Phan Thiet, a fishing town famous for its high quality fish sauce, is 200km north of Ho Chi Minh City. Besides having some of Vietnam's best beach resorts Phan Thiet also boasts one of the best links golf courses in Asia. Designed by Nick Faldo, the 6746-yard par 72 course at Ocean Dunes Golf Club winds through seaside dunes cooled by the sea breeze from the South China Sea. Ocean Dunes is a challenging yet playable course for higher handicap players and also offers exciting sport for the more experienced golfers. Course designer Nick Faldo says "Ocean Dunes Golf Club is an outstanding natural site with the sand dunes, sea breezes, beach vegetation and ocean views. We have let the dunes determine the routing and the look of the golf course. It should have the feel and the playability of the early seaside courses, but with a tropical climate." 

Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet takes around three hours by road. Accommodation options include the adjacent 4-star Novotel Coralia and the 4-star Victoria Phan Thiet and Coco Beach Resorts at nearby Mui Ne.

Situated just north of Ho Chi Minh City, Song Be Golf Resort is only a 35 minute drive along Highway 13 from the city centre. Opened in 1994, the 7000 yard par 72 course is set in 104 hectares of gently rolling countryside characterised by coconut palms and fruit orchards. Featuring numerous lakes and large undulating greens, the course, which is over 6,300 metres at its longest, provides an enjoyable challenge for golfers of all levels. The Song Be Golf Resort also features a 2-storey driving range, practice putting green, pro shop, tennis court and various restaurants and bars. A swimming pool, gymnasium and sauna are planned for the future.

A little under an hours' drive to the west of Hanoi is the Thai-Vietnamese joint-venture Kings' Island Resort and Golf Club. A 6344 yard par 72 course , Kings' Island offers a very scenic course coupled with challenging golf at every hole. There are plans to develop the resort further to include tennis courts, a swimming pool, marina, short-term and long-term villa rental and a second 18-hole championship golf course. Kings' Island is located in area of great natural beauty, near to Ba Vi National Park and there is plenty for accompanying non-golfers to do including visits to historic temples, pagodas, waterfalls and caves.

A new hydrofoil has recently been put into service on the popular Haiphong to Cat Ba Island route. Belonging to the River & Sea Transport Company, the Ukrainian-built boat is air-conditioned and can comfortably seat up to 75 passengers. The daily service will depart Haiphong at 09:00 and leave Cat Ba for the return journey at 16:00 (15:00 during the winter months).

A herd of six wild elephants are to be relocated from the Vietnamese coastal province of Binh Thuan to Yok Don National Park near the Cambodian border. Before 1945 elephants could be found in almost all of Vietnam's forests from north to south but now due to loss of habitat and population pressure their numbers have dwindled to just over 100. The Vietnamese government has appealed for help from both local residents and international organizations to save its last remaining elephants.

It is now possible to obtain a Cambodian visa at the Poi Pet border crossing in Thailand. For the time being this service is only available from the Thai side and travellers coming in the opposite direction have to obtain Thai visas in advance.

Vietnam has officially opened its newly-built embassy in Berlin. The building will not only serve as a workplace for embassy staff but also as Germany-Vietnam friendship house and as a meeting place for Germany's Vietnamese community.

Due to increased demand Vietnam Airlines is increasing flight frequencies on some its international routes from Ho Chi Minh City. Flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Osaka will be increased from three to four times a week, to Phnom Penh will increase from eighteen to twenty one flights a week, to Siem Reap from five flights a week to twice daily flights and Hong Kong from once to twice a week.

Nha Trang's Ana Mandara Resort is setting up a sailing school for children. Experienced trainers will teach the basics of sailing in brand new 'Optimist' dinghies. The calm waters of Nha Trang Bay are the perfect place to learn and courses will be organized on a daily basis.

Laos plans to open two new border checkpoints, one between Laos and Cambodia and the other between Laos and Myanmar. The crossing between Laos and Cambodia will open as soon as the road construction is completed while the crossing into Myanmar is currently under discussion.

Several turtle eggs have been discovered recently at Ngoc Son Temple Island in Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake. The eggs were transferred to a nearby hatchery. Turtles play an important role in the legend of the lake, also known as the Lake of the Restored Sword. So the legend goes it was while boating on Hoan Kiem Lake in the 15^th century that a turtle surfaced and handed a sword to Emperor Le Loi with which to defeat the invading Chinese. After duly defeating the Chinese the emperor returned the sword to the bottom of the lake.