In-bound tourists up 20 percent during Tet

The tourism industry in Vietnam saw an increase of domestic tourists by 20 percent during the five days of the Lunar New Year festival (Tet) from February 3-7 against last year’s period.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that 75,000 Vietnamese traveled around the country during the holidays.

Among the most favorite destinations include Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam, the ancient capital of Hue, the beach cities of Nha Trang and Phan Thiet, the mountainous city Dalat, as well as Phu Quoc Island and other locations in the Mekong Delta provinces.

Meanwhile, Dalat, Da Nang and Hue were the most-selected venues for Tet travelling by foreign tourists, according to the department.

In total, 70,000 local and foreign travelers arrived in Dalat during Tet, while Hue received 25,000 – an increase of 10 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

The uptick in visitors created a surge in room prices. In Dalat, tourists paid VND150,000 – VND200,000 (US$7.5 - $10) for a room for one day, up by 60% over the off-peak season rate.

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Ho Chi Minh City bookworms rummage festival

Parents take their children to search for books during the book road festival

Around 150,000 people visited the first-ever Book Road Festival organized in Ho Chi Minh City from January 31 to February 6 during the Lunar New Year.

Located on Mac Thi Buoi, a side street connecting Dong Khoi with the heavy-trafficked Nguyen Hue flower road in District 1, it was filled with people from morning until late at night.

A Q&A session with four writers Do Thi Thanh Binh, Le Thi Kim, Bui Chi Vinh, and Pham Sy Sau on Sunday morning attracted a large audience, some of whom stayed longer than expected to get a chance to talk to the famous writers.

The festival also provided a special area for children to read books and color drawings, which proved a huge attraction with kids.

People looking for rare books published before the Renovation period could exchange or buy them at a stall put up by the city’s General Science Library, some for merely VND10,000 (50 US cents).

“At first, we did not think we would be able to sell many books during Tet but it turned out people in HCMC bought a lot,” said Tu Ha, a cashier for a bookstall at the event.

“Books on Buddhism, culture, and philosophy; works by famous authors like Tran Dan and To Hoai; and translated items by well-known publishers like Nha Nam, Tri Thuc, and Dong A, were in great demand.”

Fahasa, the biggest book distributor in the country, reported sales worth VND500 million (US$ 25,500) during the week.

“This is a success [at the festival in the city with population of 8 million]. Next year perhaps we can seek a larger area, a larger street to organize the festival,” Le Manh Ha, director of the city’s Information and Communication Department, said.

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Tourism flourishes during Tet holiday

Tourists visit the Royal Palace at Hue Citadel in Thua Thien-Hue Province. ­­—VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hung

HCM CITY — More local and foreign tourists have taken inbound and outbound tours during the Tet (Lunar New Year) 2011 holiday compared to previous years.

The number of foreign visitors arriving in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue reached 50,000, mostly from Europe, Japan and Thailand, an increase of about 20,000 over previous years.

Local officials said that numerous cultural festivals held in Hue during Tet had attracted a large number of visitors. They said the festival was a harbinger for many other cultural events to be held in the province this year in order to welcome the National Tourism Year set to be celebrated in 2012.

All historical relics in Hue remained open to visitors free of charge from February 3-5 (Jan 1 – 3 on the lunar calendar).

Da Lat welcomed roughly 75,000 tourists during this Tet holiday, with most hotels and guesthouses in the Central Highland city reporting 80 per cent occupancy.

In Ha Noi, about 1,000 passengers on 109 international flights arrived at the Noi Bai International Airport from February 3 – 5, mostly European tourists and Viet kieu (Vietnamese overseas) from many countries, according to the airport's Customs Department.

Besides, about 8,000 passengers on 82 flights departed from the airport to other countries during the holiday.

The first international flight carrying 184 tourist passengers from Hong Kong arrived at the Da Nang International Airport on the second day of Tet.

They came on a 5-day tour offering relaxing stays at high-end resorts and hotels, as well as visits to many tourist sites like the Son Tra Peninsula, Ngu Hanh Son Mountain and many world heritage sites in Hue and Hoi An Town.

The Sebourn Pride carrying 200 passengers from the UK, France, Germany, and the US also arrived at the Tien Sa Port in Da Nang on the second day of Tet.

Meanwhile, thousands of tourists flocked to Kim Lien historical site in the eponymous commune, Nam Dan District, in the central province of Nghe An, which is late President Ho Chi Minh's home village.

