Saigontourist opens new branches

Saigontourist Travel Service Co on Tuesday opened a branch in Thu Dau Mot Town in Binh Duong Province and an office in Ha Noi.

Binh Duong is the first southern province to have a branch of the company which hopes the number of tourists and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) visitors from companies based in the province will rise.

To mark the opening, the company is offering a discount of 5 to 10 per cent on domestic tours.

Efforts to attract more Japanese

Vietnam Airlines and travel firms are making great efforts to attract more Japanese travellers to the country following signs of recovery in the Japanese market that had been battered by the disaster in March.

Nguyen Van Tran, general director of APEX travel firm, says the number of Japanese visitors to Viet Nam, which had dropped sharply for several months, has increased again since July.

APEX has asked the Government to extend the visa validity for Japanese travellers from the current 15 days to 30 or 60 days.

Tran believes that 15 days are not enough in the changing circumstances.

Figures from the Viet Nam National Administration for Tourism (VNAT) show that Japanese travellers stay in Viet Nam for seven to 10 days on average.

In late July executives from VNAT and Vietnam Airlines made a five-day trip to Japan to meet partners and travel firms as part of efforts to attract more Japanese travellers.

VNAT's figures also show that the number of Japanese flying by Vietnam Airlines decreased by 10 per cent after the disaster.

Thai food festival in HCM City

The Moevenpick Hotel Sai Gon in HCM City is offering lovers of Thai food an opportunity to sample authentic Thai cuisine at an international buffet this week.

Until tomorrow, Thai master chefs from Moevenpick Hotel Karon Beach Phuket in Thailand will cook signature dishes such as tom yum goong, pad thai, green curry, yam won sen, and everyone's favourite — mango with sticky rice.

The lunch buffet is priced at VND380,000 and dinner at VND680,000.

HCM City prepares for Oktoberfest

Over 15,000 visitors are expected to turn up for the 19th Oktoberfest to be organised by the German Business Association at Windsor Plaza Hotel in HCM City next month.

The event, to be the biggest in Southeast Asia this year, will be held in a traditional Bavarian beer – garden atmosphere with traditional, freshly-brewed Oktoberfest beer, German food, and popular Bavarian folk music.

Metropole voted Asia's best

The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel Ha Noi and The Nam Hai Resort in Hoi An share top billing as Asia's best leisure properties this year following an online poll by Hong Kong-based travel and trade magazine Smart Travel Asia.

The Nam Hai ranked second last year and the Metropole third in the magazine's list of Top 25 Leisure Hotels & Resorts.

The Caravelle Hotel in HCM City was 23rd on the list of top business hotels.

The results of the three-month Best in Travel Poll 2011 were culled from votes cast by the readers of SmartTravelAsia.com. Voters had submitted their own nominations from thousands of possible choices in Asia.— VNS