Vietnam has a new Unesco Global Geopark

According to authorities of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lang Son province, at 15.30 on September 8, Lang Son Geopark was evaluated and voted to be recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark by the Global Geopark Council. Vietnam Spirit Travel

Previously, in 2023, the People's Committee of Lang Son province coordinated with the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO (Ministry of Foreign Affairs ) to complete the dossier proposing Lang Son Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The park was then submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

According to authorities of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lang Son province, the recognition of Lang Son Geopark helps the province focus resources on managing, preserving and promoting the value of geological heritage, cultural heritage, history, archeology, biodiversity, as well as unique scenic spots of the province.

It is expected that in 2025, Lang Son Geopark will receive UNESCO Global Geopark recognition in Chile.

Lang Son Geopark covers 8 districts, cities of Bac Son, Chi Lang, Huu Lung, Loc Binh, Van Quan and Lang Son city (and part of Binh Gia district and Cao Loc district).

Total area is over 4,800 square km with a population of nearly 627,000 people, equivalent to about 58% of the area and 78% of the population of the whole province.

In 2021, Lang Son Geopark was established by Lang Son Provincial People's Committee with 38 tourist attractions on 4 tourist routes.

They are Exploring the world of the mountains, Journey to the heavens, Wild life on earth and Road to the underwater palace.

Source: https://vietnamspirittravel.com/travel-news/vietnam-has-a-new-unesco-global-geopark.asp

Halong tourism trying to overcome damages of Yagi typhoon

The devastation caused by Typhoon Yagi is still a haunting experience for many people and businesses. According to the general assessment of the tourism industry, just a preliminary assessment of the damage has produced frightening results. Cruise Halong bay

In particular, the tourist accommodation sector suffered damages from small-scale establishments, motels to 4-5 star luxury hotels and resorts. The largest damage was probably in Halong City when the accommodation establishments on shore suffered damage related to broken glass, broken roof tiles of villas, collapsed by wind, damaged ceilings, damaged furniture in the rooms, reception areas, restaurants, bars, and auxiliary areas. Along with that were broken trees, lamp posts in the premises, and damage to the electrical system, air conditioning, water, etc.

The restaurants, shops, shopping centers, businesses, souvenir shops, many of which mainly use steel frames, corrugated iron roofs, and simple materials, all collapsed, were blown away, broken, severely damaged, and many were even completely damaged. Some key tourist attractions such as: Quang Ninh Museum, Planning Palace, Provincial Fair and Exhibition, Sunworld entertainment area, Tuan Chau tourist area... suffered heavy damage to facilities...

Tourism service and management facilities on Halong Bay are also in a similar situation. According to the unit's statistics, most of the management and operation points on the bay of the Halong Bay Management Board have had their roofs blown off, damaged, or sunk. The Cua Van Floating Cultural Center was severely damaged, and 15 preserved raft houses at Cua Van were completely submerged. The stone railing of the wharf leading to Thien Cung Cave was broken. Many equipment, machinery, signs, and regulation boards were broken. Ornamental plants at tourist attractions on Halong Bay were almost completely broken.

Property of people and businesses at boat rowing and kayaking service points in the areas of Ba Hang, Cong Do, Cua Van, Hang Luon, Vung Vieng on Halong Bay was severely damaged. The system of tourist ports was more or less damaged. In particular, Tuan Chau International Passenger Port had its roof damaged. The offices and reception areas of businesses at the port were all damaged. Halong International Passenger Port had the entire pontoon of wharf No. 3 washed away, and 2 pontoons of wharf No. 2 sank. Businesses and tourist boat owners continued to be devastated after the storm when up to 27 tourist boats and 4 cargo boats sank, some boats were slightly damaged.

Along with Halong, other localities also recorded significant damage to tourism service infrastructure, green landscape systems that create beauty for destinations in the area. For example, at Quang Ninh Gate Tourist Area (Dong Trieu Town) with an area of ??20 hectares, including entertainment systems, resorts... located along the Vang Chua River.

The damage to tourism after Typhoon Yagi is difficult to measure, especially when tourism businesses have not yet fully recovered after the Covid-19 pandemic has passed. Recovery will also be a long-term story, but with a solid foundation and strong spirit of the tourism industry that has developed over a long period of time in Quang Ninh, we have hope for a revival and a chance for a spectacular recovery in the near future.

As of September 13, the province has 11/12 districts, towns, and cities with recognized tourist areas and spots ready to welcome visitors again after quickly cleaning. Among them, the two tourist areas of Binh Lieu and Co To have both overcome the storm's impact and welcomed visitors. 67/87 tourist spots are ready to welcome visitors again.

Halong City has 39 4-5 star hotels with 8,572 rooms, of which 5,196 rooms are ready to welcome guests (accounting for 60% of the total number of rooms). There are 36 hotels that are both under repair and welcoming guests (accounting for 85%). The 1-3 star tourist accommodation sector that meets standards is still ready to welcome guests with about 580 hotels, including 8,540 rooms.

