Have a Saigontourist Tet at Majestic and Grand

An ao dai (Vietnamese long dress) fashion show at the Majestic Hotel Saigon - Photo: Courtesy of Saigontourist

For Saigonese and guests to the city to celebrate the Lunar New Year with delicious food and wine, two hotels under Saigontourist in downtown HCMC present special food and entertainment programs.

Majestic Hotel Saigon (1 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, tel: 3829 5517)

On Lunar New Year’s Eve (February 2), at the hotel’s Prima Ballroom & Breeze Sky Bar, guests can enjoy a buffet of Western and Asian dishes with free champagne, wine, beer, soft drinks, and mineral water from 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. for US$89 per adult.

At the hotel’s M Bar on the eighth floor, an outdoor barbecue buffet will be held from 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on February 2. Tickets are priced at US$89 per adult, inclusive of all kinds of drinks.

Also that night, admire the fireworks display, at the Serenade Restaurant on the seventh floor to eat from a sumptuous selection of European and Asian cuisine. Tickets are US$79 per adult.

All the Majestic venues will have entertainment such as lion dance, calligraphy displays, New Year music and dance shows and fashion shows.

Grand Hotel Saigon (8 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, tel: 3829 4046)

Do the New Year in classic Vietnamese style with an exotic Vietnamese Tet food program featuring banh tet, banh chung (glutinous rice cakes filled with green bean paste and fat pork), steamed pork with coconut water, vegetable pickles and watermelon to name a few. The hotel will give lucky money for guests.

The program will be prepared at the hotel’s Chez-Nous Restaurant from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. from January 30 to February 5. Tickets are priced at US$20 each.

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, enjoy the view of the fireworks display at the hotel’s Belle-vue Restaurant and enjoy the excellent service and delicious dishes with a cocktail party, Flamenco band, dance shows, gameshow, and lucky door prizes. Tickets are priced at US$35 per adult and US$20 per child.

At the swimming pool area, relax at the barbecue buffet from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. from January 30 to February 5 featuring grilled salmon with salt, barbecued lamb ribs, oyster and salads plus music by Filipino music band.

Tickets are VND90,000++ to VND280,000++ per dish. Buy 10 tickets in advance before January 30 get one free.

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Plan a great Saigontourist night for New Year

The garden at the Continental Hotel Saigon where you can enjoy a gala diner on New Year's Eva - Photo: Courtesy of Saigontourist

As this weekend is the New Year, Saigontourist is holding special food programs at many of its restaurants and hotels in HCMC.

Continental Hotel Saigon (132 Dong Khoi Street, HCMC’s District 1, tel: 3829 9201)

Enjoy a gala dinner with Western food in the hotel garden from 10:30 p.m. on December 31. A Flamenco band and singers from the Philippines will keep you bopping. Also be entertained by dancers Phuong Linh and Dang Hung and a dance group, circus, juggling and a lucky draw with a trip for two prize.

Tickets are VND990,000 per adult and VND590,000 per child, inclusive of drinks.

Dong Khanh Hotel (2 Tran Hung Dao Street, HCMC District 5, tel: 3923 6404)

New Year’s Eve will have a set menu with four main dishes including grilled beef with salted cream; barbecued lamb ribs and steamed cabbage done French style; and chem fish roasted with butter and lemon. To round off the meal there will be twenty dishes to select from for appetizers, soups and deserts.

Tickets are VND332,000 per adult and VND273,000 per child. In addition the hotel will hold a buffet lunch on that day. Tickets are VND176,000 per adult and VND137,000 per child.

Thien Hong Hotel (52-56 Tan Da Street, HCMC’s District 5, tel: 3855 3472)

A buffet will be prepared from 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve with more than 30 Vietnamese and Chinese dishes, accompanied with a music show.

Tickets are priced at VND229,000 per adult and VND149,000 per child.

Saigon Hotel (41 Dong Du Street, HCMC’s District 1, tel: 3822 4845)

A buffet featuring specialties of Japan, Thailand, Italia, Russia, Germany, Singapore and Malyasia as well as three regions of Vietnam will start at 7 p.m. on December 31. You could win the lucky draw.

Tickets are VND399,000 per adult and VND199,000 per child.

