Vietnam has participated in the Japan Association of Travel Agents World Trade Fair 2011 (JATA World Travel Fair 2011), which opened in Tokyo on September 30. 

Vietnam ranks third in the list of destinations for Australians, many of whom are travelling abroad following a strengthening of the Australian dollar, Australian newspaper The Daily Examiner has reported. 

The Rural Heritage Management and Preservation Centre has set up a website at www.hoianheritage.net to provide information about the ancient town which is also a world cultural heritage site and one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. 

Hanoi and Hoi An ancient quarter in the central province of Quang Nam have been named among the top ten destinations in Asia for 2011, in an online poll conducted by Hong Kong-based travel and trade journal, Smart Travel Asia. 

China continues to top the list of foreign visitors to Vietnam in September with the figure of 100,000 arrivals, up 45 percent against the same period last year.

Sitting 1,487km above sea level and within spitting distance of Da Nang City, the Ba Na resort area offers a wonderful respite for any weary traveller.

A ceremony to introduce Vietnam’s tourism potential was held in Moscow on September 22 as part of a series of activities marking the Vietnam Culture Days festival in Russia.

Vietnamese tourism companies - including Vietnam Airlines, Vietnamtourism, Luxury Travel, Au Co Gulf of Tonkin and HG Travel - are attending the 33rd Top Resa Tourism Fair in Paris, France from September 20 23.

International tourists will enjoy value-added tax (VAT) refunds when they purchase goods in Vietnam under a draft currently being considered by the Ministry of Finance.

A conference to promote tourism investment in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, themed “Four countries – one destination” took place in Ho Chi Minh City on September 13.

An international conference to promote tourism and investment was held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 13 to implement the joint declaration on tourism cooperation between Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.  

Located at the northeastern most point of Vietnam nearly 300km from Hanoi, Tra Co in Quang Ninh province is one of the country’s most charming beaches.

Vietnam welcomed about 3.96 million foreign visitors in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 18.4 percent, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Around 66,000 visitors spent their holiday in the central city of Da Nang on Vietnam’s National Day (September 2), an increase of 20 percent over last year’s holiday, said the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue has promoted tourism and trade with the Thailand’s northeastern provinces and important places such as Bangkok and Pattaya to attract more Thai people to visit Hue.

Vietnam has welcomed almost 4 million foreign visitors since the beginning of this year, a year-on-year rise of 18.3 percent, and earned nearly VND85 trillion in revenue from tourism. 

The leading United Arab Emirates-based newspaper Gulf News on August 20 ran an article entitled “Discover Vietnam” by Skhan Kar, deputy editor in chief of Gulf News’s photo magazine.

The International Tourism Exhibition 2011 (ITE) will be held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City from September 14-17. 

The Dong Van Stone Plateau in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang has attracted 30,000 tourists, including over 10,000 foreigners, helping raise the province’s tourism revenue to VND41 billion in July. 

Despite the proliferation of modern shopping complexes and commercial centres in Hanoi, the old fashioned Chợ Hôm (Hom market) is still bustling with business every day of the week.

The 12th Guide Awards ceremony on the theme of “Tourism Vietnam: Friendly Hospitality” was held at Mui Ne in the southern province of Binh Thuan on July 29, honouring 134 businesses over the country.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has said it is keen for their cruises to stop in Vietnam to make its products more interesting.

Despite the global economic downturn, more than 1.8 million foreign tourists visited Ho Chi Minh City over the past seven months, up 10 percent compared to the same period last year.

Nestled in a pine forest, the Dalat Cadasa Resort has become a highlight of the peaceful misty city of Da Lat. The resort has 16 villas of different shapes and sizes, which mingle with the magnificent natural surroundings and create a relaxed atmosphere for visitors.

A new beautiful cave has been discovered in Na Hang primeval forest in the northern province of Tuyen Quang.

Nghe An province attracted more than 2 million visitors in May and June, including nearly 58,000 foreigners.

The five-star SuperStar Virgo cruise ship will dock at Ho Chi Minh City’s Lotus port at 9am on July 5, bringing 2,700 sea travelers, mainly from Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

Pu Mat National Park, located in the central province of Nghe An and classified as a World Biosphere Reserve (the largest in Southeast Asia ) by UNESCO in April, has long been known for its bio-diversity.

If you visit Tram Chim National Park in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap during the time of day when the highest tides occur, normally from August to November, you can take a motorboat ride through forests rich with plants and flowers and green cajeput trees.

About 3,000 tourists from Singapore, Malaysia and Australia on the five-star cruise ship Super Star Virgo docked at Ho Chi Minh City’s Lotus port on June 14.