Vietnam Insider

Visitors to My Son Sanctuary in Duy Xuyen District, Quang Nam, can now purchase tickets online instead of at the ticket booth.

The My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board has recently launched an online ticketing system for tourists visiting the My Son Sanctuary. Visitors can access the website mysonticketonline.vn to select the appropriate tickets. The admission fee for Vietnamese citizens is 100,000 VND per ticket, while for foreign visitors, it is 150,000 VND per ticket.

A group of international visitors at My Son Sanctuary, Quang Nam Province. Photo: Song Chau

According to the Management Board, the online ticketing system aims to offer more convenience for tourists when purchasing tickets to visit the temple complex. This initiative is part of their ongoing digital transformation efforts to improve ticket sales and visitor guidance services.

The My Son temple complex was recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2009. This ancient Champa tower complex, located in a valley, has endured for thousands of years thanks to preservation efforts supported by cooperation between Vietnam and other countries, particularly India.

Recently, scientists announced the discovery of an ancient ceremonial pathway that once existed in the area. This path was used by monks to move between the temple towers, and its direction is opposite to the current visitor entrance to My Son.

@SGtiepthi

The People’s Committee of Tam Duong District, Lai Chau Province, has announced plans to host the first Putaleng Festival with the theme “Return to the Land of Rhododendrons”.

Rhododendron season on Putaleng peak. Photo: Lang Binh

The Putaleng Festival will take place from November 22 to November 24, 2024, in Tam Duong District, Lai Chau Province. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 8:00 PM on November 22 at Muong Lu Lake in Tam Duong town. During the ceremony, the organizers will also announce the recognition of the ancient rhododendron forest concentrated on Mount Putaleng at an elevation of 2,619 meters, which boasts the largest area of ​​its kind in Vietnam.

Another highlight of the festival is the third Putaleng Vietnam Open Cross-Country Paragliding Competition, featuring two categories: powered and non-powered paragliding. The competition will take place at the multifunctional performance hall at the Tam Duong Cultural, Sports, and Media Center and the district’s stadium. The paragliding flights will take off from Si Thau Chai village in Ho Thau commune and land at the Tam Duong district stadium.

The festival will also include a series of other activities such as the second Putaleng Traditional Run, the challenge to conquer Tac Tinh waterfall, a raft race on Muong Lu Lake, a community cooking contest, a photo exhibition showcasing the beauty of Tam Duong, the second Tam Duong Mong Khen (reed pipe) Festival, traditional ethnic sports competitions, and a variety of local tourism promotion activities and OCOP (One Commune, One Product) product displays.

Additionally, visitors to Tam Duong in November will have the opportunity to experience the traditional cultural values ​​of local ethnic settlements through community-based tourism villages, attend highland markets, and go cloud hunting atop Ta Lien Son and Putaleng Mountain.

@SGtiepthi

Recently, Hanoi has successfully surpassed famous destinations such as Bangkok (Thailand), Seoul (South Korea), and Tokyo (Japan) to earn the title of “Asia’s Best Culinary City.”

Recently, Hanoi has successfully surpassed famous destinations such as Bangkok (Thailand), Seoul (South Korea), and Tokyo (Japan) to earn the title of “Asia’s Best Culinary City”.

Screenshot

The World Culinary Awards is a global initiative aimed at outstanding achievements in the culinary industry. The results are based on votes from experts and the public throughout the year.

In the category of “Asia’s Best Culinary City Destination 2024,” Hanoi outshined other contenders like Bangkok, Seoul, and Tokyo to take the top spot. Several restaurants and hotels in Hanoi also received awards for their culinary services.

The World Culinary Awards is part of the World Travel Awards, which was established in 1993 to honor excellence in the tourism and hospitality industry.

In 2023, Hanoi triumphed over strong competitors like Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Taipei (Taiwan, China) to win the title of “Asia’s Best Emerging Culinary City” at the World Culinary Awards.

Hanoi continuously receives international awards honoring cuisine and tourism.

Earlier this year, Vietnam’s capital was also ranked as one of the top 15 culinary destinations in the world by the readers of Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform.

Famous Hanoi dishes such as pho, bun cha, fish cake, and pho roll continue to be popular among international visitors.

@Vietnamnet

According to the General Statistics Office, the total number of international visitors to Vietnam in September reached 1.27 million. Compared to the previous month, there was a decline in the number of visitors in September.

International visitors to Vietnam in September reached 1.27 million.

The General Statistics Office reported that the total number of international visitors to Vietnam in September was 1.27 million. In the third quarter of this year, more than 3.8 million international visitors came to Vietnam. When compared to the previous month’s figure of 1.43 million, there was a significant decrease in September.

During the first nine months of the year, international visitors totaled 12.7 million. Visitors arriving by air extracted for nearly 10.8 million, representing 84.9% of the total, an increase of 38.7% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, 1.8 million visitors arrived by land, representing 13.8%, an increase of 68.1%.

South Korea remains the largest source market in September, with over 355,000 visitors. China ranked second with over 257,000 visitors. Other leading markets included Taiwan (China), Japan, and the United States.

At the end of September, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MOCST) successfully implemented a tourism and film promotion program in the U.S. from September 23-25, under the theme “Vietnam – The New Destination for Global Cinema.”

The program introduced and promoted Vietnam as a tourism destination and a potential location for film production, aiming to attract Hollywood film studios to shoot major films in Vietnam that could create international media buzz, thereby promoting tourism and attracting more visitors to the country.

Despite the decrease in visitors in September, the tourism industry is determined to achieve its target of 17-18 million international visitors this year, as the last three months of the year are the peak season for international arrivals.

