Documents on the Cham Islands and Ca Mau Cape have been submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for recognition as global biosphere reserves.

The two spots have been officially nominated for biosphere reserve status by UNESCO’s Vietnam Committee.

The nomination will be part of the 21st session of the International Coordination Council of Man and the Biosphere Programme, to take place on the Republic of Korea’s Island of Jeju from May 25-29.

According to the UNESCO Vietnam Committee, the two sites are likely to be added to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves as conservation areas that focus on sustainable development as well as environmental protection.

Truong Van Bay, vice chairman of Hoi An and a member attending the session, said the recognition would enhance the appeal of nearby Hoi An, a World Heritage site.

The Cham Islands consist of eight small islands and are about 20km offshore from Hoi An City in Quang Nam Province.

In the seabed of the archipelago there are 135 species of coral, including six species that were first recognised in Vietnam, and nearly 950 other marine species, including many endangered species in the Vietnam Red Book list.

The southern point of Vietnam in southern Ca Mau Province is well-known for its bird sanctuaries and is home to the cajeput and mangrove ecosystems.

Vietnam currently has six UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserves, including Can Gio Mangrove Forest, Cat Ba National Park, Cat Tien National Park, Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve and the Tay Nghe An Biosphere Reserve.

(Source: VNA)

The grace of ao dai (traditional long dress of Vietnamese women) shines at a show held by a Vietnamese photographer in Berlin, Germany.

The Sang, member of the Vietnamese Photographers’ Association in Germany, brings to his photo exhibition opening on May 13 more than 50 photos out of a collection he made during his tours of Hanoi, Hue City, HCMC, and cities in the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.

The photos feature middle-aged Vietnamese women wearing traditional ao dai during their visits to pagodas, and young Vietnamese and foreign girls in innovated ao dai during festive days and beauty feasts.

The photo show will last until July 31.

(Source: VOV)

Hanoians will have a chance to taste European cuisines at the 4th European Food Festival to be held on May 16 in capital city.

The event, part of the month-long celebration of the Europe Days, is the fourth European food festival hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham), which attracted over one thousand visitors last year.

Addressing a press conference on May 8 in Hanoi, Thomas Felber, director of EuroCham Hanoi said the festival aims of promoting the diversity of Europe through a showcase of its culinary arts, as well as at promoting cooperation and deepening understanding between the European and Vietnam communities.

This year, the event is expected to attract a bigger crowd with some well-known European F&B exhibitors and hospitality providers, said the organising board, adding that it would also help raise public awareness of protecting a clean and green Hanoi.

The festival will also include numerous cultural and art activities such as performances by DJ Bruno from the Blue Glasses Experiment and The Van Ho Ba music group, among other entertainments.

(Source: VNA)

The National Tourism Year 2010 will be held in Hanoi along with many activities to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the capital city.

The event will be an opportunity for Hanoi’s tourist industry to increase its profile and become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region and the world.

In preparation for the event, Hanoi’s tourist industry has introduced a number of new tours and special tourist products and will put on more events to attract more tourists throughout the year.

(Source: VOV)

“Quang Nam – Heritage Journey” Festival 2009 will take place in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province from June 4 to 7, 2009 with many special programmes.

Song Hoai Square: “Painters and Hoi An Old Quarter” fine art festival; “Prize-winning works about Hoi An” photographs exhibition; “Vietnamese eyes – Vietnamese smiles” exhibition for competition photos

Old house – 46 Nguyen Thai Hoc St: The movie week on Hoi An; “Hoi An Landscape” photographs exhibition; “Chu Dau Pottery” exhibition

An Hoi Sculpture Park: “Hoi An – in a Ha Noi artist’s heart” photographs exhibition

In additional, “Quang Nam – Heritage Journey” Festival 2009 also has promotional activities and special tours to meet tourists’ demand

(Source: TITC)

The resort town of Sa Pa, in northern mountainous Lao Cai Province, will host a Culture – Tourism Week from April 30 to May 3 in a move to attract more visitors.

The week will bring together a wide range of activities highlighting rich and distinctive aspects of the province’s diverse ethnic cultures, including an art exhibition entitled “Colours of mountainous areas,” a gastronomy fair featuring the Muong ethnic group’s cuisine, and an orchid fair.

Festivals depicting traditional festivities celebrated by local ethnic people, the cultural lifestyles and sports of the minorities will be highlights during the event.

In particular, the Sa Pa love market will be restaged as part of the week as local authorities are fearing that this unique and traditional event will be lost to commercialisation.

Throughout its history, Sa Pa’s downtown market opened on Saturday night as a destination for young, single Hmong, Dao, Tay and Ray ethnic minorities in the surrounding areas to go and seek their true love.

Those already married also seldom missed the event, as it offered them an opportunity to revisit old flames and relive the experience of young love.

In the evening, the love market would fill with tenderly bewitching music from the romantic leaf-horn, and with people from all around the area dressed in their finest garb.

Sa Pa is now regarded as one of Vietnam’s top vacation and relaxation destinations, sought out by both locals and foreigners alike. In 2008, it welcomed more than 285,000 tourists.

Local officials said they expect to welcome at least 10,000 tourists during this occasion as many hotels have reported reservations.

Home-stay will also be a good choice for holidaymakers, they noted.

(Source: VNA)

Khanh Hoa Province is gearing up the Nha Trang Sea Festival, which will run from June 6-12 with the theme Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) – Civilisation and Friendship.

