Vietnam Travel Guide

The valuable trademark of Bat Trang pottery traditional village has been built on the contributions of outstanding artisans, with their skilled hands and creative minds, said chairman of Hanoi City People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao.

On May 6th a ceremony took place honouring outstanding artisans in Bat Trang pottery traditional village in Gia Lam district.

He said that he hoped these artisans would continue to create more unique products to build the trademark of Bat Trang pottery village.

He added that the village needs to promote commerce in combination with tourism to improve its economic effectiveness.

There are more than 60 economic units and nearly 1,000 households in the village. As many of 18 folk artisans were presented with the title of Hanoi artisan, and three artisans were given the title of outstanding artisan by the state.

After the ceremony, Mr. Thao visited the production establishments of several artisans.

On this occasion, a club of outstanding artisans in the village was founded to develop and preserve the local pottery style.

More : Hanoi city tour

Source: CPV

Not that long ago, Viet Nam’s Black Lo Lo ethnic minority was still unknown to many people both within and outside the country.

Living in the remote mountainous region of northern Cao Bang Province, the small community achieved popularity as “one of the most sentimental people on the planet” when France 2 channel presenter Frederic Lopez lived and worked with them for 15 days as part of a documentary on the group.

The film, Rendez-vous in an Unknown Region with the Black Lo Lo People, also features famous French rugby player Frederic Michalak, who partook in the group’s daily activities.

The film screened in Ha Noi for the first time last week since airing on France 2, DVD and YouTube in November last year.

“I will never forget them,” Michalak told Lopez and the 7.7 million viewers on the French channel.

“I will always keep in my heart the souvenirs of their solidarity, their kindness and in particular, their big smiles.

Michalak got up at 4am everyday, ploughing and planting rice from 6am until 7pm. He also looked after children and cut vegetables to feed the pigs while spending most evenings learning Vietnamese with the villagers.

“I never knew they worked so hard”, he said, adding with a smile, “It was tougher than preparing for the Rugby World Cup.”

Back in France, Michalak admitted to having lost 7 kilos during his stay in Viet Nam.

“I met fantastic people who treated me as one of their own. The way they helped each other and worked together as well as their respect for family and ancestors really impressed me,” he said.

At the end of the film, Michalak bursted into tears when saying good-bye to the villagers.

“I will not forget you,” he managed to say between sobs.

The film was the second most appreciated in a series of 17 French reality shows entitled Rendez vous en Terre Inconnue (Rendez-vous in an Unknown Region), after a film on Mongolia, screened in 2010. The concept entails a star discovering an unknown region and meeting unknown people, so allowing audiences to learn about new cultures and traditions threatened by modern life.

The film wowed viewers in France not only thanks to the magnificent mountainous landscapes, but also to the values it sought to bring across.

“What a rich experience witnessing the lives of such simple and hospitable people. I hope they are able to preserve their extraordinary lifestyles. The show has certainly taught me a lot,” says audience Pierre-Antoine Lepine.

According to France 2, the film gained considerable popularity in Belgium before it finally reached France itself.

“I was very touched to watch the fathers look after the children and cook for their wives. The work seemed to have a capital importance for them. It was a primordial quality. The fact that the village learns to read and to write in the evening after working on the fields shows that they have a strong attachment to their culture. They are not closed to the world. I wonder if electricity and the television of the modern world will one day change their customs,” says Leila Le Maki from Belgium.

As in France and Belgium, the film had a significant impact on Vietnamese audiences.

“I was touched to see the smiles on the face of everyone and to learn about a community so cut off from the outside world. The values that seem to be so natural in their lives are not easily found in our modern society,” says Nguyen Thi Chi.

According to Dang Duc Tue, a Vietnamese journalist in charge of filmmaking logistics, four interpreters assisted the French crew in communicating with the Lo Lo, giving them a unique opportunity to share in sincere moments and emotions.

After Ha Noi, the film will be shown in HCM City on Saturday (May 12) at the IDECAF, 31 Thai Van Lung Street.

Source: VNS

Do Hoang Anh Tuan, Deputy Minister of Finance believes in raising Vietnam’s image by offering refund on Value Added Tax (VAT) on commodities purchased in Vietnam by foreign travellers at point of departure at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat International Airports from July 2012 till June 2013.

The deputy minister mentioned this at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City recently to implement the new pilot scheme that will offer a VAT refund to foreigners leaving the country with purchases made during their stay.

Tuan said the pilot scheme will help promote tourism and leave a good impression on foreign visitors, so officials at airports must provide and facilitate easy procedures for the same.

The pilot scheme will be improved gradually in accordance with international practices, but for now VAT refund formalities must be made simple, clear and transparent, Tuan said.

Foreigners will now receive a Value Added Tax (VAT) refund on commodities purchased while in Vietnam and which they carry back when leaving the country.

