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Int’l celebrities and opportunity for advertising Vietnam’s tourism

Ruby — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:45:33 +0000

Last year Vietnam’s famous tourist destinations like Sapa, Ha Long Bay, Con Dao Island welcomed world stars. The chance to lure international VIPs to Vietnam is open.

In mid-November 2011, the big family of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie chose Con Dao Island in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau for their four-day vacation. The star couple and their children stayed at the five-star Six Senses, walked on the beach, swam in the blue sea and enjoyed Vietnamese cuisines.
The couple also paid a visit to the Con Dao prison, one of a famous relic of the war. Before leaving Con Dao, Jolie said: “Con Dao is very beautiful. My kids like the island very much. We hope to return here in the future.”
The two Hollywood stars and their Vietnamese origin adopted child tasted Vietnamese folk cuisines like cua lot (soft-shelled crab), Vietnamese salad, braised pork and bun thit nuong (vermicelli with roast pork), etc. at a restaurant in HCM City.

It was a big surprise that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent his Christmas holiday in Vietnam. The young billionaire and his girlfriend visited the Hoa Lo prison in Hanoi and welcomed Christmas on a cruise ship on Ha Long Bay, a world natural heritage. The Facebook CEO and his friends rowed kayak boats to discover the famous bay and Sung Sot cave.
Why did Zuckerberg select Ha Long Bay for the Christmas Day? “Just because Ha Long Bay is very beautiful. I, my girlfriend and my group had a very interesting night on the bay. I will return there if I have a chance,” he said.
The Facebook CEO and his friend also had interesting experience in Sapa, Lao Cai province when they visited villages of ethnic minority groups in the northwestern region of Vietnam. They walked and pedaled through the villages of Dao, Tay and Xa Pho groups. They played folk games like nem con, blind man buff, etc.
At the hotel, American visitors enjoyed traditional songs and dances performed by Mong children and tasted Vietnamese dishes like rice, Pho, spring roll, fried vegetable, roasted fish, roasted pork with Sapa mushroom.
“Mark Zuckerberg and his friends praised our cuisines. His girlfriend Priscilla Chan asked us about recipes,” an employee of Topas Ecolodge Resort in Sapa said.
The visits by Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and the Facebook CEO to Vietnam shows that Vietnam is more appealing to international visitors. These are also rare chances to advertise Vietnam’s tourism to the world.
Many foreign newspapers published articles and photo stories about Zuckerberg’s tour in Vietnam, especially the pictures featuring the billionaire on a buffalo.
From a unfamiliar resort, the four-star resort named Topas Ecolodge in Sapa has been known widely after Facebook CEO’s tour.
The resort’s deputy director Le Phuc Thien said that visitors to resort’s website has risen by 6-7 times after Zuckerberg’s trip.
“Previously our major visitors were European but I believe that the number of local tourists will strongly increase in the coming time,” Thien said.
Nguyen Van Tuan, chief of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that world celebrities’ visits to Vietnam are very good opportunities for advertising Vietnamese tourism to the world.
“We are working on a PR plan through foreign news agencies whenever world VIPs visit Vietnam. This is a new method so we need to think how to make it works,” Tuan said.
S. Ha
Source: VNE