“Based on these factors, we believe that the goal of welcoming 18 million international visitors this year is achievable,” said Nguyen Le Phuc, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

@Znews

A data analysis reveals that spending by Korean tourists in Vietnam has surged significantly, second only to Japan.

Visa, an online payment company, recently released an analysis of foreign spending data by South Korean tourists in the first half of this year. According to Business Korea, the report highlights that in Asian countries, Japan and Vietnam have seen a significant increase in spending by Korean tourists.

The analysis examine transactions made using personal Visa cards issued in South Korea at offline merchant locations abroad in the first half of the year, revealing that 62% of total spending occurred in the Asia-Pacific region.

Da Nang is one of the top destinations for Korean tourists in Vietnam.

The top five destinations in the Asia-Pacific where South Korean tourists spent the most were Japan, Vietnam, Australia, Thailand, and Guam. Japan maintains its top position from last year into this year. The share of Japan’s total spending in Asia rose from 39% last year to 48% in 2024, driven by a weaker yen in the first half of the year and an increase in direct flights. Meanwhile, spending in Vietnam increased by 16%, Australia and Thailand by 6%, and Guam by 3%.

According to Visa, spending on accommodation by Korean tourists in Vietnam during the first six months of the year increased by 60% compared to the same period last year, accounting for 21% of total trip expenses. Spending on essentials also accounted for 21%, while dining made up 17%.

Australia rose from fourth place last year to third this year due to the introduction of direct flights by low-cost airlines to major cities.

Spending in China, Hong Kong, and Macau saw significant growth, with transactions in China nearly quadrupling compared to last year. This increase was due to China reopening its borders early last year, leading to more visitors in the first half of this year. Spending in Hong Kong and Macau also tripled compared to last year.

@Thanhnien.vn

The Culture and Tourism Week, along with the Ok Om Bok Festival, will take place from November 9 to 15, mainly in Tra Vinh City and centered at Ba Om Pond Cultural and Tourist Area.

Photo: The Binh/Tra Vinh Tourism Information Center

According to the Tra Vinh Provincial Government Portal, the event will feature activities such as the opening ceremony, the Southern Vietnam Culinary Space of Tra Vinh Province 2024, the exhibition space “Tra Vinh Tourism – Connection and Development,” and a trade promotion fair showcasing rural industrial and OCOP products linked to the Ok Om Bok Festival of Tra Vinh Province 2024.

Additionally, the event will include other activities such as the second Non-Professional Khmer Dance Festival of Tra Vinh Province 2024, exhibitions, demonstrations of traditional Khmer crafts and clothing, events celebrating Vietnam’s Cultural Heritage Day, water puppet performances, and various sports activities (cycling races, volleyball, soccer, motorbike races, traditional boat races, and folk games) along with the Ok Om Bok Festival night.

The total projected budget for the event is approximately 6.4 billion VND, with 3.7 billion VND from the provincial budget and 2.7 billion VND from socialized sources.

The Ok Om Bok Festival (Moon Worship Festival) is celebrated on the full moon of the 10th lunar month. It is a traditional festival to give thanks to the Moon God for a bountiful harvest and to pray for a favorable crop in the upcoming season. During the festival, people gather to perform the moon worship ritual with respect and seriousness, after which cultural activities like singing, dancing, and folk games take place.

The Culture and Tourism Week, together with the Ok Om Bok Festival, aims to preserve, promote, and preserve the Ok Om Bok Festival of the Khmer ethnic people in Tra Vinh Province, which has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism as part of the national intangible cultural heritage list.

@SGtiepthi

The Jungle Boss expedition team recently discovered a mysterious lake, unexpectedly deep and cold, located in the core zone of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh).

The lake, about 10 square meters in size, was discovered by Jungle Boss in July.

At the end of July, during a return visit to the Hanging Lake (discovered in early May), the Jungle Boss expedition team—a company specializing in adventure tours exploring caves in Quang Binh—accidentally found a strange lake near the entrance of Thung Cave (part of the Hung Thoong system), about 1 km from the hanging lake.

The lake is only about 10 meters wide, surrounded by a lot of mud and dirt, with clear, still water. The most remarkable features are its depth and temperature.

The lake is small but has a deeper depth than the main stream around it.

Speaking with Tri Thuc – Znews on October 7, Le Luu Dung, Director of Jungle Boss, stated that after a preliminary survey, the exploration team recorded the distance from the surface to the bottom of the lake as being over 12 arm spans, equivalent to nearly 18 meters—an incredible depth for such a small surface area.

“Initially, we didn’t pay much attention to this small depression filled with water due to its size. However, when we swam in it, the team noticed an overhanging structure at the bottom. We then used a fishing line with a stainless steel keychain attached and started lowering it to measure the depth. We were surprised by how extremely deep the lake was—deeper than the water level of the main river in Thung Cave,” Dung explained.

In addition to its unusual depth, the lake’s temperature is about 16 degrees Celsius, much colder than other lakes in Thung Cave, which range from 18-20 degrees Celsius. The company plans to include this area in its tourism offerings to provide visitors with a unique experience.

The lake has blue water and a temperature of about 16 degrees Celsius.

A representative from Jungle Boss suggested that the lake might be connected to another underground cave system within Thung Cave, potentially leading to a large cave at its base.

However, this is only a preliminary hypothesis, and further expeditions with more equipment will be required to conduct additional surveys.

In addition to this mysterious, as-yet-unnamed lake, the exploration team discovered the Hanging Lake in May, 1 km from the entrance of Thung Cave. The unique feature of this lake is that it sits about 15 meters higher than the main underground river in the cave, as if suspended on the cave wall.

According to Dung, the bottom of this lake remains a mystery, although its crystal-clear waters allow for visibility. The current estimated depth of the Hanging Lake is about 7-8 meters.

@Znews