Posted by admin on February 12, 2011 under Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info | 
This year, the tourism sector will focus on promoting two great events, namely the National Tourism Year 2011 programme in the southcentral coastal region and Phu Yen and the seventh International Tourism Fair in HCM City due to take place from September 14-19.
The two events were introduced by the Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VAT) at the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2011 Travex Fair held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The tourism sector will continue to promote the two events in China, western Europe and northeast Asia and in other traditional markets.
According to the VAT, the tourism sector last year attracted more than 5 million international tourists thanks to the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, the National Tourism Year 2010 in Hanoi and Vietnam’s ASEAN Chair.
The National Tourism Year 2011 programme on the theme “Sea and Island Tourism” will take place in eight cities and provinces in the south-central coastal region, starting from Da Nang City to Binh Thuan province.
In preparation for such events, Phu Yen upgraded tourism infrastructure facilities and opened three-and five-star hotels such as Saigon Phu Yen hotel, CenDeluxe-Thuan Thao and Long Beach.
Phu Yen will provide 100 places of accommodation and 10 tourist and recreational sites with a total of nearly 2,500 rooms, including 900 meeting three-star standards.
Posted by admin on February 9, 2011 under Vietnam Festivals |
Vietnam currently has over 8,000 festivals from grass-roots to national levels that can be divided into such categories as folk, historic-revolutionary, religious, foreign-origin, and cultural-sport-tourism.
The last category has emerged during the country’s renewal process and international integration.
In Vietnam, Spring is seen as the season of festivals. Since the old days, traditional festivals have become an indispensable part of people’s life.
The traditional festivals evoke patriotism, national sense, massive solidarity, exchanges. They are also platforms to preserve, pass down the national culture. However, some festivals still contain “non-cultural” activities that should be eradicated.
Dr. Ngo Duc Thinh, folk culture scholar, member of the National Heritage Council said that recent festivals are featured with suddenly growing participants, imposing challenges for authorities to mange and organise.
The establishment of too many altars and merit boxes in historic relics has contributed to reducing spiritual aspect of the relics, deforming festivals and citing the sense of material appreciation in the society, he continued.
In recent years, local authorities have often interfered in festivals which originally belonged to the masses. This naturally causes them to become viewers of festivals.
What should be done now is to let the masses master the festivals and local authorities just take supporting role to make sure that the values of the festivals could be promoted, Dr. Thinh said.
He proposed that there are five values of festivals that we need to preserve to nurture people’s cultural identities as follows:
Firstly, festivals satisfy people’s thirst to return to the roots. The more modern the society is, the more people wish to learn about their original nation, nature and history.
Secondly, through festivals, people often want to demonstrate the strength of their communities or regions that is not only necessary for the past but also for the current course of modernisation and industrialisation.
Thirdly, the festivals provide room for people to come in for and create culture. In the past, festivals are important events in daily life. In modern time, despite many forms of culture creation, people still need festivals to practice community culture.
Fourthly, the festivals help people to balance spiritual and real life, drive people forward to achieving more beautiful and noble things. In the old days, festivals were kinds of entertainment to create harmony.
Last but not least, the festivals are also platforms for people to preserve, archive and pass down traditional cultural identities to the next generations. It is way to ensure our long-lasting and harmonious culture.
Source: VIR
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on January 29, 2011 under Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info |
To meet people’s entertainment needs during the Lunar New Year (Tet), Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) government and related departments are preparing a range of cultural activities to welcome the Year of the Cat.
This year, under leadership of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the Saigontourist Travel Services Company in conjunction with local departments will organize a range of programs in the city center including the Nguyen Hue Flower Street, the “Tet” (cylindrical glutinous rice) Cake Festival, Shining City, Lunar New Year’s Eve Fireworks, Street Decoration and Door Shows with the themes of Vietnamese soul, Tet in the south and safe and happy spring to serve tourists from 7pm on January 31 until 10pm on February 6. The highlight of the festival this year will be the Nguyen Hue Flower Street. Following the theme of “the Spring Dawn” of 2010, this year’s theme will be “New Heights”. Nguyen Hue Flower Street will reflect enormous efforts of Ho Chi Minh City to achieve higher economic, social and political results.
