Hotel occupancy rose around 30 percent in the first four months of this year on the back of a recovering tourism sector, an industry official said.
Local hotels were 65 percent full on average during the period, compared to the usual 50 percent, Do Thi Hong Xoan, director of the Hotel Department at the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism was quoted by the Vietnam Economic Times as saying.
Luxury hotels in resort cities like Nha Trang and Phan Thiet fared much better than average, posting occupancy rates of more than 90 percent, Xoan said.
She said foreign arrivals to Vietnam increased 35.7 percent in the four month period, while the number of local tourists also grew steadily.
Hotel supply will fall short of demand during high season as investors have become cautious in developing new hotels since the downturn last year, she said.
Source: Thanh Nien
Thứ Bảy, 12 tháng 6, 2010
Tour operators form responsible travel club in Vietnam
Eight local tour operators recently gathered in Hanoi to officially launch the Responsible Travel Club of Vietnam (RTC), with the goal of promoting tourism that respects the ecosystem, biodiversity and local cultural values.
The members include Footprint Travel, Indochina Travelland, Active Travel, Blue Swimmer Adventures, Freewheelin’ Tours, La Vie Vu Linh, I Travel and Sisters Tours Vietnam.
According to Dang Xuan Son, product manager for Footprint Travel and chairman of the club, RTC aims at working closely with travel firms, NGOs, communities and authorities to promote responsible tourism in Vietnam, design and market tourism products.
“Working together is key to the success of responsible travel, which is about giving something back,” he said.
Currently, RTC is working with SNV Netherlands Development Organization in an on-going responsible travel project in Chieng Yen Commune, Moc Chau District in Son La Province.
Reported by Huong Le
The members include Footprint Travel, Indochina Travelland, Active Travel, Blue Swimmer Adventures, Freewheelin’ Tours, La Vie Vu Linh, I Travel and Sisters Tours Vietnam.
According to Dang Xuan Son, product manager for Footprint Travel and chairman of the club, RTC aims at working closely with travel firms, NGOs, communities and authorities to promote responsible tourism in Vietnam, design and market tourism products.
“Working together is key to the success of responsible travel, which is about giving something back,” he said.
Currently, RTC is working with SNV Netherlands Development Organization in an on-going responsible travel project in Chieng Yen Commune, Moc Chau District in Son La Province.
Reported by Huong Le
Neither gone nor forgotten
Old Vietnam is alive and well at one of the country’s most sacred pagodas
Clay statues depict 18 Arhats (Buddhist monks post-enlightenment) at Chuong Pagoda
Chuong Pagoda, the centerpiece of Vietnam’s largest port in the 17th and 18th centuries, still stands as a tall reminder of Vietnam’s not so distant past: a time of spirituality, tradition and simple beauty.
Still the most scenic spot in the former town of Pho Hien, now a part of the town of Hung Yen, the pagoda has lost none of its historic allure.
Pho Hien was once the north’s premier port city and a vibrant commercial and cultural melting pot of Vietnamese and foreign peoples. It was second only to the capital city of Thang Long (now Hanoi) in terms of commercial activity.
Today, visitors to Hung Yen can see the unique historical and cultural remains of the past at Chuong (Bell) Pagoda.
Built in the 15th century under the Le Dynasty, the pagoda was then restored in 1707 in the architectural style of the post-Le period.
The pagoda’s name came from a legend:
In the days of myths and folk tales, a golden bell drifted to the shore of the Red River in Nhan Duc Village during a flood and when the waters receded it began to sink in the mud.
Throngs of residents of neighboring villages rushed to Nhan Duc to save the bell but they could not make it budge, it was too heavy.
Eventually a group of Nhan Duc villagers were able to take the bell home. Believing they had been granted the charm by God, the villagers then built a pagoda to worship the bell, whose toll could be heard for miles around.
Also known as Kim Chung Tu (Golden Bell Pagoda), the religious complex was built with meticulous attention to detail.
After entering the Cong tam quan (three-entrance gate), which has eight roofs, visitors cross a stone bridge over a lotus pond. The bridge will lead them to a brick patio made of bricks from Hanoi’s famous Bat Trang handicraft village.
