Vietnam Airlines will increase airfares by an average of 22% from 02^nd May 2011. A formal notice has not yet been received and new tariffs have yet to be issued, however, we recommend to issue all confirmed bookings immediately and before Saturday 30^th April at the latest to avoid paying higher fares!

All bookings confirmed now, but issued after 02^nd of May will be charged with the new higher rates. If some names are missing for some groups, our sales teams will ask you to try as much as possible to provide us with their names ASAP to avoid the increase.  If tickets were issued before the increase and clients have to cancel, a cancellation fee will apply, which would be still lower than the expected increases. If you have any further questions or queries contact your regular sales consultant or vietnam@exotissimo.com

Beginning in Luang Prabang, travelers can use their time here to better acquaint themselves with the ethnic populations inhabiting the country with a visit to the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Center. Take the time to absorb the faded grandeur of the city that fuses traditional Buddhist architecture with provincial French to mesmerizing effect. Time spent in the spiritual capital affords travelers omnipresent Laotian experiences including the feeding of the alms to the monks, temple exploration and local exhibitions.
Leaving the charm of Luang Prabang behind, the tour takes an intrepid twist in heading north to Nong Khiaw, a rustic town on the banks of the Ou River. Absorb the tranquil rhythms of river life that surround the town, idyllically squeezed in between some of the most visually spectacular limestone mountains to be found north of Vang Vieng. A definite highlight of this 8-day itinerary is the excursion to the ‘Hidden City” in Viengxay. During the Vietnam War locals took refuge here, establishing everything from hospitals to schools inside a network of caves. To see more about this fascinating tour please, click here.

Effective from 28 April 2011 Vietnam will launch a new route from the northern port city of Haiphong (which is located 1 hour from Halong Bay), to the central coastal city of Danang and vise versa.  Flights will depart 5 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays by ATR72 aircraft. This new route offers an excellent advantage rather than driving 3.5-hours to Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport however flight departures are only in the evening departing Haiphong at 2045  2230 to Danang and leaving Danang for Haiphong at 1830  2005. As a smaller aircraft is used flying time will be longer than the Hanoi – Danang route and will take 1hr 35min. Also best as an option for FITs and not GIT’s as seat availability may be limited due to the size of the aircraft.

A new alternative airline in Vietnam is Air Mekong (P8). Currently routes are limited (no flights yet to the central cities of Danang and Hue) however from SGN connections are available to Con Dao and Phu Quoc as well as the Central Highlands.  From April direct flights to Phu Quoc from Hanoi will be launched.

More information on Air Mekong.com

Vietnam Airlines is planning an increase of airfares from 15^th March. A formal notice has not yet been received and new tariffs have yet to be issued however we anticipate this will happen.

Given this information we recommend to issue all tickets for persons travelling after 15th March now.  All bookings confirmed now, but issued after 15^th March will have to bear a surcharge which Exotissimo Vietnam will have to pass on to agents. The anticipated increase for a classic Vietnam tour with 2 flights North-Center and Center-South would be USD 25-30 per pax therefore for confirmed tickets/files it will be best to issue now. If some names are missing for some groups, our sales teams will ask agents to try as much as possible to provide names asap.

If tickets are issued before 15^th March and pax has to cancel a cancellation fee will apply, which would only be around USD 20 per pax for same flights as above.

We have received information from Vietnam Airlines that Hue’s Phu Bai Airport will be closed from May 05th – June 05th 2011. Until now this information has only been received verbally and at this point in time no official statement has been issued.
We are checking all bookings into Hue during this time and will inform you accordingly. An update will be sent when we receive the official notice however please contact with your regular sales consultant on any questions or mail to vietnam@exotissimo.com.

We have just been informed that from 3rd December 2010, Yangon Airways has had all of its scheduled services temporarily suspended, the suspension being enforced by the Aircraft Operator Certificate Authority, with the suspension in place until further notice.All bookings made through Exotissimo have already been transferred to either Air Mandalay or Air Bagan, with details being communicated from our Myanmar office to our partners and directly to any clients currently travelling in Myanmar.

Qatar Airways is spreading it’s wings in Vietnam by launching scheduled flights to Hanoi as well as increasing it’s frequency to Ho Chi Minh City nearly tripling the airline’s number of services in and out of the country. The Hanoi flights go via Bangkok and Doha, and the Ho Chi Minh service flies direct from Doha.
Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways said, “Qatar Airways appreciates the support provided by the Vietnamese government in allowing us to almost triple the number of flights we operate to the country. The bilateral relationship between Qatar and Vietnam has grown significantly in recent years and this route development is one of the results of this growing friendship. Vietnam has long been an attractive leisure destination and with the country’s economic strength continuing to build, we are also seeing more business travel in and out of the country.

Private LCC launched in VN: Air Mekong took to the skies in Vietnam beginning of October. Although a low cost carrier the airline plans to open routes to more remote areas including flights from Hanoi to both Phu Quoc and Con Dao Islands. Air Mekong will use four three-year-old Bombardier CRJ-900s configured with 10 Deluxe-class and 80 Economy-class seats for 26 daily flights.

New Ho Chi Minh City – Yangon flights: Vietnam Airlines will launch a four-weekly direct flight between Yangon and Ho Chi Minh City from October 31. The airline will also increase the frequency of its Yangon-Hanoi service, launched earlier this year, from four to five flights a week. The airlines currently plans to use Airbus A320 to boost capacity on the

Yangon-Hanoi service. It currently uses a 79-seat Fokker 70 aircraft on the route.
Lao Airlines to resume HCMC Services: Lao Airlines will resume a three weekly service on the Vientiane-Pakse-Ho Cho Minh City route from mid October. In 2002, the airline served Ho Chi Minh City via Phnom Penh, but suspended the service later that year. The three-weekly service from Vientiane will make a brief stop in Pakse giving the southern Lao town 13 flights a week from Vientiane up from 10 flights a week. The new services are scheduled to depart Vientiane on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 0700 and from Pakse to Ho Chi Minh City at 0915. The flight returns to Pakse at 1145.

We are happy to announce that Exo has been named as the official Mekong Sessions travel partner for the Leonard Cohen Live in Phnom Penh benefit concert and all upcoming concerts.
In cooperation with the Mekong Sessions, Exotissimo Travel will, in the very near future, be offering special Leonard Cohen concert and tour packages for fans eager to experience the concert of a lifetime in the Kingdom of Wonder. Leonard Cohen fans travelling from anywhere around the world can purchase tickets, flights, accommodation and tours in a single package designed to ensure first time visitors, Southeast Asia lovers or expatriates maximise their enjoyment of this momentous event.