The site's management board mobilised more staff to offer better services during Tet because of the increase in number of visitors during the festive season.

The site, which has normal working hours of 7:30am till 5pm, was opened even earlier until late in the night to serve a large number of visitors on the first and second days of Tet, the board said.

Travel firms do well

The surge in Tet festival tourism saw HCM City-based Viettravel company serve 18,000 – 20,000 customers, a soar of 40 per cent over the same period last year.

Viettravel mobilised an unprecedented 300 tourist guides to serve customers during this Tet holiday.

Meanwhile, Saigontourist Company in HCM City attracted 10,000 customers to join 130 domestic tours, an increase of 40 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Saigontourist also welcomed and served 9,000 foreign tourists on this occasion. — VNS

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Sapa becomes Heaven on Earth during Tet

Both local and international tourists were dazzled when they witnessed miraculous sights in the Sapa tourism town in Lao Cai northern province during the first days of the lunar New Year of the cat.

Locals told Tuoi Tre that these picturesque scenes only appear on sunny days in Sapa, which was recently hit by a prolonged cold spell as temperatures dropped to minus 4 degrees Celsius.

Sapa is most beautiful in spring. Apricot, plum and cherry flowers are splendidly beautiful.

Markets are crowded and joyous, and are especially attractive to visitors. Minority groups come here to exchange and trade goods.

Following is a series of photos depicting Sapa’s fantastic landscape during two first days of the lunar New Year of the Cat:

 

 

Sa Pa is one of Vietnam 's top holiday and relaxation destinations at the height of 1,600m above sea level. The average temperature of the area is 15-18°C. It is cool in summer and cold in winter. Visitors to Sa Pa in the summer can feel the climate of four seasons in just one day. The best time to witness the scenic beauty of Sapa is in April and May. Before that period, the weather might be cold and foggy; after that period is the rainy season. In April and May, Sapa is blooming with flowers and green pastures. The clouds that settle in the valley in early morning quickly disappear into thin air. Sapa has many natural sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Silver Waterfall, Rattan Bridge, Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave. Sa Pa is also the starting point for many climbers and scientists who want to reach the top of Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143m. Fansipan is part of the Hoang Lien Mountain Range, also called the Alps of the North Sea area since Fansipan is not only the highest peak in Vietnam, but also in the Indochina Peninsula. The pyramid-shaped mountain is covered with clouds all year round and temperatures often drop below zero, especially at high elevations. Sapa is home to various families of flowers of captivating colours, which can be found nowhere else in the country.

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Saigonese Wherea bouts During Tet

As Tet (Lunar New Year festival) is in the air, discover some places of choice of the Saigonese when they are celebrating their traditional festival

Several years ago, the Weekly featured a photo essay one picture of which showed an expatriate was jogging right in front of the downtown Ben Thanh Market during the morning rush hour. Normally, it isn’t either the right place or the right time for that type of sport. But in this particular case, the expat could go jogging because he made it in the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Among the unusual things about Saigon during Tet is that this most populous city in Vietnam becomes unbelievably quiet and less crowded. Traditionally, Tet lasts three days, and thus the phrase ba ngày Tt (the three days of Tet) has been so common in Vietnam. In fact, Vietnamese have longer holidays for Tet. This year, State-employees, particularly those working in administrative agencies, will enjoy an eight-day Tet, the longest days off work in recent years.

HCM City is home to 7.2 million people with a family book (official registration). Nobody can state exactly the city’s transient population. But according to estimates, it is sure to surpass the 1-million level. So, where would those 8 million-plus Saigonese go during Tet because if they all stay inside Saigon, the streets will not be so deserted?

As is their custom, many Vietnamese return to their birthplace or the place where their parents live during Tet. Going back home to the provinces is therefore an intrinsic need of people who come to HCM City to work. With very few exceptions, visiting workers or temporary dwellers leave the city for their birthplaces on Tet holidays. On their same bus, railway coach or flight are also those Saigonese still feeling the urge to return to the provinces. At a guess, therefore, more than 1 million will be on their way out of the city.

Take to the streets during the few hours prior to the time the Lunar New Year arrives and you’ll see that it is the period the streets become most desolate. As a tradition, everybody has to return home to wait for New Year’s Eve. Then family members will get together before the altar in the house to worship their ancestors. Because everyone tries to get home to welcome the first moments of the New Year, very few are outside.