In addition, the system of large, solid restaurants in Bai Chay and Hon Gai areas are still operating normally. Many souvenir shops and tourist service establishments are ready to reopen; many cafes and night eateries are operating normally.

In localities such as Mong Cai, Hai Ha, Uong Bi, 100% of accommodation facilities are ready to welcome guests; 30% of accommodation facilities with 60% of the total number of rooms in Co To district are ready to welcome guests; some onshore facilities in Van Don are also ready to serve...

This shows the great efforts of localities, businesses and individuals participating in tourism business in the area. For example, Legacy Yen Tu, although affected by flooding due to rising stream water, broken trees, prolonged power, water and telecommunication outages, has quickly overcome the situation to be able to welcome guests during and immediately after the storm. Businesses such as Halong Pearl Joint Stock Company also temporarily put aside worries about pearl farms in the bay being destroyed, urgently cleaned up and repaired 2 showrooms, pearl farming and pearl experience shops whose roofs were blown off and glass doors broken by the storm, to be able to welcome guests after 3 days of the storm.

Even Van Don International Airport and the two international passenger ports of Tuan Chau and Halong, which were more or less damaged, were soon put back into operation. Cruise ships quickly repaired their facilities, ready to operate 315/359 ships at both ports, accounting for 88%, including sightseeing ships, restaurant ships, and overnight ships.

Although not all, some destinations on the Halong Bay tour were also quickly checked to be ready to welcome guests, including sightseeing spots and overnight accommodations on the bay. And from September 13, cruise ships were ordered to continue taking visitors to visit and stay overnight on Halong Bay...

It is easy to see that tourism activities in Quang Ninh have recovered quickly after Typhoon Yagi. However, the assessment also shows that the impact of Typhoon No. 3 will lead to a weakening of the financial capacity of enterprises at different levels, affecting many aspects of the province, affecting the jobs and income of thousands of workers.

Therefore, supporting tourism businesses and workers to recover strongly in the coming time requires practical attention, consensus and joint efforts of the province and responsible agencies as well as efforts of each establishment, unit and tourism business in the area. The support is not only for a moment, in the short term, but it is necessary to have a roadmap and long-term solutions so that tourism businesses have a foundation to ensure truly sustainable development...

Source: https://cruise-halong-bay.com/news/halong-tourism-trying-to-overcome-damages-of-yagi-typhoon.asp

Da Lat Flower Festival 2024

Da Lat Flower Festival will take place for nearly a month with many music and sports programs and tourism promotion activities. Budget Vietnam Tours

On September 19, Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee announced the content of the 2024 Da Lat Flower Festival taking place throughout December 2024 and ending on New Year's Day 2025 with a series of programs.

Accordingly, this year's Da Lat Flower Festival with the theme "Da Lat Flowers - Symphony of Colors" is organized with 10 main programs: opening ceremony; art program welcoming the new year 2025 combined with Da Lat Flower Festival;

Flower space around Xuan Huong Lake and the streets, central park; Bao Loc art program tea scent, silk color; Street of wine, tea, coffee, Da Lat specialties; cultural and artistic exchange between Da Lat and Chuncheon (Korea); street carnival;

International workshop “Da Lat develops green tourism and cultural industry from natural resources to biodiversity and local culture”…

This year's Da Lat Flower Festival also has 12 response programs, typically: Langbiang pink grass festival (Lac Duong district); Korean - Da Lat music festival 2024; basalt melody band festival; Lam Dong trail 2024, Ta Nang trail...

This Da Lat Flower Festival is a cultural and tourism festival to promote the image of Da Lat - Lam Dong to domestic and international tourists.

Flower Festival honors floriculture

According to the People's Committee of Lam Dong province, the Da Lat Flower Festival aims to honor the values ​​of flowers and the flower growing profession of Da Lat, creating opportunities for producers and traders of flowers and local agricultural products to exchange and integrate internationally.

Da Lat Flower Festival is also an opportunity to promote the cultural style of Da Lat people: "Gentle, elegant, hospitable".

Source: https://budgetvietnamtours.com/news/da-lat-flower-festival-2024.asp

Boat racing to celebrate Independence Day in Quang Binh

Vietnam Spirit Travel - On the morning of September 1, at the Quan Hau ferry historical site, Quang Ninh district (Quang Binh province), the 2024 Traditional Boat Racing Festival on Nhat Le river was solemnly held.

To celebrate the 79th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2, Quang Binh province organized the Traditional Boat Racing Festival on Nhat Le River. Attending the opening ceremony were representatives of local leaders, former leaders, departments, branches, and a large number of people, children of the homeland and tourists.

This year, there are 19 racing boats from 13 communes and towns, including 11 male racing boats and 8 female racing boats with 450 athletes competing together. The female racing boats compete in one round, the male racing boats based on the results of the group stage have selected teams ranked A and B to participate in the final round. The male teams compete at a distance of 15km, the female teams 7.5km.