Lion Restaurant (11C Lam Son Square, HCMC’s District 1, tel: 3823 8514)

Buffet parties from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Dec 31, with more than 40 dishes. The parties will rock along with Filipino singers, a Christmas choir, circus and magic performances, games, dances and stand-up comedy with a chance to win a lucky draw. Ticket prices are VND579,000 for adults and VND379,000 for children.

Lemongrass Restaurant (14th floor in the Palace Hotel Saigon, 56 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, HCMC’s District 1, tel: 3829 1520)

The party to welcome the New Year has a set menu from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on December 31. Tickets are VND680,000++ per adult and VND380,000++ per child.

Van Thanh Tourist Area (48/10 Dien Bien Phu Street, Binh Thanh District, tel: 3512 3025)

A buffet including many delicious dishes such as grilled veal, and grilled chicken wings with honey will be served from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on December 31. Dance the New Year in with Flamenco Gipsy Fire.

Tickets are VND220,000 per adult and VND140,000 per child.

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Vietnam Airlines cuts international tickets by 85 percent

The national carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced an up to 85 percent discount on nearly 90,000 international flight tickets bought between September 30 and October 10.

Passengers planning to take off between October 15 and December 31 and between April 1 and May 31 can buy the discounted tickets at Vietnam Airlines agencies nationwide or via its website www.vietnamairlines.com.

The tickets will also be available at the International Tourism Exhibition between September 30 and October 2 organized at Saigon Seminar and Exhibition Center at 799 Nguyen Van Linh Street.

Under the program, round trip tickets to Southeast Asian countries will be discounted 85 percent, to Laos and Cambodia 74 percent, to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan 80 percent, to Japan and South Korea 82 percent, Australia 50 percent and European countries such as France, Germany, Russia 40 precent.

But the program will not be applied on flights around April 30 – the country’s reunification day and May 1 – Labor Day, which is the travel prime time as people have days off.

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Vietnam Airlines cuts international tickets by 85 percent

The national carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced an up to 85 percent discount on nearly 90,000 international flight tickets bought between September 30 and October 10.

Passengers planning to take off between October 15 and December 31 and between April 1 and May 31 can buy the discounted tickets at Vietnam Airlines agencies nationwide or via its website www.vietnamairlines.com.

The tickets will also be available at the International Tourism Exhibition between September 30 and October 2 organized at Saigon Seminar and Exhibition Center at 799 Nguyen Van Linh Street.

Under the program, round trip tickets to Southeast Asian countries will be discounted 85 percent, to Laos and Cambodia 74 percent, to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan 80 percent, to Japan and South Korea 82 percent, Australia 50 percent and European countries such as France, Germany, Russia 40 precent.

But the program will not be applied on flights around April 30 – the country’s reunification day and May 1 – Labor Day, which is the travel prime time as people have days off.

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Domestic tourists fly the coop

Travel agents have resorted to taking domestic tourists on tours abroad after failing to get air tickets for inbound destinations, especially those on special discount offers.

“It is difficult to book enough air tickets for groups of 20 visitors upwards in the same flight on some routes,” said Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy director of travel agency Hanoi Redtour. “Now it is the tourist season, so Vietnam Airlines tickets sell out quickly.”

Travel agents in Ho Chi Minh City who are participating in the domestic tourism promotion program launched by the Vietnam National Tourism Administration bought only 2,089 tickets under the special offer for Vietnam Airlines flights departing in July, down from 4,052 in June.

The tickets were booked in May or June, before Vietnam Airlines stopped selling the tickets offered under the domestic tourism promotion program from July 1 to August 15.

Vietnam Airlines had earlier committed to sell a number of tickets on some routes at a 50 percent discount during the year.

Stopping the special offer has increased tour prices, making it difficult for travel agents to lure local customers.

Although Vietnam Airlines brought back its special offer on Thursday, it has not become easier for travel agencies to book the tickets, as they need it for the “rush hour” – weekends or holidays, Hoan said. “We want to book some 2,000 tickets on special offer from now to the end of this year, but only 40 percent of them have been confirmed.”

Luu Duc Ke, director of Hanoi Tourist, said a number of customers have chosen low-priced outbound tours, mainly to Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand, instead of their initially planned domestic tours.

Hoan of Redtour said his company had to book tickets with low cost airline Jetstar Pacific on some routes. However, the number of domestic air routes operated by Jetstar Pacific is much smaller than that of Vietnam Airlines.