Russian tourists stuck in Binh Thuan supported to go home

Ruby — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:03:40 +0000

After Lanta-Tur Voyazh, one of the leading Russian tour operators, halted its operation on January 27, thousands of its customers were reported to be stuck in some countries including Viet Nam.
According to the Consulate General of Russia in HCM City, Lanta-Tur Voyazh brought 309 Russian customers to Viet Nam where their local partner, Lanta Viet, took responsibility to organize the tours as agreed in the contract. However, those tourists were stuck in the tourist area of Mui Ne, Binh Thuan province after the suspension of Lanta-Tur Voyazh.
On January 31, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism sent leaders of Travel and Hotel Departments to the province to coordinate with Binh Thuan People’s Committee, Russian diplomatic agencies and tourism busineses in the area to address the problem.
Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh, has previously directed the VNAT to focus on facilitating local tourism businesses who got involved in the situation and taking good care of Lanta-Tur’s customers.
“Facing the difficulty, Vietnamese tourism businesses have shown their hospitality, professional skills and warm treatment towards the tourists. The VNAT will closely coordinate with the tourism businesses to tackle the problem”, said Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of VNAT’s Travel Department.
Hotels and resorts in the area have seriously observed the local authorities’ requirement of facilitating Russian tourists to come back home or continue their contracted tours while not lowering service quality as a result of Lanta-Tur Voyazh’s suspension.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, Vice Chairman of Binh Thuan People’s Committee, said the Consulate General of Russia in Viet Nam will take the responsibility to call Russian tourists to share the difficulty of Vietnamese tourism businesses by paying in full or a part of the total service costs which will be refunded by Russian Insurance when they return home. Those who are not able to afford can ask the support of the Consulate General of Russia in Viet Nam.
The Consulate General of Russia in Viet Nam officially reported, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin has ordered functional agencies to resolve the problem, so that Russian citizens can keep up with their travels or come back home safely. The Consulate General has also worked with representatives of Vietnam Airlines, Aeroflot, S7 and Transaero and these four airliners have agreed to help bring Russian tourists home in the next few days.
According to the Consulate General, the Russian side highly appreciates and expresses their thanks to Binh Thuan People’s Committee, the VNAT, local hotels and resorts for their prompt and sound actions and good care for Russian tourists stuck in Viet Nam.
The province of Binh Thuan has, in recent years, become a favourite destination of Russian holiday-makers. The involvement of authorities and tourism businesses in resolving the problem in a sound and thoughtful way has shown the hospitality and determination of Vietnam tourism industry to enhance its image. Moreover, this also indicates the warm traditional relationship between the two peoples of Viet Nam and Russia.

Truyen Phuong (TITC)

International friends enjoy Tet in Vietnam

Ruby — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:58:27 +0000

In addition to an exciting experience, foreign visitors to Vietnam this time of year will gain a better understanding of the country’s traditions and culture by experiencing the Vietnamese people’s preparations for the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) celebrations.
Ryan Benz, a visitor from Australia, says: “Traditional culture is what makes Tet Holiday in Vietnam unique from others”.
Reading this article reminds me of the wonderful holiday that I had at the end of last year. I’ve been to many countries and experienced different ways of celebrating New Year; and I found they were not much different from my home country, Australia, where people usually gather, party and drink.

However last year was different when I came to visit Vietnam. Words fail me to express what I felt actually. It was just a totally new, refreshing and surprising experience. I was in Hanoi at the time when the New Year was approaching. I spent days walking along lovely old streets of Hanoi just to enjoy watching people buying things, students buying new clothes, children with great enjoyment shown on their cute faces getting new toys from their parents. It was all busy and exciting. Supermarkets and stores were all jammed with shoppers trying to get as much as they can to decorate their houses.

I was very lucky to be invited to a Vietnamese friend’s house and stayed there during the holiday. The family was very hospitable and their heartwarming welcome made me very comfortable. We went to Hoan Kiem Lake on the New Year’s Eve to see the firework, and then came back to celebrate with his family. Hanoi was so quite but amazingly warm in the next morning when my friend took me around Hanoi on his motorbike visiting his friends and relatives. This traditional culture is what makes Tet Holiday in Vietnam unique from others.
People always visit each other, giving friends and relatives the best wishes for the New Year. And interestingly children always get what local people call “lucky money”. My friend’s mum also gave me a small red envelop with some lucky money in it and I was filled with a sense of surprise and happiness. That was a real interesting experience for me. Being with this lovely country for only a short period of time, but I did learn a lot. I learned a lot about the people and the culture. I hope that I will come back one day to see how Vietnam develops and give myself another chance to enjoy the ultimate excitement and charm of Tet holiday in this country.
By the way, I want to send to everyone a wish of luck and happiness welcoming the New Year with their beloved ones. May the Year of Dragon bring peace, hope and prosperity to you all.

David Frank, a French tourist, says, “I am impressed by the busy shopping and cozy atmosphere before Tet”
Following my friends’ suggestion, I pay a month-long visit to Vietnam where I am traveling to different provinces and cities in all three regions of the country.