Walking across the stone walkway in the middle of the patio is like walking through time. The path leads to a courtyard in front of the sanctuary compound. The bell tower and altar house, where local residents worship their ancestors, follow next
HOW TO GET THERE
- Chuong Pagoda is located in Nhan Duc Village, Hien Nam Ward, Hung Yen Town, Hung Yen Province, 64 kilometers south-east from Hanoi.
- From Hanoi, tourists can take buses 205, 208, or 209 from the Luong Yen and Giap Bat bus stations to get to the pagoda.
- They can also book private buses at Hanoi’s Gia Lam bus station for the trip.
- Another way is to travel by boat on the Hanoi – Pho Hien route from the Red River tourism wharf.
Cong tam quan (Three-entrance gate) at Chuong Pagoda in the northern province of Hung Yen
The pagoda, recognized as a National Architectural Relic by the government in 1992, has many carved Buddha statues, including the Tam The (three Buddhas of the Past, Present and Future), A-di-da (Amitabha), and four Bo-tat (Bodhisattvas).
Next is a startling wood relief depicting the Thap Dien Diem Vuong (Ten Courts Managed by the 10 Kings of Hell).
In it, sinners are depicted serving out punishments for their crimes: some are being dumped into a cauldron of boiling oil; others are having their tongues cut out.
But the Thap bat La Han (18 Arhats), made of clay, are much more peaceful. Each one depicts a wise monk expressing a different attitude.
The Arhats are Buddhists who have achieved full spiritual fulfillment. They have reached “Nirvana,” the state of absolute freedom from worldly cravings, and thus they are no longer subject to reincarnation.
Tourists can go up to the bell tower before contemplating a stele which dates back to 1711, built under the reign of King Le Du Tong. On the stele is engraved a picture of Pho Hien and the city of Thang Long.
The stele helped researchers locate the commercial road that once connected Pho Hien and Thang Long. It used to pass right by the Chuong Pagoda gate. The map also helped historians locate the borders of Pho Hien’s original 20 wards
The mad hatters of Chuong Village
Chuong Village has been the home of Vietnam’s famous non la (conical leaf hat) for centuries.
The small village, around 30 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, is often crowded with people buying non la and also watching local craftswomen make it.
The village’s Non Market is open from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., six times a month, on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th, and 30th days of the lunar calendar.
Most non la are made from palm leaves. The leaf is cleaned with sand before being left in the sun to whiten. It is then evened by a blade.
The hat makers of Chuong Village, all women, then place the leaves over a frame made of bamboo circles. The leaves are tied into place with string and sewn from top to bottom. The excess leaves are then trimmed. Strong sewing makes the most durable hats.
Finally, to make the hat whiter and protect it from mold, the hats are singed with burning matches.
Reported by Thanh Chung - Lam Linh
Clay statues depict 18 Arhats (Buddhist monks post-enlightenment) at Chuong Pagoda
Chuong Pagoda, the centerpiece of Vietnam’s largest port in the 17th and 18th centuries, still stands as a tall reminder of Vietnam’s not so distant past: a time of spirituality, tradition and simple beauty.
Still the most scenic spot in the former town of Pho Hien, now a part of the town of Hung Yen, the pagoda has lost none of its historic allure.
Pho Hien was once the north’s premier port city and a vibrant commercial and cultural melting pot of Vietnamese and foreign peoples. It was second only to the capital city of Thang Long (now Hanoi) in terms of commercial activity.
Today, visitors to Hung Yen can see the unique historical and cultural remains of the past at Chuong (Bell) Pagoda.
Built in the 15th century under the Le Dynasty, the pagoda was then restored in 1707 in the architectural style of the post-Le period.
The pagoda’s name came from a legend:
In the days of myths and folk tales, a golden bell drifted to the shore of the Red River in Nhan Duc Village during a flood and when the waters receded it began to sink in the mud.
Throngs of residents of neighboring villages rushed to Nhan Duc to save the bell but they could not make it budge, it was too heavy.