When getting air tickets becomes too difficult, his customers traveling between Hanoi and destinations like Nha Trang and Da Nang have to travel by train, or accept a more distant flight route that has fewer passengers.

The national tourism authority has targeted 4.2 million foreign tourists and 27-28 million domestic travelers in 2010.

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Domestic tourists fly the coop

Travel agents have resorted to taking domestic tourists on tours abroad after failing to get air tickets for inbound destinations, especially those on special discount offers.

“It is difficult to book enough air tickets for groups of 20 visitors upwards in the same flight on some routes,” said Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy director of travel agency Hanoi Redtour. “Now it is the tourist season, so Vietnam Airlines tickets sell out quickly.”

Travel agents in Ho Chi Minh City who are participating in the domestic tourism promotion program launched by the Vietnam National Tourism Administration bought only 2,089 tickets under the special offer for Vietnam Airlines flights departing in July, down from 4,052 in June.

The tickets were booked in May or June, before Vietnam Airlines stopped selling the tickets offered under the domestic tourism promotion program from July 1 to August 15.

Vietnam Airlines had earlier committed to sell a number of tickets on some routes at a 50 percent discount during the year.

Stopping the special offer has increased tour prices, making it difficult for travel agents to lure local customers.

Although Vietnam Airlines brought back its special offer on Thursday, it has not become easier for travel agencies to book the tickets, as they need it for the “rush hour” – weekends or holidays, Hoan said. “We want to book some 2,000 tickets on special offer from now to the end of this year, but only 40 percent of them have been confirmed.”

Luu Duc Ke, director of Hanoi Tourist, said a number of customers have chosen low-priced outbound tours, mainly to Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand, instead of their initially planned domestic tours.

Hoan of Redtour said his company had to book tickets with low cost airline Jetstar Pacific on some routes. However, the number of domestic air routes operated by Jetstar Pacific is much smaller than that of Vietnam Airlines.

When getting air tickets becomes too difficult, his customers traveling between Hanoi and destinations like Nha Trang and Da Nang have to travel by train, or accept a more distant flight route that has fewer passengers.

The national tourism authority has targeted 4.2 million foreign tourists and 27-28 million domestic travelers in 2010.

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Domestic tourists fly the coop

Travel agents have resorted to taking domestic tourists on tours abroad after failing to get air tickets for inbound destinations, especially those on special discount offers.

“It is difficult to book enough air tickets for groups of 20 visitors upwards in the same flight on some routes,” said Nguyen Cong Hoan, deputy director of travel agency Hanoi Redtour. “Now it is the tourist season, so Vietnam Airlines tickets sell out quickly.”

Travel agents in Ho Chi Minh City who are participating in the domestic tourism promotion program launched by the Vietnam National Tourism Administration bought only 2,089 tickets under the special offer for Vietnam Airlines flights departing in July, down from 4,052 in June.

The tickets were booked in May or June, before Vietnam Airlines stopped selling the tickets offered under the domestic tourism promotion program from July 1 to August 15.

Vietnam Airlines had earlier committed to sell a number of tickets on some routes at a 50 percent discount during the year.

Stopping the special offer has increased tour prices, making it difficult for travel agents to lure local customers.

Although Vietnam Airlines brought back its special offer on Thursday, it has not become easier for travel agencies to book the tickets, as they need it for the “rush hour” – weekends or holidays, Hoan said. “We want to book some 2,000 tickets on special offer from now to the end of this year, but only 40 percent of them have been confirmed.”

Luu Duc Ke, director of Hanoi Tourist, said a number of customers have chosen low-priced outbound tours, mainly to Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand, instead of their initially planned domestic tours.

Hoan of Redtour said his company had to book tickets with low cost airline Jetstar Pacific on some routes. However, the number of domestic air routes operated by Jetstar Pacific is much smaller than that of Vietnam Airlines.

When getting air tickets becomes too difficult, his customers traveling between Hanoi and destinations like Nha Trang and Da Nang have to travel by train, or accept a more distant flight route that has fewer passengers.

The national tourism authority has targeted 4.2 million foreign tourists and 27-28 million domestic travelers in 2010.

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• Domestic tourists fly the coop
• High rice price cuts exports
• Vietnam Air accepts web check-in for int’l flights
• IFC: Vietnam needs to increase PPP to support economy
• HCMC to relay grand sale program to November