Quang Ninh protects Ha Long Bay environment

 

 

Northern Quang Ninh province is taking a number of urgent measures to protect Ha Long Bay’s natural environment, said Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Huy Hau on November 14. 

Local authorities will ban the handling of cargo in bulk in the area, and treat wastewater and sewage discharged into the bay by 2013. They will also minimise the encroachment to the sea, closely monitor industrial production establishments and urban projects, and raise the public’s awareness of environmental protection. 

The province will establish an association charged with educating people on environmental matters that affect the Ha Long Bay area, act as an advisor to issue an exclusive decree on Ha Long Bay management and install environmental observation stations around Ha Long Bay. 

By June 2014, the locality will complete the relocation of people living in the bay and arrange resettlement for mainlanders. 

Coal will be transported by covered conveyer belts instead of roads, and coal screening mills relocated far from the bay, and open-air mining of the fuel ended by 2017. 

The activities aim to develop local tourism in a sustainable manner for the future.

Source: VNA

 

Ha Long Week aims at European market

 

 

The Ha Long Week 2012 will take place in the northern province of Quang Ninh from November 27-30, with a focus on European market. 

Co-organised by the provincial People’s Committee and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, the event expects to attract the participation of 140 international representatives from leading tourism companies and travel agencies from France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and the United Kingdom. 

During the week, a wide range of activities will be available for participants, including Ha Long Bay tours, Gala dinner, business meetings, a seminar on promoting potential of Ha Long tourism and cultural programmes.

Source: VNA

 

Northern provinces promote tourism potential

 

 

A promotion aimed at the tourist industry, themed ‘three nations, one destination’ took place in the northern province of Quang Ninh on October 29, with numerous travel agencies from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand taking part. 

The promotion hoped to expand the tourism sector in Quang Ninh province, by promoting culture, popular destinations and quality services around the province. It will also give domestic and overseas travel agencies the opportunity to meet new partners in the field. 

At the event, representatives from the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism gave an overall picture of Quang Ninh’s potential and its advantages for developing tourism in the province. 

Home to the world’s natural wonder, Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh also has several cultural sites and popular tourist spots such as Tra Co beach, Yen Tu tourist area and Bai Tu Long bay. 

The province is always an attractive destination for visitors from both home and abroad. 

During the first ten months of this year, the province welcomed almost 6 million tourists, up 10 percent over the same period last year. Of this number, foreigners accounted for 2 million, a year on year rise of 7 percent. 

On the same day, over 60 travel companies from Vietnam , Thailand and Cambodia attended a similar promotion in the northern province of Ninh Binh, where they shared their experiences in organising tours and developing new tourism services and products. 

Chhaysivlin, Director of the Cambodian company CSL Travel and Tours , said that the event gave tourism companies the chance to look for investment opportunities and establish partnerships in the sector.

Source: VNA

 

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

 

Let the time go slowly in quaint Hoi An

On a tour to Hoi An Ancient Town in Quang Nam Province, after walking around old streets and craft villages, tourists should take a short tour to tramp around villages, cycle on winding trails, ride buffaloes or try to be a fisherman for the day to learn more about local life.

Images of buffaloes are very familiar to locals but are a bit strange to foreigners, so this Canadian tourist stopped for a while to take photos of the buffaloes

The tour just takes travelers a few hours but promises to bring amazing experiences. Tourists will have a great time strolling around countryside roads as they can appreciate the rustic nature of farmlife.

Foreigners use nets to catch fi sh as they learn about the lives of local fi shermen. To book the tour, tourists can contact Hoi An Eco-Tour via www.hoianecotour.com.vn. - Photos: Minh Duy

Here are some snapshots taken by The Saigon Times Daily journalist Minh Duy.

 

A brave tourist tries to ride a buffalo through the river

 

Buffaloes are a bit strange to foreigners

Using nets

Quang Ninh receives 1.8 million foreign visitors in 9 months

 

 

About 1.8 million foreign tourists visited Quang Ninh in the first nine months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 6 percent, the Department of Culture Sports and Tourism reported.

Quang Ninh greeted nearly 346,000 visitors in September 2012, bringing the figure for the first nine months of the year to more than 5.41 million, a year-on-year increase of 7 percent.

Over the past nine months, the number of foreign tourists reached more than 1.78 million, showing a year-on-year rise of 6 percent.

The industry earned more than VND 3,2 billion in 9 months, up 16 percent compared with the same period last year.

Quang Ninh tourism sector has currently imposed lots of measures to increase the quality of the local business environment, implemented projects to protect Ha Long Bay’s environment and created more tourist products and tourist sites as well.