Eventually a group of Nhan Duc villagers were able to take the bell home. Believing they had been granted the charm by God, the villagers then built a pagoda to worship the bell, whose toll could be heard for miles around.
Also known as Kim Chung Tu (Golden Bell Pagoda), the religious complex was built with meticulous attention to detail.
After entering the Cong tam quan (three-entrance gate), which has eight roofs, visitors cross a stone bridge over a lotus pond. The bridge will lead them to a brick patio made of bricks from Hanoi’s famous Bat Trang handicraft village.
Walking across the stone walkway in the middle of the patio is like walking through time. The path leads to a courtyard in front of the sanctuary compound. The bell tower and altar house, where local residents worship their ancestors, follow next
HOW TO GET THERE
- Chuong Pagoda is located in Nhan Duc Village, Hien Nam Ward, Hung Yen Town, Hung Yen Province, 64 kilometers south-east from Hanoi.
- From Hanoi, tourists can take buses 205, 208, or 209 from the Luong Yen and Giap Bat bus stations to get to the pagoda.
- They can also book private buses at Hanoi’s Gia Lam bus station for the trip.
- Another way is to travel by boat on the Hanoi – Pho Hien route from the Red River tourism wharf.
Cong tam quan (Three-entrance gate) at Chuong Pagoda in the northern province of Hung Yen
The pagoda, recognized as a National Architectural Relic by the government in 1992, has many carved Buddha statues, including the Tam The (three Buddhas of the Past, Present and Future), A-di-da (Amitabha), and four Bo-tat (Bodhisattvas).
Next is a startling wood relief depicting the Thap Dien Diem Vuong (Ten Courts Managed by the 10 Kings of Hell).
In it, sinners are depicted serving out punishments for their crimes: some are being dumped into a cauldron of boiling oil; others are having their tongues cut out.
But the Thap bat La Han (18 Arhats), made of clay, are much more peaceful. Each one depicts a wise monk expressing a different attitude.
The Arhats are Buddhists who have achieved full spiritual fulfillment. They have reached “Nirvana,” the state of absolute freedom from worldly cravings, and thus they are no longer subject to reincarnation.
Tourists can go up to the bell tower before contemplating a stele which dates back to 1711, built under the reign of King Le Du Tong. On the stele is engraved a picture of Pho Hien and the city of Thang Long.
The stele helped researchers locate the commercial road that once connected Pho Hien and Thang Long. It used to pass right by the Chuong Pagoda gate. The map also helped historians locate the borders of Pho Hien’s original 20 wards
The mad hatters of Chuong Village
Chuong Village has been the home of Vietnam’s famous non la (conical leaf hat) for centuries.
The small village, around 30 kilometers from downtown Hanoi, is often crowded with people buying non la and also watching local craftswomen make it.
The village’s Non Market is open from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., six times a month, on the 4th, 10th, 14th, 20th, 24th, and 30th days of the lunar calendar.
Most non la are made from palm leaves. The leaf is cleaned with sand before being left in the sun to whiten. It is then evened by a blade.
The hat makers of Chuong Village, all women, then place the leaves over a frame made of bamboo circles. The leaves are tied into place with string and sewn from top to bottom. The excess leaves are then trimmed. Strong sewing makes the most durable hats.
Finally, to make the hat whiter and protect it from mold, the hats are singed with burning matches.
Reported by Thanh Chung - Lam Linh
Vietnam, Indonesia urged to join forces for tourism
Vietnam and Indonesia should work together to attract international tourists as both countries have popular destinations, an official said.
Companies can offer package tours to Bali, Yogyakarta, Ha Long and Hue, Ambassador of Indonesia to Vietnam, Pitono Purnomo, said at a press briefing in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday.
In order to boost tourism, national carrier Garuda Indonesia will launch a direct route linking Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City, said Purnomo. He said Vietnam Airlines should also offer similar services.
Purnomo said around 400,000 Indonesians want to visit Vietnam every year.
Apart from tourism, the ambassador said Indonesia is encouraging Vietnamese companies to invest in rubber, pepper and seafood projects in Indonesia.
