Travel News 31/7 Fansipan-Sapa cable car to open in 2015 The world's longest three-rope cable car system, extending from the northern Lao Cai Province's Sapa Town to Fansipan peak, will open to passengers in 2015. The project's investor SunGroup announced this at a recent meeting with the leaders of Lao Cai Province and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). The construction of the cable car is being carried out in the first phase of the Fansipan Sapa tourism complex. The construction began on November 2, 2013 and is expected to be completed by National Day (September 2) in 2015. The cable car can carry a maximum of 2,000 passengers per hour, with each cabin accommodating 35 passengers. The cable car will transport passengers from the base of the 3,143-metre Fansipan mountain to its highest point within 15 to 20 minutes. Currently, it takes one to two days to trek to the top of the mountain. Son Doong Cave, Mount Everest – attractive destinations in the next 20 years Vietnam’s Son Doong cave, Mount Everest and Grand Canyon are predicted to become the most attractive destinations for tourists in the next 20 years, according to the Huffington Post. The US online news aggregator has released a list of famous places in the world which will become “hotspots” for visitors over the next two decades. One of the places cited is Son Doong cave – the world’s largest natural cave in Vietnam. Son Doong cave is considered an interesting destination for a 7-day tour with discovery of underground rivers, caves and camping activities. Mui Ne among most beautiful beaches in Asia Canadian Travellers, a Canadian travel guides magazine, has chosen Mui Ne as one of the top 11 most beautiful beaches in Asia. Mui Ne beach ranks second in the list, just trailing behind Ko Lipe - an island off the Andaman Coast, south of Thailand. According to the magazine, Mui Ne beach is just a few hours’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City, near Phan Thiet city. Coming to this beach, travellers have the chance to enjoy the daily life of fishermen of a humble fishing port in Vietnam. Mui Ne has many other attractive destinations such as Hon Rom, Hon Lao Cau and Bai Rang, as well as beaches in pristine condition and a healthy environment. Fiditour offers special tours during summer months Fifitour has just launched stimulus tours for its customers during the summer months. Accordingly, tourists register the inbound tours starting from July to end-August will receive low-cost tours as follow: Three day tour to Phu Quoc will cost VND 3,614,000; 3 day tour to Con Dao costs VND 1,770,000 and 3 day tour to Nha Trang will be VND 1,998,000. It is the same price for 3 day tour to Phan Thiet. Tours traveling to the northern provinces of the country including Ha Noi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long, Tuan Chau, Yen Tu, Bac Ninh, Lao Cai, Sa Pa…will be discount from VND 1,000,000 to VND 4,000,000. Fiditour said it is offering special price for those traveling to the central provinces from VND 1,000,000 to VND 2,915,000 to Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Cu Lao Cham, Ba Na destinations. Beauty of Cu Lao Cham Islands draws many visitors The islands in Tan Diep Commune in Hoi An have been recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve. They boast several relics from diverse and ancient cultures, such as Sa Huynh, Cham Pa and Dai Viet. Five years ago, Cu Lao Cham was still an emerging destination on Vietnam’s tourism map, especially in comparison with the centre of Hoi An. However, more and more tourists now come to Hoi An take a tour to Cu Lao Cham for a new experience. This is a fishing town, with fresh fish to be found in the area markets, and the first impressions of visitors may be the warm smiles and hospitality of the locals. An express boat from Cua Dai to Cu Lao Cham Island takes about 40 minutes. Local residents of the island mainly live in Bai Lang, and earn a living by fishing. In recent few years, together with the increasing number of visitors, many souvenir shops and seafood restaurants have popped up. Local residents can also earn extra money from community-based tourism services, such as homestays. The development of tourism in Cu Lao Cham is relatively new, but the location still retains its appearance of untouched natural beauty and clear blue waters. While Bai Lang beach is bustling with visitors, Bai Ong, Bai Huong, Bai Chong and Bai Bac beaches remain relatively tranquil and are surrounded by lush mountains. Hai Tang Pagoda, built more than 400 years ago, adds to the town’s atmosphere. Burning a few sticks of incense and walking around the town may renew your senses and give you a bit of respite from the noise and fury of daily life. The Cu Lao Cham world natural biosphere reserve houses over 311 hectares of coral reefs which are home to around 300 species. Propitious conditions for Central Highlands to boost tourism The