Nguyen Viet Anh, Director of the Travel Division of the city’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said the city’s vice chairwoman, Nguyen Thi Hong, had allowed the department to undertake the survey following a meeting on Monday about a plan to explore some river tourist routes to develop this kind of tourism for the city.

Officials at the meeting on October 18 also discussed the possibility of opening another river tour linking the city’s center, neighboring Binh Duong Province, and Cu Chi District in the city’s outskirts.

A report prepared by the tourism department after a survey in July shows that this medium-length river tour is of high potential owing to the beautiful scenery and attractions along the route.

The route should start from Bach Dang Wharf, take in Thanh Da-Binh Quoi and then Binh Duong Province’s craft villages before ending in the historical Cu Chi Tunnels.

But at the meeting on October 18, some expressed concern that this tourist route could hardly be launched later this year as had been expected due to the lack of required infrastructure facilities.

La Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department, told the meeting that there were not enough berths along the route for boats to anchor, let alone the mobilization of other transport means along the route to cater to tourists.

Khanh also complained that several bridges along the route had a low vertical clearance, preventing bigger boats from navigating underneath.

So far, the tourism department and some tour operators have surveyed a short route from Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 to District 7. “We will launch this tourism product by the year-end or early in 2011,” Anh of the city’s tourism department said.

The city is pining high hopes on river tourism as strong potential of the industry, which once brought into play will also help linking attractions in the city with those in other provinces.

The city government has asked the tourism authority to draft an action plan this year to develop a river tour taking tourists from HCMC to attractions in the city and to other places such as the Mekong Delta province of An Giang and Cambodia.

At the meeting on October 18, vice chairwoman Hong also agreed in principle to assign Saigontourist Holding Company to build a tourist wharf in District 1. Earlier, Hong also gave the company the go-ahead to build a tourism wharf in Nha Be District.

They are scheduled to visit ports in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, HCMC, Nha Trang and Con Dao from Sunday through Friday, a local official said on Thursday.

The group representing STB, Royal Caribbean International, and KOP Group will inspect the Interflow Port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Navi Oil and Lotus ports in HCMC, and others in Nha Trang and Con Dao, the source said.

“The participants will suggest suitable locations to build ports for cruise ships along with measures to develop products, spur investment and other activities to boost the segment in the future,” said Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Head of the Travel Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

This is the second survey trip by Singaporean tourism experts to the country. Last year, Danang’s Tien Sa port was selected as the best location for the cruise port in the region after the group toured the sea ports in Danang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue in the Central region. BR>
Tuan said the two sides continued their cooperation after the first trip with the signing of a deal between Vietnam’s Danang Port One-Member Limited Company and Singapore Cruise Center Pte Ltd.

The two partners inked a memorandum of understanding in March to jointly develop a modern tourist wharf to harbor big cruise ships and serve high-end travelers. A joint venture will be set up to build the wharf at Danang’s Tien Sa port.

“We hope that the second group with participation from the cruise line and investment companies will not only help us find the way to develop cruise tourism but also invest in the industry,” Tuan said.

Vietnam’s tourism has requested support from Singapore as the region’s cruise hub at a meeting of the Vietnam-Singapore Tourism Cooperation Joint Committee held in the ancient town of Hoi An in 2008.

The survey results will be reported in the Committee’s meeting in September. International visitors arriving in Vietnam by sea accounts for only 5-6% of the total number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in 1997-2008, but the number is declining. Large international cruise ships bound for Vietnam must anchor at cargo ports.

During the programme in Lao Cai province, activities will include the Upper Temple and Sa Pa on cloud festivals, traditional Bac Ha horse racing and other tourism festivities as well as a competition to conquer the peak of Mount Fansipan.

Previously, on February 26, 2010 some activities took place in Lao Cai province, including a spring press festival, a photo exhibition, a night of poetry reciting and folk songs and a special show by a Chinese performance troupe.

Under the framework of the “Tracing the Roots 2010” programme, Yen Bai province will organise the Dong Cuong and Dai Cai-Luc Yen Temple Festivals, Muong Lo tourism and culture week and a 100th anniversary celebration for the province. Phu Tho province will also hold similar events under the programme.

Thousands of visitors are expected to participate in these activities.

It has been recognized as the biggest Banh Day in Vietnam by the National Book of Records.

The lotus-shaped cake weighs 2,010 kilos and is 2.010m in diameter. Its upper side is carved with Ly Dynasty dragon. It took artisans, sculptors and other experts nearly four months to complete the project.

The cake will be displayed at the Bai Dinh pagoda festival which falls on March 3 (or the 18th day of the 1st lunar month). It will be then sliced for approximately 10,000 pilgrims.

It was made on the initiative of Nguyen Chi Bao, Chairman of the Cultural Heritage Association of Vietnam, and is sponsored by TST Investment and Development Company.