Resorts close to fully booked for Tet

HCM CITY — Hotels in tourist destinations like Vung Tau, Nha Trang, and Phan Thiet are nearly fully booked for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday week.

Le Thanh Lam, deputy director of the Bien Dong tourism area in Vung Tau, said all 27 rooms at his resort were booked from February 4 to 8 at tariffs prices ranging from VND700,000 (US$35) to VND1.5 million ($75).

Other hotels in Vung Tau like the 118-room Palace and 72-room Buu Dien are also fully booked for February 4-7.

According to the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 70 per cent of rooms at private guesthouses in Vung Tau have been booked in advance.

Nguyen Van Khoa, chairman of the Binh Thuan Province Tourism Association, said luxury resorts in Mui Ne-Ham Tien are 80-90 per cent full during the week, and fully booked from February 4 to 6.

In Nha Trang, hotels are full up on February 4 and 5. Some luxury hotels like Yasaka-Sai Gon-Nha Trang hotel and Novotel only have rooms for February 3.

In Phan Thiet and Hon Rom-Mui Ne, hotels are charging double the normal tariffs for rooms.

Price gouging

Guesthouses and mini hotels have increased rates from an average of VND180,000 ($9) to VND350,000 ($17.5) for a single room and from VND280,000 ($14) to VND550,000 ($27.5) for a double room.

Thanh Dat hotel in Nha Trang is charging VND1.4 million ($70) for a room compared to a mere VND300,000 ($15) on normal days.

Thien An hotel said there are no more double rooms available between February 3 and 6 while a room for four has jumped from VND350,000 ($17.5) to VND800,000 ($40).

To avoid gouging by hotels during Tet, Tran Ba Viet, deputy chairman of the Thang Tam Ward People's Committee in Vung Tau, said authorities would inspect hotels and food establishments to ensure they do not gouge customers.

The Ba Ria-Vung Tau People's Committee said it had ordered local authorities to strengthen inspections.

Khoa of the Binh Thuan Tourism Association said members of his association had promised not to increase room and other tariffs.

Apart from prices, food hygiene and safety is also a major concern.

However, resorts and restaurants in Mui Ne have signed contracts with seafood processors to alleviate visitors' fears during Tet.

The Bien Dong tourism area in Vung Tau has signed contracts with supermarkets to ensure safe foods and vegetable. — VNS

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Five-star resort opens on island

Con Dao Island will get its first five-star hotel when the Six Senses Resorts & Spas throw open their doors on Monday. The project was developed with investment from the Indochina Capital fund.

The hotel's 50 villas sit along a stretch of sandy beach, with stunning vistas of the sea and the curve of the bay, sheltered by green forested hills behind. All building materials were taken from natural, sustainable sources, using local materials where possible. Teak wood was reclaimed and includes over a thousand beautifully carved panels.

The resort's curved swimming pool, shaded by mature, wild mahogany trees, sits at the edge of the beach, which offers various water sports, including coracles, kayaking, snorkeling and diving in what is recognised as the best coral reef in Viet Nam, as well as boat trips to neighbouring islands.

Saigontourist eyes Japanese partners

The HCM City-based Saigontourist Holding Co is looking for Japanese partners for 12 new hotels and tourism complexes it plans to build. The company's general director, Nguyen Huu Tho, said Saigontourist is looking for both investment and management co-operation. Saigontourist also plans to buy hotels in Japan to expand its operations.

The company operates around 100 hotels, resorts, and restaurants around the country, and reported revenues of VND8.2 trillion (US$420.6 million) last year. It hopes to boost the figure to $1 billion by 2015 by which year it also plans to add 4,000 new rooms.

Central provinces unveil island tours

The tourism authorities of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai unveiled plans to launch a tour combining islands and inland destinations.

Do Tuan Cuong, deputy director of the Quang Nam Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the tour, to be launched next year, will begin in Hoi An to explore Cham Islet before speed boats for two hours to Quang Ngai's Re Island.

HCM City luxury hotel rates fall

Room rates in three-star to five-star hotels in HCM City fell by 10 per cent this year on average to US$98 per night due to a sharp increase in supply, according to the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The city has 68 international standard hotels with nearly 9,230 rooms. Newcomers include three four-star hotels, namely Oscar Sai Gon, Liberty Central, and Norfolk which have a total of 312 rooms, and nine three-star hotels with more than 580 rooms.

Tour operators offer discounts

To encourage people to travel during the Christmas season, travel agencies are offering tours at low prices, meaning they are unchanged from last year or are just 5-7 per cent up.

Ha Noi Redtours expects to serve around 1,000 outbound travellers and 500 clients who will undertake domestic and inbound tours. This represents an increase of 20 per cent compared to last year.

Vietravel said its business is likely to be 25 per cent higher than last year.

The most popular destinations for domestic travellers are Ha Noi, Sa Pa, and Ha Long Bay in the north and Ba Na, Da Lat, Phu Quoc Island, and Nha Trang in the central and southern regions. The most popular overseas destinations for Vietnamese travellers are in Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

Russian carrier flies to Cam Ranh

A Vladivostok Air aeroplane carrying 80 passengers landed at Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province on Wednesday to mark the beginning of the Russian carrier's service from Vladivostok and Khabarovsk.

The carrier said it will operate seven flights each from the two far eastern Russian cities to the central Vietnamese destination between mid-December and March next year.

To create favourable conditions for the direct flights from Russia, the Central Airport Company said it has offered a 50 per cent discount on all ground services at Cam Ranh Airport. — VNS

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Nha Trang hotels slash rates to attract tourists

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Hotels in Khanh Hoa Province, home of the world-renowned Nha Trang Bay, are offering discounts of up to 50 percent to attract tourists.

The province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has said the discounts are aimed at enabling the tourism sector to achieve its target of attracting 1.76 million visitors and earning VND1.75 trillion (US$92.2 million) this year.

The five-star Evason Ana Mandara & Six Senses Spa in Nha Trang is offering discounts of 10 to 50 percent between May 1 and December 31.

The Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel & Spa also has a promotion offering free stays for guests staying three days and longer between May 1 and September 30.

Other three- to five-star hotels like the Nha Trang Lodge Hotel, Liberty Hotel, Hai Yen Hotel, and Vinpearl Land Resort & Spa Nha Trang are offering discounts of 10 to 30 percent.

Khanh Hoa has more than 400 hotels, resorts, and guest houses, almost all of them in Nha Trang, which is home to one of the world’s most beautiful bays.

It has 20 hotels rated three-star and above with a total of 2,450 rooms.

The city has attracted around 500,000 visitors this year, with the tourism industry earning VND500 billion (US$26.5 million).

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