By Nguyen Quy  October 1, 2018 | 01:44 pm GMT+7 Tourists will have a chance to explore the waterways of Vietnam's Mekong Delta on a river tour from Vietnam to Cambodia. Nga Nam floating market in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang in a file photo. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Chi Nam British tabloid Daily Mail has listed a cruise from Vietnam to Cambodia among the top global river tours of 2019. Vietnamese-Australian celebrity chef Luke Nguyen is rolling up his sleeves to organize a cruise on the Mekong River next year, taking tourists through some famous landscapes in Vietnam and Cambodia. And the U.K. newspaper described the journey as a must-try experience in 2019, saying tourists would have a chance to “see the differences between busy Vietnam and slower-paced Cambodia.” The 16-day tour, including a seven-night cruise, is scheduled to begin on October 28, 2019, and stop by in HCMC where the famous chef will guide tourists on how to explore the … [Read more...] about UK newspaper talks up Vietnam-Cambodia cruise
Cruise mekong delta
Get lost on garden islets of the Mekong Delta
Viet Nam News A single day’s trip from HCM City can take you to green and tranquil gardens in the Mekong Delta. Trade cafes and walks through the bustling city for a bus or bike ride to the islets in the lower region of Tiền River. Down the river: Cruise around Thới Sơn Islet. Thới Sơn Islet, also known as Lân (Kylin) Islet, is located in Thới Sơn Commune, Mỹ Tho City, Tiền Giang Province. The islet not only hosts abundant fruits, but has also become an ideal ecotourism site for weekend trips. Sail away: A boat trip around Thới Sơn Islet. The distance from HCM City to Mỹ Tho is around 70km. The road is fairly wide and convenient for travelling. Bus travellers they can one of the services offered by Mai Linh, Phương Trang, Thảo Châu and Thịnh Phát from the West HCM City Bus Station. Each bus ticket costs between VNĐ30,000-50,000 … [Read more...] about Get lost on garden islets of the Mekong Delta
Tet is the time for family, friends in Vietnam
Two foreigners living in and outside Vietnam recalled their cozy memories with the Lunar New Year, or Tet in Vietnamese. 'Starting afresh' I’ve witnessed ten Tet since I started living here. In the early years I went to the fireworks and partied with friends in the expat bars around Hoi An. Often I would meet people I hadn’t seen for months as I tend to live quietly but was also busy with teaching. In the more recent years as I had some dogs as pets, I tended to stay at home or take the dogs for walks during the holiday evenings because it’s so calm, peaceful and lovely to see how people have decorated their houses. I like the idea of “starting afresh’ – throwing out old things, cleaning up and yet, remembering their ancestors. I’ve lost both my parents in the last two years so this has been on my mind. I admire the devotion to the family, helping out with the Tet chores and working for the parents while they do stuff for Tet. I like the … [Read more...] about Tet is the time for family, friends in Vietnam
Vietnam among Top 15 most Instagrammed cruise destinations
With up to 40,000 mentions among 1.8 million Instagram posts tagged from ships and ports around the world, Vietnam ranks in the global Top 15 of the most Instagrammed cruise destinations on SeaHub, a cruise deal site. Cruise visit on Ha Long Bay. Photo: Lead Travel The list aims to identify the destinations, activities, and time of year that are most popular for social media cruisers. Vietnam stands together with countries known for their beauty, such as Canada, Japan, and Russia. Some 10,000 Instagram pictures of Ha Long Bay were posted, according to SeaHub.Thanks to a coastline of 3,000 km, Vietnam has a host of beautiful beaches, bays, and islands that are ideal for sea travel, such as Ha Long Bay, Tra Co Beach, the islands of Co To, Quan Lan, Ngoc Vung and Cai Chien (in the northern province of Quang Ninh), Nhat Le Beach (in the central province of Quang Binh), Lang Co Beach (in the central province of Thua Thien Hue), My Son Beach (in the central city of Da Nang), Ly Son … [Read more...] about Vietnam among Top 15 most Instagrammed cruise destinations
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 4/2
ADB helps urban infrastructure development in HCM CityVice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen on February 1 received Eric Sidgwick, Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s Country Director for Vietnam.At the meeting, the municipal official affirmed that HCM City is committed to implementing cooperation deals with its partners, especially ADB. He added that the Vietnamese Government is revising projects using official development assistance (ODA) to ensure their effective implementation.Regarding the four major projects between HCM City and ADB, Tuyen noted that the city has asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to allocate funding for the metro line No.2.It also approved the compensation plan for land clearance which the HCM City’s Management Authority for Urban Railway and ADB have agreed on. In addition, HCM City has worked on ADB’s recommendations on the first phase of the metro line No.5.For his part, Sidgwick affirmed to support … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 4/2
Many seaports to be upgraded for tourism services