As part of the activities welcoming in the Year of the Cat, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Information and Communications will, in conjunction with the Ho Chi Minh City Association of Journalists launch the Spring Newspaper Festival of 2011 on January 20-21, 2011 at the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Palace of Culture. This is an annual Ho Chi Minh City Spring event. Nguyen Anh Tuan, the deputy director of the Department of Information and Communications, said that the Spring Newspaper Festival would feature 45 pavilions which showcase all types of the press. It is estimated that the festival will feature about 200 centrally-governed newspapers, local newspapers and newspapers from surrounding provinces. Many of the newspapers will release special New Year editions, which will be given to students, soldiers and workers in industrial zones. In addition, a meeting among famous journalists, students, workers and soldiers will be held. People who attend the festival will receive free health advice and there will be competitions for the most well-designed booth and publication front cover.
A book street festival will also be organised. Nguyen Hoang Ha, a representative from the Department of Information and Communications, said that the book street festival would feature the Fahasa Book Distribution Company, Thanh Nghia Book Distribution Company and Ho Chi Minh City Library, with the intention of promoting an increased appreciation for literature, especially among the young. Many other activities such as the publishing of e-books, books for the blind and meetings with famous poets and writers will be organized. Visitors can borrow books and read them on-site, exchange and buy books. Twenty old books will be displayed.
A representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Library said that the book street festival would focus on children, and host 3,500 books for young readers. In addition, the library would hold a book exhibition attracting the participation of many provinces.
Source: VEN
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on under Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info, Vietnam World heritages |
Vietnam held a ceremony on January 22 to officially receive certification from UNESCO for the Saint Giong Festival as an Vietnam Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Vietnam held a ceremony on January 22 to officially receive certification from UNESCO for the Saint Giong Festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hanoi’s municipal government and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO helped to organise the ceremony in Phu Dong, Gia Lam district.
UNESCO gave a notification for the festival in both the Phu Dong Temple, and Soc Son Temple (in Soc Son district) on November 11, 2010.
The ceremony drew the participation of UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam, Katherine Muller Marin, from 400 to 500 officials and between 7,000 and 8,000 locals.
The ceremony featured the important traditional parts of the Saint Giong Festival, staged by people of the villages.
The performance including about 500 people featured Mua co (literally translated as dancing with flags), as well as two traditional games, Cuop chieu, and Keo chu.
Source: dtinews.vn
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on January 28, 2011 under Vietnam Beaches, Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info |
Yacht teams from 20 countries and territories in the world will take part in the 2011 International Yacht Festival which will be held in Mui Ne, in the central province of Binh Thuan from March 17-20.
Themed “Yacht, Sea, Sand and Sun,” the second yacht festival will include interesting sports, tourism and entertainment activities such as a yacht exhibition, a yacht performance by professional athletes, plus international music performances with the participation of artists from the Czech Republic, the Republic of Korea, Australia and Russia and arts performances from Vietnam.
There will be a seminar on building a brand name for Vietnamese sea activities, along with advertising and developing yachting amusements in Vietnam.
At a press briefing in Hanoi on Jan. 20, Deputy Chairman of the Binh Thuan provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Thu said the organisation of the festival is to popularise Mui Ne beach attractions to domestic and foreign tourists and develop Vietnam’s sea tourism.
The event is also a chance for international yacht groups to consider investing and building yacht production plants for export in Binh Thuan to provide for the Asian market.
Boasting a 192 km coastal line, Binh Thuan province boasts abundant sea resources with beautiful beaches, historical and cultural monuments and captivating traditional festivals which are suitable for sea tourism development.
The International Yacht Association ranks Mui Ne as one of the best beaches for sailing in Asia.
Mui Ne welcomed 2.5 million tourists, 15 percent of whom were foreigners, in 2010. Binh Thuan province aims to attract 3.5 million visitors – including 500,000 foreigners – to the beach by 2015.
Source: vietnamplus.vn
Posted by admin on January 27, 2011 under Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info |
The Huong Pagoda Festival 2011 will open on February 8 (the sixth day of the Lunar New Year), announced Mr. Nguyen Van Hau, Deputy Chairman of the My Duc District People’s Committee.
