Vietnam Breaking News

Jetstar Pacific launches Hai Phong-Quang Binh route

Jetstar Pacific launches Hai Phong-Quang Binh route
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<p class="wp-caption-text">A Jetstar airplane (Photo courtesy of Jetstar)</p>
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Hanoi (VNA)</strong> – Travel from the northern port city of Hai Phong and Dong Hoi in central Quang Binh province will become much easier when the low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacfic launch its flight on the route from April 29.
<p>Accordingly, three round-trip flights will be operated a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with flight duration of one hour, using 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft, the carrier announced on March 30.</p>
<p>The flight from Hai Phong will depart at 17:35 and the return leg at 19:10.</p>
<p>In celebration of the new route, the airline is offering promotional fares priced from only 40,000 VND (1.76 USD). The promotion is applicable from 11:00-24:00 on March 30.</p>
<p>The tickets are available on www.jetstar.com for flights between September 11 and October 29, 2017.</p>
<p>The opening of Hai Phong-Dong Hoi air route is part of a tourism development cooperation programme between Jetstar Pacific, Hai Phong city and Quang Binh province. It is also part of the dual-brand strategy between the carrier and Vietnam Airlines to enlarge the flight network, meeting demands from customers and stimulating tourism growth.</p>
<p>Quang Binh province is home to a line-up of stunning landscapes, which have drawn increasing attraction from both domestic and foreign holiday-makers. Meanwhile, Hai Phong is one of the significant economic centres in the north with huge potentials for tourism development.</p>
<p>On the occasion, cheap tickets on domestic and international routes are provided from 88,000 VND (3.86 USD) to 348,000 VND (15.28 USD), depending on different routes.</p>
<p>The Hai Phong-Dong Hoi route is the 40th of Jetstar Pacific’s flight network, which is linked with the network operated by Jetstar Group connecting 80 destinations in 17 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.</p>
<p>Jetstar Pacific is a member of the Jetstar Group. It has two major shareholders: Vietnam Airlines and Qantas of Australia.-VNA</p>
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Jetstar Pacific launches Hai Phong-Quang Binh route Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/2nyKfS3" width="200" /><br />

Jetstar Pacific launches Hai Phong-Quang Binh route

Jetstar Pacific launches Hai Phong-Quang Binh route A Jetstar airplane (Photo courtesy of Jetstar) Hanoi (VNA) – Travel from the northe...

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A move to boost VN-JP tourism exchanges

A move to boost VN-JP tourism exchanges
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<p>At the opening ceremony, the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the JNTO inked a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance destination promotion and visitor exchange; and share experience and information on areas of mutual interest.</p>
<p>Speaking at the event, VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuan noted that tourism co-operation between the two countries has gained considerable results in the past years with an average increase of 9% per year in the number of Japanese visitors to Vietnam in the 2010-2016 period.</p>
<p>Last year, the country welcomed 740,000 Japanese visitors, up 10% compared to 2015 while about 233,000 Vietnamese visitors travelled to Japan, up 26% over 2015, he said.</p>
<p>The launching of a Japanese tourism representative office in Viet Nam will contribute to promoting the exchange of visitors between the two countries with an expected 1.5 million visitors each year, Tuan added.</p>
<p>Takahashi Ayumi is head of the JNTO representative office in Viet Nam which will carry out a tourism stimulus policy to promote Vietnamese tourists to travel to Japan as well as assisting Vietnamese travel companies in organising tours to Japan.</p>
<p>The office is scheduled to join the 2017 Viet Nam International Travel Mart from April 6-9.</p>
<p><strong>By Vien Nhu</strong></p>
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A move to boost VN-JP tourism exchanges Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/2nyVpX6" width="200" /><br />

A move to boost VN-JP tourism exchanges

A move to boost VN-JP tourism exchanges At the opening ceremony, the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the JNTO ...

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Breaking trans barriers one barbell at a time in Vietnam

