Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tourism identifies its top ten events in 2010

Tourism identifies its top ten events in 2010

The fact that Vietnam received a record five million foreign
tourists and 28 million domestic visitors, earning 96 trillion VND, has
been selected as one of the top ten tourism achievements in 2010.


The top ten list was announced by Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Head of
the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) at a Jan. 18 press
briefing. The election is an annual activity carried out by VNAT’s “Du
lich” (Tourism) newspaper.


Among the events were: a
promotion programme named “Vietnam - your destination”, the 50 th
anniversary of the birth of the tourism sector (1960-2010); National
Tourism Year 2010 held in Hanoi and the programme “Strategy for
Vietnam’s tourism development by 2020, with a vision for 2030”, projects
to develop tourism in the 2011-2020 period and the campaign to promote
Vietnam’s tourism in China, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and Western
Europe.


Other outstanding highlights include the
launch of a tourism television channel; a national seminar on the
development of Vietnam’s tourism in the context of proactive
international integration, the international seminar titled “Tourism -
important momentum for socio-economic development”, a tour to plant a
flag on Fansipan peak on the occasion of the 1,000 th anniversary of
Thang Long Hanoi and the international tourism exhibition in Ho Chi Minh
City./.

Related Articles

Phu My Hung Flower Festival

A group of Vietnamese ladies wearing ao dai walk around last year’s Phu My Hung Flower Festival 2010 - Photo: The organizers
Phu My Hung Flower Festival 2011 will present a week dedicated to the Vietnamese craft of growing flowers starting January 26 at The Crescent in the Phu My Hung urban area in HCMC’s District 7.

The festival, co-organized by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company and HCMC Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than 500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year) products.

One of the highlights will be a flower contest “Hoa dong co noi” for growers and gardeners to enter.

The festival also includes a flower-garland releasing festival to pray for happiness and good luck by the lake.

The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers which will be lit for photo opportunities. Different festival areas include Cat Square with flowers arranged in the shapes of cats, the apricot and peach blossom section, 12 animal designations of the lunar calendar and the legend about the man, Mai An Tiem, who discovered the watermelon.

Following the success of last year’s event, the organizers will hold
another orchid and frangipani contest.

There will be music shows at the festival every night till it ends Feb 1.

Related Articles

Phu My Hung Flower Festival

A group of Vietnamese ladies wearing ao dai walk around last year’s Phu My Hung Flower Festival 2010 - Photo: The organizers
Phu My Hung Flower Festival 2011 will present a week dedicated to the Vietnamese craft of growing flowers starting January 26 at The Crescent in the Phu My Hung urban area in HCMC’s District 7.

The festival, co-organized by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company and HCMC Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than 500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year) products.

One of the highlights will be a flower contest “Hoa dong co noi” for growers and gardeners to enter.

The festival also includes a flower-garland releasing festival to pray for happiness and good luck by the lake.

The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers which will be lit for photo opportunities. Different festival areas include Cat Square with flowers arranged in the shapes of cats, the apricot and peach blossom section, 12 animal designations of the lunar calendar and the legend about the man, Mai An Tiem, who discovered the watermelon.

Following the success of last year’s event, the organizers will hold
another orchid and frangipani contest.

There will be music shows at the festival every night till it ends Feb 1.

Related Articles

Monday, January 17, 2011

Phu My Hung Flower Festival

A group of Vietnamese ladies wearing ao dai walk around last year’s Phu My Hung Flower Festival 2010 - Photo: The organizers
Phu My Hung Flower Festival 2011 will present a week dedicated to the Vietnamese craft of growing flowers starting January 26 at The Crescent in the Phu My Hung urban area in HCMC’s District 7.

The festival, co-organized by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company and HCMC Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than 500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year) products.

One of the highlights will be a flower contest “Hoa dong co noi” for growers and gardeners to enter.

The festival also includes a flower-garland releasing festival to pray for happiness and good luck by the lake.

The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers which will be lit for photo opportunities. Different festival areas include Cat Square with flowers arranged in the shapes of cats, the apricot and peach blossom section, 12 animal designations of the lunar calendar and the legend about the man, Mai An Tiem, who discovered the watermelon.

Following the success of last year’s event, the organizers will hold
another orchid and frangipani contest.