Many seaports to be upgraded for tourism servicesYen Linh By Yen Linh - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC - The Ministry of Transport has submitted an adjusted zoning plan on the country’s seaport system to the Prime Minister with an emphasis on upgrading a number of seaports to back tourism development. The ministry presented the plan at a workshop on Vietnam’s sea tourism development strategy in Hue last week. This plan contains adjustments to the country’s seaport system development by 2020 with an orientation towards 2030. Under the plan, upgrades will be done with six groups of seaports, namely Hon Gai in the northern province of Quang Ninh; Chan May in Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Sa in Danang, Dam Mon and Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa in central Vietnam; Sao Mai-Ben Dinh in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and a tourist wharf in the Saigon-Nha Be river system in HCMC and Mui Dat Do in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang. After the upgrades, those seaports are expected … [Read more...] about Many seaports to be upgraded for tourism services
All aboard: Express river buses set sail from Saigon
Good news for travelers who want to explore the waterways around Saigon and people who are already tired of sitting on buses. New boat routes linking the city with its outlying district of Can Gio, its neighbor Vung Tau City and the nearby province of Ben Tre are now in service. Private company Greenlines DP launched boat trips between the resort town of Vung Tau and Ben Tre Province in the Mekong Delta two days ago, and will start a Ho Chi Minh City-Can Gio-Vung Tau route on February 10. Can Gio is famous for its fresh seafood while Vung Tau is known for its beaches. Ben Tre is ideal for countryside lovers thanks to its fruit orchards and inland waterways. Tickets can be found on the company’s website and cost VND290,000 ($12.7) for the Vung Tau-Ben Tre service and VND250,000 for the other route. Passengers can be picked up and dropped off at Bach Dang Wharf in HCMC’s District 1, Tac Xuat Wharf in Can Gio, Ho May Wharf in Vung Tau and Rach Mieu Wharf in Ben Tre. … [Read more...] about All aboard: Express river buses set sail from Saigon
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 16/1
Survey helps HCM City plan policyThe 2017 Economic Survey in HCM City has provided basic data about the number of enterprises, workers, the economic efficiency of companies and administrative units and proportion of information technology application, delegates heard at last Friday’s meeting to review the survey.“Such data will be a foundation for city authorities to build action plans and set up policies for socio-economic development in an effort to encourage modern science and technology application in all economic industries and administrative units,” Lê Thanh Liêm, vice chairman of the municipal People’s Committee and head of the Steering Committee for 2017 Economic Survey said.According to the results of the survey, HCM City now has 633,637 economic, administrative and religious units, an increase of 27 per cent in comparison with 2011.Of this amount, there are 173,000 enterprises, an increase of 62 per cent in comparison with 2011 and non-State … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 16/1
Social News 15/1
Small-scale coffee farmer gets helping handLò Thị Phong from Chiềng Chung Commune in Mai Sơn District in the mountain province of Sơn La, has cultivated coffee for more than 10 years on 5,000 square metres of land, but she still finds life difficult.A decade seems long enough to improve farmining practices by trial-and-error, however, according to the middle-aged Thái woman, “even now, we still cannot keep proper financial accounts”.During discussions hosted by CARE International last week, stakeholders in the mountain coffee industry touched on deeper obstacles facing the industry.CARE has worked in Việt Nam since 1989, concentrating on supporting rights and sustainable development among vulnerable groups, particularly remote ethnic communities, poor women and girls and people vulnerable to climate change.Nguyễn Vĩnh Đức, deputy director of the Sơn La branch of the Minh Tiến Coffee Export Joint Stock … [Read more...] about Social News 15/1
BUSINESS IN BRIEF 15/1
Leather, footwear sector targets 20 bln USD in export earningsVietnam sets a target of earning between 19.5 - 20 billion USD from leather and footwear exports in 2018, up 10 percent from 2017, heard a conference in January 12.According to the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO), the leather and footwear industry is expected to grow 5 percent from last year, with the localisation rate reaching 55 percent. Footwear and handbags will remain Vietnam’s top four and 10 exports, respectively.Addressing the event, LEFASO Vice President Phan Thi Thanh Xuan highlighted positive signs in the world’s economy and increasing consumption demand, saying that these create both favourable conditions and challenges to Vietnam in exports and investment.In order to help Vietnamese exporters realise the target, the association will actively participate in relevant policy making while luring foreign and domestic investment in support industry, thus increasing the … [Read more...] about BUSINESS IN BRIEF 15/1