According to the General Department of Taxation, 154 enterprises in Hanoi and HCMC are eligible for participating in the new scheme. Purchases made by foreign visitors during their stay in Vietnam, will receive VAT refund at point of departure, provided all criteria is met.

These enterprises are eager to join the pilot scheme as this is an excellent opportunity for them to promote their products in other countries of the world.

Relevant agencies such as tax and customs departments will release the addresses and names of participating enterprises on their websites. They will also be allowed to advertise the scheme on billboards and posters on their shops, so as to inform foreign clientele.
Tax and customs departments should also inform travel agents of the enterprises listed in the VAT refund scheme, so as to curb corruption.

Enterprises also raised the idea that there should be one common logo for the VAT refund scheme for easy recognition by foreign tourists. This idea met with approval from the deputy minister.

The General Department of Taxation has been asked to think of a common logo to be used by shops offering VAT refund in the country.

Source: SGGP

To welcome the Ha Long-Quang Ninh Tourism Week 2012, on April 24th, Au Co cruise – the only super luxurious steel cruise on Ha Long Bay (under Bhaya Cruise Company) has officially been put into its operation with the 3-day journey crossing Ha Long Bay, Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay, and Cat Ba island.

Au Co Cruise has two 5-star luxurious cruises which is designed by Anne Droussie, a French architect and built at Shipbuilding Company Z198 under the General Department of Defense Industry (in Hai Phong city). Each one has 55.29m long and 10.3m wide.

As reported,  a super luxurious cruise of this company is invested with the total capital of over VND 100 bln. The rate of a double room is about  VND21 mln per/night.

Source: QNN

More than 5,000 local and foreign tourists took express trains to Lao Cai Railways Station on April 28 to spend the four-day holiday enjoying the cooler weather in the tourist town of Sapa.

The Lao Cai provincial Bus Station mobilised more than 200 coaches and 100 taxis to transport the tourists to Sapa.

Tuoitre newspaper reported that National Highway 4D was crowded with long lines of coaches and taxis, making their way from Lao Cai city to Sapa town.

Local residents in Lao Cai city also took their families to the famous tourist destination, ramming up traffic flows en route to Sapa even further.

Local authorities said the number of holidaymakers to Sapa on April 28 surpassed the expected 10,000 mark.

Le Manh Hao, an official in charge of culture and sports in Sapa district, said more than 160 mini hotels and guesthouses in the tourist town are fully booked.

If the number of tourists continues to increase in the coming days, nearby tourist villages and private guesthouses will have to help out with accommodation for the holidaymakers, he said.

According to Hao, tourist villages in Ta Van, Ta Phin and Ban Ho, about 5-10km from Sapa town, have all been refurbished to welcome visitors. Indigenous specialities such as black chickens, fish from the streams, free range ducks and bamboo shoots have also been reserved to serve tourists.

The 2012 Sapa Tourism Week began on April 27 with the annual “Festival in the Clouds,” attracting thousands of spectators.

On the evening of April 28, a culinary festival will be held, introducing visitors to local dishes such as cơm lam (rice cooked in bamboo tubes), thắng cố (a mixture of pork, beef, buffalo and horse meat), wild boar, black chickens, salmon, phở chua (sour noodles), mèn mén (steamed corn powder), and corn and rice wine.

Source: VOV

International Seminar on “Conservation and promotion of the value of world natural heritage Ha Long Bay – A New Vision” - Aiming to create breakthrough solutions to conserve, promote and honor the value of Ha Long Bay for developing sustainable tourism appropriate with the role and position of a word natural heritage and a new natural wonder of the world, the international seminar will take place in June 2012 at Sai Gon Ha Long hotel (Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province).

The seminar will focus on: determining the role and position of Ha Long tourism in the new context; assessing accurately the development status of Ha Long tourism to find out opportunities, challenges and requirements for Ha Long Bay in the coming time; proposing solutions on planning, management, conservation, product development, tourism service organization, quality  and environment management in the next period; discussing about the framework of action program to develop Ha Long tourism – Natural Heritage – New Natural Wonder of the world.

The seminar will have the attendance of leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and some functional units; representatives of some tourism enterprises, associations; scientists, experts of various fields as economics, environment, culture, heritage, geology and architecture and international representatives from PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association), embassies of some countries in Viet Nam…

Translated by Thu Giang (TITC)

Source: bvhttdl.gov.vn

People who want to discover the peoples and cultures of the northwestern region will have the chance to make their dreams come true, right in Hanoi with a programme called “the Colours of the Northwestern Region”.

The programme will be held at the Exhibition Centre for Culture and the Arts on April 26-28 to mark Vietnam ’s Ethnic Groups Cultural Day.

There will be a broad range of activities, including cultural and art exchanges, fashion shows and traditional games.

A replica of a market in the mountainous region will be re-created selling all the specialties produced in the northwestern region.

Nguyen Thi Hoa, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Exhibition Centre for Culture and the Arts said the organising board has worked with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to select the most special cultural products from the northwestern region to offer to visitors.

