-research facility in Australia. The entertainer began performing as a child and became a global superstar after moving to the United States. She was blond, … [Read more...] about Pop music and ‘Grease’ star Olivia Newton-John dead at age 73

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam suggests Ho Chi Minh City spend the city’s state budget buying 70 percent of textbooks for students ( Photo:  SGGP) On the afternoon of August 5, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam led a delegation  working with Ho Chi Minh City on the results of the performance of tasks in the first six months of the year and orientation towards the last six months related to science and culture - society. He expected the southern city to pilot some changes in the sectors of health, education, culture, and society. At the meeting, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc on behalf of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee proposed many contents in various fields. Specifically, in the field of culture, sports and tourism, Ho Chi Minh City proposed the Government allow Ho Chi Minh City to apply the Investment Law under the method of public-private partnership (PPP) to select investors for the implementation of these projects. Furthermore, … [Read more...] about Deputy PM suggests HCMC spend city’s budget buying 70 percent of textbooks