The National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has instructed travel firms to follow the nation’s laws and regulations strictly when they send Vietnamese tourists overseas.  The travel firms may not design tours that include visits to casinos.The VNAT advisory reported in Thoi Bao Kinh Te Saigon (Saigon Economic News) is evidently prompted in part by the proliferation of casinos in nearby destinations, including a number established just over the border in Cambodia.

In the official letter to travel agencies, VNAT General Director Nguyen Van Tuan told them to avoid bringing Vietnamese tourists to unsafe places.  The firms were told to report to the authority immediately as soon as troubles occur.

VNAT also ordered province and city tourism departments to examine the outbound tourism operations of travel firms.

VNAT says that some travel firms have been found to provide substandard service when taking Vietnamese tourists abroad, and there have been incidents relating to tourists’ safety.

(In February 2010, a party of 22 Vietnamese tourists met an accident on the way from Pattaya to Bangkok which killed one and injured six.)

Responding to the VNAT directive, travel firms commented that tourists who want to will still find their way to casinos, whether or not gambling stops are programmed into a tour.  They always have free time in the evening to go whatever they want.

Nguyen Minh Quyen, Deputy Director of Ben Thanh Tourist, said that few travel firms include a casino visit in their tour programmes.  It is the tourists who decide whether to go to a casino or not, he added.

The head of a Hanoi travel firm agreed.  Despite the ban, he said, tourists will have no trouble finding a casino to gamble if they want. They can catch a taxi to one and pay all other expenses themselves, while no one can control their time.

However, Nguyen Minh Man, a senior executive at Vietravel, said that his company will work directly with foreign partners to remove casinos from tour destinations after studying the VNAT directive. Man said that Vietravel and its partners will identify alternative sites for Vietnamese tourists to visit.

Quyen of Ben Thanh Tourist said that he supports the decision by VNAT to discourage Vietnamese people from patronizing casinos during their trips abroad. “It is a kind of waste of foreign currencies,” he explained, “unreasonable when Vietnam every year has to spend billions dong to advertise Vietnam as a vacation destination.”

China last year issued a similar directive, forbidding travel agents from taking Chinese citizens to Vietnam to gamble.

Analysts here comment that the ban on leading Vietnamese tourists to casinos is just a halfway measure.  They point to ads for trips to destinations like Las Vegas (US), Malaysia’s Genting Highlands and Macau on the websites of some big travel firms that include text that promises attractive nights at casinos.

For example, one ad notes the ‘chance to enter the night world of Las Vegas City’, or the ‘chance to discover the biggest casino in South East Asia’ or ‘seek good luck in casinos.’

The 24 hour casinos that have opened on the Cambodian border and in Phnom Penh and the big casinos in Malaysia and Macau have proven to be very seductive to Vietnamese tourists. Source: VietNamNet, TBKTSG

Visitors to HCM City usually find it hard to find local food specialities like candies to take back home as gifts due to the absence of tourist stores even though the country is a haven for tropical farm products.He was embarrassed once when asked by guests to take them to a shop to buy candies, he said.

“I know confectionery can be found at any local supermarket but the problem is they were looking for a store specialising in local brands, something not easy to find.”

“So I just recommended Ben Thanh Market.”

“Candies served in hotel lounges are mostly imported,” he explained.

The country exports fruits like rambutan, pineapple, coconut, jackfruit, and banana to more than 60 countries and territories, according to the Institute of Southern Fruits.

But processors pay little attention to international visitors as a potential market despite the fact that many of them love to sample local tropical fruits or products made from them, like candies and cookies.

“I especially love cakes made of coconut or cassava which I eat right away because they taste exotic, delicious, and really Vietnamese,” a Japanese visitor who identified herself as just Shiubu said.

She would love to buy chocolate cookies which are tasty and much cheaper than in Japan, she said.

“Except cashew nuts and coffee, which are typical of the country, I don’t know what other specialities I should take home,” Italian tourist Laure Pausini said.

A German tourist who was travelling with his wife, said he was excited to see how coconut candies and rice cakes are hand-made in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces of Ben Tre and Can Tho.

“If these agricultural products are made easily accessible to tourists in cities, I think they will become very popular,” he added.

Specialty shops

Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travel Agency, stressed the need to open specialised shops for tourists that sell a variety of local specialities.