There will be music shows at the festival every night till it ends Feb 1.

Related Articles

Phu My Hung Flower Festival

A group of Vietnamese ladies wearing ao dai walk around last year’s Phu My Hung Flower Festival 2010 - Photo: The organizers
Phu My Hung Flower Festival 2011 will present a week dedicated to the Vietnamese craft of growing flowers starting January 26 at The Crescent in the Phu My Hung urban area in HCMC’s District 7.

The festival, co-organized by Phu My Hung Joint Venture Company and HCMC Ornamental Creature Association, expects to attract more than 500 enterprises displaying flowers, fruit and Tet (Lunar New Year) products.

One of the highlights will be a flower contest “Hoa dong co noi” for growers and gardeners to enter.

The festival also includes a flower-garland releasing festival to pray for happiness and good luck by the lake.

The lake will be decorated with giant lotus flowers which will be lit for photo opportunities. Different festival areas include Cat Square with flowers arranged in the shapes of cats, the apricot and peach blossom section, 12 animal designations of the lunar calendar and the legend about the man, Mai An Tiem, who discovered the watermelon.

Following the success of last year’s event, the organizers will hold
another orchid and frangipani contest.

There will be music shows at the festival every night till it ends Feb 1.

Related Articles

Tet In HCM City And Beyond

Tet in HCM City for the New Year of the Cat is going to be bigger and better than ever with lots of entertainment venues and festivals to visit. Local tour companies are offering amazing Tet packages.

The HCM City People’s Committee has announced programs for Tet Festival 2011 in the city’s downtown area, including Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2011, Bánh tét (cylindrical glutinous rice cake) festival, fireworks, the lighting city, snapshots of New Year 2011 and doorshows.

HCM City

The annual seventh Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2011 is themed “New Heights” as HCM City sets its sights on a bigger and better city. Sections of the street will be decorated in different spring themes — Hn Vit (Vietnam’s Soul), Tt phng Nam (Southern Tet), Ni vòng tay ln (Get together), Vn lên tm cao mi (Reach New Heights), Xuân an vui (Happy and Peaceful Spring). Other attractions include a flower arrangement booth, a wishing pond to collect money for charity, coffee stalls, folk music and games.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street extending down Nguyen Hue Boulevard from the City Hall to the river opens from 7 p.m., Jan. 31 till 10 p.m., Feb. 6. It will be closed to traffic for the holiday week. In addition, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Feb. 6, the nearby Le Loi Street from Ben Thanh Market to the Municipal Theater will be for pedestrians only.
The Bánh tét Festival from Jan. 26 to 31 is being jointly organized by all the city’s 24 districts. Activities will include bánh tét cooking contests and a bánh tét Tet gift drive for poor families. Saigontourist Holding Company, in cooperation with the HCM City Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, will give 10,000 bánh tét to disadvantaged children.

The fireworks displays on the Lunar New Year’s Eve (Feb. 2) will take place at seven places around the city while Le Loi, Dong Khoi and Le Duan streets and Chi Lang Park on Dong Khoi Street are decorated with hundreds of lights from Jan. 26 to Feb. 13.

During the last days of the lunar year and the first days of the new lunar year, you can join the Spring Flower Festival at Tao Dan Park and Quoc Te Square, a.k.a. Tortoise Fountain, in the city’s District 1. This year the “Bird Competition” comes back after a long absence.

According to HCM City Greenery and Park Co., the event’s organizer, some highlights of the festival from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8 will be bonsai, flower and fish exhibits by locals and foreigners, an area for souvenirs, games and food at Tao Dan Park. The “Nha Rong – Ho Chi Minh Museum” miniature made from flowers and leaves by a Japanese artisan and orchids from the HCM City Orchid Club. Tortoise Fountain will be turned into a lotus pond with an exhibition titled “HCM City Socio-economic Achievement” and music performances.

