Friday, January 28, 2011

Sheraton Nha Trang celebrates Tet in style

The Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa, is gearing up for its first Tet celebration with an exciting line-up of events and activities. On Jan. 29, the hotel will host a dinner for 30 children from the local Nhan Ai Orphanage and distribute li xi (lucky money).

On Feb. 2, the last day of the Year of the Tiger, guests are invited to enjoy a special buffet dinner priced at VND500,000++ per adult and VND250,000++ per child aged 3-11. Later that evening, Nha Trang lights up with a spectacular fireworks display, best viewed from Sheraton Nha Trang’s 28th-floor sky bar, Altitude. The entrance fee is VND500,000 nett per person, inclusive of two drinks of your choice (wine, beer, soft drinks). On the first morning of the New Year, the hotel will organize a calligraphy session in the hotel lobby and a traditional lion dance show.

Between Jan. 28 and Feb. 15, Sheraton Nha Trang is offering a special Tet package of VND2.3 million++ per room per night, inclusive of accommodation in a Deluxe Ocean View Room, buffet breakfast for two adults, free breakfast for children under 12 years sharing the room with parents (maximum two children per room), 15% discount on food and beverage and Shine Spa body treatments (except for packages), and 20% discount on laundry services. The festive package is applicable to Vietnamese nationals, overseas Vietnamese and expats working in Vietnam that book two nights or more.

For more information and reservations, call 058 388 0000 or email to reservations.nhatrang@sheraton.com

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Saigontourist Tet celebrations

Lemongrass Restaurant on level 14 of the Palace Hotel Saigon has great city views and delicious meals - Photo: Courtesy of Lemon Grass Restaurant
Hotels and tourist sites under Saigontourist in HCMC are preparing food programs for the traditional Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

Rex Hotel Saigon (141 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, District 1, tel : 3829 2185)

The hotel will host a Tet welcoming buffet party on Lunar New Year’s Eve on February 2, accompanied with entertainment, lion dance, music performances and fashion shows.

Rex hotel is an ideal place for tourists to see the fireworks. Tickets are US$89 per adult and US$44 per child.

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

The hotel will offer a set menu with typical Tet dishes priced from VND500,000 per person and VND800,000 for two. The program runs from January 30 to February 6.

First Hotel (18 Hoang Viet Street, Tan Binh District, tel: 3844 1199)

The program “Spring comes knocking” will be hosted every night of the first four days of the New Year (February from 3 to 6). Enjoy music shows, lucky draw and unicorn dances by Nhan Nghia Duong lion dance troupe.

Que Huong Liberty 4 (256 Pham Ngu Lao, District 1, tel: 3836 5172)

The hotel’s Gio Noi Restaurant will prepare a buffet with more than 60 dishes on weekend nights from Fridays to Sundays. Tickets are VND198,000 per adult and VND98,000 per child.

Liberty Central Hotel (179 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, tel: 6291 7977)

The hotel introduces new dishes made of ostrich including spring rolls, stir-fry, grilled with herbs or chilly salt. The hotel also serves buffet breakfast priced at VND199,000 per guest and lunch for office workers at VND59,000.

Thien Hong Hotel (52 Tan Da Street, District 5, tel: 3855 4435)

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, the hotel will prepare a buffet program with more than 30 dishes made in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, accompanied with music show and lucky draw. Tickets are priced at VND229,000 per adult and VND149,000 per child. Buy 10 tickets, get one free.

Bong Sen Saigon Hotel (117 Dong Khoi Street, District 1, tel: 3829 1516)

The hotel’s Buffe Ganh Restaurant will hold “New Year lucky buffet” program with an ethnic music show. The buffet lunch is priced at VND220,000 per adult and VND110,000 per child and buffet dinner is priced at VND320,000 per adult and VND160,000 per child.

On the seventh and twelfth floor, there will be buffets with lucky New Year traditional Tet dishes.