The committee set plans to manage activities of the festival, ensure social security and order, convenient transport as well as environmental and food safety to create favourable conditions for visitors to the festival.
The organizing board said that this year’s festival will have 4,600 ferry-boats, including more than 200 high-quality ferry boats to provide services for visitors.
The My Duc District People’s Committee has invested more than VND 21 billion in infrastructure, such as upgrading the road to Hinh Bong Pagoda, expanding Thien Tru Ferry-boat Station and building a medical station near the Thien Tru Pagoda.
In 2010, the festival greeted nearly 1.3 million visitor arrivals, including 26,000 foreign visitor arrivals.
Source: CPV
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Posted by admin on January 25, 2011 under Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info |
Discover Vietnam’s minority tribes in person at the Vietnam Ethnology Museum at Nguyen Van Huyen Street in Hanoi during Tet from February 6 to 8.
For the first time, Raglai people from Ninh Thuan Province, Dao and Na Mieo from Lang Son Province will all come to introduce their colorful culture, music, dances and indigenous festivals to Hanoi. Visitors will be able to see Lion dances of Nung people, gong performances of Raglai and the bamboo dance of Thai people on the same stage.
Other attractions include water puppet shows, calligraphy demonstrations and artists from Dong Ho painting village who will show you how to paint the folk characters that have made their village famous.
Many ethnic folk games will be played. Kids can have fun with traditional toys such as pin wheel, to he (figurines fashioned from colored rice dough), flowers and fruits made of dough, 12 animal designations made of clay. Guests can enjoy many kinds of food.
Source: thesaigontimes.vn
Posted by admin on January 19, 2011 under Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info, Vietnam tours |
Tet in HCM City for the New Year of the Cat is going to be bigger and better than ever with lots of entertainment venues and festivals to visit. Local tour companies are offering amazing Tet packages.
The HCM City People’s Committee has announced programs for Tet Festival 2011 in the city’s downtown area, including Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2011, Bánh tét (cylindrical glutinous rice cake) festival, fireworks, the lighting city, snapshots of New Year 2011 and doorshows.
HCM City
The annual seventh Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2011 is themed “New Heights” as HCM City sets its sights on a bigger and better city. Sections of the street will be decorated in different spring themes — Hn Vit (Vietnam’s Soul), Tt phng Nam (Southern Tet), Ni vòng tay ln (Get together), Vn lên tm cao mi (Reach New Heights), Xuân an vui (Happy and Peaceful Spring). Other attractions include a flower arrangement booth, a wishing pond to collect money for charity, coffee stalls, folk music and games.
Nguyen Hue Flower Street extending down Nguyen Hue Boulevard from the City Hall to the river opens from 7 p.m., Jan. 31 till 10 p.m., Feb. 6. It will be closed to traffic for the holiday week. In addition, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Feb. 6, the nearby Le Loi Street from Ben Thanh Market to the Municipal Theater will be for pedestrians only.
The Bánh tét Festival from Jan. 26 to 31 is being jointly organized by all the city’s 24 districts. Activities will include bánh tét cooking contests and a bánh tét Tet gift drive for poor families. Saigontourist Holding Company, in cooperation with the HCM City Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, will give 10,000 bánh tét to disadvantaged children.
The fireworks displays on the Lunar New Year’s Eve (Feb. 2) will take place at seven places around the city while Le Loi, Dong Khoi and Le Duan streets and Chi Lang Park on Dong Khoi Street are decorated with hundreds of lights from Jan. 26 to Feb. 13.
During the last days of the lunar year and the first days of the new lunar year, you can join the Spring Flower Festival at Tao Dan Park and Quoc Te Square, a.k.a. Tortoise Fountain, in the city’s District 1. This year the “Bird Competition” comes back after a long absence.
According to HCM City Greenery and Park Co., the event’s organizer, some highlights of the festival from Jan. 28 to Feb. 8 will be bonsai, flower and fish exhibits by locals and foreigners, an area for souvenirs, games and food at Tao Dan Park. The “Nha Rong – Ho Chi Minh Museum” miniature made from flowers and leaves by a Japanese artisan and orchids from the HCM City Orchid Club. Tortoise Fountain will be turned into a lotus pond with an exhibition titled “HCM City Socio-economic Achievement” and music performances.
