RoK to invest US$4 billion in Phong Nha-Ke Bang

 

The People’s Committee of Quang Binh Province has just signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ZETA Group Holding, a real estate investment organization from the Republic of Korea, to build an international leisure center at the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. 

Accordingly, the project, worth US$4 billion, will include a casino area, hotels and urban facilities on the mountains, providing outdoor entertainment activities and cave exploring tours in Phong Nha-Ke Bang. 

The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2003, thanks to its system of 300 caves and grottos with a total length of 126 km discovered up to April 2009.

Before the discovery of the Son Doong, recognized as the world's largest cave, Phong Nha held several world cave records, as it has the longest underground river, as well as the largest caverns and passageways.

Source: chinhphu.vn

 

Cham culture shines at festival

 

A special sports, culture and tourism festival featuring members of the Cham ethnic group is underway in the central province of Ninh Thuan. The three-day festival, kicked off on October 14, is taking place at the same time as the group's traditional Kate festival.

Various cultural activities like art shows, traditional costume shows, brocade weaving contests, a culinary fair and sports competitions will be organised in the province.

A conference on preserving and developing Cham ethnic culture in parallel with promoting tourism will be the key activity at the event, which will gather both scientists and cultural workers. 

The event is expected to attract Cham people from nine localities including Binh Thuan, Phu Yen, An Giang, Tay Ninh, HCM City and Dong Nai. 

The localities will take turns hosting the event, which will be held every three years. 

According to statistics from 2008, the Cham group was ranked 14th in population size when compared to all 54 ethnic groups in the country, with 145,000 members. 

Source: Vietnam+

 

Responsible Travel Club of Viet Nam

The Responsible Travel Club (RTC) of  Viet Nam  is an informal group of tour operators dedicated to building responsible travel and sustainable tourism in all regions in  Viet Nam .

What to experience?

If you want your travel to create real positive impact and value in the destinations, and at the same time experience genuine community based tourism, go with one of them. Each CBT tour tries to enhance the interaction between the local host and guests so they can exchange on their respective culture. For examples the local host and his  family are invited to have meals with guests.

After three years of running an association of responsible tour operators working towards responsible and sustainable  tourism, RTC has become a platform between Tour Operators and the CBT sites they are working with. RTC organizes annually an inspection trip for their members and invite NGOs working in developing CBT in  Viet Nam  such as SNV and WWF, FPSC Spain to join. During the trip, experiences from each party are exchanged, open and free discussions have become a connection for all stakeholders for mutual benefits.

They work closely with local communities and ethnic tribes to optimise their benefits from tourism and, seek financial support from NGOs and donors, such as in Chieng Yen, or Ngoc Son Ngo Luong. Created by Footprint Vietnam Travel,  Activetravel Asia, Sisters Tours, Indochina Travelland, and GSO Travel, their members now include: Vietnam Discovery Travel, Tonkin Travel, and Aurora Travel.

How does it help?

Some members give back 5% of their profit to the communities they visit, which they use to build infrastructures such as schools, library. All decisions are in hand of local people. They are the one who set the prices, welcome the guests.

Activities they conduct are tackling the key elements, which enable to improve tourism impacts. For example, realising that the quality and ethics of many tour guides were alarming, RTC has been working on improving the quality of guides behaviour and knowledge and set up the RTC network of responsible guides. They also organise workshops and training sessions, developed a Code of conducts for travellers as well as for staff on conserving natural and cultural heritage which is applied by its members. Their next step is to identify and grade eco friendly hotels in  Hanoi .

Workshops they organised include:

- Workshop in La vie Vu Linh,  Yen   Bai   Province  for RTC members and member’s staff on “Environmental impacts of tourism on responsible development”.

- Applied “Green Office” model for RTC responsible tour operators with the technical support from Enerteam.

- Clean-up and Trash-bin Giving in Co To Island

Contact Details

NGO Responsible Travel Club of  Vietnam  (RTC)

10A1 Ly  Nam  De,  Hanoi ,  Vietnam

Tel: 39332844

Email: rtcvietnam@gmail.com

Website: www.rtcvietnam.org

Two international standard amusement parks for Da Nang

 

 

Viet Nam’s Sun Group general director, Mr. Dang Minh Truong, said the group will build the 200 million USD Da Nang Asian Park near the 2 September Peace Monument. It will cover over 48 ha of land and over 40 ha of water.

