Nha Trang is different from way up here.

Forget a booze-cruise, the best way to see Nha Trang is from mid-air, flying high above the beaches and hills on a motorized hang glider.

Nha Trang is different from way up here.

One-hundred meters high in a motorized hang glider, the striking coastline – bright beaches against pure blue seas – comes into sharp focus. The bay and the islands stand out against the clear sky as the familiar white houses of the city fade into the rolling green hills in the distance.

The view is thanks to the new moto-hang gliding service opened by Mai Linh Corporation in June.

TO FLY A MOTORIZED HANG GLIDER IN NHA TRANG, PLEASE CONTACT MAI LINH:

Address: 5th Floor, A Chau Building, 25 Le Loi St., Nha Trang Town
Tel: (058) 817 522
Fax: (058) 817 333

First you step into what looks like a small dinghy boat with a propeller motor and wings. Then you strap on a helmet and seat belt and soon your pilot has you flying.

“The feeling of being up high is so great,” Linh, a tourist from Ho Chi Minh City, told Thanh Nien Weekly.

“And I can take extraordinary photos of Nha Trang from a different angle.”

Phuc, another tourist, said, “Only by flying that high could I enjoy the wonderful beauty of Nha Trang Town to the fullest.”

At the price of US$70 per 15- minute flight, it’s pricey, but well worth it.

Mai Linh’s three two-seat gliders, each with a three-blade propeller and a boat-like bottom for sea takeoffs and landings, were imported from Italy at $60,000 apiece.

With a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the gliders – known as “trikes” – are controlled by certified pilots. Ho Minh Chau, director general of the group for the South Central Region and Central Highlands, said the company was training around 30 pilots for the service.

“Tourists can control the trikes by themselves, as long as they have completed a training course and fly it according to guidelines given by our staff through walkie-talkies,” Chau said.

Flying taxis?

According to Chau, the company has applied for a license to run a larger trike project at Hon Do Beach, also in Khanh Hoa Province. The firm wants the $3 million project to include a larger hang gliding “station” with many more trikes, where tourists line up to wait for a ride. Chau said he wants the complex to include a restaurant, drinks and entertainment and games.

In August, the group also introduced motorized hang gliding, now available in only 22 countries and territories, to Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Chau said the company had gotten government permission to import a total of ten gliders.

“We expect to import 20 for a performance celebrating Hanoi’s 1,000th anniversary [October 10, 2010] and then put them into use for our business.

“We’re even considering it the first step towards a flying-taxi service, if we manage that in the future.”

Phu Quoc island Sao Bien Resort

LookAtVietnam – Sea Star Resort on Tran Hung Dao Street, Phu Quoc District in Kien Giang Province is reminiscent of a tranquil Vietnamese village in an evergreen coconut grove.

Phu Quoc Island.

Unlike many of the luxury resorts on Phu Quoc Island, the bungalows at Sea Star are designed with respect for the environment and understanding of the local culture. However, the resort has become very popular and is busy even in the rainy season, which means Pham My, the owner of the resort, has a difficult decision to make: should he preserve its nature-friendly style or upgrade to a luxury resort? Some of his friends support the idea of cooperating with investors to upgrade the resort and build a swimming pool and entertainment facilities, while his family is encouraging him to keep the resort as it is, with 37 spacious rooms and one restaurant.

To extend its success Pham My is planning to offer a new discovery tour of the forest on Ba Keo Mountain, as well as scuba diving and squid fishing tours. Pham My’s family also owns a one-hectare coconut, mango and jackfruit orchard on the mountain. For only US$10 tourists can explore the secrets and primitive beauty of the mountain, which is only 15 minutes away, cooling off in the gentle ocean waves when they return to the resort.

On a trip to Phu Quoc early this month I met Marilyn and Alan, a foreign couple. When I asked them why they chose the Sea Star Resort they explained that it is quite breath taking and fills them with peace and a feeling of total relaxation. “Although I do not think that many Vietnamese people realize how nice their country is, because if they did they would keep it cleaner; there is too much rubbish everywhere,” said the couple.

“The owner should keep the resort small and in keeping with the character of the country and we will stay here again. It is a great place with warm and friendly staff and local people. Our only suggestion is that cushions on the sun beds would make them more comfortable,” added Marilyn.

VietNamNet/SGT

An Lac Trang: a return to nature in HCM City

VietNamNet Bridge – Nature is full of secrets that defy understanding. Nature is also a place where people can return to their minds and find peace. For those who do not have time to go to a mountain or eco-tourism area far from HCMC to relax and let bygones be bygones, the An Lac Trang area in HCMC’s Cu Chi district is recommended as an ideal venue.

