To meet this demand, Ben Thanh Tourist is offering relaxing moments and unforgettable festive days for tourists and their family’s members with Christmas and New Year tours.

The four-day-and-three-night tour of the central romantic highland city of Dalat, promises fresh and delightfully cool mountain weather, pine forests looming in the mist and colorful flower blossoms. Tourists can enjoy the magnificence of Damb’ri Waterfall, tranquil and historical relics of Tuyen Lam Lake, Bao Dai Palace, the office and house of the last King of the Nguyen Dynasty and the romance of the Valley of Love.

The tour also includes time to wander on the little “Great Wall” and discover hundreds of creatures on display at the Dalat Institute of Biology. And, for some adventure, Langbian Mountain with a peak over 2,000 meters high will provide a challenge, rewarded with a panoramic view of the city in the mist and golden and silver rivers sparking in the rays of the sun.

Also for consideration is the four-day-three-night-tour to Nha Trang, recognized as one of 29 most beautiful bays in the world. Endowed by nature with deep, quiet and warm waters all the year round, surrounded by archipelagoes, islands, mountains and white sand beaches,

is expected to be one of the busiest destinations at the end of the year. The tour will take tourists to Ca Na Beach, one of the wildest and most beautiful beaches of Binh Thuan Province also known as the “Sleeping Princess” Lo River site, Nha Trang Port, the Institute of Oceanography and the Ponagar Tower, built about 1,000 years ago by the Cham People.

On the way to Nha Trang is Thap Ba Mineral Spring Center, where one may soak in hot mineral water or bathe in mineral mud and enjoy seafood.

The five-day-and-four-night tour in the central provinces includes Hoi An ancient town with streets bathed in the sparkling light of hanging lanterns in multiple colors and shapes, Ong Pagoda, Linh Ung Pagoda, Tang Chon Cave, Ngu Hanh Son “five basic elements” mountain and Non Nuoc Beach, with a stop at the peak of Hai Van Pass and Lang Co fishing village. On arrival in Hue tourists will visit Thien Mu Pagoda, Nguyen Dynasty’s Royal Citadel and Thai Hoa Palace, to enjoy the royal music which is recognized as the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

For tourists with limited time, the answer is a two-day-one-night tour to the central city of Phan Thiet to visit Duc Thanh School, Ho Chi Minh Museum, which provides visitors images of the time when Ho Chi Minh worked as a teacher in Phan Thiet in 1911, Cham Tower and the sand dunes.

Also available are a three days and two nights tour to celebrate Christmas in Dao Ngoc - Phu Quoc Island, four days and three nights Southern Noel tour, five days and four nights New Year 2009 Nha Trang - Dalat tour, and additional tours to Hue, TransViet tours and other attractive programs.

For further information, contact Ben Thanh Tourist at 86 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, HCMC, tel: (08) 3520 2020 - 3821 8989, email: domestic@benthanhtourist.com.

The annual event, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, aims to encourage young Vietnamese poets to share their work and experience.

This year’s event highlighted the image of the late President Ho Chi Minh and Truong Son Trail to mark the 40th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s Testament and the 50th anniversary of the legendary trail created during the war of resistance against the US.

To ensure the peaceful society of today, many young Vietnamese people volunteered to join the army and laid down their lives on the battlefields. PhD Pham Thu Yen, a lecturer of Teachers’ Training University of Hanoi, said the TV programme “Seeking Fallen Combatants” inspired her to compose a poem in honour of the fallen combatants.

Meanwhile, a group of young poets performed verses, one after another, inventing new ways of composing poems.

Lu Thi Mai, the youngest member, who is a second-year student at the University of Culture in Hanoi, said that the group is comprised of poetry aficionados coming from different parts of the country.

According to poet Do Trung Lai, one of event organisers, the 7th Vietnam Poetry Day was successful as it became a forum for experienced and young poets alike to share experiences, and in addition, this year’s event attracted more poetry lovers than last year’s.

Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, May 2010, - The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali makes Bali Island greener by planting 2000 mangroves at Serangan Beach on Thursday, 29 April 2010. This Care for Community initiative involved more than 200 employees from various departments led by the General Manager, Mr David Cuddon, Executive Committee members, Department Heads and many staffs. All enthusiast participants departed from the resort at 14.00hours to Serangan Beach – Bali an hour’s drive away.
The event was initiated by Human Resources Department and the mangrove planting this year is a continued effort to last year’s mangrove planting. The 2000 mangrove planting activity also invited 50 students from SDN No 6 Benoa (elementary school), a mentoring school by the resort. The Students, Head Master and Teachers who participated on this planting activity were very excited. It is an exceptional collaboration between the resort and the Students on how we care to our community.

The Laguna Cycling Club lead by the award winning Executive Chef I Made Putra and its members also provided a full support towards this community event. Members of this cycling club rode their bike from the resort to the Serangan Beach, which is about 30 kilometres away from Nusa Dua area. The cycling club is also promoted the initiative bike to works to the participants of mangroves planting.

This environment activity initiated by The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali is one of the Starwood Care agendas, Care for Community. Every year, The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali organises several Care for Community activities of various scale and programs inline with the Starwood Care programs. The mangrove planting activity is also reflects to the well-known Hindu’s Balinese life of concept, Tri Hita Karana. One of the Tri Hita Karana pillars are; Palemahan which is highlighting a harmonious life between the people with its surrounding community and Pawongan, which is related to the harmonious relations between human to human.

With the successful of community activities conducted by the resort continuously, The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali has recently received a tourism award - Tri Hita Karana, Gold Medal. The Annual Awards nomination was participated by almost 120 resorts, hotels and tourist attractions in Bali and organised by Bali Travel News magazine. The awards presented recognises accommodation operators and tourist attractions in Bali in their business, which embodies high levels of professionalism while at the same time embracing the spiritual and community values of Balinese culture.

As part of The Luxury Collection®, The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali is a haven of relaxed luxury offering the highest level of personalised service to discerning travellers. Located in the exclusive Nusa Dua resort area, on Bali’s most beautiful beach, a tranquil haven of tropical gardens and sparkling lagoons, the resort features 271 guestrooms and suites reflect a contemporary Balinese style. A Lagoon Access Rooms allow the guest to step from their private balcony directly into crystal-clear lagoon waters, 24 hours personalised Butler service, 3 restaurants and bars, meeting facilities and spa.

The Luxury Collection® is an ensemble of hotels and resorts offering unique, authentic experiences that evoke lasting, treasured memories. For the global explorer, The Luxury Collection offers a gateway to the world’s most exciting and desirable destinations. Each hotel and resort is a unique and cherished expression of its location; a portal to the destination’s indigenous charms and treasures. Magnificent décor, spectacular settings, impeccable service and the latest modern conveniences combine to provide a uniquely enriching experience.  Originated in 1906 under the CIGA brand as a collection of Europe’s most celebrated and iconic properties, today The Luxury Collection brand is a glittering ensemble of more than 75 of the world’s finest hotels and resorts in more than 30 countries in bustling cities and spectacular destinations around the world.  The Luxury Collection includes award-winning properties that continuously exceed guest expectations by offering unparalleled service, style and class while celebrating each hotel’s distinctive heritage and unique character.  All of these hotels, many of them centuries old, are internationally recognized as being among the world’s finest.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Nguyen Doan Khanh, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, noted that “Returning to the Roots 2009” is a chance for Vietnamese people to promote the tradition of great national unity and “Drinking water, Remembering the Source”.

With various cultural festivals taking place throughout the year, he said the programme aims to restore, preserve and develop the distinctive cultural values of the Vietnamese nation and promote tourism as a spearhead industry in the three provinces.

At the event, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung welcomed the initiative to launch the programme to boost cooperation in tourism. He highlighted the three provinces’ advantages for tourism development, saying Phu Tho is the cradle of the Vietnamese nation and the land embodies the essence of a traditional culture of different ethnic groups. He said the programme will help raise public awareness of the country’s history.

Nearly 1,000 professional and amateur artists took part in a special art performance, featuring major festivals, folk games and tourist attractions in the three provinces.