Hoi An tourists explore farming in Cam Chau

Cam Chau village, a suburb of Hoi An home to more than 1,200 people, has created a tour for visitors interested in Vietnamese farming and wining and dining.

Cam Chau is the area’s second farm destination after the market-garden village of Tra Que. It is only 5km from the old city of Hoi An.

Visitors can work on rice and vegetable farms and fish with local people. Afterwards, they can relax over cuisine prepared from locally produced foods. Visitors can also listen to folk music performances.

http://www.indochinadiscoverytravel.com/travel-news/75/hoi-an-tourists-explore-farming-in-cam-chau 

Three Vietnamese museums cited in top 25 of Asia

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website, has named three Vietnamese museums – the Museum of Ethnology, the Women’s Museum and the War Remnants Museum – in the top 25 most attractive museums in Asia.

Travellers’ Choice awards honour top travel spots in Asia based on the valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers. Award winners were determined using a methodology that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for museums in Asia, gathered over a 12-month period.

All three museums had been previously awarded Travellers Choice Awards in 2013.

The Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology placed fourth this year, up two steps from a year earlier. The Vietnamese Women‘s Museum ranked sixth, up five, and the War Remnants Museum was 11th, down six.

http://www.indochinadiscoverytravel.com/travel-news/76/three-vietnamese-museums-cited-in-top-25-of-asia 

Museum of ancient homes opens in Quang Nam

A museum focusing on ancient architecture, the Vinahouse Space, has just opened in the central province of Quang Nam‘s Dien Ban District. It hosts what is believed to be the biggest old house in Viet Nam.

The museum features 18 ancient Vietnamese homes and 12,000 exhibits spanning 11,000sq m. It holds five national records from the Viet Nam Book of Records, including biggest old house in Viet Nam and two of the oldest houses. The oldest building in the museum was built 200 years ago with 108 wooden columns.

Hoi An tourists explore farming in Cam Chau

Cam Chau village, a suburb of Hoi An home to more than 1,200 people, has created a tour for visitors interested in Vietnamese farming and wining and dining.

Cam Chau is the area’s second farm destination after the market-garden village of Tra Que. It is only 5km from the old city of Hoi An. Visitors can work on rice and vegetable farms and fish with local people. Afterwards, they can relax over cuisine prepared from locally produced foods. Visitors can also listen to folk music performances

 

http://www.indochinadiscoverytravel.com/ 

Italian media praises Phu Quoc Island as “paradise”

La Repubblica, a top Italian daily newspaper, recently ran an article on Vietnam’s best beaches, describing Phu Quoc Island in the southern province of Kien Giang as a small paradise.
According to the review, Phu Quoc – Vietnam’s biggest island is a hidden gem surrounded by the beauty of nature, offers tourists untouched beaches as well as a wide range of enticing activities from scuba diving to sightseeing at numerous historical relic sites and islands at very fair prices.
The paper said it only takes a short time by plane or ship from Ho Chi Minh City to reach the island.
It suggested Phu Quoc as an ideal destination instead of Thailand or Indonesia for Italian vacationers to escape from the upcoming European winter.
Another must-go site stressed by the article was Mui Ne beach which people across Vietnam said is the best sea-bathing spot with pleasant weather, long seashore and fresh seafood dishes. Con Dao Island and the central coastal city of Da Nang were also introduced by the La Repubblica

 

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Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology listed in top 25 Asian museums

TripAdvisor website has named the Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology a Travelers’ Choice Museum and one of the top 25 most attractive museums in Asia.

 

According to the website, Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology (VME) is a unit under the Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences. It is both a research centre and a public museum exhibiting the ethnic groups of Viet Nam. The mission of the Museum is scientific research, collection, documentation, conservation, exhibition and preserving the cultural and historic patrimony of the nation's different ethnic groups.

 

Since the beginning of this year, the museum has attracted 200,000 visitors, including 80,000 foreigners. As many as 10,000 objects and 15,000 photographs are displayed at the museum spanning an area of 3 hectares.

 

Established in 1997, the museum serves as an ideal place to exhibit artifacts and documents featuring cultural traditions and the life of 54 Vietnamese ethnic minority groups./.

Vietnam Airlines launchs new flights from Phu Quoc to Singapore and Siem Reap

Two air routes connecting Phu Quoc island district in southern Kien Giang province with Singapore and Siem Riep of Cambodia will be officially launched in November this year.

