TRAVEL IN BRIEF 24/4

      Da Lat to build a new ethnic craft village
The Da Lat-based Nang Mai Company is building a craft village for ethnic minorities in Mangline hamlet.
With an initial investment of VND5 billion US$270,000, the craft village will have five long houses built on a five-ha hill. The village, construction of which is scheduled to be completed in September, will admit 200 students for training on sewing, knitting and brocade weaving.
Victoria hotel hosts fifth boat race in Chau Doc
Victoria Hotels & Resorts will run its fifth Dragon Boat Race at Victoria Chau Doc Hotel on May 15. The dragon boat race has been held annually on the Hau River in celebration of Xu (Regional) Lady Festival. Some 20 teams from An Giang Province and neighbouring localities in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta will compete in 500m, 700m and 1,000m races.
Sa Pa booked out for holiday season
Thousands of travellers from northern provinces have planned tours of Sa Pa to retreat from the heat in big cities in the coming holidays.
The booking of so many guests has forced hotel rates up sharply, especially between April 28 and May 2.
According to Do Lan Huong, director of the two-star Darling Hotel, room rentals for a two- to three-star room are VND500,000-600,000 per night, and a three-star room VND800,000 to VND1 million.
Despite high rentals, all big hotels in town, such as Victoria, Chau Long, Hoang Gia, Green Bamboo, Darling and Trade Union, are fully booked until May 2.
Sa Pa has nearly 160 hotels and inns, with a total of 3,000 rooms, which can accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 visitors.
Tours of Thailand resume after protesters disperse
Local travel companies have resumed their tours of Thailand after anti-government protesters dispersed in Bangkok last week.
Vietravel and TST have re-organised their tours to Thailand four days after temporary postponement. TST Tourist started to take more than 20 Vietnamese travellers to Bangkok last Friday following the improvements in Bangkok.