A host of activities will mark the run up to the event, starting with a musical show on May 19 to commemorate the birthday of late President Ho Chi Minh.

During the rest of the month, other performances will be held to herald the fest, including a show by ethnic children in Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and Ninh Thuan provinces. An official campaign to clean up local beaches and an exhibition of metal work will also be held.

A grand fireworks display will announce the opening of the festival with musical performances sponsored by VinaCapital.

The seven-day programme includes 70 different events in culture, art, sports, economics and science.

Folk culture will also get a special mention, with the Cau Ngu Festival (fish worshipping ceremony) and Cham performances.

There will be coracle racing, an exhibition of calligraphy, art kite launching and a sand sculpture contest.

Organisers are also intending to break several national records, including the largest folk orchestra in Vietnam, the biggest wifi cafe at the seaside, the longest piece of embroidery work and the largest pho (noodle soup) bowl in Vietnam.

This year’s festival will feature a broad range of culture, sports and tourism activities, including street festivals, exhibitions of books, photos and calligraphy, French film screening, art performances and water sports competitions.

The fest has drawn art troupes from France, Ukraine, Japan and the RoK. The organising board will also invite beauty queens from the 29 countries with the most beautiful bays in the world to attend the festival. Other highlights include a national conference on urban planning, a beach football tournament, an international book fair and a joint Vietnam-RoK concert.

Nha Trang is one of the most important tourist hubs of Vietnam, thanks to its white beaches, clear ocean water and year-round mild temperatures.

The Sea Festival is held in Nha Trang City every two years. In 2007, around 250,000 tourists attended, according to the organising board.

(Source: VNA)

The Do Son Tourist Festival 2009 will run from April 30 to May 3 at the Do Son tourist site, Hai Phong City.

This is the fourth consecutive year Do Son District has held the festival at the start of the tourism season and is hoping to attract over 2 million visitors.

This year activities will include a traditional buffalo fighting, a dragon boat race, a women water volleyball competition and a golf tournament at the newly-established Do Son Seaside Golf Resort.

Do Son is gradually improving its tourist services to make it become better known as an impressive venue for national and international seminars, conferences and other important events.

(Source: VOV)

Vietnam’s sea tourism potential will be under the spotlight at a festival scheduled to take place in Paris from April 28-29.

The festival, the first of its kind in France, will be jointly organised by Vietnam Airlines and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and aims to introduce the country’s premier landmarks and tourist sites to foreigners, and realise the government’s goal to maintain economic growth, stimulate demand, and boost consumption and service exports.

Twenty-five tourism management agencies from sea tourism-rich provinces and cities, such as Khanh Hoa and Danang, will join leading hotel, travel and coastal resort businesses at the festival.

The France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and hundreds of investors and travel agencies from France and other European countries are expected to attend the event.

Local visitors will have the opportunity to better understand the traditional culture, land and people of Vietnam through a variety of performances, exhibitions and handicraft product displays, as well as activities featuring the daily life of coastal residents.

The festival is an invaluable opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to seek European partners, and particularly for BIDV to cooperate with the leading financial institutions of France and Europe

BIDV will host a seminar calling for investment in tourism projects in Vietnam. The bank has arranged more than USD2 billion for nearly 20 projects in popular coastal cities around the country, including Danang, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, Haiphong and Quang Ninh.

Vietnam Airlines General Director Pham Ngoc Minh says the event will help promote Vietnam to the European community, thereby increasing investment efficiency and the number of visitors to Vietnam.

In early February, Vietnam Airlines participated in the annual Brussels Tourism Fair in Belgium, where experts forecast that Asia, and Vietnam in particular, remain attractive destinations for European travelers.

The festival “Vietnamese Craft Village 2009” will take place from March 24-29, 2009 at 29/3 Park in the central city of Da Nang, gathering 60 typical craft villages in Vietnam.

The festival will be divided into specific areas, including an area for craft villages and area for food.

The zone for craft villages will display traditional products of famous craft villages in Vietnam, such as stone-made fine-art products from Non Nuoc village in Da Nang, sedge mats from Cam Ne village, fish nets from Tho Quang village, pottery products from the villages of Bat Trang, Chu Dau and Bau Truc, bronze-made products from Phuoc Kieu and Phu Xuan villages, lacquer products from Thach That, Thu Dau Mot, wood products from Dong Ky, Kim Bong and Tien Son, silk from Van Phuc and Ma Chau, rattan and bamboo-made products from Ha Nam and Tra Vinh, brocade from Dong Giang and northwestern provinces, folk paintings from Dong Ho and Sinh villages, palm-leaf conical hats from Chuong, Go Gang, ornamental trees from Nam Dinh, horn-made products from Ha Nam province.

Traditional cuisines will be introduced in the area for food. Visitors will be able to taste wine from Van village, sesame cakes from Cam Le village, me xung from Hue, coconut girdle cakes from Binh Dinh province, coconut candy from Ben Tre, fried shrimp paste from Sa Dec, fish from Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, noodles from Nam Dinh, vermicelli and beef from Hue, steamed rolled rice pancakes from Thanh Tri village, etc.

The most special feature at the festival will be the performances of artisans who will make pottery, carve wood, cast bronze, weave silk, etc. on the spot.

A workshop entitled “Each village a trade” will be held by the Association of Vietnamese Craft Villages.

(Source: VNN)