Viet Nam News The ASEAN Tourism Forum 2019 is due to kick off on January 16 in the heritage city of Hạ Long in the northern province of Quảng Ninh. The event will gather top tourism leaders and experts, as well as hospitality businesses and investors. Hồng Vân speaks with the Secretary General of the ASEAN-Japan Centre, Masataka Fujita and Lee Hyuk from the ASEAN-Korea Centre about their thoughts on the event as well as the challenges facing ASEAN tourism and lessons that ASEAN can learn from Japan and South Korea. The two inter-governmental organizations have served as key players in building partnerships between ASEAN, Japan and South Korea. John Gregory Conceicao, executive director of International Relations, Marketing Planning and Oceania, Singapore Tourism Board, also joins the interview and discusses the problems the ASEAN region in encountering while developing tourism as a ‘single destination’. The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is … [Read more...] about Asean should prioritise quality tourism
Promoting tourism through social media
Social News 19/12
Polluting slaughter house to be moved out of Hoi An A slaughter house will be moved out of Hoi An Town A large slaughter house will be moved out of the centre of Hoi An Town next year to prevent environment pollution according to local authorities. The slaughter house in the centre of Hoi An Town has been in operation for 30 years. Ho Trong Nghia, former party secretary cum chairman of Son Phong Ward, said the slaughter house was located in his ward had caused severe pollution. After gathering opinions, the slaughter house was temporarily relocated to Cam Chau Ward, out of residential areas. When the authorities find a better location, they would relocate the slaughterhouse again. "I only agreed to let the slaughter house stay in Cam Chau Ward for a maximum of five years because of rapid urbanisation. But it was still there when I retired," he said. "I also suggested relocate it several times since more and more private houses, hotels and restaurants have been built." According to … [Read more...] about Social News 19/12
Social News 10/12
Fourth auction for bus advertising right to start soon A bus with an advertisement on its side is seen traveling on a street in downtown HCMC The HCMC Department of Transport on December 4 announced that it had assigned the HCMC Public Passenger Transport Management and Operation Center to present a plan on auctioning the right to bus advertising, which will be the fourth auction following lukewarm reponses in previous times, Sai Gon Giai Phong news site reported. In case of a failure at the fourth auction, the department will require the city government’s approval to direct the center to hire a consulting unit to help formulate a price list for bus advertising. In addition, the Department of Finance will be in charge of assessing the prices before they are submitted to the government for approval. The floor price will be set in preparation for the next auction. Earlier, at the first auction, which was divided into four packages, only one firm submitted a bid, which won … [Read more...] about Social News 10/12
Thailand strives to bolster domestic tourism
Illustrative photo (Source:bangkokpost.com) Bangkok (VNA) - The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched a campaigned called “Let’s go no plan” with the aim of encouraging tourists to visit the country’s second-tier cities. The new campaign is one of efforts by the Thai Government to diversify tourist destinations and boost domestic tourism in the context of decreasing Chinese visitors. The campaign, which will be carried out through the first quarter of 2019, aims to raise revenues from domestic tourism to 1 trillion THB (over 30.3 billion USDO. Under the programme, the TAT will promote local culture, local food, local products and attractions to Thai travellers through online and social media channels. At the same time, Thailand is also implementing several schemes to attract foreign visitors from November 15 this year to January 15, 2019, including double-entry visa for six months for tourists, waiving of the 2,000 THB fee for … [Read more...] about Thailand strives to bolster domestic tourism
Social News 31/10
No Vietnamese citizens onboard crashed Indonesian plane No Vietnamese citizens were marked as onboard the Lion Air passenger plane of Indonesia, which crashed into the sea on the morning of October 29, the country’s Vietnamese embassy confirmed. Indonesia’s Tribunsemsel.com and several other local websites have announced a list of the passengers aboard the plane, on which there are no Vietnamese nationals. The plane lost contact with air traffic control just 13 minutes after takeoff. The jet, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was en route from Jakarta to Pangkakpinang in Bangka Belitung province off Sumatra island. The plane had requested the air traffic control to return to base before disappearing from radar, stated Bambang Ervan, a spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Transport. According to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the total number of people on the plane was 189, including two pilots and six flight attendants. Indonesia has opened a search and … [Read more...] about Social News 31/10