rich natural beauty, cultural diversity and favourable transport links make the Central Highlands an ideal site for tourism development. Regional connectivity, therefore, constitutes an effective measure to fully tap the sector’s potential for sustainable development, heard a workshop in Dak Nong province on July 24. Vice Chairwoman of the local People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Ngoc Le highlighted the ongoing culture and tourism week in the province as a key note of the 2014 National Tourism Year. Dak Nong is home to the cultural space of Central Highlands gong, which was recognized by the UNESCO in 2005 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Central Highlands comprises five provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong. The region is said a land of mysterious mountains and forests with a significant population of ethnic minorities whose varied customs and lifestyles are an anthropologist's delight. It is suggested combining tourism with the preservation of the region’s culture. Quang Ninh focuses on building sea, island tourism brand Endowed with beautiful beaches, islands, and favourable transport links, the northern coastal province of QuangNinh is paying special attention to developing sea-based tourism to promote its brand globally. According to Tran Van Ngoan, an official of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Ha Long Bay, twice recognised by UNESCO as a world natural heritage, is one of the must-see destinations whenever visitors come to QuangNinh as it boasts rich biodiversity along with great historical and cultural values. Covering a multitude of limestone islands and islets in various sizes and shapes, the bay was voted as one of the seven new wonders of the world in 2011, he said, adding that the annual Ha Long Carnival is also a magnet to local and foreign tourists. In addition to famous bays such as Ha Long and BaiTu Long, QuangNinh is home to many hot and mineral springs, cultural and historical relic sites, unique architectural works, traditional festivals and craft villages. The province also possesses a geographic position favourable for its marine tourism development as it is an international integration gateway of the northern key economic region as well as forms part of the “Two corridors, one economic belt” cooperation between Vietnam and China, and the Tonkin Gulf Economic Corridor. With the goal of successfully implementing the Vietnam Marine Strategy by 2020, QuangNinh has focused on building its sea and island tourism brand, especially honouring the value of Ha Long Bay, Ngoan said. It has also increased investment in developing primitive islands such as Co To and Van Don in order to offer new experiences to visitors. The province has planned to promote its green growth with a view to luring more domestic and foreign investors by forming a special economic zone with hi-end tourism services and international-standard trade and financial centres in Van Don island district. In 2013, the province served 7.5 million holidaymakers, a year-on-year rise of 7 percent, and earned US$235 million from tourism. It expects to welcome over 8.4 million tourists by the end of this year, including 3 million abroad. Vietnam Airlines offers cheap tickets on overseas routes Vietnam’s national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on July 29 launched its annual promotion programme on a number of international flights, with airfare starting from just VND199,000 (US$9). Golden Autumn 2014 will apply to passengers in Vietnam who buy tickets from August 8 to 22 and departure from August 22, 2014 to March 31, 2015. The price excludes tax, fees and other surcharges. This is a conditional ticket and it does not apply to flights during the peak season. The tickets will be sold via the website: www.vietnamairlines.com or Vietnam Airlines agents from across the country. Int’l arrivals increase 4.6% in July Vietnam welcomed nearly 564,736 foreign travellers in July, a year-on-year rise of 4.6%, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT). The rebound has sent a good signal for the tourism industry following a decrease of nearly 20% in June and 9.6% in May. The July figure brought the total number of foreign arrivals in Vietnam in the past seven months to over 4.85 million, up 15.6% compared to the same period last year. Among the total, 2.93 million went on holiday, 815,811 came to work, 836,388 visited their relatives, and the remainder came for other purposes. Key markets which saw considerable growth during the seven-month period included Hong Kong (up 111.3%), Germany (up 99.4%), Russia (up 27%), and Laos (up 26.7%). However, numbers of visitors from Finland and Indonesia dropped 2.4% and 1.4% respectively. In 2014 Vietnam aims to receive 8-8.2 million foreign visitors and serve 37.5 million domestic holiday-makers to earn approximately VND240 trillion in revenue. Source: VNA/ND/SGT/SGGP