Vietnam warmly greets the fifth million international visitor

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) on December 24 held a ceremony to welcome the fifth million foreign visitor to Vietnam in 2010, at Noi Bai International Airport.

The fifth million foreign visitor to Vietnam

Zhou Ying, a Chinese auditor, who flew into Vietnam on flight VN901, from Beijing to Ha Noi, was the lucky visitor. The VNAT also offered a tour for two people from Hue to Hoi An, to the fifth million foreign visitor - Zhou Ying.

Nguyen Van Tuan, the general director of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said five million is the highest number they have had in 20 years. It also proven that Vietnam has become one of the top destinations in the ASEAN region. This is because of its image as a safe and friendly destination.

The tourism industry sector also offered gifts and campaign medal to the 4,999,999th foreign visitor – a Chinese visitor and the 5,000,001 – also a Chinese visitor. All the lucky visitors flew into Vietnam on flight VN901, from Beijing to Hanoi.

ACTIVE TRAVEL VIETNAM UPDATES DISCOUNT POLICIES FOR LOYAL TRAVELERS 2011

Active Travel Vietnam ( www.activetravelvietnam.com ) has updated discount policies for travelers who plan to travel Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. ATV also offers special discount for loyal travelers and their relatives or friends in 2011

Book a private tour or more and take the advantage of our discounts to save the money. Get discount when travelers travel with their family and friends, get discount when travelers book more than one tour at the same time... Travelers can save up to 10% or more. Enjoy our discount now!

Kayaking tour in Halong Bay, Vietnam

Travel with Family and Friends and save money

6 or more – Save 3%: If a group of 5-8 people travels together, a discount of 3% per person applies to the LAND-only portion of their tour. So it pays to get together with their family and friends!

9 or more: If 9 or more people travel together, ATV offers attractive group discounts based on how many people travel. In a group of 9 passengers, 1 traveler qualifies for a 50% discount off the LAND-only portion of the tour. In a group of 16 passengers, 1 traveler qualifies for 100% discount off the LAND-only portion of the tour.

Christmas spirit stretching across Vietnam

The exciting atmosphere of Christmas has filled the streets from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City with striking colours and decorations.

In Ho Chi Minh City, major streets such as Dong Khoi, Hai Ba Trung, Le Loi, Nguyen Hue, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Tran Hung Dao were covered with lights and Merry Christmas decorations.

Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

Saigon Tax Trade Centre, which attracts many visitors on holidays and festivals, has been decorated with distinguished features of different countries such as France, Egypt, Italy and Vietnam.

Hoang Thi Kim Xuyen in District 1, who was taking her children to walk around the streets shared, “Christmas this year, the decoration style of hotels are simple but extremely meaningful. Coming here, my children can play and also learn about specific characteristics of countries around the world.”

Not only locals but also international tourists are interested to see images displayed in Vietnamese hotels and streets during the Christmas holiday season. Mr. Ambrey, a French traveler said, “I can not imagine that I can see images of my country here. Watching the Christmas scenery in Vietnam makes me miss my hometown and family.”

Ha Long Bay, Con Dao Islands among best tourist destinations

Two of Vietnam’s coastal destinations have been listed among the world’s ten most outstanding tourist destinations by Lonely Planet Magazine, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Ha Long Bay, in the northern province of Quang Ninh, has made it onto the list of the 10 most outstanding coastal destinations.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

About 500 ships ply the waters of Ha Long Bay, designated as the World Heritage site in 1994, carrying millions of tourists every year, according to the VNAT.

Quang Ninh has attracted 5.3 million visitors so far this year, 2.5 million of whom visited Ha Long Bay.

Adventure hike in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam

Only 170 kilometers from HCMC, Cat Tien is an ideal piece of the wild for an Vietnam adventure trip.


At more than 71,000 hectares, Cat Tien National Park has plenty of untamed places that are off the beaten track.

Hiking or biking are the best ways to travel on the forest tracks. The park has important conservation value because of the rainforest, mountains, river and rich biodiversity that attracts thousands of tourists and scientists from all over the world.

Instead of risking it alone, the team at Vietnam Adventure, organizes hiking and biking trips into the Cat Tien jungle with a back-up crew to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Catch the bus from HCMC in the afternoon to the national park in Tan Phu Commune, Dong Nai Province, arriving in plenty of time for a good night’s sleep in accommodation at the park headquarters. The hike starts early the next day to avoid the mid-day heat and jungle humidity.

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA and Caritas Switzerland working together in a survey of a responsible tourism project in Quan Ba, Ha Giang province, Vietnam

In cooperation with Caritas Switzerland in Vietnam, ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) is going to survey Quan Ba, a little-known area 40km north of Ha Giang Town, for identifying the potential of eco tourism and community tourism development in the area. The survey trip happens in mid December.

The survey is beginning step of 3-year project named “ Quan Ba District Integrated Community Development Project, Ha Giang province ”. This project is implemented by Caritas Switzerland in Vietnam to set up sustainable livelihood for the poorest households and the poorest community with attention to indigenous knowledge, strengthening the culture which is facing a risk of oblivion, and obtaining sustainable maintenance of the environment resources.

In this project ATA plays the role of sustainable tourism development consultant and will be the key partner of Caritas through out the project. In a week the inspection team will scan the whole area, mapping all the potential routes for different activities like trekking, biking,… the team also check on the current condition of local homestay as well as the infrastructure of the whole area.

After the trip, ATA inspection team is going to report to Caritas existing natural and social condition of Quang Ba in developing eco tourism and community tourism. The team also propose a plan to for sustainable tourism development in the area.

Ha Giang, Vietnam

Background of destination

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA organized Unique Tour like “ James Bond film” near Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Travelers become the commandos with a mission to release the British Journalist in deep jungle of Cambodia who are searching a treasure and kidnapped by some Khmer rouge Soldiers. The commandos fly in on helicopter from Bangkok, Thailand and land and walk through jungle in Cambodia, crossing stream, abseiling big rock at night to reach the ruin.

The ruin in the deep jungle, Cambodia

In the ruin of a 1000-year old temple hidden in deep jungle of Phnom Kuleane Mountain, 70 km from Siem Reap, Cambodia, a British journalist is captured and tortured badly by some Khmer rouge soldiers. The journalist has a mission of searching for a treasure that is believed to keep a great power which can open the door to future and could change the future of the world. The journalist has the coordinates where the treasure is hidden and he was kidnapped when he arrived in Siem Reap. The Khmer rouge soldiers base in the jungle of Phnom Kuleane and is also looking for the treasure in order to get back their power. They are informed about the journalist’s journey by their secret agent.

How to travel Phu Quoc Island Vietnam - Travel guide & tips

So you’ve got your motorbike, and you’re ready to explore Phú Quốc. While few travelers to Vietnam run into any problems on the island, keep in mind that much of the land is still undeveloped. Here are a few tips:

Phu Quoc, Vietnam

1. Bring at least 2 liters of water. It gets quite hot during the day, and snack stands are sometimes hard to find. Dehydration can be a serious issue, so come prepared.

2. Keep off military property. The Vietnamese government is very protective of Phú Quốc, and there are military bases (marked by signs) around the island. Although some travelers to Vietnam claim they’ve slipped through unnoticed, it is unwise to intrude upon military property. Irate officers can make your life unpleasant.