Tours around Vietnam
Besides Tet programs in HCM City, tourists can enjoy Tet travel tour promotions around the country.
HCM City-based tour operator Vietravel is introducing the “Spring Travel 2011” program with over 100 tours and lucky prizes till Feb. 28. The spring heritage tour of the North will take you to Hanoi, Halong, Sapa, Trang An, etc. Witness the rich history of the central region by visiting Tet festivals along the Hoai River in Hoi An Town, Danang City, citadels in Hue City and Phong Nha Ke Bang caves in Quang Binh Province. Waterfalls and thousands of flowers are symbols of the Central Highlands while opera songs for Tet are specialties in the Mekong Delta.
Vietravel is holding a Tet lucky draw with prizes including diamond jewelry, vouchers and 20,000 gifts.
Another local travel giant Saigontourist Travel and Service Co. is offering 100 tour packages to enjoy the New Year of the Cat. There are nearly 20 island tours to Con Dao, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet and Danang. A world heritage trip in spring, the legendary Central Highlands and spring in villages in the Central Highlands. Saigontourist has also launched special tours for overseas Vietnamese returning for Tet.
Cholontourist Travel and Service Co. this year has tours to highlands and beaches, including adventure tours.
SGT
Tags: Danang, hanoi, Hoi an town, Hoi an Vietnam, Hue citadel, hue city, Lunar New year, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Phong Nha-Ke Bang, Phu Quoc, tet, Tet 2011, Tet in Ho chi minh city, Tet in saigon, Tet in Vietnam, tours to con dao, travel Vietnam, vietnam tour, vietnam travel
Posted by admin on January 15, 2011 under Vietnam Destinations, Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info |
The first International Choir Festival & Competition will be held in the ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam from March 16-20.
More than 1,000 national and international singers from over 30 choirs will perform and compete in the festival.
The event is part of the 2011 National Tourism Year program in the central coastal region of Phu Yen province.
It is also seen as an opportunity to promote the cultural heritage of the region and to tap the tourism potential for international travelers.
The festival is being organized jointly by Quang Nam province and the German-based Association InterKultur.
The opening ceremony of the festival will take place on a floating stage at the Song Hoai (Hoai River) Square in Hoi An Town.
Source: SGGP
Collected by Vietnam hotel
Tags: Global Choir Festival 2011, hoi an, Hoi an Ancient Town, hoi an city, Hoi an town, Hoi an travel, Hoi an Vietnam, phu yen, phu yen vietnam, vietnam festival, Vietnam Festivals, vietnam travel
Posted by admin on December 4, 2010 under Vietnam Destinations, Vietnam Festivals, Vietnam Travel Info, Vietnam attractions |
Thua Thien-Hue leads other provinces and cities in attracting tourists, said the Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Phan Tien Dung.
The figure will be announced in December by tourism experts and managers based on criteria set by the Institute of Tourism Development Research.
By the end of November, 2010. Thua Thien-Hue had received nearly 1.4 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 11.7 percent. The number of foreign arrivals to Hue also increased by 7.9 percent. Its tourism sector earned VND774 billion, up 20.4 percent compared to the same period last year.
The number of foreigners visiting Hue through Chan May Port reached 20,000, four times higher than in previous years. Many luxury cruise ships have docked at Chan May Port, such as the Queen Elizabeth II from the UK and the Rhapsody of the Seas from the US, often carry out around 2,000 passengers from countries across the world.
In addition to Hue’s imperial relics, the province has more than 500 festivities, including more than 100 traditional festivals which have been revived and promoted.
The Hue Festival is held biennially on even years and the Hue Traditional Craft Festival is also organised every second odd year. They have become a special and unique part of Thua Thien-Hue.
Traditional craft villages with famous products have been preserved and promoted to attract more visitors, such as the My Xuyen sculptures, Phuoc Tich ceramics, Thanh Tien paper flowers, Lang Sinh traditional pictures, Phuong Duc bronze casts and Zeng A Luoi weaving.
The province now also promotes nearly 1,700 traditional and imperial recipes.
With all these advantages, Thua Thien-Hue became the nation’s cultural and tourism centre.
Source: VOVNEWS.VN