“All goods there must be of high quality, safe, and produced by credible companies,” he said.

“We should make tourists spend more in the country.”

He said foreign guests are interested in desiccated fruits, coffee, and tea.

“If local travel agencies support the opening of a speciality store for international tourists, we will be more than happy to feature our products there,” Nguyen Anh Trung, deputy general director of Givral Bakery, said.Source:VietNamNet/Viet Nam News

A week of culture and tourism events will take place in the central ancient city of Hoi An from March 21 to 28 to welcome the 35th anniversary of the city liberation (March 28, 1975).

The events will include a meeting, a parade, performances of traditional songs, competitions of decoration, a march of flower-decorated carriages and camping, said organisers.

Also included in the week are a gala entitled “Melody of the Time”; a gathering of writers, artists and outstanding athletes; women-football, coastal volleyball and net-knitting competitions and a fishing village festival.

And especially, the city will switch its lights off from 8:30 to 9:30 pm on March 27 to respond to the Earth Hour 2010 campaign together with other cities and regions throughout the world.

Hoi An city, home to ancient streets, is a favourite destination of foreign visitors. (Source: VNA)

The third edition of the HCMC-The Hidden Charms photography contest encourages professionals and amateurs to capture beautiful images of daily life in the city.

Organised by the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and HCMC Tourism magazine, the contest aims to introduce and market the city to the world through visual arts.

This year’s contest is part of many cultural activities planned to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the city’s liberation and 50 years of the country’s tourism sector.

Themed “Sai Gon – Ho Chi Minh City: 24 Hours”, organisers hope the participants’ photographs capture images that offer original and traditional perspectives.

Supported by local authorities and organisations, including the HCMC Photographers Association, the annual contest typically attracts participants from within and outside the country.

Through the event, participants and viewers can learn more about the power and reach of photography, which has a common language that needs no translation and provokes insights that words often struggle to convey.

The best photos from previous contests are presented to the public.

Last year, the contest, The Most Favourite Thing about HCMC generated huge interest among the photographic community and helped increase public awareness of the city’s history, economy, culture and tourism sites.

Organisers said high priority would be given to entries focusing on creative and unique views and presentations.

Entries should be original works that have not been entered in previous competitions nor exhibited publicly.

Entries may be submitted as a single photograph, a set of photos, or as a photo essay or report. Each photo, in black-and-white or colour, should be printed 20cm by 30cm for the amateur and 25cm by 38cm for professional artists.

Two first prizes, one for amateurs and one for pros, will include VND7 million (US$350) each in cash and a tour of Thailand for one person. Second, third and consolation prizes will also be given.

Work can be sent to the organising Board of HCMC-The Hidden Charm III at 140 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, District 3. The deadline for receiving entries is March 31.

The award presentation ceremony and photo exhibition will be held early April at the city’s Labour Cultural House and the 23/9 Park.

(Source: VNS)

The national tourism development strategy for 2020 spotlights gender equality as a key element for a green and sustainable industry.

Prejudice against female workers in the hospitality industry aroused public concern at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on March 15 under the co-sponsorship of the municipal University of Law and the Rey Juan Carlos University of Spain.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen and Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh from the HCMC University of Law shared the view that atop their domestic workloads and time pressures, public prejudice experienced by women in services seen as ‘sensitive’ – such as restaurant and hotel staff and tourist guides – constitutes a major obstacle to women in the hospitality industry.

Women have limited access to training and are at greater risk of being dismissed than their male colleagues, they said.

Workshop participants asked lawmakers to review regulations on gender to provide concrete tools and increase preferential policies for women-intensive businesses.

They also proposed that relevant agencies intensify education on gender and campaign for gender equality.

“Public agencies and political organisations should promote gender equality right at their workplace and eliminate prejudice against women working in ‘sensitive’ services,” many said.

The hospitality industry provides over 1 million new jobs every year and women make up more than 42% of the sector’s workforce.

The sector also contributes to some 10% of the gross domestic product. (Source: VNA)

Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh has invited Laos to participate in celebrations for the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and the making of policies to attract tourists.

Minister Anh made the proposals during his working session with the Lao National Tourism Administration’s Vice Chairman Succaseng Phothisan in the capital city of Vientiane on March 14.

