XIENG KEO HOTEL OPENS IN LUANG PRABANG

Situated in the grounds of Xieng Keo Palace, home of nationalist hero Prince Phetsarath, is Luang Prabang’s newest hotel, the Xieng Keo Hotel. The location for the Xieng Keo Palace was originally chosen by the prince for its stunning views of the Mekong River and the surrounding mountain peaks.

The French colonial styled Xieng Keo Hotel and Resort features 80 guest rooms furnished with an elegant mix of French and local decoration. The bright, airy rooms offer breathtaking views of the mighty Mekong. Beautifully landscaped gardens surround the hotel and the renovated former palace building.

The hotel has four food and beverage outlets serving the best of Lao and local Luang Prabang dishes and can cater for meetings and small scale conferences and seminars.

Hue’s Phu Bai Airport is currently undergoing an upgrade to turn it into an international airport. A 2,700m long, 40m wide runway able to accommodate large aircraft such as the Airbus A320 is now operating. A new signal system has been installed at the airport and will be operational in early 2002 and new flight and landing equipment are being installed. The airport can now accommodate three A320 aircraft and the terminal can serve 400 passengers at the same time. It is intended that Phu Bai will be used as a stopover for trans-Asia tours linking Hue to Cambodia’s Siem Reap, Myanmar’s Yangon and the Thai capital, Bangkok in the near future. Tourists visiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hue now account for 60 percent of passengers to and from Phu Bai and it is expected that the upgraded airport will serve a large number of visitors during Hue’s Festival 2002, scheduled for next May.

The design and construction of a newly-approved terminal for Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport is to be put up for international tender. The $218 million project that gained the nod from Prime Minister Phan Van Khai last November is due to break ground in 2003. At 200,000sqm, the three-storey terminal is to be built to the east of the existing terminal and once completed Tan Son Nhat will be able to handle eight million passengers a year by 2005 and 15 million by 2010.

Vietnam Airlines and the Accor Hotel Group in Vietnam have signed an agreement under which points can be accumulated by using each other’s services and later redeemed. To be called Golden Lotus Plus (GLP), under it points may be accumulated at pre-determined rates when flying with Vietnam Airlines or staying at Accor hotels in Vietnam. These may then be redeemed by staying at Accor hotels or booking tickets on Vietnam Airline’s domestic and international flights, free of cost. The Golden Lotus programme, which was first launched in 1999, is expected to help the carrier retain passengers travelling frequently with it. The airline expects to launch the programme in overseas markets next year and is planning to tie up with other hotels in Vietnam before expanding into Asia and world-wide.

RUSSIANS TO WITHDRAW FROM CAM RANH BAY

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Russia will withdraw from the naval base it has operated since 1979 at Cam Ranh Bay. The current lease agreement, signed in 1979, will expire in 2004. However, the process of withdrawing Russian forces will begin on 1st January 2002 according to Mr Putin. Local news reports have suggested that the Vietnamese government will use the Cam Ranh facility, originally constructed by the American military in the 1960s, to promote the socio-economic development of Vietnam.

Renaissance Riverside awarded five star status

The Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon takes its rightful place as the fifth official 5-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. The 5-star certification was awarded to the hotel recently by the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism.

New hotel pools in Bagan

Two of Bagan’s hotels, the Bagan Hotel and the Thiripyitsaya Hotel, now have swimming pools for hotel guests wishing to escape from the heat of archaeological sites.

Improvements completed at Ana Mandara

Nha Trang’s deluxe beach resort, the Ana Mandara, has recently undergone some renovation work with improvements being made to the rooms including new doors and windows, a new fire alarm system and additional sound-proofing.