World-known American architect Bill Bensley of the Bensley Design Group International Consultants Co is the master planner for the project. The group will be exempt from land lease fees. 

There will be a 125m observation wheel named Da Nang View, numerous international standard rides and replicas of buildings from many Asian countries. A multi-function centre will show films, stage drama, have circuses and hold music performances. The park will feature water, sound and light shows, water puppets, sporting events and fireworks displays.

Mr. Truong said stage 1 of park will open in sixteen months. It is expected to welcome about 1.5 million visitors per year.

Construction of the Sun Group’s Ocean Park on the Son Tra Peninsula is underway. The park, which will include a water palace and a cable car will carry visitors from the cruise ship wharf to the top of Mt. Son Tra, is designed by the U.S Pacon’s Tree House Consultancy Co.

There will be models of famous ports and lighthouses from around the world. 

Source: Danang Today

 

Vietnam wins second prize in National Geographic Traveller Photo Contest

 

The work titled “My Balloon” by Vo Anh Kiet depicting a group of H’mong children playing with their balloons on a foggy day in Moc Chau won second prize in the National Geographic Traveller Photo Contest 2012.
During this year’s contest, photographers sent their works under the four themes of Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place and Spontaneous Moments.
The organising board of the contest selected 11 outstanding pictures from more than 12,000 entries by 6,615 talented photographers in 152 countries around the globe. These photos represented beautiful moments of the life and experience of each photographer.
The first prize was awarded for Cedrin Houin's photo which depicted the daily life of a nomadic family in a remote area in Afghanistan. The third price went to Andrea Guarneri for a photo depicting an Easter parade in Tripani, Sicily.
The organising board awarded nine honourable prizes for nine other entries and one prize by the audience.
Source: CPV
 

Artists create variations on ‘moving' theme

Life is movement. And in the eyes of an artist, the movements of life can be interpreted in many different ways.
A group of Vietnamese, French and Brazilian artists have come together in Ha Noi to display paintings, photos and multimedia installations that tell different stories of life and movement.
The exhibition is the first result of Metropole Nomade, a project of the artist group Metropole Artists in Paris (France). This year, the project takes place in Ha Noi with the participation of 15 artists: five from France, four from Brazil, and six from Viet Nam.
The artists are free to create works on any subject as long as it follows the theme Movement. They are also free to use any techniques and art forms they wish, including painting, printing, sculpture, photography, video, and performance art.
Painter Tran Trung Thanh focuses on the movement of ideas. His painting Look into Any Direction features a wide-open eye and a raised hand. It can be interpreted as a representation of a person contemplating which way his life should go.
Vietnamese-French artist Eric Huynh takes a more naturalistic approach. His four photos on display feature four different movements drawn from the natural world: two buffaloes ploughing a golden field in Sapa, a Ha Noi fisherman casting his line into the river, a group of people sitting on a motorbike caught in a heavy rainstorm, and the movement of the weather in Hoi An before the sunset.
Using the technique of acrylic on photo, French artist Pat Cam also offers images of Ha Noi. His works depict the noisy streets of the city's Old Quarter.
Movement can also refer to a group of people trying to change some aspect of a community or society. This definition of Movement resonates with what the artists' group is trying to accomplish.
"The project encourages us to achieve freedom and exposure through art," says artist Hoang Duy Vang, head of the Vietnamese artists' group taking part in the project. "It helps us exchange ideas with each other. The fact that we all work on the same theme brings us closer to each other."
Before revealing their works to the public, the artists sat down with each other several times to share their ideas.
"The project encourages teamwork and the development of artistic ideas throughout the creative process, before showing work to the public," Vang says.
The project will be carried out in three years, from 2012 to 2014. The artists will continue to create new works in 2013 and 2014. Their artworks will be displayed next year in France and in 2014 in Brazil.
The exhibition is on the third floor of the Art Talk Cafe, 12 Quan Su Street. It will remain open to the public until next Thursday.
Source: VNS