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

The buffet called “Back to hometown for Tet” will run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. from February 4 to 6 with traditional dishes. Guests can join folk games to win prizes and enjoy a piano performance. Tickets are priced at VND190,000 per adult and VND120,000 per child.

Binh Quoi 2 Tourist Area (At the end of Binh Quoi Street in Binh Thanh District, tel: 3556 5470)

The buffet called “Great dishes from the coast” will have over 70 seafood and barbecue dishes. Buffet lunch is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and buffet dinner is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., along with flamenco music show, juggling and circus performances. Tickets are priced from VND170,000 per adult, inclusive of a jug of Russian beer and VND100,000 per child. Guests can take a cruise around Thanh Da Peninsula for VND50,000 per adult and VND30,000 per child. Buy 10 tickets on the cruise, get one free.

Saigon Ship Restaurant (Bach Dang Wharf, District 1, tel: 3823 0393)

The buffet named “Spring cruise on Saigon River” will be on for lunch from February 4 to 6, with more than 50 Tet dishes. Enjoy live music, juggling and circus performances. Tickets are VND190,000 per adult and VND120,000 per child. At night, the cruise leaves the wharf twice - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Tan Cang Tourist Area (A100 Ung Van Khiem, Binh Thanh District, tel: 3512 8775)

The area will host a program “Back to hometown for Tet celebrations” from February 6 to 8” and “Tan Cang grilled hotpot” with more than 80 dishes and seafood hotpots. Tickets are priced from VND250,000 per adult and VND140,000 per child, inclusive of a jug of Russian beer, fresh ice-cream and fruit juices.

Tickets will be discounted 30% on February 8.

Binh Quoi 1 Tourist Area (1147 Binh Quoi Street, Binh Thanh District, tel: 3556 5891)

From February 4 to 7, the tourist area will hold buffet lunches and dinners with more than 70 selected dishes in the garden area, along with ethnic artistic performances. Tickets are VND180,000 per adult and VND100,000 per child.

The area’s restaurant will serve Vietnamese dishes, accompanied with juggling and music show.

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

The hotel will prepare a buffet for Lunar New Year’s Eve with about 40 Western and Asian dishes on the ninth floor overlooking the Saigon River and fireworks display. Tickets are VND399,000 per adult and VND199,000 per child, inclusive of one jug of beer, and free for children under 3.

Saigon-Phu Quoc Resort and Spa (1 Tran Hung Dao Street, Phu Quoc District, Kien Giang Province)

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, the resort will put a 6m-high yellow apricot tree on the floating sea stage. There will be a Tet party with traditional food, folk games, showmanship and a cruise along the beach. Tickets are US$69 per adult, US$35 per child.

Palace Hotel Saigon (56-66 Nguyen Hue, Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 38292860)

The Golden Palace on level five of the four-star hotel will launch its buffet program named “Luck, Prosperity & Longevity” featuring fine seafood including abalone, oyster, shrimp, crab, caviar and salmon. The buffet will also serve Tet specialties, golden carp, royal meat roll and pork pies, golden roasted goose with a free flow of  wine, beer, soft drink, fruit juice, tea and coffee.

The restaurant will be decorated with colorful fish and three deities of Luck, Prosperity and Longevity will welcome guests at the door.

It runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Lunar  New Year’s Eve (Feb. 2) until the forth of the first lunar month (Feb. 6). The price on Feb. 2 is VND550,000++  per adult and VND350,000 from Feb. 3 to Feb. 6.

Lemongrass Restaurant (level 14, Palace Hotel Saigon, 56-66 Nguyen Hue Blvd., Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 3829 1520)

On the New Year’s Eve (Feb. 2), the Lemongrass Restaurant on the 14th floor of the Palace Hotel Saigon will hold a Lunar New Year’s Eve Party featuring mouthwatering dishes made from sea food like grilled shrimp paste, grilled squid paste, shark fin & crab soup, tuna salad with Wasabi sauce, grilled tuna served with ginger sauce among others. There’s a free flow of drinks like Tiger draught beer, Heineken and soft drinks.