Trade between the countries reached US$2.5 billion last year, official statistics showed. Purnomo said Indonesian investors have invested more than $2 billion in Vietnam.
Companies can offer package tours to Bali, Yogyakarta, Ha Long and Hue, Ambassador of Indonesia to Vietnam, Pitono Purnomo, said at a press briefing in Ho Chi Minh City Tuesday.
In order to boost tourism, national carrier Garuda Indonesia will launch a direct route linking Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City, said Purnomo. He said Vietnam Airlines should also offer similar services.
Purnomo said around 400,000 Indonesians want to visit Vietnam every year.
Apart from tourism, the ambassador said Indonesia is encouraging Vietnamese companies to invest in rubber, pepper and seafood projects in Indonesia.
Trade between the countries reached US$2.5 billion last year, official statistics showed. Purnomo said Indonesian investors have invested more than $2 billion in Vietnam.
Kyrgyz violence rages for second day, 50 dead
Kyrgyz violence rages for second day, 50 dead
Last updated: 6/12/2010 15:00
Men walk past a burning building in the city of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan June 11, 2010.
Parts of Kyrgystan’s second-largest city were ablaze on Saturday as the death toll rose to 50 in a second day of ethnic conflict, the Central Asian state’s worst violence since the president was toppled in April.
The interim government in Kyrgyzstan, which hosts US and Russian military bases, said it was powerless to stop armed gangs from burning down the homes and businesses of ethnic Uzbeks in one part of Osh. Gun battles raged throughout the night.
“Entire streets are on fire,” Interior Ministry spokesman Rakhmatillo Akhmedov said. “The situation is very bad. There is no sign of it stopping. Homes have been set ablaze.”
Kyrgyzstan, a poor ex-Soviet state of 5.3 million people, declared a state of emergency in Osh and several local rural districts early on Friday after rival ethnic gangs fought each other with guns, iron bars and petrol bombs.
Renewed turmoil in Kyrgyzstan will fuel concern in Russia, the United States and neighbor China. Washington uses an air base at Manas in the north of the country, about 300 km (190 miles) from Osh, to supply its forces in Afghanistan.
A Reuters correspondent in Osh said gun battles had taken place through the night in an Uzbek neighborhood. Gas was shut off to Osh and some neighborhoods have no electricity.
Ethnic Uzbeks were fleeing to the border, said Farid Niyazov, spokesman for the interim Kyrgyz government.
One witness said some women and children had made it across to the Uzbek town of Marhamat, 60 km (38 miles) from Osh, and camps had been set up for those without family in Uzbekistan.
A spokeswoman for the Kyrgyz Health Ministry said at least 50 people had been killed and 663 wounded in the violence, which is taking place in the southerly power base of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, deposed in April by a popular revolt.
“Everywhere is burning: Uzbek homes, restaurants and cafes. The whole town is covered in smoke,” local human rights worker Dilmurad Ishanov, an ethnic Uzbek, said by telephone from Osh.
“We don’t need the Kyrgyz authorities. We need Russia. We need troops. We need help.”
Helpless
The interim government, led by Roza Otunbayeva, sent in troops and armored vehicles and declared a night-time curfew in Osh. But Niyazov said law enforcement bodies had been unable to quell the violence and would require reinforcement.
Kyrgyzstan, which won independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has been in turmoil since the revolt that toppled Bakiyev on April 7, kindling fears of civil war.
Supporters of Bakiyev, now in exile in Belarus, briefly seized government buildings in the south on May 13, defying central authorities in Bishkek.
While these clashes were motivated by politics, the latest violence has stoked fears of a repeat of the bloodshed in 1990, when hundreds of people were killed in clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in Osh.
Ethnic unrest is a concern in the Fergana Valley, where Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan intertwine. While Uzbeks make up 14.5 percent of the total Kyrgyz population, the two groups are split roughly equally in the Osh region.
On May 19, two people were killed and 74 wounded in clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the city of Jalalabad. On the same day, Otunbayeva said she would rule the country until the end of 2011, scrapping plans for presidential polls in October.
