Hotels fully booked for Tet

Many hotels in the central and southern regions have been fully booked for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays as the number of travellers has increased by 20 per cent compared with last year.Viettravel said most big hotels in these areas are fully occupied as this Tet holiday is longer than previous years. Rooms will be available only after the 10th day of the Lunar New Year, or February 24, the travel agency said.

Bookings for new tours of the southern provinces have been cancelled as tour operators are unable to book hotels rooms.

Year of the Tiger greeted with love

The Flower Street Festival that is a regular feature of Tet festivities in HCM City will this year include two huge floral hearts to mark the coincidence of Valentine's Day (February 14) with the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Nguyen Hue Boulevard has already been transformed into a riot of colour with a wide variety of flowers and ornamental plants brought in from neighbouring provinces, the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta and other localities nationwide. The street also has recreations of traditional Vietnamese countryside scenes replete with bamboo groves and rice fields.

Tour to feature fireworks contest

The HCM City-based Ben Thanh Tourist Agency has introduced a three-day tour of Da Nang and Quang Nam which offers guests an opportunity to view the fireworks contest in Da Nang on March 27 and 28. Guests who book the tour, which departs on March 26, will stay at the Green Hotel for a good view of the contest.

Teams from France, Japan and the US will put on a modern fireworks display to various music compositions. Da Nang authorities have also planned concerts, exhibitions and boat races along the Han River during the fireworks contest.

The tour will also take guests to the World Heritages sites of the ancient town of Hoi An and the My Son Cham Tower Complex.

Several Tet tours still available

HCM City-based travel agencies, including Ben Thanh Tourist, Lua Viet Tours, Vietcircle Travel and Service Co and Vietravel, have announced tours to Cambodia during the Tet festival are still available. The four-day package tours start at VND4 million (US$216) per guest.

Other domestic tours are also available, the travel agencies say. Ben Thanh is offering four and six-day tours of southern provinces while other agencies have tours to Nha Trang, Phan Thiet and Con Dao Island still open for booking.

Int'l standard racetrack approved

Binh Phuoc provincial authorities have granted a licence to the Binh Phuoc Entertainment Co to build an international standard race course for horses.

Covering 200ha, the race course will be located in Chon Thanh District's Thanh Tam Commune, with an investment of more than VND1 trillion (US$54 million), according to the company's representative Michael Lee Afron.

He said the company will also build a shopping mall, a sports and physical training centre, an entertainment centre and a three-star hotel. A club for horse racing and training will also be opened, he said.

Da Nang to stop harassment

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang has set up a team to stop vendors from harassing tourists.

The team will patrol promient tourist sites and the city centre to prevent and punish people who disturb tourists by pressurising them to buy their products and services.

The offenders will be fined from VND60,000 to 100,000 if they are found to have been aggressive and/or offensive. Repeat offenders will be fined between VND1 and 2 million, said a department official. — VNS