Among items showcased at the exhibition are 42 artworks by 34 Indian artists. They include photos, paintings, statues and installation artworks using a variety of stuff such as cloth, paper, wood and stainless steel.

The week-long exhibition is coorganised by the Vietnam Cultural and Fine Arts Exhibition Centre, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Indian Lalit Kala Institute.

Indian contemporary art is reflected in the colourful designs drawn in chalk on the doors to welcome visitors, collections of statues representing Hindu gods and genies from myths of old, and works created using a combination of traditional painting with modern technology and techniques. Among items showcased at the exhibition are 42 artworks by 34 Indian artists. They include photos, paintings, statues and installation artworks using a variety of stuff such as cloth, paper, wood and stainless steel.

The week-long exhibition is coorganised by the Vietnam Cultural and Fine Arts Exhibition Centre, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Indian Lalit Kala Institute.

Indian contemporary art is reflected in the colourful designs drawn in chalk on the doors to welcome visitors, collections of statues representing Hindu gods and genies from myths of old, and works created using a combination of traditional painting with modern technology and techniques.

Japan Airlines Group (JAL) announced today, passenger traffic on international and domestic routes for the traditional Japanese “Golden Week” vacation, stretching for 8 days this year from April 28 to May 5, 2010. During this period, JAL carried 234,152 passengers on international flights - 13.8% down against the same period in 2009, and 1,016,046 passengers on domestic flights, 10.8% up against a year before.

The seat capacity on JAL international passenger routes is 21.6% less than last year. By region, there were cancellations due to the active volcano in Iceland as well as the unrest in Bangkok, while traffic to Taiwan and Oceania showed a minor increase. The resulting overall load factor is 80.0% which represents an increase of 7.1 percentage points against previous year.

There is a significant increase in passenger numbers on domestic flights to most regions in Japan this holiday season while capacity was trimmed down by 4.3% from the same period last year. Consequently, the seat load factor of domestic flights is 10.1 percentage points higher than previous year at 74.4%.

JAL Group operated 28 additional flights including charter, to such international destinations as Honolulu, Guam, Palau, Bali, Cairns, Sanya in China and Cebu in the Philippines, as well as 54 flights on domestic Japan routes to support the demand for travel to such areas as Okinawa (Naha), as well as Sapporo.

(Source: Travel Daily Asia)

A long time ago there were two centers of sales activity (markets) in the Old Quarter, one next to the Cau Dong Pagoda on Hang Duong Street and the other next to the Bach Ma Temple on Hang Ma Street. In 1889 French city planners filled the To Lich River and the Thai Cuc Lake and closed down these two markets. The traders then moved about 150 meters away to what was an unoccupied place in Dong Xuan ward, Hoan Kiem district. This new open air market was called Dong Xuan Market.

A short time afterward, a 6,500 square meter covered marketplace was built on the site which had five elegant iron arches reminiscent of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris that face the road and a roof of zinc-coated sheet iron.

Situated close to the river port, trade at the market was brisk. Initially, goods sold at the market were mainly farm produce grown along the northern side of the Hong (Red) River. Dong Xuan Market later became a busy trade center that attracted buyers from France, Spain, India and other countries.

The market is now the biggest wholesale market in the capital. At the market one can find electronic products, home appliances, garments and fabric. Along the back wall live pet animals are also sold. Dong Xuan is always crowded.

A night market now takes place along one street which changes name from Hang Ngang to Hang Dao midway. It was created in recent years to attract more people to the old quarter. Here one can find both expensive and cheap items, and also interesting souvenirs. Along the edges of the night market on the sidewalk one can sample Vietnamese traditional foods like bun and pho (noodles with meat and vegetables). The night market attracts locals and foreigners alike.

If you plan to stick around until the end of the year, you might at that time look for a new book, ‘Hanoi Markets - Past and Present’ that has contributions from 20 folk culture researchers. The 500 page book was put together to mark the 1000th anniversary of Hanoi that will be celebrated in 2010.

This target is feasible thanks to a direct air route Da Nang city to Bangkok and a land route along the East-West economic corridor.

Tourism businesses in the region and Thai travel agencies gathered at a seminar in Da Nang recently to discuss measures to effectively attract tourists.

They agreed to boost exchanges of information and cooperation among cities and provinces in central Vietnam and Thai and Lao localities.

Vietnamese provinces plan to work with travel agencies in Thailand and Laos to promote their local tourism destinations.