Danang fireworks expects to attract 400,000 tourists

Danang fireworks expects to attract 400,000 tourists

Every year, more tourists are coming to the annual Danang international fireworks competition, which has helped the city develop its tourism trademark.

Around 300,000 tourists visited Danang in 2011, ten times more than in 2008, when the first international fireworks competition was held. 

The organizers forecast that the fifth fireworks competition on April 29-30 this year will attract 400,000 local and foreign tourists. They have already sold 40,000 tickets to the festival goers and mobilized 2,000 logistics and security personnel.

A number of travel operators have prepared short tours for visitors from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to visit the local sites and adjacent provinces.

A culture, cuisine and tourism festival will also be held north of the Han River Bridge from April 28 to May 2.

Located in central Vietnam, Danang is the third largest centrally-run city after Hanoi and HCM City.

Sa Pa aims to capture international tourists

Sa Pa town in the northern province of Lao Cai is set to become an international standard tourist site able to receive 3-4 million visitors annually by 2030. 

Under a plan recently announced by Lao Cai People’s Committee, Sa Pa is expected to record an average growth rate of 7.2 percent annually, becoming an economic and cultural centre of the province.

The plan is the outcome of cooperation between the Lao Cai People’s Committee and experts of the Aquitaine region of France .

The town will work as a cultural bridge for ethnic minorities in the northern region and a key trade hub in the north-western mountainous region and the Vietnam-China border area.

According to the plan, Sa Pa and its adjacent localities will be divided into five major tourist areas which will be developed on the basis of tourism themes including heritage tourism, in combination with agricultural ecological landscapes, primeval tourism, and tourism exploring the cultures of ethnic minorities.

Sa Pa town will be developed into nine sub-divisions, including a 363ha core urban area with an expected population of 13,000 people.

During the development process, attention will be paid to issues regarding technological infrastructure and environmental pollution.

VOV/VNA

In Asia, a boom in low-cost flights

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InJapanBusiness

02 April 2012|By Nick Easen

A Japan Airlines aircraft taxis at Haneda airport in Tokyo. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

The large Asian population, combined with a rapidly developing middle class in a period of economic growth, is spurring demand for more and cheaper flights. This year Asia will see a sizable increase in the number of low-cost carriers flying around the region, offering travellers more options.

March alone saw the announcement of three budget carriers in Japan with Peach Aviation, AirAsia Japan and Jetstar Japan, an offshoot off Qantas’ low-budget Jetstar, all spreading their wings.

The Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation estimates that an additional 200 million air passengers (from the roughly 650 million Asia-Pacific air travellers currently flying), could be travelling in north Asia each year if the Japan-South Korea-northern China triangle continues to liberalise its airspace.  

Don’t expect to see a complete deregulating of Asia’ skies anytime soon however, with the kind of bargain basement pricing seen in Europe and North America. The main issue in Asia, when compared to these regions, is that there are no multilateral open-sky agreements.

The low-cost model is currently more prevalent in the South Asia market place than the North Asia one, according to the Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation. In northeast Asia low-cost carriers only account for 7% of capacity, while in Southeast Asia they account for one third, and in South Asia it’s close to a half. (Expect to see those percentages increase in the coming months.)

However, Japan’s aviation market, one of the most regulated in the region in terms of restrictions on access to the number of airport gates and airline ownership , is in the process of embracing the low-cost model of air travel popular in other regions.

All Nippon Airways is backing Peach Aviation, which has already started flying from Osaka’s Kansai Airport to Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Nagasaki and Sapporo and is offering fares about one-half those of major airlines. In July, the airline will add Okinawa and international routes to Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei will be launched later.

From August, AirAsia Japan plans to operate domestic flights from Tokyo's Narita Airport and international flights in 2013. It has the muscle of the region’s biggest low-cost carrier Kuala-Lumpur based AirAsia, which now dominates this sector in Southeast Asia.

Come the end of 2012, Jetstar Japan, which is a budget venture between Japan Airlines and Qantas’ low-fare unit, will connect Tokyo and Osaka. Expect keen fares going forwards, as Jetstar Japan’s CEO has already made promises to local media not to lose a price war. China Eastern Airlines and Qantas are also joining hands to launch a low-cost carrier called Jetstar Hong Kong. This follows in the path of other carriers from the same group, such as Jetstar Pacific, which has setup in Vietnam. But in China, where Spring Airlines is currently the only mainland low-cost carrier operating international destinations including Hong Kong and Japan, none of the big four mainland operators has a budget airline at present.

The current high-priced buses and trains to and from airports is still an issue in Japan and could dampen enthusiasm for any  budget air travel. A one-way train fare from central Tokyo to Narita airport by train could cost the same price as a one way budget airline ticket to Hokkaido – roughly 3,000 Yen.  

Elsewhere across Asia, Singapore Airlines has launched Scoot, which will begin operations later in 2012, flying long-haul across the region from Singapore to Sydney and Australia’s Gold Coast. Other budget airlines are expanding, including Cebu Air, a dominant player in the Philippines. Along with Malaysia’s AirAsia, Singapore’s Tiger Airways and Indonesia’sLion Air  are all taking delivery of new planes within the next year.

Con Dao

Con Dao photos

The sun bursts through the clounds on Con Dao Beach

Con Dao beach viewed from Con Son

Fishing boats in Con Son harbour

Tropical forest covers the interior

Volcanic hills run right down to the sea

A protected Marine Nature Reserve, the Con Dao Islands (of which Con Son is the largest and where you are likely to be staying) can be difficult to get to, with irregular flights from Ho Chi Minh City or an overnight ferry from Vung Tau.. but my goodness, it's worth it!