The information was released at a ceremony hosted by the Kien Giang provincial People’s Committee, Vietnam Airlines, and the Vinpearl Joint Stock Company in Ho Chi Minh City on September 24, announcing the province’s overall trade promotion cooperation and campaign to lure visitors to Phu Quoc.

The national carrier will run two flights a week between Phu Quoc and Singapore by A320 aircraft from November 2 and three flights a week between Phu Quoc and Siem Reap by ATR-72 planes from November 18.

According to Vietnam Airlines Deputy General Director Trinh Ngoc Thanh, the two new air routes will pave the way for Phu Quoc to become the country’s major special economic zone in the future.

Vietnam Airlines is looking into launching more international routes from Phu Quoc to other destinations in Southeast Asia as part of the tourism sector’s programme “Five countries, one destination”, he added.

Le Van Thi, Chairman of Kien Giang’s People’s Committee, stressed that the new air routes will serve domestic and international travel demands, boost investment in Phu Quoc and promote it as a tourist destination.

Vinpearl Joint Stock Company also plans to inaugurate and put into operation its new resort called Vinpearl Resort Phu Quoc on November 1. The 300ha resort will include a five-star hotel system with 700 rooms, an amusement park and a 27-hole golf course that meets international standards.

Phu Quoc has attracted over 200 projects worth 135 trillion VND (6.3 million USD), 18 of which have been completed. To serve its tourism development, Kien Giang province is calling for investment in building an international sea port in Duong Dong town, expecting to accommodate luxury ships carrying 5,000 passengers.

http://www.indochinadiscoverytravel.com/travel-news/74/vietnam-airlines-launchs-new-flights-from-phu-quoc-to-singapore-and-siem-reap 

Ho Chi Minh City launches a new rowboat tour to downtown canal

Ho Chi Minh City plans to introduce rowboats to allow tourists to travel an attractive downtown portion of the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal starting this December.
The itinerary will be rowed along the canal between the Saigon Zoo and Vinh Nghiem, one of the biggest pagodas in the city, which usually hosts religious exhibitions and festivals.
A one-way trip will take around two hours and each boat will be able to carry 20 passengers. The boats will run every day from early in the morning to 11pm when conditions allow, the canal is not very wide, around 60 meters, which makes a rowboat suitable
Propelling a boat with oars will also provide an interesting experience for tourists. The canal trip will be included in tours around the city
Ho Chi Minh City currently offers seven canals and river tours and is building necessary wharves and piers to further develop waterway tourism.
Nguyen Viet Anh, head of the travel office at the HCMC Department of Tourism, Sports and Culture, said eight to ten new piers will be put in used by the end of this year.

http://www.indochinadiscoverytravel.com/travel-news/72/ho-chi-minh-city-launches-a-new-rowboat-tour-to-downtown-canal 

Vietnam promotes tourism in Norway

The Vietnamese Embassy in Norway recently organized a workshop to promote the country as a tourism destination in the northern European market.

The workshop was part of a campaign to increase the number of Norwegian tourists to Vietnam and enhance people-to-people exchanges, thus contributing to the two countries’ bilateral friendship and multi-faceted cooperation.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai introduced the unique cultures and popular destinations in Vietnam to participants, with a special focus on natural and intangible cultural heritages that won UNESCO recognition.

The diplomat also highlighted the visits to Vietnam by King Harald V and Queen Sonja in 2004; and Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and Crown Princess Mette Marit in March 2014.

Traditional Vietnamese dishes were also featured in the workshop.

She said she hoped more Norwegian visitors would come to explore Vietnam and its culture to increase mutual understanding between the two countries’ and enhance their partnership.

Norwegian representatives described Vietnam as a new attractive destination for international holiday-makers.

Vietnam now has seven world intangible heritages listed by UNESCO: Hue ‘s royal court music; Gong space culture in the Central Highlands ; Quan Ho (love duet) singing; the Giong festival; Ca Tru ceremonial singing; Xoan singing; and Worshipping the Hung Kings.

The country is home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Ha Long Bay, Hoi An ancient town, and Hue imperial city. Most recently, the Trang An Tourism Complex in northern Ninh Binh province was recognized as a cultural and natural heritage sit

http://www.indochinadiscoverytravel.com/travel-news/73/vietnam-promotes-tourism-in-norway