Enjoy folk music performance and folk dances. The hotel’s roof top on level 15 & 16 is an ideal place for watching fireworks and Nguyen Hue Flower Street. The buffet which is available from 7:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Feb 2 is priced at VND1.3 million ++ /adult, and VND830,000++/child.

Calibre Charner (level 1, Palace Hotel Saigon, 56-66 Nguyen Hue Blvd., Dist. 1, HCMC, tel: 3829 2860)

The restaurant offers two luxury set menus for New Year’s Eve. The first menu consists of Russian salad, potato soup with smoked salmon, grilled lobster, dessert and Palace flan. The second one includes salmon salad, abalone soup, American beef with baked potatoes and cakes for dessert. The buffet which is available from 7:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 2 is priced at US$59++.

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Phan Thiet fun for Tet

A traditional boat race on Ca Ty River in Phan Thiet City - Photo: Khai Nguyen
Phan Thiet has announced the cultural and sports events for this year’s Lunar New Year 2011.

From Jan. 30 until Feb. 8 (the 27th of the 12th lunar month until the sixth of the first lunar month) there are numerous music performances, sports activities, folk games and lion dances at most of the province’s 18 wards.

Bien Xanh theater group will hold special music galas in the communes of Tien Thanh, Phong Nam and Thien Nghiep. Tien Loi – Tien Thanh Tourist Area will have a fireworks display on Lunar New Year’s Eve. After the 15-minute fireworks, a music performance named “Chao Xuan” (Welcoming the Spring) will be held at Nga Bay Stage and a music gala at Nguyen Tat Thanh Square.

The traditional boat race on Ca Ty River will be on the second of the first lunar month and the Mui Ne sand hill run will be on the forth of the first lunar month. At resorts and hotels in Phan Thiet, there’re banquets to welcome Lunar New Year, folk music performances, lion dances, Cham dances and traditional martial arts.

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Con Dao in spring

A foreign tourist lies on Dam Trau Beach in Con Dao - Photo: Mong Binh
The white and pink peach blossoms in Con Dao signal the beginning of spring and the market in town is vibrant with floral colors.

Spring is the windy season in Con Dao, the archipelago off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. Strong winds increase the swell. The ocean is full of white caps and the crashing waves send white water high up the island’s many cliff faces. There are also havens for visitors to swim in the turquoise, calm sea.

Dam Trau Beach is one of the protected beaches on Con Dao, where locals and foreign tourists opt for relaxing strolls, rests and camping. This yellow-sand beach earned its name from an island legend about two lovers. The girl in the doomed love affair, Mai Thi Trau, committed suicide from the cliffs because she couldn’t tie the knot with the man she loved, who was revealed by her father to be her half-brother.

The love story has a sad ending, but a trip to Dam Trau Beach will certainly end in happiness for nature lovers. The small sandy bay is perfect for sunbathing, long walks and exploring the black cliffs that stretch into the water.

The cliffs divide Dam Trau Beach into two parts. The furthest beach from the road can be reached best at low tide. The tree-lined beach has a fresh water stream shadowed by a giant tropical almond tree whose leaves have turned red.

Red-leaved almond trees also line the esplanade and many of the streets in the sleepy little town on Con Dao. Most of them were planted over 100 years ago. 

The best time to tour Con Dao is summertime when the sea and the weather are calm, but a visit to the archipelago in the windy season promises a lot of excitement.

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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Tet market at Furama Resort Danang

A calligrapher or ong do sells parallel sentences at the five-star Furama Resort Danang - Photo: Thanh Hai
The Furama Resort Danang in Danang City will host a Tet market from January 27 to 30 for tourists to enjoy a traditional Vietnamese Tet.

Guests of the five star resort can experience the color of a Tet country market and Vietnamese craft villages.