The programme aims to protect and promote the traditional cultures of the northwestern people, and consolidate solidarity between ethnic groups inVietnam to boost the region’s tourism potential.

It has been co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Hanoi People’s Committee and the northwestern provinces.

Source: VNA

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan received visiting Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai in Hanoi on Apr. 20.

The Vietnamese Vice President expressed her wish that the UNWTO will give more help to Vietnam in building the country’s trademarks as well as training human resources for the tourism sector, and, especially, developing tourism while ensuring social welfare and protecting the environment.

The same day, UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai had talks with Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and met with the media as part of his working session with the tourism sector.

Taleb Rifai expressed his wish that the UNWTO and Vietnam will further boost their cooperation.

Taleb Rifai said he had discussed with the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT) about carrying out some technical assistance projects to help Vietnam.

VNAT asked UNWTO to send experts to help Vietnam in amending the Tourism Law and legal regulations relating to tourism, as well as making plans to develop regional tourist and tourist products.

The Vietnamese side also asked UNWTO to assist in developing a strategy to build and promote tourism brand names.

Taleb Rifai asked Vietnam to participate in the Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign to raise awareness and support from leaders in the world for tourism.

According to VNAT, Vietnam welcomed over 1.87 million foreign arrivals in the first three months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 24.5 percent.

Vietnam has built a strategy to develop tourism for each period, which targets to receive between 10-10.5 million foreign visitors and 47-48 million domestic tourists by 2020 and generate tourism revenues of 18-19 billion USD.

Source: VNA

Nearly 65,000 tourists, including more than 30,000 foreigners, have attended the 2012 Hue Festival from April 7-9.

The opening gala event alone drew the participation of 25,000 tourists and local people and hotels and hostels in Hue reported more than 91 percent occupancy at the peak of the festival.

Three of the 2012 Festival’s seven major events– the opening performance, Nam Giao offering ritual, and the Ao dai show, have taken place so far, said Ngo Hoa, Vice Chairman of Thua Thien-Hue province, which hosts the biennial event.

Numerous local and international art shows also took place on more than 15 stages in Hue City and other sites across Thua Thien-Hue province.

Seminars, fairs, and community cultural activities have also been held, including a performance of model airplanes and ships, and a poetry festival.

(Source: VOV)

Topographically, Hoa Binh is a region of high mountains. Coming to Hoa Binh, tourists may have no chance to see the immense fields as these in Lai Chau or Son La; but may be compensated with the romantic picturesque scenery of water, sky and mountain. This contributes to make Hoa Binh a memorable impression for travelers. Hoa Binh possesses a hot and humid climate with high levels of precipitation during the rainy season. Moreover, thanks to the topographic combining mountains and lakes, this land has a typical high mountain climate with fresh air and coolness. These helps to explain the reason why Hoa Binh is now becoming one of the most wanted destination in Northern area for tourists after hard working hours with too much stress and tension. Some of foreign tourists express love to this area by giving “Hoa Binh” a name of “Peace” land.

Tour : Mai chau trekking 3 days , Mai chau trekking 2 days

Significantly, Hoa Binh is also known as the homeland for many ethnic minority groups such as Muong (which counts the majority of Hoa Binh’s population), Dao, Tay, H’mong, Kinh, and Thai… Each ethnic group has its own living style and etiquette, which plays an important part in enriching the cultural values of Hoa Binh. For foreign tourists who tend to pay much interest in experiencing the life style of Vietnamese ethnic minorities, it is suggested that the name Hoa Binh is a “must-be-filled” in their lists. Tourists coming to Hoa Binh will explore a chance to enjoy tasting the ethnic minority specialty dishes including rice cooked in bamboo and grilled meat, as well as watching traditional dancing, music performances (such as bronze, drums, gongs).

Generally, Hoa Binh has a great potential to develop its tourism. As a mountainous area, Hoa Binh possesses beautiful caves like Thac Bo cave, Hang Ret, Hoa Tien cave, the Pu Nooc primitive tropical forest give tourists many types of activities like adventure mountain climbing, hiking, hunting. With human effort and the existing natural scenery, the dreamy Da River Lake has been created. Traveling activities can be hold within the Lake with nearby bay, islet and peninsula where many species of animal and plants are being preserved. The villages of the Dao, Muong, Tay sparsely located around the lake, the valley have created a charming landscape picture. Hoa Binh has many hot mineral springs and primitive, secret valleys namely Kim Boi mineral spring, Mai Chau Valley (with rice paddles and stilt houses planned for tourism purpose). A big hydroelectric plant in Vietnam is also located here as a source of electric supply and a mean of flood prevention. Hoa Binh has great tourism potential thanks to the endowed natural environment and man-made construction. In the future, with reasonable planning and preservation, Hoa Binh will surely become one of the most beautiful destinations of Vietnam, especially with regard to ethnic travel.

Places to visit