But this picture will change dramatically as soon as the clock strikes 12 to mark the New Year’s arrival. The streets then become crowded again, especially those streets leading to pagodas. Many Saigonese (and Vietnamese) keep the habit of visiting a pagoda immediately after midnight on New Year’s Eve, believing that their prayers at pagodas during the first hours of the New Year will bring them what they expect.

As many Saigonese come home at dawn, the whole city wakes up very late in the morning of the first day of the New Year.

Traffic is still light until nine or 10 o’clock. Those who take to the streets are on their way to pagodas where they will pray for health, wealth and luck in the new year. During the first days of the New Year, pagodas—big and small in town—are much frequented by Saigonese. The most famous names in this regard include Vinh Nghiem and Xa Loi pagodas in District 3, Tinh Xa Trung Tam in Binh Thanh District, and Nam Thien Nhat Tru in Thu Duc District, to name just a few.

As much frequented as, if not more, pagodas by Saigonese are recreational facilities and public places. Topping the list of the indispensable names is Nguyen Hue Flower Street. For the past few years, the flower street has become a brand name for HCM City in the Tet festival. During the week-long event, which is slated for Jan. 31-Feb. 6, sections of Nguyen Hue and other streets in the neighborhood will be turned into pedestrian areas. This year, flower displays and other shows and activities are expected to attract more than 1 million visitors.

Comparable to Nguyen Hue Flower Street is Tao Dan Park where Spring Flower Festival is held. The park in District 1 has established itself as a magnet to those Saigonese who seek places of fun to entertain themselves and their loved ones.

Amusement parks are also attractions to Saigonese during Tet. Suoi Tien and Dam Sen are outstanding venues. Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9 is a favorite place for visitors, especially families with young children. During the Tet festival last year, Suoi Tien welcomed 800,000 visitors. The same number of visitors is expected this year.
What else aside from pagodas and theme parks?

A considerable number of residents in Saigon plan their tours during Tet, making the festival a peak time for tour operators. Of the domestic trips, pilgrimage tours are among the most frequently booked. Huong Pagoda on the outskirts of Hanoi, Yen Tu Pagoda in Quang Ninh Province, the Temple of Hung Kings in Phu Tho Province and Chua Ba Pagoda in An Giang Province are the favorite destinations.

Although smaller in number, some Saigonese, in particular those under forty of age, can afford overseas tours.
Saigonese holidaymakers during Tet will return home fresh and energetic to get ready for the year ahead. The first of January marks a new calendar year. But to Saigonese, and Vietnamese as well, a new bustling year starts only after Tet holidays.

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Tet products become creative

Customers are selecting seafood and dried meat at supermarket to prepare for celebrating Tet which falls on February 3

Photo: Tuoi Tre

With their increasing prosperity, Vietnamese consumers are willing to shell out extra money to buy quality or unusual products for Tet and manufacturers are obliging.

Saigon Fisco, for instance, has unveiled a special frozen hotpot. Unlike normal hotpots, this one weighs almost a kilogram, has enough seafood for 10 people, and is targeted at families that gather or travel together during Tet.

Housewives will be much less desperate this year considering some of the other foods on sale, especially Vissan’s new herbal chickens. These chickens were fed a diet of mixed natural herbs for about two months before being slaughtered, ensuring their meat is much firmer and better tasting than normal chickens.

Each chicken weighs 1.3-1.5kg and costs VND104,000 (US$5.3) per kilogram. A Vissan spokesperson since this was the company’s first attempt at this and quality had to be strictly controlled, it would produce only 5,000 herbal chickens for Tet.

Another unusual treat this year is the candied grapefruit peel that comes in thin yellow slices like candied ginger, and amazingly, tastes bitter, sweet, salty, and pungent at the same time.

The strong, lingering taste of grapefruit peel in our throat can be further accentuated by a cup of hot tea, and we can feel the heat permeating the whole body.

Ngoc Thuy, owner of Thanh Long candied fruits supplier, said making candied grapefruit peels is a demanding process, and 10 tons of peels yield just a ton of candies. “The price is around VND70,000 for a kilo. Since it first appeared in the market, it has attracted a lot of customers, especially in the central and northern regions where people consume them to keep themselves warm during the freezing cold of Tet.”

Watermelons are a must-have fruit during the New Year. This year farmers in Long An and Hau Giang Provinces will introduce organic watermelons for the first time in cooperation with Syngenta Company.

