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VIETNAM
AIRLINES OFFERS DELEGATE DISCOUNTS
Vietnam Airlines is offering AD 75 (i.e. 75%
discount) on long-haul fares and AD 50 (50% discount) on short-haul
fares for delegates attending the 8th Mekong Tourism Forum between March
28th and 30th, 2003 in Hanoi. Mr. Nguyen Nhu Thang,
of the airlines' Marketing & Tourism Development Division, Passenger
Marketing Department, said the Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) was a
significant vehicle for Mekong tourism promotion. Vietnam Airlines,
which will soon unveil a new logo, will host a welcome reception on
March 28 for arriving delegates.
LAO
CAI HOTEL VENTURE WINS APPROVAL
Singaporean firm Donaco last month received an
official licence to enter into a consortium with two local partners to
upgrade the Duyen Hai Hotel in the northern border province of Lao Cai.
According to the investment licence, the consortium is to invest a total
of US$5million to develop the 32 room hotel into a three-star property
with eight electronic gaming machines. According to the department, the
Duyen Hai Hotel is to be the second foreign-backed property in Lao Cai
Province, following the four-star Victoria Sapa Hotel. Golk Silk,
another Singaporean company, is also exploring opportunities to develop
a colossal resort in the province. The firm has reportedly teamed up
with local firm Thien Hai to develop a US$260 million 5,000 room hotel,
park, golf course and casino.
WORLD
HERITAGE ROAD PROMOTIONS TO START
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My
Son |
The World Heritage Road, a new tourism initiative
uniting the central Vietnamese provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Danang and
Quang Nam, is now up and running and has launched its official website www.worldheritageroad.com.
It will be officially launched to the international travel industry at
ITB Berlin next March, according to a press statement issued by the
Furama Resort Danang. The World Heritage Road has been conceived as an
initiative to close the gap in development between North and South
Vietnam and will stretch from Vinh to Hue, Danang, Hoi An, My Son, Nha
Trang and Dalat. The route encompasses three UNESCO World Heritage
Sites, the 16th century silk route trading port of Hoi An, My
Son valley with its remains of the ancient Cham civilisation and the
ancient imperial city of Hue.
BACH
MA VILLAGE GARDEN TOUR
Exotissimo are offering an interesting new option to
break the road journey between Danang. The Bach Ma Village Garden Tour,
developed in conjunction with Bach Ma National Park’s Ecotourism
Department, gives visitors a chance to stretch their legs in some
typical Vietnamese countryside, experience rural life and learn a little
about Bach Ma National Park’s unique eco-system and the conservation
work being carried out there. On arrival at the Park HQ a guided tour of
the excellent Bach Ma Visitor Centre introduces the historical and
geographical background and the unique flora and fauna of Bach Ma
National Park. This is followed by an easy 20-minute stroll through
plantations to Khe Su village at the foot of Bach Ma Mountain. Khe Su is
home to around 50 families whose main income is derived from the fruit
and vegetables they grow in their cottage gardens. A huge variety of
crops are cultivated including cassava, beans, sugar cane, tea, bananas,
pineapple, mango, coconuts and jackfruit. Typical features of the
Vietnamese countryside like lotus ponds, pigsties and stacks of rice
stalks can also be seen. After a refreshing drink of fresh coconut
served in one of the gardens stroll back the park HQ canteen for a
delicious lunch before continuing to Hue or Danang. To explore Bach Ma
National Park in more detail as a separate tour please contact us at vietnam@exotissimo.com
for rates.
VIETNAM’S
FIRST WORLD CLASS SPA OPENS AT ANA MANDARA
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Back massage at Ana
Mandara |
Vietnam’s first world class spa has officially
opened at Nha Trang’s Ana Mandara Resort, managed by Bangkok-based Six
Senses Hotels Resorts & Spas. Located in a beachfront coconut
plantation, the holistic Six Senses Spa features four sunken outdoor
treatment salas surrounded by pools and miniature waterfalls with ‘back
to nature’ changing areas, saunas and steam rooms set amid ponds and
lush vegetation. Relaxation and private consultation takes place in
traditional Vietnamese-style straw pavilions raised on stilts. Inside
the spa are treatment rooms for couples or singles with sunken jacuzzi
baths, a Vichy shower and a Japanese bath. Expert therapists from Sweden
and India administer ‘East and West’ treatments including massage,
face and body care, mind and body balancing, and beauty care. Treatments
embrace a range of indulgent body wraps and scrubs, including the ‘Body
Glow’ with mineral-rich sea salt, dried seaweed and fruit enzymes
combined to smooth and silken the entire body. Spa treatment packages as
well as a spacious gymnasium with state-of-the-art equipment and a
studio for exercise classes including yoga are available for both resort
guests and outside visitors.
NEW
RESORTS PLANNED FOR DANANG
Domestic investors are setting sights on building new
resorts on Danang’s coast. Ben Thanh-Non Nuoc joint venture is to
start work on the construction of a US$7million four-star complex at Non
Nuoc Beach with hotels, conference halls, villas, high-class apartments
and souvenir shops later this year. The five year project between Non
Nuoc Tourist Company and Ben Thanh Tourist Service Company, is to be
divided into two phases. The first phase, to be completed next year,
involves the construction of two tennis courts and two hotels of
four-star standard at a total cost of US$2.4 million. The company is
also to build a resort with 31 bungalows, a swimming pool and other
associated facilities. The second phase, to be completed in 2005, should
see the construction of a new 120 room nine-storey hotel, 21 villas, two
up-market apartments for sale and lease, a mini-golf course and a
swimming pool. Also in the pipeline are a US$12 million resort to be
developed by the Ho Chi Minh City-based DBC company and a 200-room
resort at My Da Dong Beach.
THE
METROPOLE COOKERY SCHOOL
The worldwide reputation of Vietnamese and French at
Hanoi’s Sofitel Metropole has led to the opening of the Metropole
Cookery School. Vietnam’s exquisite cuisine has been influenced by the
country’s long association with the Chinese, French colonialisation
and by South-East Asian intrusions. The experience starts with a walk,
accompanied by the chef of the Spices Garden Restaurant, to the local
market, where participants get a chance to learn all about Vietnamese
ingredients. This is followed by the cooking demonstration in the
kitchen where everyone has the opportunity to get actively involved in
the action. After the classes lunch is served in the Spices Garden
Vietnamese Restaurant and participants are able to sample all the
different dishes prepared during the demonstration. The cooking class
will be run every morning from Tuesday to Saturday, cost US$45 net/pax.
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