HCM City dwellers seek seaside escapes

Beach resorts have become increasingly popular among HCM City residents seeking to escape the city's scorching weather during the long holiday weekend at the end of this month.
Travel agencies in the city say that 24 per cent more people have booked tours to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet and Phu Quoc seaside resorts in the first week of April than in the same period last year.
Fiditour has booked 15,000 customers for these resort towns. Bookings are expected to increase in the next two weeks when more people make plans to spend the four-day holiday from Friday (April 30) to Monday (May 3) to celebrate the nation's Liberation Day and May Day.
Tourist officials have warned that travel destinations will be overcrowded during the holidays and advise tourists not to leave their holiday plans until the last minute.
However, observers say Vietnamese people are not used to planning holidays much ahead of time or booking hotel rooms in advance.
A new tour from HCM City to Vinh Long, Can Tho and Phu Quoc Island launched by major travel agencies including Saigontourist and Vietravel last week is attracting a lot of customers.
The tour is being organised after Viet Nam Airlines inaugurated late last month a new route from HCM City to two Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta destinations – Can Tho City and Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province.
On the tours organised every Thursday and Saturday, travellers will take passenger buses from HCM City to Vinh Long Province where they will visit lush orchards and enjoy delicious food unique to the Mekong Delta.
Before flying to Phu Quoc the following day, visitors can contemplate the rising sun on the Tien and Hau rivers, two branches of the Mekong, and visit a floating market in Can Tho city.
The HCM City–Can Tho–Phu Quoc flights operate every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Travel companies have closed tours to Con Dao after hotel rooms on the island were fully booked earlier this week.
Tours to other Asian countries are also attracting a great number of people. By last week more than 3,700 people had booked Saigontourist's overseas holiday tours.