Truong Tran Quang Phuong, Syngenta’s southern regional sales director, said farmers who participate in the organic watermelons program must scrupulously follow growing procedures such as not using forbidden chemicals and proper disposal of pesticides.

“When harvest time comes, the company and local authorities will take samples for analysis and only when they meet all the requirements will the melons be certified as organic,” he explained.

Unusually-shaped melons continue to be in great demand. There are square or sycee-shaped melons and even ones with words like Phuoc (Fortune), Loc (Prosperity), Tho (Longevity) etched on their peels.

However, despite the much higher supply this year, their prices are not lower than last year.

According to a melon supplier in An Giang Province, a mixed pair of melons -- one square and one round -- costs VND800,000 ($40), while a pair of square ones and a pair with embossed words cost VND1.2 million.

Artistic speakers

Customers choosing artworks that double up as speakers at AA Company

Paintings that are actually speakers with excellent sound quality will be a unique gadget to show off to visitors during Tet.

This idea was conceived a long time ago by Nguyen Hung Son, director of AA Company (District 11), and now artistic speakers in more and more designs and materials have hit the market.

With sound equipment imported from Taiwan, China, Denmark, and other places, and paintings made by artists in various styles, the company provides customers a wide range of choice.

Customers can also provide photos or artworks for making custom-built speakers. The speakers too come in a wide range -- from 1.5W to over 100W -- and even lend themselves to karaoke singing.

AA also offers speakers of under 30W with a music collection integrated in a built-in USB that do not have to be connected to amplifiers and disc players unlike in the case of speakers of 60W and above.

For all of the above, prices range from $150 to $350.

According to Son, the most important factor remains the sound quality and it is also the hardest to ensure. Admittedly, in terms of sound these speakers cannot be compared to top-of-the-range speakers, but they are still a good choice for people who want to dazzle their Tet visitors.

Ornamental apricot blossom trees rented

An unusual service is the rental of apricot blossom trees. Thong, the owner of Minh Thuy apricot blossom garden in Thu Duc District, HCMC, said that the number of people renting the trees this year is large despite the high price of VND10 million to VND50 million for a tree that is more than 50 years old.

Hieu, owner of another apricot garden nearby, said more than 100 trees have been rented for up to VND15 million. A rough survey shows the rental costs 30 percent-50 percent of a tree’s value.

Gardeners said those renting trees are mostly households or businesses that cannot take care of the trees all year round and only needed them during Tet. People can rent the trees until next year, paying the owners an upkeep fee of up to 20 percent of their value.

High-value apricot blossom trees are of high demand this Tet season

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US poet returns to Viet Nam

Happy returns: Bruce Weigl will participate in several literary discussions during his visit to Viet Nam. — File Photo

HA NOI — American War veteran and poet Bruce Weigl is in Viet Nam for the launch of his poetical memoir After the Rain Stopped Pounding.

Weigl will participate in several discussions and literary exchanges during his visit which began on Friday.

Weigl, whose name is familiar in literature about the American War, has published several poetical anthologies, including The Monkey Wars and Song of Napalm which earned him a Pulitzer Prize-nomination in 1988.

Weigl was granted the Lannan Literary Award in Poetry in 2006.

In addition to writing poetry, Weigl worked with editor and translator Thanh T. Nguyen of the Joiner Research Centre to translate poems of liberation soldiers captured during war.

Weigl recited his poems during the Friends poetry programme at the Quang Tri Old Citadel last night.

The venue was among the fiercest battlefields of the American War, and Vietnamese veterans who are members of varied poetry clubs will join the programme.

Weigl today will also exchange views with Song Huong (Perfume River) magazine which publishes creative writing, reviews and cultural research in the central city of Hue.

He also will present his memoir The Circle of Hanh in Ha Noi tomorrow. First published in the US in 2000 , the memoir is his own story about his struggles with drugs and alcohol after the war and his subsequent redemptive return to Viet Nam, where he adopted an eight-year-old girl, Hanh.

The launch of After the Rain Stopped Pounding, which has been translated into Vietnamese by Nguyen Phan Que Mai, will take place at the University of Culture, 418 La Thanh Road, Ha Noi, at 7.30pm on Thursday.

Weigl will talk about trends in American poetry on the night. — VNS

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South Africa sex industry did not see World Cup boom

South Africa's sex business did not see any spike in activity during the soccer World Cup and the male patrons who participated in the trade practised safe sex, according to a survey obtained on Friday.