Breaking trans barriers one barbell at a time in Vietnam
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<p class="wp-caption-text">This picture taken on February 19, 2017 shows Kendy Nguyen posing in front of a mirror at a gym in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam</p>
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<p>It feels strange, but bodybuilder Kendy Nguyen must sometimes strap a bikini top over his rock-hard pecs and pretend he is once again a woman.</p>
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<p>Kendy’s not happy about the official rules that force him to compete with other women, but it’s a small price to pay to live the rest of his life as a man, says Vietnam’s first openly transgender competitive bodybuilder.</p>
<p>“It’s weird to wear the uniform during competition, I don’t really like it, but because (bodybuilding) is my passion, I accept it,” said 28-year-old Kendy, wearing a black sleeveless shirt showing off his bulging biceps.</p>
<p>With more than 6,000 Facebook followers, an outspoken nature and Adonis-like physique, Kendy is breaking transgender barriers in Vietnam.</p>
<p>He’s also changing what it means to be a male bodybuilder in a world awash with body oil, fake tans and protruding muscle veins, typically thought of as a boys club for only the most macho of men.</p>
<p>“I want to be a role model for transgender people, specifically female-to-male,” Kendy told <em>AFP</em>, after busting out a quick workout at his local gym in Ho Chi Minh City.</p>
<p>“They have a lot of difficulties coming out to their families, and I want them to see themselves in a positive way by going to the gym.”</p>
<p>He speaks from experience.</p>
<p>His parents rejected him when they found out he was trans, and they barely talk today.</p>
<p>Kendy fell into bodybuilding through some friends at the hotel where he worked after injuring himself doing karate.</p>
<p>His physical transformation accompanied his emotional transition, and he now trains six days a week — twice a day when preparing for a competition.</p>
<p>He’s raked in dozens of medals since he started competing in 2012, including a silver and a gold at last year’s national championship.</p>
<p>But he insists he doesn’t have an unfair advantage over the women he must compete with according to the organizers’ strict rules.</p>
<p>“In bodybuilding, using hormones is normal for men and women, everyone uses them,” he said.</p>
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<td><img alt="This picture taken on February 19, 2017 shows Kendy Nguyen (R) talking with two women during a training session at a gym in Ho Chi Minh City." src="http://bit.ly/2odUmia" width="500" /></td>
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<p>This picture taken on February 19, 2017 shows Kendy Nguyen (R) talking with two women during a training session at a gym in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam</p>
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<p><strong>Looking up to Schwarzenegger</strong></p>
<p>The Vietnam Sports Administration officially bans any hormone use as doping, but admits it is hard to control, and said in the absence of any regulations on trans competitors Kendy has to compete according to his legal gender at birth.</p>
<p>“If Kendy legally changes his identity, then he could compete with men,” said Do Dinh Khang, head of weightlifting and bodybuilding at the organization.</p>
<p>The Vietnamese government is drafting a landmark law that could allow some trans people to legally change their gender, but it’s not yet clear who will be eligible.</p>
<p>Kendy said he’s not ready to have sex-reassignment surgery, currently not available in Vietnam.</p>
<p>It’s also not clear whether the law — which will take at least two years to pass — will allow him to change his gender if he doesn’t have the surgery.</p>
<p>Kendy isn’t the first trans role model in Vietnam, where Nguyen Huong Giang shot to stardom on the ultra-popular Vietnam Idol — one of several well-known trans singers in the country.</p>
<p>But female-to-male celebrities are not as well-known as their ultra-feminine counterparts, and there are few role models outside the entertainment industry.</p>
<p>“Kendy has proven that trans people have the freedom to choose their jobs like everybody else,” said Luong The Huy, LGBT rights program manager at the non-profit institute iSEE.</p>
<p>Kendy said he had few people to look up to while he was growing up trans in Vietnam, but doesn’t hesitate when asked who his idol is today.</p>
<p>“Arnold Schwarzenegger,” he said, flashing a broad smile.</p>
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<div>Related News:
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<li><a href="http://bit.ly/2lpOJJR">Vietnamese law to recognize transgender people in 2017</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bit.ly/2odGODE">Travel sector zooms in on lucrative gay market</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bit.ly/2ny9nIQ">Saigon boarding school says no to homosexual students</a></li>
<li><a href="http://bit.ly/2odRfH7">Lesbian stories revealed at Hanoi art exhibition</a></li>
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Breaking trans barriers one barbell at a time in Vietnam Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/2nyr3E0" width="200" /><br />

Breaking trans barriers one barbell at a time in Vietnam

Breaking trans barriers one barbell at a time in Vietnam This picture taken on February 19, 2017 shows Kendy Nguyen posing in front of a mi...

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Quang Ninh sets new sightseeing fees in Ha Long Bay

Quang Ninh sets new sightseeing fees in Ha Long Bay
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<p class="wp-caption-text">Illustrative image (Source: VNA)</p>
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<strong>Quang Ninh (VNA)</strong> – The northern province of Quang Ninh has set new sightseeing fees in Ha Long Bay, to be applied from April 1, while abolishing the kayak service in the bay.
<p>According to Decision No. 4278/2016/QD-UBND issued by the provincial People’s Committee, the new fees for five sightseeing routes in Ha Long and Bai Tu Long Bays will range between 200,000 – 250,000 VND ( 9-11 USD) per route.</p>
<p>Previously, visitors had to pay an entrance fee of 120,000 VND and additional fees for each single site they visited, ranging from 30,000 – 50,000 VND for one site.</p>
<p>The fees for boat transport and overnight accommodation services in Ha Long Bay will range between 500,000 – 750,000 VND ( 22 – 33 USD) per person, doubling the old levels of 200,000 – 350,000 – 400,000 VND for one, two, and three nights, respectively.</p>
<p>Meanwhile on March 29, the Ha Long City issued a document on ending kayak boat services on Ha Long Bay from April 1.</p>
<p>According to local authorities, this kind of service has quickly developed while the service prices are not listed and service providers tend to overcharge, which may affect the reputation of Ha Long Bay.-VNA</p>
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Quang Ninh sets new sightseeing fees in Ha Long Bay Related image(s)<br />
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Quang Ninh sets new sightseeing fees in Ha Long Bay