I must confess, the highlight of any travelling around Vietnam for me is usually the food, yet the lack of any real eating options outside of the main hotels didn't still manage to disappoint, as the scenery around Con Dao is so spectacular you'll want to stay forever. I think of all the places I visited in Vietnam Con Dao was possibly one of the most beautiful I've seen.

The islands of Con Dao have a tragic history - they lay completely unoccupied until the French occupied Vietnam and used the island as one large prison complex, where prisoners were shackled, starved and beaten, forced into hard labour and subjected to some particularly cruel and unusual punishment. Sadly when the Americans arrived to 'save' Vietnam from Communism they kept the prisons running, and made good use of one of the most barbaric elements, the 'Tiger Cages'; even once their horrific nature had been exposed in the US media they simply built another set deeper in the jungle so the journalists wouldn't find them.

Today the prisons serve as a stark reminder of the horrors of war, and many of the islands residents are ex-convicts who decided to stay on the islands rather than return to the mainland. These days the main industries are fishing and shipping, and life on the island is very simple and undeveloped, though there are plans to encourage more tourism to the islands in the future.

The entire area is protected by law, so much of the islands are covered by thick forest. A visit to the rangers' station will explain a great deal about the wildlife living on the island, and they are very happy to arrange tours around the jungle or out to the other islands, to see endangered species and to go snorkelling and diving. There are also a number of diving schools on the island, particularly Rainbow Divers.

On our visit we hired a motorbike to explore the roads around the island, and went for hikes through the forest and swam on completely deserted beaches, as well as visiting the prisons and museums. It was a true escape from Saigon, a complete contrast to the concrete, traffic and noise, and one we'll remember forever.

One of the key organisations protecting the local habitat in Con Dao - as well as in many other national parks across Vietnam - is WWF. If you'd like to help support conservation efforts in Vietnam and preservation of the many endangered species there, we strongly suggest becoming a member - it doesn't cost a lot and while in Vietnam you can see for yourself the difference they are making.

Getting to Con Dao
If you want to go by boat there is a hydrofoil service from Vung Tau to Con Dao twice a week at 350,000 VND each way, and also one departing from Tra Vinh in the Mekong Delta which is run by Greenlines. The fares and timetable are no longer advertised on the Vietnamese language version of their website though, so it is worth checking before making the trip to Vung Tau.

Flights are run by VASCO but are unfortunately not bookable online.

An alternative may be to book online with Isango who are currently advertising an all inclusive two day tour to the island including flights which departs from Ho Chi Minh City. Feedback on this service would be appreciated.

Pedal along the backroads

Biking through Viet Nam's central coastal provinces on backroads is an interesting way to explore beautiful landscapes and traditional life during the summer holidays. 

It's a fascinating and enjoyable tour programme, which allows tourists to free themselves from crowds and traffic and wind through the villages along more isolated routes.

"We want to create a trip that highlights the natural landscapes of Viet Nam. Foreign tourists can take their time and really experience country life, since they can stop as often as they like on the quiet backroads," said Ngo Quang Nam, manager of Viet Nam Cycling.

"Tourists feel more carefree on cycling vacations because they don't have to worry about traffic, which is nervewracking for other foreigners who try to drive," Nam said.

He designed the routes for the tours, and said that a trip from Hue to Hoi An would take at least five days with different stages. He suggested that a team of 15 travellers was a comfortable number.

Starting point

Nam has selected King Khai Dinh Tomb and Duc Son Pagoda near the Huong River as the departure points for the bike tour. 

Travellers can stop to snap photos of farmers planting vegetables near Huong Canh Village. 

After visiting Thien Mu Pagoda, tourists will cruise on the Huong River and tour the royal palaces. A lunch in Hue will help the group refresh themselves after a 30km ride in the morning.

"We also have a van and a truck to carry passengers and bicycles if they need help. If someone on the team is exhausted from biking, they can get in the van," Nam explained.

The travel agent said he sometimes guides the tours as well.

In the afternoon, the cyclists travel 20km from the Hue suburbs along the Nhu Y River and wind through Thanh Thuy Village, the most-visited fishing village in the area.

The second day from Hue to Lang Co will be a coastal trip as riders cycle along pristine beach of Thuan An, home to fishermen and dotted with aquaculture centres.

Fresh seafood will be on the menu for lunch in Lang Co Town, and tourists will be invited to join in the cooking and preparation with their hosts.

"It's very interesting because tourists are excited by new cuisine that they have never seen before. Yet they also feel like they are at home," said tour guide Nguyen Van Quan.

A night stay in the beach town will ease a full day of riding, before they take on the next challenge.

The third day will test their skills and power as they cross the 24km Hai Van mountain pass that links Hue and Da Nang.

The climb is made worth it by the sweeping vistas at the top, where riders can gaze down at a train snaking past the foot of the mountain.

During the 30-minute break on the top of the mountain, tourists can touch clouds and breath fresh air for an unforgettable experience.

Nam O Village in the suburbs of Da Nang will be the second stop for lunch.

Travellers will keep riding from Da Nang to Hoi An where they will spend the night.

The fourth and fifth days of the tour are left open for travellers to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hoi An.

"We arrange a 50-km route for each individual group, depending on their desires and fitness level. Hoi An is the most popular destination for domestic and foreign visitors because of its historic architecture and culture," Quan explained.

He said the cycling agency also organised routes in other provinces such as Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Nha Trang and the Mekong Delta region. 

VNS