The officials informed each other of tourism development in their respective countries. Despite the global economic crisis, the two nations only suffered a slight drop in the numbers of holidaymakers thanks to the stimulus policies, tourism incentives and concerted efforts from both sides, they said.

Phothisan thanked Vietnam for its effective assistance to the Lao tourism sector and asked Vietnam to continue with the transport of passengers from neighbouring countries to Laos, mainly by air.

He also urged Vietnam to open more tours to provinces along the shared border, develop tourism in the former revolutionary base of Xiengkhoang and send experts to assist Laos in preparing for the National Tourism Year in 2012.(Source: VNA)

Vietnam’s Danang Port Company Limited and Singapore’s Cruise Centre Pte Ltd will establish a joint-venture company to develop an international tourist wharf to receive cruise ships at Danang’s Tien Sa Port, a local partner said.

Nguyen Thu, General Director of Danang Port, told that the two partners had signed a memorandum of understanding in Dalat on March 13 at the annual meeting of the Vietnam-Singapore cooperation program.

The two partners will develop a modern tourist wharf with first class services for high-end travelers and promote cruise tourism in Danang and Singapore. Singapore Cruise Centre will help the local partner to bring more international cruise ships to the city.

“We have selected experts from both sides to discuss detailed contents about the tourist wharf’s construction as well as our investment contribution,” Thu said. He hoped the Singaporean partner, with more experience in operating cruise terminals, would help his company manage and operate the first cruise terminal in the city.

Singapore Cruise Centre manages and operates three ferry terminals and one cruise terminal in Singapore that handle more than eight million passengers annually.

According to the Danang City Tourism Promotion Center, foreign cruise passengers account for over 10% of international visitors to the city. The city welcomed 38 cruise ships last year with around 40,000 guests and expects to receive nearly 50,000 cruise passengers this year.

(Source: SGT)

International travel agents are not allowed to organize outbound tours for Vietnamese tourists that involve visits to casinos, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has said.

This is part of the latest regulations issued by the administration in an effort to ensure safety for local tourists. The agency also ordered restriction of tours to foreign countries that show signs of insecurity.

It requested that the local departments of culture, sports and tourism strictly abide by regulations on outbound tours and insurances for tourists, and take every necessary measure to ensure tourists’ safety, property and interests.

Outbound tours have been steadily on the rise in Vietnam, which has a good side of satisfying the growing demand of local tourists. Yet, there remain some cases where travel agents failed to protect the health, safety and rights of Vietnamese tourists as a result of non-adherence to state regulations. Source: VietNamNet/VNS

Ho Chi Minh City has announced a list of “100 Excitements” to promote its image as a tourist destination, but many local expats found that their favorite places were not included.

“I do not know who made the list but it seems not to have been done by local expats. How can you forget the Caravelle rooftop [Saigon Saigon] bar?” said Christophe Lefebvre, an administrator of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (CCIFV).

“In the top-ten list for restaurants, there is no foreign cuisine mentioned. Strange!” he told Thanh Nien Weekly.

The city’s “100 Excitements” announced on February 25 included top-tens in each of ten categories: hotels, restaurants, souvenirs, entertainment venues, shopping, must-tastes, city attractions, coffee shops, city tours and events.

The selection was based on votes by local and foreign tourists over a three-month period, with a judging board from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Department of Industry and Trade and tourism reporters overseeing the initiative.

However, many local expats said there were many notable “excitements” left off the list.

A US expat advisor of an NGO in Vietnam, who has been living in Vietnam for eight years and wanted to remain unnamed, said she felt that the Caravelle Hotel in downtown HCMC should be included in the list of ten hotels.

She also said Minh Long ceramics should have been mentioned in the souvenir category and bun thit nuong and bun bo hue in food category.

Jonathan Pincus, Dean of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, said everyone has their favorites but “the Café Terrace at Saigon Center is a favorite restaurant for many locals and tourists alike.”

“Lots of tourists like Lemongrass and Temple Club restaurants as well,” he added.

More to do

Many expats said tourism in the city could improve if pickpockets were eliminated, better tour guides were hired and more professional services were provided.

“Too many pickpockets and lack of tourist police,” Lefebvre lamented, adding that there should be English signboards to better guide foreign tourists.