Quang Ninh sets new sightseeing fees in Ha Long Bay Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northern province of Quang ...

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Number of Vietnam’s foreign tourists continues to exceed 1 million arrivals

Number of Vietnam’s foreign tourists continues to exceed 1 million arrivals
<div><i>The Hanoitimes</i> – In March alone, Vietnam received more than 1 million international visitiors, up over 21% compared to the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office.</div>
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<div>According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the Northeast Asian market was down 20% against from February, tourists from China decreased 26.2% (297,915 arrivals), while visitors from Japan rose 13.7% (reaching 71,917 arrivals).<br />
The ASEAN market increased by 5.7% compared to last month, of which the strongest growth was Singapore with 29.9% (22,991 arrivals), and Malaysia with 9.5% (42,150 arrivals). The European markets fell by 6.8% against February: Russia reduced by 3.5% to 57,407 arrivals, the UK fell 10.4% to 24,061, and France increased by 0.8%, reaching 26,739 visitors.<br />
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<td><img alt="Foreign tourists visit walking streets around the Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi city. Photo by Hong Hanh." src="http://bit.ly/2nywqmR" />
<div>Foreign tourists visit walking streets around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi city. Photo by Hong Hanh.</div>
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<p>The Americas and Oceania markets were down 20% against February, with the United States down 23% (48,888 arrivals), Canada down 22% (13,762 arrivals). Other groups fell by 2.5% compared to last month.<br />
The tourist arrivals are forecasted to increase in the next month, according to the VNAT.<br />
Over 3.2 million foreign tourists visited Vietnam in the first three months of 2017, representing a year-on-year increase of 29 percent.<br />
The rise is a good signal, laying a foundation for the tourism sector to realise its goal of receiving 11.5 million foreign holidaymakers and serving 66 million domestic visitors, earning total revenue of 460 trillion VND (around 20.5 billion USD) from tourism activities in 2017.<br />
The estimated number of domestic tourists in the first quarter of this year reached 22.2 million arrivals, and the tourism revenue is estimated at 131.9 trillion VND, up 20.85% over the same period in 2016.<br />
Since earlythe beginning of 2017, Vietnam’s tourism sector has actively joined tourism promotion and cooperation activities abroad, including the ASEAN–China Tourism Cooperation Year 2017 in the Philippines from March 15-17. The event was expected to enhance tourism flows and people-to-people exchange between the two sides.<br />
In addition, in March, Vietnam participated in the Moscow International Travel and Tourism Fair (MITT), one of the five biggest tourism fairs in the world, which attracted the participation of nearly 2,000 travel companies from 158 countries and territories worldwide.<br />
During the fair, Vietnam introduced attractive tourism destinations and forms, and activities in the National Tourism Year 2017 and updated information related to tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Russia as well as new, specific tourism products for the Russian market.</p>
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<div>Translated by Minh Hong</div>
<div>Source: Hong Hanh-kinhtedothi.vn</div>
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Number of Vietnam’s foreign tourists continues to exceed 1 million arrivals Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/2nywqmR" width="200" /><br />

Number of Vietnam’s foreign tourists continues to exceed 1 million arrivals

Number of Vietnam’s foreign tourists continues to exceed 1 million arrivals The Hanoitimes – In March alone, Vietnam received more than 1 m...

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Famous dining spots in HCM City