An Lac Trang covers two hectares on Ben Co Islet and is surrounded by shady green trees. The area is blanketed in stillness, greenness and peace. It boasts spacious wooden houses in ancient southern design, lotus ponds with silently drifting water hyacinths, green rice fields and vegetable farms and winding canals under the shade of thousands of gum-trees that whisper soft and low in the wind.

The destination is not a tourist site, but is host to the program ‘Yoga and Health’ for tourists to learn how to make tea, meditate, grow vegetables, practice yoga and swim. These activities aim to help tourists find quietness for themselves after surviving the noise and smoke of the bustling city and to forget the daily worries and stresses of modern life.

Upon reaching Cu Chi district’s Phu Hoa Dong commune, tourists are equipped with life jackets for the boat ride to Ben Co islet. Before starting ‘Yoga and Health’, tourists are asked to turn off their cell-phones, abide by the schedule of activities, refrain from eating meat, smoking and drinking alcohol, keep quiet during rest times and respect the surroundings.

The program is organized twice a month with 30 participants each time at a price of VND350,000 to VND450,000 per person based on contents and time (one day or two days) of the program. Students with shallow pockets will be supported by the organizers, said Ngoc My, head of the Vietnamese Tea Club.

To join the program, contact Thanh Son calligraphy company at 40A Bui Vien street, District 1, HCMC or the Vietnamese Tea Club at 17 Tran Quy Khoach street, District 1, HCMC.

VietNamNet/SGT

Ha Long Bay moves up the ranks

Ha Long town will host a carnival from April 25 to May 2 featuring floating stages and fireworks displays. The opening ceremony to be held at the Bai Chay ferry will feature festivities on and above the sea and will be called "Ha Long, a World Cultural Heritage Rendezvous."

The carnival will also feature a food festival with northern and north-eastern dishes, performances by domestic and international artists, sports competitions and business fairs.

Classical drama wows tourists

The Nguyen Hien Dinh Opera House in Da Nang is a popular venue for short traditional tuong (classical drama) pieces and performances showcasing cultural aspects of the central region and renewed stage plays.

So far this year it has been filled with colourful bonnets and gowns and outstanding performances by some keen artists.

The director of the theatre, Tran Dinh Sanh, said it has hosted five shows for foreign tourists, each lasting 30 to 40 minutes, featuring traditional dances and ethnic musical concerts and Cham ethnic songs and dramas.

The performances have wowed Korean, Japanese and European visitors, he said.

Readers name best brands

Vinh Suong and Sea Horse resorts in Phan Thiet are among 42 enterprises that received the "2008-2009 Viet Nam Brands" award from Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper.

The annual awards are determined by votes from the newspaper’s customers and readers. This year the voting took place in the newspaper’s tourism-discovery section from September last year through January, with 7,862 readers sending in their votes.

AirAsia launches online check-in

Travellers including those in Viet Nam can make use of AirAsia’s latest online self check-in facility from Tuesday.

With the new innovation, air travellers can now save time and avoid long queues at the airport by using the free internet check-in facility implemented across AirAsia and AirAsia X’s entire network.

"This is a wonderful innovation. With AirAsia’s web check-in, I can perform check-in myself in the office," said AirAsia passenger Janice Kuek.

"I do not have to worry about long queues at the counters anymore. It allows me to plan my trip better and saves me a lot of time, and it minimises chances of missing my flight."

For more information, visit website www.airasia.com.

VietNamNet/VNS

HCM City takes action to attract more tourists

Ho Chi Minh City’s tourism sector has taken several measures to prevent the industry from declining any further due to the impacts of the global economic downturn, said a city official. Deputy Director of the municipal Culture, Sports and Tourism Department La Quoc Khanh said that the department held a meeting between 40 hotels and 12 travel agents where they agreed to reduce the prices of tours by 30 percent within the year, while ensuring service quality.

The city’s tourism sector has also collaborated with the Agriculture and Rural Development Department to survey and include the names of several gardens in district 12 and Cu Chi district onto the list of ecological tours, he added.

Apart from tapping into its full potential, the city’s tourism businesses are cooperating with several famous foreign tourist operators offering a number of unique tours to tourists.

The Saigontourist Travel Company has got together with the international cruise operator Costa Allegra to welcome foreign tourists to the country and organise MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) tours as well as tours for the elderly.

In the meantime, Vietravel has arranged tours for domestic tourists overseas that coincide with sporting or cultural events such as the World Cup and the beauty contests.