Especially, the Department of Culture Sports and Tourism has restored lots of billboards with hotline number for tourists in tourist attractions across the province. The hotline is manned by representatives of the Department of Culture Sports and Tourism who will assist solving any problems tourists might encounter online. The province also expects to receive critical comments on tourism services via these hotline numbers to have practical and effective solutions to all problems related to tourism service quality.

Source: QNP

 

Con Co Island – a floating green pearl

Located not far from the coast of Quang Tri province, the small island of Con Co has its own long and interesting history.

Con Co looks like a plump green pearl rising from the ocean and experts consider its geology, biology and scenery a museum of biodiversity.

The evergreen island is 80 percent natural primeval forest, which has remained in pristine condition despite the passage of time. It was formed by a volcano which left behind giant, strange shaped basalt rocks and many stunning beaches that have turned the island into a charming and splendid place.

The flora on the island is very diverse, with many giant trees, measuring 15 to 20 feet across. Some are unique to islands, such as the striped-trunk trees and many kinds of wild potatoes with huge leaves.

The island is also home to a rich array of marine life with 113 types of coral, 57 kinds of seaweed, 19 different crustaceans, and 224 saltwater fish species, as well as 164 species of flora and 68 types of fauna and seafood such as oysters, lobsters, crabs and mussels.

There are two endangered species of crabs on the island that are able to live on the ground or in the water and are strictly protected.

The island also has some historical relics including a 20-kilometer-long military tunnel, a number of blockhouses along the beaches

People have come from the mainland to settle on Con Co for hundreds of years and many soldiers have sacrificed their lives to protect it.

Local authorities plan to invest about VND300 billion to develop infrastructure on the island to improve local living standards and tourism.

If you had seen the island of Con Co a few years ago, you would be taken aback now to see. In addition to the heaving rocks, dense primeval forests and military barracks, many tall buildings, including the headquarters of the district People’s Committee, police and tax offices, a health center, power and water services, as well as television and telecommunications systems.

However, there are no guesthouses or hotels. Local tourism is still very much in its infantry.

Hoi An's traditional silk village

A silk village in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, somewhat overlooked for a while, has seen a revival of tourism of late, attracting tourists.

Ma Chau Village in Duy Xuyen District is just one kilometre away from centre of Hoi An City.

The combination of eco-tourism and traditional handicraft product development has helped to preserve the cultural life of people in Quang Nam.

Now, the village appears much more like in the past. Old looms in wooden houses, long unused, have been activated again. Besides the sight and sound of the moving looms, village also has green mulberry gardens and silkworm baskets.

Scarves and dresses made of silk are on display throughout the village, showing off the traditional craft of the residents.

Visitors also have the chance to learn something about the fabric-weaving method of the Cham ethnic minority people as well as see special products of the area.

  

Con Co Island – floating green pearl

Located close to the mainland, the small island of Con Co off Quang Tri Province has a long and interesting history of its own. To describe the island from offshore, it looks like a plump pearl emerging amidst the ocean. Experts consider the island’s geology, biology and scenery as a museum of diverse nature.

The evergreen island is 80% natural forest and that primeval forest despite the passage of time still remains in pristine condition. The island was formed by a volcano and the remaining vestiges are giant basalt rocks in weird shapes and many stunning and pristine beaches, making the island more charming and splendid.
The flora system on the island is diverse with a lot of giant trees with trunks measuring some 15 to 20 feet long.
Some of the trees are unique to islands, such as the stripped-trunk variety like dau mau, sam cau or nhau nhau and many kinds of wild potatoes with huge leaves.
The island is also home to enriched marine life with 113 coral, 57 seaweed, 19 crustaceans, 224 saltwater fish and 164 flora and 68 fauna species, and seafood such as oysters, lobsters, holothurians, crabs and mussels.
Especially, there are two crab species which are able to live on the ground or water and are strictly protected as they are endangered.
The island also has historical relics with a 20-kilometer-long military tunnel, many blockhouses along the beaches and firecracker houses.
People from the mainland came here to settle from the primitive ages with so many soldiers sacrificing themselves for the island.
The local authorities will invest about VND300 billion to develop an infrastructure system on the island to serve local living standards and promote tourism.
If you had gone to the more primitive Con Co several years ago, you would be certainly surprised at the island today. It now not only has heaving rocks, dense primeval forests and barracks but also high buildings, including the headquarters of the district’s People’s Committee, the police and tax offices, a health center, power and water services as well as television and telecommunications are also available.
However, it has no guest houses or hotels for tourists and other tourism services are still poor. In the next three years local authorities and residents will put great effort into making the island a tourist haven.
 