Future of tourism is here
Foreign tourists now do almost all of their bookings online rather than through traditional travel agents On a cool autumn day in Ta Hien street in the heart of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Danny and Rebecca, two tourists from England visiting Vietnam for the first time, were enjoying draught beer and fermented pork rolls. Having just arrived in Hanoi that morning, they were armed with a list of interesting activities they wished to experience. Pointing to her smartphone, Rebecca said, “We want to try something very “Hanoi” and the smartphone brought us to this place.” Tourists like Danny and Rebecca can be found in most famous destinations in Vietnam. With just a simple digital device like a smartphone or tablet connected to wifi and 4G, tourists can easily travel everywhere without worrying about getting lost or language barriers, without needing a tour guide for support. A survey on international tourists to Vietnam in 2017 shows that 71 per cent searched … [Read more...] about Future of tourism is here
Social News 23/8
Contest to help raise public awareness of resilience Director of AFD Fabrice Richy speaks at the press conference (Source: sggp.org.vn) A contest for making infographic and video clips, and translating the “Resilience” term into Vietnamese was launched at a press conference held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee and the French Development Agency (AFD) in Hanoi on August 22. As part of the activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-France diplomatic ties, the competition aims to raise Vietnamese youths’ awareness of the impact of environmental and social changes in Vietnam, thus calling for the community’s joint effort in overcoming the environmental consequences and promoting sustainable development. The contest is available for individuals or teams with a maximum of five persons who have the Vietnamese nationality and are under 35 years old. Entries should be submitted to the organising board … [Read more...] about Social News 23/8
Social News 8/8
CAAV asks Lao Cai to reconsider airport project In response to a proposal by the Lao Cai provincial government for building the VND5.8-trillion Sapa Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has requested the locality to thoroughly study the necessity and efficiency of the project, reported the local media. According to CAAV deputy head Vo Huy Cuong, the local authorities should carefully weigh the impact of other means of transport, along with the province’s economic development orientation and tourism prior to preparing a plan for building the airport. Cuong stressed that building an airport is a legitimate aspiration for any locality; however, its feasibility must be mulled seriously, regardless of whether the project is backed by private or state funding. Cuong cited the examples of South Korea and Taiwan, noting that the two have fewer airports than Vietnam but their operations still lack efficiency. This is compensated by other transport systems there, such as … [Read more...] about Social News 8/8
Italian tourists join biking tour to promote Viet Nam’s tourism
Italian tourists join biking tour to promote Viet Nam’s tourism Update: Wednesday, March 21, 2018 Views: 20 Four Italian nationals last Thursday wrapped up their 24-day Viet Nam trip, including a 1,000-kilometer-plus biking tour stretching from the former imperial city of Hue to Vung Tau Province to promote Viet Nam’s tourism image to Italian people. The four Italian tourists pose for a photo during their trip to Vietnam The 12-day cycling tour by the four Italian tourists, including three 64-year-old retired workers named Garbin Mauro, Cacciatori Vittorio, Mancin Vicenzo and a 54-year-old chief police named Mantovan Mario, started on February 26 and concluded on March 10, taking them to famous travel destinations spanning from central Viet Nam to the southern region on the 1,000-km journey. During their biking trip, they grasped opportunities to showcase the beauty of Viet Nam to Italian friends back in their homeland … [Read more...] about Italian tourists join biking tour to promote Viet Nam’s tourism
Social News 5/1
Quang Binh one of the top ten destinations in Vietnam: Trip AdvisorIn 2017, Central Quang Binh Province ranks fourth among the top ten Vietnamese destinations after Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hoi An, according to the travel website Trip Advisor.Dang Dong Ha, vice director of the provincial Department of Tourism, said Quang Binh is known as the kingdom of caves and is a paradise waiting to be discovered on interesting tours of fascinating locations like Son Doong, Tu Lan cave system, Da Nhay beach, Thien Duong cave, Phong Nha-Tien Son, Chay River, and Toi cave.Quang Binh welcomed 100,000 foreign visitors for the first time in 2017, a year-on-year rise of 120%.Mr Ha attributed such a rise in popularity to the localities’ efforts in improving service quality and new tourism products, organizing a variety of promotional programs for local tourism like Quang Binh cave festival, and hosting Miss Grand International, all of which lured more visitors to the province. 21 explosions … [Read more...] about Social News 5/1