"There were not significantly more clients seen per sex worker during the World Cup period," said the survey from the South African Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Task Force that was conducted in conjunction with the UN Population Fund.

There were worries ahead of the June-to-July sports spectacle that it would lead to an increase in human trafficking and in the spreading of HIV because South Africa has one of the highest infection rates of the disease in the world.

The survey said there was little change in the average number of clients per week -- 14.4 on average -- for sex workers during the World Cup and reported condom use for males was at about 99 percent.

There were more foreign clients for the sex workers, but "this may mean that a part of the local clientele was temporarily replaced by foreign clients," it said.

There was massive condom distribution ahead of and during the Cup to prevent the spreading of HIV/AIDS.

The survey was conducted among 663 sex workers.

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Summer ends in re-runs for neglected kids' TV

HCM CITY — Reruns of Kinh Van Hoa (Kaleidoscope) and Xom Cao Cao (Grasshoppers Hamlet) are being broadcast on television because of a shortage of locally made films and TV series for children.

The acclaimed series have been shown many times on HTV Channel 7 and television around the country for years.

"We lack scripts to make new TV series for children," Chu Thien, a well-known director who has made noteworthy films and TV series targeting children.

"I've received some scripts but I've decided not to develop any of them," Thien said.

"Making series for children is not easy. I like scripts featuring childhood's innocence and their ways of solving their own problems," he said.

Thien's recent series Gia Dinh Phep Thuat (A Witchcraft Family) is filled with amusing scenes and circumstances and has received a warm welcome from young audiences.

With a script by Kwon In-chan from South Korea, the 500-episode series is Viet Nam's longest TV series for children.

The series is being screened on HTV7 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday evenings. Fewer TV series for children are being made each year.

The series have been typically shown during children's summer holidays. At least three new series for children were screened on HTV during summer vacation several years ago.

Last year, children saw the 30-episode Mua He Soi Dong (Interesting Summer Holidays) and the 21-episode Nhung Ngay He Xanh (Green Summer).

Interesting Summer is about six teenagers who become good friends while on a 10-day summer vacation.

The 30-episode Giac Mo Bien (Dreams of Sea) is the only new series being screened on HTV Channel 7 for the summer. It is about the dreams of a group of junior high school students whose parents urge them to attend extra classes during summer vacation.

TV stations also lack game shows and entertainment programmes for children.

"With so few TV programmes to watch, my son buys ghost stories which fill the shelves of bookstores," Mai Hoa, mother of a nine-year-old boy, said.

For many film directors making films and series, focusing on romance and family issues is much easier than making productions that target children aged between six and 14.

Film studios often make films and series in exchange for commercial spots during TV. But companies usually choose to advertise their goods during peak viewing hours and not during children's series. The shortage of child actors is another difficulty faced by film studios.

"Filming must be done during summer holidays when child actors are not busy with their studies at school," said film director Do Phu Hai. — VNS

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ASEAN begins culture swap

Fourth wall: Delegates from the Indonesian Consulate General in HCM City perform exciting traditional dances during a cultural exchange programme. — VNS Photos Van Dat Fusion: Vietnamese models present Singaporean traditional costumes at the event.

HCM CITY — Representatives and young people from ASEAN countries gathered yesterday at the HCM City Youth's Cultural House to open a cultural exchange week, which runs through September 4.

The event will feature several activities that will showcase the cultures and lifestyles of the 10 countries. The week-long event has been organised to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Ha Noi, the 65th Anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, which falls on September 2.

General consuls to HCM City from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Laos and others diplomatic agencies will participate in the cultural exchange programme.

Traditional clothes from ASEAN members were introduced at a fashion show during the opening ceremony.

University students from the Lao Students' Association, who are studying in HCM City, and representatives from the Indonesian, the Philippines, and Thai Consulates General performed traditional dances and songs during the event.

Six food stalls were erected to introduce the traditional cuisine of the countries, which allowed guests and participants to taste the variety of dishes from the 10 countries.

A photography exhibit also opened that features photographs from the revolution and development of Viet Nam. The exhibit also highlights the cultures and beautiful sights in ASEAN countries.

A contest was organised to test and inform Vietnamese students about the cultures and history of ASEAN members. Popular folk games from the Southeast Asian countries were also introduced to visitors during the exchange.

A music programme to celebrate the National Day and an event to introduce art works composed by Vietnamese youngsters during the recent trans-Viet Nam composing camps will held later this week. — VNS

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