I moved from one place to another in both of Vietnam’s two major cities – Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, however, I decided to celebrate the New Year in Hue – the former capital city in central Vietnam.
I love Hue people, they’re charming and hospitable. The traditional foods there are so tasty and special I always eat too much and get very full!.
I already experienced Christmas in Vietnam when I spent time going out and being with friends drinking rice wine and eating hotpot. We also had, hot chocolate and cookies. It was really fun, and created a lot of good cheer and memories.
I’ve heard many things about special Vietnamese Tet traditions, particularly “first-footing” and “lucky money.” I hope to explore these traditions more in Hue this year.
I would like to send my best very wishes to all the people in Vietnam during Tet.
Perri Black, a foreign editor for VOV, shares: “May the upcoming Year of the Dragon bring peace and prosperity to all”
Tet is a very interesting time in Hanoi. The month or so before the actual New Year’s Day is a bit like the frantic month-long build up to the Christmas holiday in the US.
People in Hanoi enthusiastically begin their Tet preparations on January 1, after the Western New Year’s Eve festivities the night before. Supermarkets and shopping centers are jammed with all kinds of seasonal goodies in bright, glittering packaging and shoppers gleefully sort through them to find just the right things. The festive spirit is palpable and seems to permeate everything.
It’s a great time to be in Hanoi and you can’t help but get caught up in the general excitement. The traffic increases alarmingly, which can be bit unnerving, but people are always in a good mood and look forward to spending time with family and friends. The restaurants are packed with partiers singing along to Abba’ ‘Happy New Year’ and the mass exodus out of the city a few days before New Year is amazing!
It all comes to a grinding halt about 3pm on New Year’s Eve and an eerie, expectant quiet falls over the city as everyone awaits midnight, fireworks and the beginning of the official holiday. In the days that follow the streets are relatively quiet but pagodas and temples are mobbed. As a foreigner, you will probably receive numerous invitations to visit friends’ homes during the holiday, and they are well worth accepting to enjoy the true spirit of Tet, sample the traditional foods, and welcome in the New Year.
I want to wish everyone the best of luck in their Tet preparations and a safe and happy holiday with their families. May the upcoming Year of the Dragon bring peace and prosperity to all.
Source: VOV News

Vietnam tops list of world’s most attractive tourist destinations

Ruby — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:21:24 +0000

Vietnam is now at the top of the list of the world’s emerging tourist attractions, as selected by international visitors in 2012, according to a recent report by the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA).

The Southeast Asian country was closely followed by India, Ecuador and China on the list of destinations that USTOA members consider increasingly popular in the year.

The Association announced the list at an annual conference held recently on Marco Island, Florida. It is an occupational association, through which travel agents organize tours and provide tourism services in countries around the world.

Recently, Smart Travel Asia, a prestigious online travel magazine, also highlighted Vietnamese tourism by listing Hanoi and Hoi An among the top ten most attractive tourist destinations in Asia in 2011.

Smart Travel Asia’s list was based on votes cast online by more than one million readers worldwide from May to July 2011.
Source: VOV

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Grand Hotel being transformed into five-star facility

Ruby — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:42:20 +0000

The Grand Hotel has put a new building into service on a trial basis, paving the way for it to become the five-star hotel after a four-year upgrading duration at a total cost of VND700 billion.
The new building with 130 rooms has been opened on a pilot basis since last month with a range of guest services, said Nguyen Dang Tien, general manager of the Grand Hotel. Besides, the hotel is preparing next phases for the official inauguration in the coming time.
“The newly-added area has brought the hotel a revenue of VND5 billion with a high room occupancy reaching over 70% over the past month. We hope that it is set to become a five-star hotel in this April,” he continued.
The Grand Hotel under Saigontourist Holding Corporation is renovated on the basis of the old building built in the 1930s. As a five-star hotel, the Grand Hotel covers 2,780 square meters on Dong Khoi Street in downtown area.
The 20-storey hotel has 230 rooms, five restaurants, two parking lots and A-class shopping stores.
Source: The Saigon Times Daily