Her interim government, which plans a national referendum on June 27 to vote on changes to the constitution, now faces a major test in trying to reassert control in Osh, said Lilit Gevorgyan, analyst at IHS Global Insight:
“The explosive combination of a counter-revolution and an ethnic conflict poses the greatest threat to the future of the Kyrgyz revolution.”
Source: Reuters
Last updated: 6/12/2010 15:00
Men walk past a burning building in the city of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan June 11, 2010.
Parts of Kyrgystan’s second-largest city were ablaze on Saturday as the death toll rose to 50 in a second day of ethnic conflict, the Central Asian state’s worst violence since the president was toppled in April.
The interim government in Kyrgyzstan, which hosts US and Russian military bases, said it was powerless to stop armed gangs from burning down the homes and businesses of ethnic Uzbeks in one part of Osh. Gun battles raged throughout the night.
“Entire streets are on fire,” Interior Ministry spokesman Rakhmatillo Akhmedov said. “The situation is very bad. There is no sign of it stopping. Homes have been set ablaze.”
Kyrgyzstan, a poor ex-Soviet state of 5.3 million people, declared a state of emergency in Osh and several local rural districts early on Friday after rival ethnic gangs fought each other with guns, iron bars and petrol bombs.
Renewed turmoil in Kyrgyzstan will fuel concern in Russia, the United States and neighbor China. Washington uses an air base at Manas in the north of the country, about 300 km (190 miles) from Osh, to supply its forces in Afghanistan.
A Reuters correspondent in Osh said gun battles had taken place through the night in an Uzbek neighborhood. Gas was shut off to Osh and some neighborhoods have no electricity.
Ethnic Uzbeks were fleeing to the border, said Farid Niyazov, spokesman for the interim Kyrgyz government.
One witness said some women and children had made it across to the Uzbek town of Marhamat, 60 km (38 miles) from Osh, and camps had been set up for those without family in Uzbekistan.
A spokeswoman for the Kyrgyz Health Ministry said at least 50 people had been killed and 663 wounded in the violence, which is taking place in the southerly power base of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev, deposed in April by a popular revolt.
“Everywhere is burning: Uzbek homes, restaurants and cafes. The whole town is covered in smoke,” local human rights worker Dilmurad Ishanov, an ethnic Uzbek, said by telephone from Osh.
“We don’t need the Kyrgyz authorities. We need Russia. We need troops. We need help.”
Helpless
The interim government, led by Roza Otunbayeva, sent in troops and armored vehicles and declared a night-time curfew in Osh. But Niyazov said law enforcement bodies had been unable to quell the violence and would require reinforcement.
Kyrgyzstan, which won independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has been in turmoil since the revolt that toppled Bakiyev on April 7, kindling fears of civil war.
Supporters of Bakiyev, now in exile in Belarus, briefly seized government buildings in the south on May 13, defying central authorities in Bishkek.
While these clashes were motivated by politics, the latest violence has stoked fears of a repeat of the bloodshed in 1990, when hundreds of people were killed in clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in Osh.
Ethnic unrest is a concern in the Fergana Valley, where Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan intertwine. While Uzbeks make up 14.5 percent of the total Kyrgyz population, the two groups are split roughly equally in the Osh region.
On May 19, two people were killed and 74 wounded in clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the city of Jalalabad. On the same day, Otunbayeva said she would rule the country until the end of 2011, scrapping plans for presidential polls in October.
Her interim government, which plans a national referendum on June 27 to vote on changes to the constitution, now faces a major test in trying to reassert control in Osh, said Lilit Gevorgyan, analyst at IHS Global Insight:
“The explosive combination of a counter-revolution and an ethnic conflict poses the greatest threat to the future of the Kyrgyz revolution.”
Source: Reuters
Swine flu death toll at 18,156 a year after pandemic: WHO
Swine flu death toll at 18,156 a year after pandemic: WHO
Last updated: 6/12/2010 9:30
People cover their faces with masks to protect themselves from the swine flu virus at the entrance of a hospital in Mexico cityin 2009.
The World Health Organization said Friday that 18,156 people had died from swine flu, a year after the influenza was declared a pandemic.
