Travel in brief on 23 Apr 2010

SaPa gets ready for culture week
A week-long cultural event called "Walking in a Cloud in Sa Pa" will be held from April 30 to May 4 to showcase the rich and distinctive aspects of Sa Pa’s diverse ethnic cultures.
Visitors can discover how local ethnic minorities dye, weave, and decorate their garments and make their sandals. They can take part in forest tours to pick medicinal herbs and learn how to use them, and prepare traditional meals eaten by the various ethnic minority groups.
The organisers also plan to make the famous lovers’ market as authentic as possible. The market, held on every Saturday night, offers a destination and opportunity for young, single Mong, Dao, Tay and Ray ethnic people to go and find their true love. Those already married also seldom miss the event, since it offers them an opportunity to relive their youthful love.
There will also be a photography exhibition and fairs of north-western cuisines and orchids.
‘Grand Sale’ to lure shoppers
Culture, sports and tourism departments of Ha Noi, HCM City and Da Nang have joined hands with the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to promote the Impressive Viet Nam Grand Sale 2010 programme.
VNAT has completed talks with relevant authorities in the three cities for the joint programme set for August and September.
During the two months, shopping centres, retail outlets, and other traders will offer promotions, discounting products and services by 10 per cent to 40 per cent.
The Impressive Viet Nam Grand Sale 2010 is part of a national marketing campaign called Viet Nam - Your Destination.
Vietravel unveils Nha Trang tours
Vietravel is offering discounts of VND200,000 to 400,000 for tours from HCM City to Nha Trang departing on May 1.
The three-day Nha Trang-King Yacht-Doc Let tour by air, including lodging at the Novotel Nha Trang Hotel, is priced at VND6 million (US$314). The same tour by bus and train and stay at the Diamond Bay Resort will cost VND3.6 million.
Visitors will also be taken to Vinpearl Land Resort and Spa where they can watch water music, Yangbay Waterfall and Doc Let Beach.
Tour firms shrug off volcano woes
Vietnamese tour operators have been affected by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano that has closed most of Europe’s air space but the impact is not as severe as initially feared.
HCM City-based tour operators say there are few Vietnamese visitors to Europe and European travellers to Viet Nam during the current low season.
Saigontourist Travel Service Co. said two groups of 50 French visitors have cancelled tours to Viet Nam while four other groups of French tourists scheduled to return home on April 20 had to change their plans due to flight cancellations.
Ben Thanh Tourist said a group of Vietnamese tourists cancelled their tour to France and Italy to have departed on April 18 while G7 Travel Group said four groups of tourists from France cancelled tours of Viet Nam.
Novotel holds beach clean-up
Novotel Nha Trang organised a beach clean-up yesterday, April 22, to public create awareness about the importance of sustaining the environment.
The activity was part of Earth Guest Day begun by the hotel owner, the Accor chain.
The three-hour event began at 7am with participants of staff, guests and more than 140 students from the Nha Trang Vocational Education and Training College and representatives from the City Environment Company.
Accor holds the day, which is held on the same day as International Earth Day, to encourage its 150,000 employees around the world to organise initiatives and events to promote sustainable development.