Source: SGT
 

Silk village – treasure of Hoi An

If you are fortunate enough to take in the splendor that is Hoi An ancient town in Quang Nam Province should not miss a new tour to Lang Lua (silk village) by QuangNamSilk Company at 28 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street.

 

Tourists inspect an artisan weaving fabric at Silk Village in Quang Nam 

From an idea of an original Quang Nam people who has long time attached to silkworm and mulberry tree in Duy Xuyen Commune of Dai Loc District, the village was born to restore the culture of weaving fabric career and to provide tourists more knowledge on the history of this traditional career. Hoi An in the past was a port shipping silk to the world. Local people take pride of the place where the silk road on the sea took shape.

The village is where tourists can get a glimpse into the making process of Quang Nam’s traditional silk and Cham people’s brocade cloths. Tourists to the venue can study 40 kinds of mulberry, ancient styles of looms and silkworm breeds, among others.

“The Silk Village is where we preserve a precious collection of related items to the weaving fabric career and a collection of ruong houses (traditional houses in Quang Nam architectural styles). Additionally, we also make Quang Nam silks here,”  said Le Thai Vu, director of QuangNamSilk Company.

“For over ten years, I have put effort on collecting ruong houses nationwide, hundreds of years old mulberry kinds and ancient looms to equip for the village,” Vu added.

Tourists can also admire a collection of old costumes by 54 ethnic minority people in Vietnam displayed in ancient houses there. Those who wish to have a tailored costume or eat traditional Quang Nam food like cao lau (a soup made with noodles, pork and greens), mi Quang (noodles in Quang Nam style) and com nieu (rice cooked in earthenware pot) can ask artisans at the village.

Silk Village is located on the road leading to Hoi An ancient town. This tourist and cultural site is 30km away from Danang downtown to the Road 607. Tourists can take a 30-minute bus which costs them VND20,000 (around US$1) to get to the site. For further information, contact the QuangNamsilk at 28 Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, Tan An Ward, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, tel: (84-510) 392 1144.

Con Co Island – floating green pearl

Located close to the mainland, the small island of Con Co off Quang Tri Province has a long and interesting history of its own.

 

A view of Con Co Island in Quang Tri Province - Photo: Offi cial website of the province

To describe the island from offshore, it looks like a plump pearl emerging amidst the ocean. Experts consider the island’s geology, biology and scenery as a museum of diverse nature.

The evergreen island is 80% natural forest and that primeval forest despite the passage of time still remains in pristine condition. The island was formed by a volcano and the remaining vestiges are giant basalt rocks in weird shapes and many stunning and pristine beaches, making the island more charming and splendid.

The flora system on the island is diverse with a lot of giant trees with trunks measuring some 15 to 20 feet long.

Some of the trees are unique to islands, such as the stripped-trunk variety like dau mau, sam cau or nhau nhau and many kinds of wild potatoes with huge leaves.

The island is also home to enriched marine life with 113 coral, 57 seaweed, 19 crustaceans, 224 saltwater fish and 164 flora and 68 fauna species, and seafood such as oysters, lobsters, holothurians, crabs and mussels.

Especially, there are two crab species which are able to live on the ground or water and are strictly protected as they are endangered.

The island also has historical relics with a 20-kilometer-long military tunnel, many blockhouses along the beaches and firecracker houses.

People from the mainland came here to settle from the primitive ages with so many soldiers sacrificing themselves for the island.

The local authorities will invest about VND300 billion to develop an infrastructure system on the island to serve local living standards and promote tourism.

If you had gone to the more primitive Con Co several years ago, you would be certainly surprised at the island today. It now not only has heaving rocks, dense primeval forests and barracks but also high buildings, including the headquarters of the district’s People’s Committee, the police and tax offices, a health center, power and water services as well as television and telecommunications are also available.

However, it has no guest houses or hotels for tourists and other tourism services are still poor. In the next three years local authorities and residents will put great effort into making the island a tourist haven.

Hanoi and Hoi An among best Asian destinations

Hanoi and Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam continue be named among the top ten destinations in Asia this year by Hong Kong-based travel and trade journal, Smart Travel Asia.

According to an online poll conducted by the magazine, regarded as a leading authority on the regional travel industry, Hanoi remains in sixth position, as recorded last year, while Hoi An is rated seventh.

Bali island in Indonesia ranks first, followed by Phuket in Thailand and Hong Kong .

The Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the title helps the capital city’s tourism sector promote its image and position in the eyes of domestic and international friends.

The magazine’s representative presented the title to the department in Hanoi on Aug. 22.

(Source: VNA)

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