Two Vietnamese scuba instructors based in Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province are well known among international tourists coming to Vietnam to take up diving lessons. They emphasize protecting marine life during their training sessions. Nguyen Van Loc and Nguyen Tan Thanh are members of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). With certificates of diving competence, they are qualified to provide PADI-accredited diving courses. Twenty years ago, Loc had a life-changing experience diving with a foreign visitor in Hon Mun Marine Reserve, Khanh Hoa Province. The coach spotted an unsuspecting squid, which he grabbed and later cooked it. To this his foreign student objected, saying that the payment he made was for him to witness wildlife, not the barbaric habits of his coach. “If you catch and cook it, you get one meal for yourself. But if you take care of it, you are to be commended to my fellows back home,” said the student. “When more tourists come here for … [Read more...] about Vietnamese scuba instructors popular with international students
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Phu Quoc probes illegal constructions in protected maritime areas
Functional forces in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang on Sunday inspected several tourist bungalows built without permission in Ham Ninh Commune of Phu Quoc Island City, where tourism is booming. The inspection came following Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper’s report on the illegal constructions that have become commonplace in the popular resort island off southern Vietnam. The illicitly-built tourist bungalows encroached on the Phu Quoc marine protected areas. They were constructed on concrete pillars firmly planted into the ground below the water and connected to the shore via a wooden boardwalk. Local authorities have granted construction certificates to none of these tourist bungalows, some of the owners of the structures admitted. The Kien Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and related agencies have pledged to thoroughly handle these violations in accordance with the law and ensure the violators will return the seabed of the affected marine … [Read more...] about Phu Quoc probes illegal constructions in protected maritime areas
Vietnam’s Quang Nam wants to host national ginseng festival next year
The People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam asked provincial departments and agencies to study the organization of a national ginseng festival next year with the aim of holding an international ginseng fest in 2024. The office of the provincial People’s Committee made the announcement at the conclusion of a committee early last week. Specifically, Quang Nam’s chairman Le Tri Thanh requested the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to coordinate with the People’s Committee of Nam Tra My District and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to assess the benefits of the Ngoc Linh Ginseng Festival. These agencies were also asked to study and make a proposal to the provincial People’s Committee to hold the national ginseng festival next year in an open manner with the participation of localities cultivating ginseng nationwide. Quang Nam organizes the Ngoc Linh Ginseng Festival in Nam Tra My District annually. The event was held for … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s Quang Nam wants to host national ginseng festival next year