The Hoan My Company now offers tours to Hollywood, Hawaii and Las Vegas while V.Y.C Travel has worked with its Lao and Cambodian counterparts to organise tours to former revolutionary bases along the three countries’ border in addition to tours of Vietnam’s islands.

Meanwhile, the Lua Viet Company has increased the number of adventure sports it offers such as mountain climbing, diving, parachute jumping and water-skiing.

The city welcomed around 2 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of the year, a year-on-year decline of 11 percent.

The sector is expected to entice foreign holiday makers from Europe, the US and Japan back to Vietnam as well as domestic tourists during the remaining months of the year.

Source: VNA

Ha Tien – Prek Chark pair of international border gates open to traffic

VNBusinessNews.com - The Ministry of Transport of Vietnam in co-ordination with the Ministry of Transport and Public Works of Cambodia opened to traffic a pair of international border gates including the Ha Tien border gate in Kien Giang province of Vietnam and the Prek Chark border gate in Kampot province of Cambodia on October 5.

The Vietnam – Cambodia friendly and neighbouring ties have increasingly consolidated and developed in recent years. The economic and commercial relations between two countries have witnessed a positive and effective development in many fields.

Currently, Vietnam ranks as the world’s second biggest investor in Cambodia and Cambodia is the 16th largest partner of Vietnam.

The result should go mainly to the expansion and further construction of a lot of international border gates on the common borderline.

Tour championship comes to Viet Nam

HA NOI — The Mercedes-Benz Masters Tour will host its final event this year in Viet Nam on November 11-14 at King’s Island Golf Club in Ha Noi.

This is the third year the Mercedes-Benz Masters Viet Nam, the country’s biggest tournament, is taking place and will boast prize money totalling to US$80,000. Viet Nam will welcome the 60 best golfers from Southeast Asia to compete.

Six tournaments have been played so far this year with two more remaining. The penultimate kicks off today in Indonesia and the final will be in Viet Nam one month later.

Filipino Antonio Lascuna currently leads the overall rankings in the league.

The Mercedes-Benz Masters Viet Nam is co-operating with the Viet Nam Golf Association to develop the sport in the country.

"The tour really suits our requirements and wants to create more playing opportunities. We really need more tournaments in Viet Nam to increase our number of talented golfers," said Nguyen Ngoc Chu, general secretary of the Viet Nam Golf Association.

In the past two years Huynh Van Son has been the representative at the Mercedes-Benz Masters Viet Nam.

This year Tran Le Duy Nhat will be the only official representative. He is now ranked 73rd place in the tour.

Viet Nam also has four other players competing in the amateur event.

"We have witnessed another fine season with some fine young players like Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Namchok Tantipokhakul recording maiden victories," said AC Wong, chairman of Mercedes-Benz Tour.

"A couple of famous veterans such as, Chinese Taipei’s Lu Chien-Soon and Thaworn Wiratchant from Thailand, have triumphed in the field for the Tour Championship," he added.

King’s Island is located 36km west of Ha Noi and boasts two golf courses. The courses are situated in the King’s Valley along the shores of Dong Mo Lake.

Last year’s Viet Nam championship was held in Van Tri Club, which saw Wisut Artjanawat of Thailand claiming his second title of the season. — VNS

Agricultural tourism raises incomes

HCM CITY — A three-year pilot agricultural tourism project in three rural provinces has helped to diversify ecotourism products and raise incomes of local farmers, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Farmers’ Association Nguyen Huu Duc, said on Monday.

With the support of Agriterra, a development arm of five farmers’ unions in the Netherlands, the Viet Nam Farmers’ Association had chosen Tien Giang and An Giang provinces in the south and Lao Cai province in the north for the 2006-09 project to help local farmers develop their household economy and escape poverty, Duc said.

The provinces each have chosen two rural areas that have potential for agricultural tourism to participate in the projects.

Selected farmers in the rural areas are provided with professional skills courses on tourism services and are instructed to providewith tourism products that meet foreign tourists’ demand.

The project has also transferred farming techniques for selected farmers and instructed them to set up farm models to attract tourists.

Under the project, tourists would stay at local people’s houses, visit local tourism sites, enjoy local traditional festivals and dishes, and participate in farming activities.

Duc said local travel companies began to co-operate with the project last month to promote agricultural tours.

In Tien Giang Province, 25 farmer households in Chau Thanh District’s Vinh Kim Commune and My Tho City’s Tan My Chanh Commune and the Tien Giang Province Farmers Association have co-operated with travel companies to offer agricultural tours, including visiting famous Lo Ren star apple orchards in Vinh Kim Commune, Go Thanh archaeological site in Cho Gao District and small islets in the Tien River. — VNS