Professional and amateur photographers who live in Vietnam, whether Vietnamese or foreign, are encouraged to join in the contest between now and next May 31. The best photo will win VND10 million (USD 560) and an overseas trip for two when the contest results are announced next July 9.

Vice President of Vietnam Artistic Photographers Association (VAPA) Vu Huyen said that, when the contest ends, it will contribute the best photos to promoting tourism in Vietnam on the occasions of Hanoi’s 1,000th anniversary next year, as well as the 50th anniversary of the Vietnamese tourism industry and the 30th anniversary of the Du Lich (Tourism) Magazine.

“Photos are one among the most effective ways to promote tourism,” Huyen said.

“If someone intends to visit Vietnam, he will consult photos of the country, and these photos play an important role in persuading them.”

The contest would also give Vietnamese photographers a good opportunity to be creative and show their love for the country, Huyen said.

Contest entries would be directed to reflect the uniqueness, beauty and variety in the life and culture of the Vietnamese people, as well as sights and tourist areas, heritage and cultural preservation, historic sites and traditional festivals throughout the country.

Contestants would be allowed to submit unlimited photos in colour or black-and-white in 10cm by 15cm prints to the organising board at Tourism Magazine, 30A Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hanoi, and to the VAPA, 51 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hanoi.

The Tourism Magazine published by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, holds the contest every five years. The last contest in 2005 attracted more than 270 photographers, including foreigners, who submitted more than 3,000 entries to the organising board.

At the festival, Vietnamese people can enjoy Korea’s traditional kim chi (a dish of vegetable pickle) and even have a chance to cook it themselves with the help of Dr. Han Gui Jeong from Korean’s Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The festival, part of a Vietnam-Korea culture exchange programme, aims to introduce Vietnamese consumers to more than 50 kinds of high-quality products like fruits, ginseng, and kim chi.

The festival, where Korean businesses can advertise their products to the Vietnamese people, closed on November 15.

The event aims to promote the “Indochina’s roof” as a tourist attraction to international and domestic visitors, raise the public awareness of environmental conservation and boost sustainable tourism development in Hoang Lien National Park.

New initiatives on eco-tourism and environment protection, ideas for new tourism programmes in Fansipan as well as impressive and beautiful pictures of the mountain and the national park were introduced at the opening ceremony by the People’s Committee of Lao Cai Province and Vietnam Airlines.

Mr. Vu The Binh from the Department of Travel under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told that everyday the country was receiving foreign travelers who enter Vietnam without paying for a visa.

“We even receive five to six groups a day. We will have the biggest group of 103 tourists on August 21,” he said.

This group will arrive in the northern city of Hai Phong from Macau. Visitors of the group are from Hong Kong, China and Portugal.

According to Mr. Binh, Saigontourist Travel Service Co. and Indochina Services are the leaders in exempting visa fees.

In May, the Government agreed to exempt visa fees for foreigners who enter Vietnam on package tours under “Impressive Vietnam”.

The national tourism agency reported that after eight months, “Impressive Vietnam” had attracted 90 travel firms, 120 hotels, three transportation companies and many restaurants and shopping venues. Via the program, foreign tourists get discounts of 30% to 50% on package tours.

The program will be extended until the end of this year to lure more international tourists. Nguyen Van Tuan, Head of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told that the national tourism authority would meet with tourism companies and local tourism departments in HCMC late this week to raise the efficiency of the program.

The administration reported that nearly 2.2 million international tourists had visited Vietnam in the first seven months of this year, down 17.8% year-on-year. Domestic tourists reached nearly 14 million, up 13%. Tourism revenue in the period reached VND32.4 trillion, up 8.7% year-on-year.