TRAVEL IN BRIEF 27/11

Vietnam Airlines to double flights to Bangkok
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines said it plans to double its daily HCM City-Bangkok service from December 1 as it anticipates demand to rise in Thailand next year when Viet Nam celebrates Ha Noi’s 1,000th anniversary and the 2010 Hue Festival.
Thailand is one of Viet Nam’s key tourism markets though 2009 was a bad year. According to the Viet Nam National Tourism Administration, more than 125,118 Thai tourists visited the country in the first 10 months this year, down 18.8 percent from the same period last year.
Thai food and culture week comes to Ha Noi
A Thai food and culture week will be held at Ha Noi’s Melia Hotel from December 1 to 6 to celebrate Thailand’s National Day, December 4.
At the festival, jointly organised by the Thai Embassy and Melia Hotel, Thai chefs Aek Charttrakul and Chutchanok Boonchai will make typical Thai dishes and visitors will also have a chance to enjoy traditional Thai dances.
Garuda suspends flights to Viet Nam
Indonesian carrier Garuda suspended services to HCM City with effect from last Wednesday (November 25) with Syamsul Adnan, general manager of Garuda in Viet Nam, attributing it to the low flight load factor at the moment on the Jakarta-Singapore-HCM City route.
Meanwhile, Taiwan-based Trans Air has said it will begin a twice-weekly service between Taipei and Da Nang next month before increasing the frequency in 2010.
Trans Air will become the second foreign airline to fly to Da Nang after Singapore’s Silk Air which operates three flights a week to this city.
Thirty qualify for Hoi An souvenir-making contest
This year’s Hoi An souvenir-making contest has entered the final stages with 30 out of 127 entries chosen to compete in the final round and displayed for public comment at the ancient house on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street.
The contest aims to honour artisans, craftspeople, and souvenir designers, promote traditional craft in villages, and create new souvenirs that represent Hoi An’s ethos.
Apart from the 13 best to be chosen by the organisers, five others will also be voted by the public for prizes. All the awards will be presented at a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of Hoi An’s recognition as a world heritage site on December 4.
Northbound train fares up, southbound down for Tet
The Ha Noi Railway Station will begin selling tickets for the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays on December 1, with south-north tickets price increasing by 25 per cent but north-south fares falling by as much as 50 per cent.
On the opposite route, fixed train fares will fall by as much as 10 per cent while fares for trains with extra cars will fall by 50 per cent.
To address the demand, the station will run 12 pairs of south-bound trains before and after the holidays.