A ceremony to launch the “Return to the Roots” tourism programme 2011 was held in Nghia Lo, Yen Bai province on February 26. This is a tourism cooperative programme between the northern provinces of Yen Bai, Phu Tho and Lao Cai.

A conference to promote Vietnamese tourism was jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in UAE, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Vietnam Airlines and the Sharaf Travel in Dubai on February 23.  

Saigontourist, the leading tour operator in Vietnam, welcomed more than 1,000 travelers on the Costa Classica cruise ship that docked in Ho Chi Minh City on February 16.

The World-recognised Dong Van Stone Plateau in the northern province of Ha Giang attracted 4,000 domestic and foreign tourists over Tet, earning VND3 billion (US$150,000). 

Almost all tourist and cultural sites in the country have attracted large numbers of visitors during the Lunar New Year festival.

This year, the tourism sector will focus on promoting two great events, namely the National Tourism Year 2011 programme in the southcentral coastal region and Phu Yen and the seventh International Tourism Fair in HCM City due to take place from September 14-19.

More than 1,000 passengers from 109 flights entered Hanoi through Noi Bai International Airport on February 3-5 (the first days of the lunar New Year Festival), according to the Customs Department of Noi Bai International Airport.  

The Vietnam Administration of Tourism (VNAT) on January 26 held an awards ceremony for winners a contest to design a new logo-symbol for the National Tourism Promotion Programme over the 2011-2015 period.

Hanoi hosted an international seminar to discuss making a film documentary entitled “Four countries-one destination” on January 19 to introduce landscapes of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

A Russia newspaper, Труд (Labour) on January 13 ran published beautiful pictures, taken by its journalist Anna Stepkina, of the Mui Ne beach in the southern province of Binh Thuan.

Vietnam received a record high of 5 million foreign visitors in 2010, far exceeding the set target of 4.2 million, and about 28 million domestic visitors.

The number of foreign visitors to Hanoi in 2010 is estimated at 1.2 million, up 18.42 percent against 2009, while the number of domestic tourists to the city is expected to increase by 15.22 percent to 10.6 million.

Surrounded by gentle hills and scenic areas, the highland city of Da Lat is still home to intriguing beauty in spite of the growing population, the rise in modern architecture and the number of tourists, said Nhat Ha.  

Vietnam ranks 12th among 181 countries and territories in term of tourism growth in the next ten years, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

Despite Russia not yet being included in the list of Vietnam's top 10 tourism markets, visitors from the East European country is still a promising market for Vietnam's tourism industry, says deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Manh Cuong.

Following Ha Long Bay, Con Dao Island has been chosen by the UK publishing company Lonely Planet to enter the top 10 best inlands in 2011 for romantic vacations.

Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province has attracted more than 2.5 million visitors over the past 11 months.

Thua Thien-Hue leads other provinces and cities in attracting tourists, said the Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Phan Tien Dung.

The Mekong Delta region received around 19 million visitors in 2010, up 200,000 compared to last year.

Tour to explore the development potential of three famous rice paddy terraces was piloted by three northern provinces, Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Morocco exempted visa fees for tours of Vietnam from October 10 to December 31, 2010.

Vietnam Airlines will open five more international flight routes from Da Nang City to Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, Guang Zhou and Singapore. 

Vietnam has many islands, yet only one of them is listed in the famous old “silk road” on the east sea. It is Cu Lao Cham or Cham island, which has been recognised by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve. Here, tourists can partake in sight-seeing or just enjoy the under-sea beauty.

Hanoi’s Old Quarter is in desperate need of being upgraded and modernised. A pilot project to renovate a short section of Ta Hien street is the first tentative step towards tackling this thorny issue.

A national seminar was held in Hanoi on June 29 to shed light on Vietnam’s tourism development in the international integration process.

Beyond the well-known and colourful markets of Sapa, Bac Ha and Can Cau, the northwest mountainous area of Vietnam is bewitched with the wild town and market of Sin Ho, the roof of Lai Chau province.

Hoi Son Pagoda, also called Khanh Long Pagoda, was established and named after Buddhist monk Dao Thanh Khanh Long who became famous in the late 18th century. It is located on Quit Hill in the present-day Long Binh Ward, District 9 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Can Tho City, commonly referred to as the “western capital” is the MRD’s economic, and cultural centre. 169 km from HCMC on the banks of the Hau river (the Mekong’s main branch) Can Tho is a bustling, growing city of over 1 million people which nevertheless retains its charm.

Photos on people’s life and landscape of the foggy resort town of Sa Pa in Vietnam’s northwestern mountainous region taken by an American photographer of Vietnamese origin were displayed at an exhibition in New York on May 15.

Thanh Thu joins the pilgrims heading for Hanoi’s Chuong My District to visit one of the country’s oldest and most famous pagodas, Chua Tram Gian