The boat racing festival is a traditional cultural activity, preserved and conserved by the local people for over 500 years, going through many ups and downs of history but still not fading away. Gradually, boat racing has become a traditional cultural festival typical of the people of Quang Ninh district. The boat racing festival on Nhat Le river was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2022.

Before the August Revolution, the festival was held every 6 years called "Luc nien canh do". After the success of the August Revolution, on September 2, 1946, for the first time, the people of Quang Ninh district organized a boat race to "celebrate Independence Day". On September 2, 1975, Quang Ninh district organized a boat race on Nhat Le River and from then on, every year on the occasion of National Day, September 2, the district held a boat race to celebrate Independence Day, with the meaning of promoting the heroic revolutionary tradition, promoting the spirit of solidarity and community cohesion, while creating a joyful atmosphere, contributing to building a rich and beautiful homeland.

Source: https://vietnamspirittravel.com/travel-news/boat-racing-festival-on-nhat-le-river-to-celebrate-national-day.asp

Quang Ninh welcomes over 400 thousand tourists during September 2 holiday

Cruise Halong bay - Quang Ninh Department of Tourism announced impressive figures on the number of tourists in the two days of the national holiday (August 31 - September 1). The total number of visitors to the province's tourist attractions is estimated at 289,000, an increase of 124% over the same period in 2023, showing the increasing attractiveness of Quang Ninh tourism.

According to the report, during the holiday, total number of guests staying reached about 110,000, equivalent to 114% compared to the same period last year. In particular, international visitors also recorded strong growth with 15,000 arrivals, reaching 123% compared to 2023. Total revenue from the tourism sector during this holiday is estimated at 652 billion VND, an increase of 134% over the same period last year.

Localities in the province such as Ha Long and Mong Cai continue to be popular tourist destinations. Specifically, Ha Long welcomed 67,700 visitors, Mong Cai 22,000, and Van Don 22,000. Of which, Ha Long Bay, one of the natural wonders of the world, attracted 16,963 visitors, including 3,844 international visitors.

Other prominent tourist areas and destinations also recorded impressive numbers of visitors, such as Sun World Park with about 15,000 visitors, Quang Ninh Museum with 6,875 visitors and Yen Tu Historical Site with 1,356 visitors. The interest of tourists in these destinations shows that Quang Ninh has been improving the quality of services and tourism experiences.

On September 1 alone, the total number of tourists to Quang Ninh was estimated at 161,000, up 115% over the same period in 2023. The number of guests staying on this day also reached about 60,000, equivalent to 120% over the previous year. International visitors on the day reached 7,388, contributing to the total tourism revenue estimated at 370 billion VND, up 132% over the same period in 2023.

The sharp increase in the number of tourists to Quang Ninh during this holiday reflects the positive recovery trend of the tourism industry after the impact of the Covid pandemic. People and tourists are looking for new and exciting experiences and Quang Ninh with its beautiful natural scenery, rich cultural heritage and diverse tourism services has met this demand.

With impressive numbers of tourists during the August 31 - September 1 holiday, Quang Ninh continues to affirm its position as one of the most attractive destinations in Vietnam. The growth comes not only from domestic visitors but also from the interest of international visitors. This is a positive signal for the local tourism industry, opening up many opportunities for sustainable development in the future.

Source: https://cruise-halong-bay.com/news/quang-ninh-booms-with-tourists-during-national-day-holiday.asp

Experience the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in Hanoi's Old Quarter

Budget Vietnam Tours - On the occasion of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival 2024, the Management Board of Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter organizes a series of exhibition and experience activities at heritage sites in Hanoi's Old Quarter and the Phung Hung Street mural space.

These activities aim to introduce traditional culture, promote tourism development, and promote the image of Hanoi's Old Quarter  in particular and Hanoi Capital in general.

With many diverse experiential activities, the Organizing Committee hopes to contribute to promoting the heritage education of the capital city, raising awareness of conservation, promoting traditional cultural values, developing a creative educational ecosystem in the community, aiming to form a generation of citizens who understand heritage culture and have creativity on that basis.

The content of the series of activities includes: Introducing the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival space at heritage sites in Hanoi's Old Quarter; decorating and arranging the space for experiencing making traditional Mid-Autumn toys at the Hanoi Old Quarter Cultural Exchange Center; at the Heritage House - No. 87 Ma May Street, displaying the space of Hanoi families celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, introducing a photo series with the theme "Returning to the old Mid-Autumn Festival" and introducing traditional crab and fish Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns - products restored by researcher Trinh Bach and artisan Nguyen Trong Binh. At Dong Lac Communal House - 38 Hang Dao street, products will be displayed and interactive experiences with the theme "Watching the Golden Moon".

The Phung Hung Street mural space will provide children with a useful place to play and the opportunity to learn about traditional cultural values. The Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter Management Board organizes an interactive space with a variety of activities.

In addition, artisans and craftsmen from craft villages near Hanoi introduced and instructed how to make traditional toys in the Old Quarter on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Source: https://budgetvietnamtours.com/news/mid-autumn-festival-in-hanoi-old-quarter.asp