TRAVEL IN BRIEF 3/7

      Costa Allegra cruise ship docks in HCM City
Saigontourist Travel Service Co welcomed the Costa Allegra cruise ship which docked at NaviOil Port in HCM City on Tuesday. During a four-day visit to Viet Nam, some 1,250 tourists, mainly from Europe, on board the cruise ship toured HCM City, the Mekong Delta, Hue and Da Nang in the Central and Ha Long Bay in the north of Viet Nam.
After docking at Tien Sa Port at 7am yesterday, July 2, the tourists visited tourist attractions in Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An before heading north for Ha Long Bay at 7pm. Costa Allegra was scheduled to leave Ha Long Bay for Hong Kong at 12pm today.
Binh Thuan hopes to lure more northern visitors
Provincial authorities of Binh Thuan have unveiled a plan to organise a cultural and tourism fair in Ha Noi. The fair will open at the Viet Nam Exhibition Centre at 148 Giang Vo in Ha Noi between August 3 and 9, aiming to introduce the province’s potential and attractions to Hanoians and the northern market.
The event will feature the achievements of culture and tourism scored by Binh Thuan in the past two decades, and introduce festivals such as the Whale Worship and Mid-Autumn festivals.
Tour operators rush to qualify for visa exemption
Local tour operators are hurriedly completing necessary formalities for visa exemption for foreign travellers who buy packaged tours of Viet Nam under the Impressive Viet Nam promotion campaign. Last month the Government agreed to exempt visa fees for foreigners who enter Viet Nam on packaged tours under the promotion campaign, but only upon registration.
Vu The Binh, head of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism’s Travel Department, said 90 tour operators have registered with the immigration agency to secure this benefit for their guests.