Famous dining spots in HCM City
<p><em>HCMC, the country’s most vibrant economic center, has won the hearts of many visitors, including those from abroad, thanks to an abundance of dining venues where food lovers can enjoy tasty dishes of different areas of the country.</em></p>
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<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img alt="A dim sum dish which costs VND45,000 to VND50,000 and can be found on Ha Ton Quyen Street in District 11, HCMC" src="http://bit.ly/2nlzEZH" title="A dim sum dish which costs VND45,000 to VND50,000 and can be found on Ha Ton Quyen Street in District 11, HCMC" />
<p class="wp-caption-text">A dim sum dish which costs VND45,000 to VND50,000 and can be found on Ha Ton Quyen Street in District 11, HCMC</p>
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<p>Dim sum lovers are recommended to drop by Ha Ton Quyen Street in District 11 in Cho Lon area where many Vietnamese of Chinese descent are residing.</p>
<p>Authentic Chinese dim sum can be found at a lot of eateries.</p>
<p>Guests who come there for the first time, especially at night or weekends, may be captivated by the busy and noisy atmosphere of what is like a pre-Tet (Lunar New Year) night market.</p>
<p>Those who love Thai-style sweet soups should come to Nguyen Tri Phuong Street in District 10 where there are a slew of shops including Y Phuong, Coco5 Thai street food, and Nguyet Hy.</p>
<p>Lying next to the busy Tan Dinh Market in District 1, Nguyen Huu Cau Street could be an ideal gathering place for fans of Hue-style dishes such as banh beo (steamed round and flat rice cakes), banh nam (flat rice dumpling with pork wrapped in banana leaf) and banh bot loc (cassava flour cake stuffed with shrimp), bun bo Hue (Hue-style beef vermicelli soup), and banh canh Nam Pho (rice noodle soup).</p>
<p>Hong Ha in Tan Binh District is famous for selling specialties of northern Vietnam such as bun dau mam tom (fried tofu and fresh rice vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste), bun oc (noodles with snails, bun cha (vermicelli served with fried pork dipped in fish sauce), and banh da cua (pancake soup served with crab).</p>
<p>On Nguyen Canh Chan Street in District 1, different kinds of fruit are served.</p>
<p>Customers can order a combination of fresh fruits such as dragon fruit, papaya, mango, and watermelon plus yogurt, fresh milk, and shaved ice. It is a great treat for those people who want to cool themselves in a hot day.</p>
<p><em>SGT</em></p>
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Famous dining spots in HCM City Related image(s)<br />
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Famous dining spots in HCM City

Famous dining spots in HCM City HCMC, the country’s most vibrant economic center, has won the hearts of many visitors, including those from ...

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Over 600 tourism enterprises to join VN International Travel Mart in April

Over 600 tourism enterprises to join VN International Travel Mart in April
<p><em>Hundreds of enterprises and tourism authorities from 25 countries and territories will join with Vietnam at the 5th Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM Hanoi 2017) in Hanoi.</em></p>
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<div><em><img alt="Over 600 tourism enterprises to join VN International Travel Mart in April, travel news, Vietnam guide, Vietnam airlines, Vietnam tour, tour Vietnam, Hanoi, ho chi minh city, Saigon, travelling to Vietnam, Vietnam travelling, Vietnam travel, vn news" src="http://bit.ly/2mREj9S" /></em></div>
<div><em>Vietnam International Travel Mart 2016</em></div>
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<p>The event was recently introduced by the Vietnam Tourism Association, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Hanoi’s Department of Tourism.</p>
<p>Vu The Binh, vice chair of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that VITM Hanoi 2017 will be titled Hanoi – The destination of Vietnam which focuses on promoting tourism for the capital city.</p>
<p>“As the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi has been an important destination in the country as well as in the region,” Binh explained.</p>
<p>“The city has recently seen a robust development in tourism industry”.</p>
<p>According to the organisers the travel mart is expected to attract about 450 booths of 652 tourism enterprises, tourism authorities from 43 provinces, cities of Vietnam and 25 countries.</p>
<p>VITM Hanoi 2017 will host B2B meeting where the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents will sign a co-operation agreement with the American Society of Travel Agents.</p>
<p>VITM 2017 also aims to boost inbound, outbound and domestic tourism through activities of direct sales; product and destination presentations.</p>
<p>The tourism promotion programmes at the mart are also expected to attract many visitors with about 45,000 airline tickets and 15,000 promotional tours with special discounts.</p>
<p>About 20 conferences, workshops, and meetings on tourism products and services in different localities, new regulations and policies on Vietnam’s tourism industry, and preservation activities, will also be organised during this time.</p>
<p>One of the highlights of the event is the International Street Food Festival held for the first time.</p>
<p>The festival will have the participations of dozens of domestic and international famous chefs with the purpose of promoting street food of Vietnam and bringing visitors unique street food experiences of Vietnam and some countries in the region.</p>
<p>During the travel mart, various cultural and art performances will be introduced to visitors.</p>
<p>VITM 2017 will take place from April 6-9 at Hanoi International Centre for Exhibition at 91 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District.</p>
<p><em>Dtinews</em></p>
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Over 600 tourism enterprises to join VN International Travel Mart in April Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/2mREj9S" width="200" /><br />

Over 600 tourism enterprises to join VN International Travel Mart in April

Over 600 tourism enterprises to join VN International Travel Mart in April Hundreds of enterprises and tourism authorities from 25 countries...

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