The virus is now “globally less active,” Gregory Haertl, a spokesman of the UN health agency told AFP, but he warned that children and pregnant women in particular should remain vigilant.
Haertl also said that the figures on swine flu are “without doubt underestimated. It will be probably several times more than that.”
“It is difficult to say what is the exact number, we’ll have it within two years” after the disappearance of the virus, he added.
The WHO has been defending its handling of the pandemic in recent weeks, with a top medical journal becoming the latest to challenge it earlier this month.
The British Medical Journal found that WHO guidelines on the use of antiviral drugs were prepared by experts who had received consulting fees from the top two manufacturers of these drugs, Roche and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
But the head of the WHO defended the agency, rejecting claims that its handling of the pandemic was marred by commercial interests.
“At no time, not for one second, did commercial interests enter my decision-making,” said Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, in a letter sent to the British Medical Journal, following the publication’s article.
Source: AFP
Last updated: 6/12/2010 9:30
People cover their faces with masks to protect themselves from the swine flu virus at the entrance of a hospital in Mexico cityin 2009.
The World Health Organization said Friday that 18,156 people had died from swine flu, a year after the influenza was declared a pandemic.
The virus is now “globally less active,” Gregory Haertl, a spokesman of the UN health agency told AFP, but he warned that children and pregnant women in particular should remain vigilant.
Haertl also said that the figures on swine flu are “without doubt underestimated. It will be probably several times more than that.”
“It is difficult to say what is the exact number, we’ll have it within two years” after the disappearance of the virus, he added.
The WHO has been defending its handling of the pandemic in recent weeks, with a top medical journal becoming the latest to challenge it earlier this month.
The British Medical Journal found that WHO guidelines on the use of antiviral drugs were prepared by experts who had received consulting fees from the top two manufacturers of these drugs, Roche and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
But the head of the WHO defended the agency, rejecting claims that its handling of the pandemic was marred by commercial interests.
“At no time, not for one second, did commercial interests enter my decision-making,” said Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, in a letter sent to the British Medical Journal, following the publication’s article.
Source: AFP
Australian artists perform ‘Divine Imagination’
Australian artists perform ‘Divine Imagination’
Last updated: 6/10/2010 16:00
A renowned Australian fire performance art group, the Carnival of the Divine Imagination, will have a one-night show in Ho Chi Minh City on June 15.
The troupe will put on performances that combine circus, fire performance and body movement reflected in UV light at the 23/9 Park Circus Center in District 1, the Australian Consulate General said in a statement.
During this event the group will introduce their newest work titled “Elixia”. The performance is a fable that tells the tale of two companions’ depravation, separation, escape and reunion. “Elixia” is suitable for audiences of all ages.
Tickets for the Tuesday evening arts event are free and available at the 23/9 Park Circus Center.
The Carnival of the Divine Imagination, which has been captivating audiences around the world with their striking and energetic displays of fire and luminescence, will also participate in a workshop with the Ho Chi Minh City Circus Group.
The workshop will provide an excellent platform for skills exchange and encourage a better understanding of each other’s culture, according to the statement.
Reported by Huu Tho
Last updated: 6/10/2010 16:00
A renowned Australian fire performance art group, the Carnival of the Divine Imagination, will have a one-night show in Ho Chi Minh City on June 15.
The troupe will put on performances that combine circus, fire performance and body movement reflected in UV light at the 23/9 Park Circus Center in District 1, the Australian Consulate General said in a statement.
During this event the group will introduce their newest work titled “Elixia”. The performance is a fable that tells the tale of two companions’ depravation, separation, escape and reunion. “Elixia” is suitable for audiences of all ages.
Tickets for the Tuesday evening arts event are free and available at the 23/9 Park Circus Center.
The Carnival of the Divine Imagination, which has been captivating audiences around the world with their striking and energetic displays of fire and luminescence, will also participate in a workshop with the Ho Chi Minh City Circus Group.
The workshop will provide an excellent platform for skills exchange and encourage a better understanding of each other’s culture, according to the statement.
Reported by Huu Tho
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