More visitors wait for Son Doong exploration trips
Category Archives:Travel Information
More visitors wait for Son Doong exploration trips
Only 164 people visited the natural masterpiece, Son Doong cave, located in the heart of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, a UNESCO-recognised nature heritage site, in the first half of this year.
Managers said the figure is still modest in comparison with visitors’ demand, however it generated a revenue of nearly 10 billion VND (nearly 470,000 USD) for central Quang Binh province, the host locality of the cave.
Many people who have booked the tour, which is sold online only, said they are still waiting for their turn to explore the cave, which is described as the largest in the world.
Nguyen Van Ky, vice director of the Quang Binh Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, revealed that only four trips, each having eight people, were organised a month as the tour is still on a trial basis.
The province plans to review the tour’s efficiency, including its cost, in August this year in a bid to make the optimal plans for future exploratory activities. During the trial period, each seven-day-and-six-night tour costs a visitor 3,000 USD.
Recently, the cave welcomed Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Quang Binh opened Son Doong Cave in 2013, instantly catapulting it onto the bucket lists of travellers around the world.
The cave’s entrance was first discovered by a local man in 1991, and was further explored by a group of cavers from the British Cave Research Association in 2009. This was the third cave to be discovered in the central province – an expansive karst area buried deep in the jungle.
The cave is said to have been created two to five million years ago with river water eroding the limestone underneath the mountain. It is also described as having enough space to house 40-storey skyscrapers and 100-feet-tall trees.
Son Doong has a length of at least 6.5 kilometres and is estimated to be 200 metres in width and at least 150 metres in height, while its very largest chamber is an incredible 250 metres in height, enough space to accommodate 40-storey skyscrapers.
Cave tourism has recently turned Quang Binh into a hot spot for visitors from around the world.
Source: VNA
Category Archives:Travel Information
Trang An recognised as world heritage site
The Trang An Tourism Complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh was officially included in the world heritage list on June 23 by the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, said the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
With the acknowledgement, the Trang An complex has become Viet Nam’s 8th cultural and natural heritage site recognised by the UNESCO.
The recognition is based on the principles of the Convention on the Protection of World Culture and Natural Heritages including cultural, aesthetical, and geological-geomorphic values and the preservation of heritage.
Covering an area of nearly 2,000 hectares, Trang An consists of three conjunctional sites: the Hoa Lu ancient citadel, Trang An-Tam Coc-Bich Dong natural scenic site, and the Hoa Lu primeval forest. The complex is often called Viet Nam’s Ha Long Bay on land.
The turbulent movement of earth crust of hundreds of million years ago has endowed Ninh Binh with a unique nature of labyrinth of cave, mountain, lake, and historical relics.
The site boasts 47 historical relics with numerous caves inside stunning limestone karst mountain ranges. The lyric and picturesque landscape of Trang An is a harmonic combination of mountain, valley, and system of lakes.
Trang An features various caves that have undergone impacts of time and weather, decorating with unique shape of stalactites and stalagmites. The system of interconnected cave comprises 30 valleys, each is a amazing picture of mountains, rivers and nature in general.
Not only serving as a cradle of civilisation of ancient Vietnamese, Trang An also used to house the first capital of the Vietnamese feudal and independent state, Hoa Lu, more than 1,000 years ago. Its rugged landscape provided a favourable location for a secure and easily defended citadel.
Moreover, Trang An owns diverse ecological system. It is surrounded by primary forests with variety of floral and fauna systems including 310 types of tracheophyta, many kinds of fungi, moss and algae, some rare trees like Dalbergia tonkinensis, Chukrasia tabularis, Burretiodendron hsienmu, over 30 animals, 50 types of birds, reptiles, especially rare animals like Capricornis sumatraensis, Neofelis nebulosa, white chest gibbon, Buceros bicornis.
Source: VNA
Category Archives:Travel Information
Admiring Hoang Su Phi terraced fields in rainy season
Tourists may have been once suggested to visit Hoang Su Phi in the harvest season in autumn to admire the endless glistening yellowish color of terraced rice fields. However, in June when the rainy season has come, excursionists are advised to prepare their packs and rush to Ha Giang Province to see another beautiful view of Hoang Su Phi.
Hoang Su Phi, about 110 kilometers from Ha Giang City, is best known for the terraced fields in six villages: Luoc, San Sa Ho, Phung, Ho Thau, Nam Ty and Thong Nguyen. With a long history, these terraced fields are the fruit of the non-stop, creative labor of La Chi, Dao and Nung ethnic groups. A visit to these terraced fields not only offers scenic landscapes, but also further insight into the local agricultural practice.
A large number of both local and international travelers have come to the site to satisfy their eyes with stunning landscapes. Hoang Su Phi is also a place inspiring artists and photographers to make colorful paintings and best snapshots.
In June, Hoang Su Phi looks graceful with thousands of terraced rice fields unwinding evenly and running through mountain walls under clouds. The surroundings create a giant perfect painting which seems to be made by the Creator rather than by the small hands of ethnic people.
Since being recognized as a national heritage site in 2012, Hoang Su Phi terraced rice fields are more and more well-known among both local and international tourists.
Source: Vn Tourism
Category Archives:Travel Information
Ha Noi in top five budget-friendly cities globally
Ha Noi has been cited as one of the top five most budget-friendly destinations for a short getaway excursion for two people, according to a recent survey by TripAdvisor – the world’s largest tourism website.
TripAdvisor conducted a survey of 67 cities from around the globe, with criteria for rankings based on the typical costs for two people touring and staying one night at a five-star hotel together with dinner, cocktails, a bottle of wine, and two taxi fares.
Rounding out the top five list are Jakarta (Indonesia), Mumbai (India), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
London topped the list as the worlds’ most expensive city, followed by Paris (France), New York (the US), Stockholm (Sweden), and Oslo (Norway).
Source VOV
Category Archives:Travel Information
VietJet Air to launch Can Tho-Da Nang route
Viet Nam’s VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company (VietJet Air) will open a new route connecting the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho and central Da Nang city on July 15.
The route will operate three round flights per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tickets will be sold next week.
At a June 12 meeting in Can Tho city, local travel agencies said that tourists using the newly-operated flights will enjoy a discount of 40-50 percent on accommodation cost and several services.
Nguyen Khanh Tung, Director of the Can Tho Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Centre, asked local companies and restaurants to better their services as well as speed up the goods exchange between the two cities by taking full advantage of the direct flights.
Last year, the airline transported more than 4.3 million passengers, accounting for about 26 percent of the domestic market share.
