Foreign visitors to Vietnam surpasses 2.9 million in 2004

The year 2004 passed, according to the Vietnam Ministry of Tourism, Vietnam welcomed more than 2.9 million foreign arrivals in 2004, 19 percent more than last year. Chinese, Korean, Janpanese, French, American are on top of the list. For this year, Vietnam target to welcome 2.3 million tourists for this year

Perfume Pagoda Festival 2005 open this month

Chua Huong (Perfume Pagoda) Festival 2005 is to open on February 14 at Vietnam's largest and most famous pagoda. The Chua Huong Festival, the biggest and longest annual festival in Vietnam, opens on February 14, 2005, the sixth day of the first lunar month.

The festival, lasting through three months in spring, attracts hundreds of thousands of Buddhist pilgrims and tourists from all parts of the country, as well as overseas Vietnamese.

Hanoi host tourism festival

An international tourism festival will be held in Hanoi from April 29-May 1

Provinces and cities that have signed tourism co-operation agreements with the capital will participate in the festival. Representatives of key tourist sites, international delegations and traveling agencies nationwide will also take part in the event.
Exhibitions of tourism products, introductions of hotels and restaurants, a gastronomy festival and a show of Bat Trang porcelain and ceramic ware will be organized during the festival.

Ana Mandara be on top 12 resort worldwide for 2004

Ana Mandara in central Nha Trang City has been selected by Forbes.com as one of the 12 most popular resorts worldwide in 2004.

There are only two Asian resorts of the top 12 resorts in 2004 selected by Forbes.com, Pangkor Laut of Malaysia and Ana Mandara of Vietnam. Top resorts are selected based on four standards: design, service, food and location.

Victoria has designs on imperial Hue

French developer Victoria Hotels & Resorts has begun to build a new US $12-million beach resort. The project includes 50 villas and 150 bungalows in Phu Vang District, 25km from the ancient city of Hue. The company begun construction of the first phase of the 50-ha resort in March.

Victoria is also currently awaiting the Ministry of Planning and Investment's approval for its project to build a US $12-million resort on Phu Quoc, an island one-hour away by Plane from Ho Chi Minh City that has seen little development of its tourism industry so far.

Accor Group take over Vinpearl Resort

Hotel management firm Accor has announced that it is assuming operations of the VinPearl Resort and Spa on Hon Tre Island, off the coast of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province. The resort consists of 236 rooms and will now be known as Sofitel VinPearl Resort.

The biggest tourism project in Halong has signed

On January 26th, 2004 in Hanoi, a Vietnamese investor and the US’s Dye Vietnam Co., Ltd. signed an agreement to establish Ha Long Bay Joint-venture Co., Ltd with the capital of US$1.5 billion.

According to the agreement, big constructions will be built in Tuan Chau Island. They are Andy Dye gold field, resort with a 140-room hotel, many luxurious villas, a channel, a beach, a helicopter airport, an ecological tourism zone, a water entertainment and so on.

Gold fields, resort with many splendid hotels and villas will also be built in Nha Trang, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Director of Ha Long Bay Co. said the plan has started land clearance for constructions in Tuan Chau.

Tiger Airways opens office in Vietnam

The Singapore-based budget carrier Tiger Airways said it has opened an office in Hanoi, as it seeks permission to fly to Ho Chi Minh City amid tight competition in the low-fare market.

The airline had the capacity to service the route, after taking delivery of two more aircraft this month to bring its fleet to four. Tiger Airways will offer tickets up to 80% lower than existing fares from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City, which range between US$221 and US$803.

Vietnam Airlines fly direct to Frankfurt

Vietnam Airlines will launch direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Germany’s Frankfurt in July of the year 2005. Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City-Frankfurt route still has a stopover in Moscow, Russia.

Hanoi have new puppetry theatre

According to the director of the Central Puppetry Theatre, the new theatre is a high-grade performance venue of international standard. It will serve not only as a performance venue but also as a museum, where the country’s traditional art will be preserved.

The new theatre is expected to open in early 2006, as a milestone in the history of puppetry. He elaborated that over the past 48 years, puppeteers have practiced and performed in poor conditions, which has hindered their creativity.

According to the director, the ground in front of the theatre will be able to serve as an outdoor stage, while the backyard will be a place for displaying and producing puppets.

First Eco-tourist map of Vietnam published

The first comprehensive eco-tourism map of Vietnam, published by the Fauna & Flora International (FFI)-Vietnam Conservation Support Programme in the end of Jan. 2005.

The map itself is a colorful and informative guide to nature in Vietnam and includes photographs of landscapes and endangered species. It pinpoints the exact location of all national parks and nature reserves, while providing information about local plant and animal species.

Also included are six inset maps of protected areas complete with topography information, trails and various other points of interest.

The Eco-tourism Map also highlights conservation initiatives that are under way throughout Vietnam. All proceeds from map sales will go directly to support Vietnamese primate conservation initiatives that protect endangered species such as the Western and Eastern Black-Crested Gibbons, Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey, Red-Shanked Douc Langur and Ha Tinh Langur.

UNESCO help to preserve the Vietnamese Royal Music

UNESCO has, through the Japanese Trust Fund, launched its first project to preserve royal music or "nha nhac" in Vietnam.

"Nha nhac" was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as one of the world's 28 intangible oral heritages in early November, 2003.

The project, to be carried out from now until 2007, will focus on personnel training, systematically listing "nha nhac" performers and researchers and providing them with preferential allowances, in order to ensure the preservation of "nha nhac" and personnel for the art in the future. UNESCO contributed nearly US $162,500 to the US $352,000 project, which aims to help preserve and widely introduce "nha nhac"