Travel agency launches new river tours

Saigontourist Travel Co has rolled out seven new river tours on the Sai Gon and Dong Nai.

They will depart daily from Bach Dang Pier, and tourists can choose from seven destinations – Dong Tay Highway, Binh Quoi, Cu Chi Tunnels, Can Gio, Vam Sat Tourism Centre, orchards in Long Phuoc Ward in District 9, and Phu My Hung New Urban Area in District 7.

Food will be serve on board.

Press seek S Korea travel tips

A group of 13 Vietnamese photographers and travel reporters next week will visit many of South Korea's travel destinations.

Organised by the Korea Tourism Organisation and the Vietnamese magazine Travellive, the seven-day tour aims to offer fresh travel experiences to the visitors.

Well-known photographers Thai Phien, Tran Viet Duc, Xuan Binh are among the members of the tour.

Entitled Amazing Photo Tour, the journey will visit South Korea's second largest metropolis, Busan, and Ulsan seaside city, known for its whaling heritage and as the country's industrial hub. The tour will also visit the UNESCO World Heritage Jeju Island.

An exhibition showcasing the photos made during the trip will open to public from July 19 at the Sheraton Ha Noi Hotel.

Cham Island hosts 31,000 visitors

Cu Lao Cham Island has attracted 31,000 visitors, including 12,000 foreigners, since the start of the year.

Cu Lao Cham Island. (Source: Internet)

This is double the figure for the same period last year.

The island, recognised as a world biosphere reserve, received 105,000 tourists last year who brought in total revenue of VND30 billion (US$1.4 million).

Bach Ma Park woos trekkers

The National Bach Ma Park in Thua Thien-Hue Province has upgraded infrastructure to make exploration tours easier.

A 20km road has been widened to two lanes for 30-seat vehicles.

The park has also opened an entertainment centre and trekking routes.

The park, 60km south to Hue city, hosts about 300 visitors every weekend.

Volunteers to assist foreign tourists

The Communist Youth Union in HCM City has unveiled a plan to train young volunteers to assist foreign tourists to the city.

The volunteers will be young people with good command of foreign languages who can guide visitors, especially in District 1 where most foreign tourists converge.

The volunteers will be mainly based in three locations – the junctions of Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham streets and De Tham and Bui Vien streets, and in front of the Army Command Station on De Tham Street.

Russians request longer free visas

Anh Duong Co has called for doubling the visa-free stay for Russians to one month to attract more tourists from that country, especially those looking for long vacations.

Mikhail Simonov, general director of Anh Duong, a tourist firm bringing Russian visitors to Viet Nam, made the proposal at a conference on developing tourism products in central coastal provinces held last Sunday within the framework of the 2013 Nha Trang Sea Festival.

The number of Russian tourists coming to Viet Nam grew strongly last year to 174,000, a 71 per cent rise from 2011.

In the first five months of this year, despite a decline in the number of arrivals from other markets, the number of Russian visitors has continued to rise, jumping by 57.8 per cent year-on-year to nearly 137,000.

Source: VNS