The pickpocket problem was echoed by Pincus, saying “I suppose the biggest nuisance is the pickpockets, which seem to be everywhere these days. You have to watch your bag and wallet all the time in HCMC.”

However, he said most people enjoy their visit to HCMC. “The city is close to the Mekong Delta, which is full of interesting things to see. I always recommend the city and the delta to my international friends as a great place for a holiday,” he said.

“One complaint that people have is that Vietnam, not just HCMC, is more expensive than Thailand and Indonesia. Hotels rates are high… It is also very expensive to fly to Hong Kong and China from Vietnam,” he added.

The US NGO advisor mentioned earlier in the story said one problem is that tourist locations do not have tour guides able to offer good answers to her questions. She also said there were blatant mistakes in the translation of guidebooks given out at major tourist sites.

“Tour companies need to ensure that they can offer knowledgeable tour guides that are able to provide thoughtful answers to questions. I have joined several tours where tour guides appeared to be reading a script and could not answer what seemed to me to be very simple questions about the people/ history/location of interest,” she said.

She also advised that there be better tourism services for the elderly and disabled.

“Currently, very few sites/tours are friendly to people with mobility issues. Also, I think the public bathrooms and restaurants at tourism sites need to improve,” she said.

View the full “100 excitements” list online at http://hcmc100e.info

For those charmed by Marguerite Duras’ acclaimed novel “The Lover” (L’amant), or the subsequent Jean-Jacques Annaud film of the same name, Sa Dec in Dong Thap Province is a must-see.

In the small Mekong Delta town, 140 kilometers south of Ho Chi Minh City, you can visit the house of Huynh Thuy Le, Dumas’ former lover on whom “The Lover” was based.

Le was the inspiration behind, Duras autobiographical tale in which a teenage girl falls in love with a rich Chinese -Vietnamese trader.

The love affair between 15-yearold Duras, born in Gia Dinh (then called Saigon, now HCMC) in 1914, and 27-year-old Le began in 1929. But Le’s father, Huynh Thuan, disapproved, claiming that the two families belonged to different social classes. Duras then left Vietnam for France before her 18th birthday.Those interested in “The Lover” novel can trace its roots to Sa Dec. Anyone who has seen the film will recognize the setting when they visit the small town dotted with old French villas.

Tourists can book a tour at Dong Thap Tourist Company. Meanwhile, lone travelers can find English or French-speaking guides at Le’s house.

The tour’s other destination includes Trung Vuong Sa Dec Primary School, where Mrs Marie Donnadieu – Duras’ mother – taught from 1924 to 1930, and Ong Quach Pagoda.

Le’s 115-year-old house attracts more than 1,000 tourists a month, half of them French, said Nguyen Thi Nga, general director of Dong Thap Tourist Comany, which offers a tour of the villa titled “Following the footsteps of ‘The Lover.’” Nga said the number of foreigners visiting the house increased considerably after Tet (Lunar New Year), which fell in mid-February this year, with some 100 visitors a day.

Located at 225A Nguyen Hue Street, Ward 2, the home was first built in 1895 by Huynh Thuy Le’s father. Le restored it in 1917.

The “Lovers’ House” as Sa Dec locals call it, combines Western and Eastern architecture. The Western influence can be seen in the facade of the house and in the Renaissance-style ceiling and balconies. However, the structure of the house was designed in the typical Vietnamese tradition. The roof is tiled in the style of the pagodas and temples of northern Vietnam.

The 258-square meter house has three main rooms and is adorned with old Chinese-style decorations. The interior has red lacquer and gold trimming.The middle room is composed mainly of an altar to Guan Yu, a Chinese general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. In many Asian countries, Yu is worshipped as a symbol of loyalty, sincerity, integrity and justice.

The house was used by Huynh Thuy Le’s family until 1972, when Le died and his family went abroad. The villa is now managed by Dong Thap Tourist Company.

Duras died in Paris in 1996, after a long literary career. Her first novel was published when she was 28 and she wrote in many genres, including essays, plays, film screenplays and journalism.

She published “The Lover” in 1984 and it has since been translated into more than 40 languages.

The novel also won one of France’s most prestigious literary awards, the Prix Goncourt, in 1984. It was adapted into a film in 1992, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, starring Jane March and Tony Leung Ka Fai.Source:Thanh Nien Reported by Doan Trang