Witness people making banh chung (square glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and pork fat), fortune tellers in traditional costumes, ong do (calligraphers) painting parallel sentences, drawing portraits and creating Dong Ho and Hang Trong pictures. Watch the traditional art of making to he (sculptured figurines from colored rice dough), conical hats, stone statues and colorful lanterns.

The young ladies in traditional costumes at Tra Co Ly restaurant will serve delicious Tet dishes such as specialties of the central region, Quang noodles and Hoi An cao lau.

The resort is offering special rates from January 21 to February 2 with two nights for US$356++ per single room and US$416++ for twin room, inclusive of buffet breakfast, airport pick-up, wifi, and a buffet dinner at Café Indochine Restaurant.

Guests can book at www.furamavietnam.com or reservation@furamavietnam.com.

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Hanoi receives 1.7 million foreign visitors in 2010

Hanoi receives 1.7 million foreign visitors in 2010

An estimate of 1.7 million foreign visitors flocked to Hanoi during
the National Tourism Year 2010, representing a year-on-year increase of
62 percent.


The figures were announced by Ngo Thi
Thanh Hang, Vice Chairperson of the Hanoi People’s Committee, at a
ceremony in Hanoi on Jan. 25 to review the implementation of the
National Tourism Year 2010, which highlighted Thang Long-Hanoi and its
1,000 year-old history.


The ceremony, jointly held
by the Hanoi People’s Committee and the municipal Department of Culture,
Sports an Tourism, was attended by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister
Nguyen Sinh Hung and the city’s authorities.


Hanoi
welcomed 10.6 million domestic arrivals last year, up 10 percent
compared with the pervious year. Especially, over 30,000 foreign
visitors and 1.2 million domestic tourists flocked to the city during
the 10-day grand celebration of the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang
Long-Hanoi, Hang said.


According to Hang, the
National Tourism Year 2010, hosted by Hanoi , had received a strong
support from ministries, agencies and the entire people.


It was organised with a wide range of activities to mark Hanoi ’s
millennium anniversary, thus, helping to promote the city’s position and
image to the world, Hang noted.


On the occasion,
the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the municipal People’s
Committee presented certificates of merit to units and individuals who
had greatly contributed to the success of the event.


Deputy PM Hung handed over the host of the National Tourism Year 2011 to the central coastal province of Phu Yen./.

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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Special activities to mark VN Tourism Year

Special activities to mark VN Tourism Year

National Tourism Year 2011 which highlights the southern central coastal
region will kick off in Phu Yen province on April 1.


The organising board said at a Jan. 25 press briefing that an artistic
programme to celebrate the 400 th founding anniversary of Phu Yen
province will also take place on the same day with People’s Artist Le
Ngoc Cuong, former Head of the Performance Arts Agency, as the programme
director.


Accordingly, over 30 special events will
be organised in eight southern central coastal cities and provinces of
Da Nang , Quang Nam , Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan,
Binh Thuan and Phu Yen during the event.


Highlights
for the event will include the International Yacht Festival in Mui Ne
beach, Binh Thuan province from March 17-20, an International Firework
Display in Da Nang city on April 29-30, the ASEAN Traditional Music
Festival on June 1-7 in Phu Yen, the Nha Trang Sea Festival on June
11-15 and the cultural, sports and tourism festival of ethnic groups in
the central and Central Highlands region in Phu Yen in July.


In preparation for the national promotion, the cities and provinces
have worked with the National Tourism Administration to conduct two
surveys in tourism destinations to create inter-regional tourism
products.


Phu Yen province, as the host of the
event, has also built up several cultural, sports and tourism
establishments and stepped up the development of infrastructure and
transport to meet visitors’ demands.


With the
theme, “Exotic Beach and Island”, National Tourism Year is an
opportunity to promote the country’s sea and island tourism, effectively
exploit tourism potential and boost investment promotion./.

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