Tours around Vietnam

Besides Tet programs in HCM City, tourists can enjoy Tet travel tour promotions around the country.
HCM City-based tour operator Vietravel is introducing the “Spring Travel 2011” program with over 100 tours and lucky prizes till Feb. 28. The spring heritage tour of the North will take you to Hanoi, Halong, Sapa, Trang An, etc. Witness the rich history of the central region by visiting Tet festivals along the Hoai River in Hoi An Town, Danang City, citadels in Hue City and Phong Nha-Ke Bang caves in Quang Binh Province. Waterfalls and thousands of flowers are symbols of the Central Highlands while opera songs for Tet are specialties in the Mekong Delta.
Vietravel is holding a Tet lucky draw with prizes including diamond jewelry, vouchers and 20,000 gifts.

Another local travel giant Saigontourist Travel and Service Co. is offering 100 tour packages to enjoy the New Year of the Cat. There are nearly 20 island tours to Con Dao, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet and Danang. A world heritage trip in spring, the legendary Central Highlands and spring in villages in the Central Highlands. Saigontourist has also launched special tours for overseas Vietnamese returning for Tet.

Cholontourist Travel and Service Co. this year has tours to highlands and beaches, including adventure tours.

Related Articles

First Hotel Inaugurates New Section

First Hotel will put into operation new bedrooms and restaurants, built with funding from Saigontourist Holding Company, to serve the increasing number of customers, including VIPs 

Located in the heart of Tan Binh District and being around five minutes from Tan Son Nhat International Airport by car, the First Hotel is an ideal stopover for guests who take part in international conferences, fairs and exhibitions as exhibitors at nearby exhibition centers like Tan Binh Exhibition and Convention Center and Phu Tho Exhibition Center.

With its separate space, the hotel is an ideal place to stay for visitors to HCM City. Guests from here can go shopping at shopping centers such as Parkson, Maximark Cong Hoa, Big C and Lotte Mart, which are within the diameter of 2km from the hotel.

The First Hotel is one of the big four-star hotels in HCM City. Since 1999, it has been selected as one of Vietnam’s top hotels by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Vietnam Tourism Association.
By the end of 2010, the First Hotel completed a big projects worth VND60 billion (approximately US$3 million) to build 41 new deluxe bedrooms and two Japanese-Chinese restaurants, and upgrade four Vietnamese-Korean restaurants together with public utilities. With the new constructions, when put into operation, the hotel will have 152 rooms of international standards, classified as Superior, Deluxe, Executive Deluxe, First ED, Junior Suite and Suite, and six restaurants serving Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisines. In addition, the wedding party center with five halls has also been upgraded. The conference section has also been upgraded, with eight rooms to seat 20-700 people.

Explaining the reason for building and upgrading facilities of the First Hotel, Huynh Van Phat, the hotel director, says, “The First Hotel’s customers, especially foreigners, have higher demands. The First Hotel doesn’t want to lose its position, so we decided to invest in raising our position and maintaining it for the next 10 years.”
The hotel’s restaurants always attract the attention of local and foreign diners. Jacques Thermolle-First Hot Pot Restaurant, with deluxe, cozy space, serves European and Asian dishes. Its main room can seat over 150 people. Three rooms for VIPs are for groups of customers ordering parties for 5-20 people and one big room. Unlike other restaurants, the broths at the First Hotpot have their own sauce. Other dishes are ones that have won prizes at international gastronomic contests.

Pho Nuong De Nhat Restaurant, located outdoors, serves diverse grilled dishes of the three regions of Vietnam and seafoods. Aside from lunch, dinner and parties, the restaurant serves breakfast with special dishes.
Quan Ngon De Nhat Restaurant serves hundreds of Vietnamese dishes of different styles at reasonable prices. Decorated with the style of a countryside, the restaurant can receive more than 100 people. Rooms for separate parties are also available.

The Korean Restaurant on the ground floor serves Korean dishes prepared directly by Korean cooks.
At the new section of the hotel, the Japanese and Chinese restaurants with deluxe architecture and exclusive cuisines will be advantages for the First Hotel to lure more customers.

On the occasion of the new section’s opening, the First Hotel offer a discount of 40% for its room rates. In addition, it offers special incentives for customers who use its package conference service until June 30, 2011: US$19/guest (excluding lunch), US$28/guest (including lunch). The prices include decoration for the conference room for half a day, coffee, tea, fruit juices, screen and overhead projector.

First Hotel:
18 Hoang Viet St., Tan Binh Dist., HCM City. Tel: 08.38441199, email: sales@firsthotel.com.vn

Related Articles