Travel in brief 7 Jan

More chartered flights for Tet
The number of chartered flights to central Viet Nam has increased significantly before the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, compared to the same period last year.
According to the director of the Da Nang-based tour operator, Vitours, Cao Tri Dung, local and foreign airlines have 12 to 15 charter flights from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and elsewhere in Asia to Da Nang for the period, with more than half of them catered to by Vitours. Half of these chartered flights are operated by Vietnam Airlines from such markets as South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan, and the rest by TransAsia Airways of Taiwan and other foreign carriers.
Vietnam Airlines has also started a series of more than 40 flights chartered by the international travel firm Vietlink from Hong Kong and Da Nang until early May 2011, using the 184-seat Airbus A321 aircraft.
In December, Russia's Vladivostok Air kicked off their chartered flights from Vladivostok and Khabarovsk to Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province.
Windsurfing race in Mui Ne
Some 30 international competitors will take part in a downwind slalom racing competition to be held by a Russian windsurfing school in Mui Ne, Phan Thiet, today, Jan 7.
Races for the second annual Surf4you Open Cup at Surf4you International Windsurfing School start at 12 noon with registration opening at 9am. Competitors will race seven downswind slalom events over a 4km course. The first prize is a Neil Pryde sail.
The event may be changed to the following day if the conditions are not suitable for racing, said Andrey Zabolonyvy, the event organiser and owner of the kitesurfing school.
Turkish Airlines flies to HCM City
Turkish Airlines began air services last week to HCM City by extending the Istanbul-Bangkok route to Viet Nam's southern city.
The airline has four weekly flights, with departures from HCM City's Tan Son Nhat Airport on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday on 270-seat Airbus 340.
The flights arrive in HCM City at 4:50 and depart at 8:30. The carrier also offers promotional roundtrip airfares at VND18.83 million for departures that last until March 31.
Cyclists promote marine protection
Fifty cyclists from Cycling Club in Da Nang and other central provinces joined a cycling event last Sunday to promote protection of the sea environment.
The cycling tour was organised by Son Tra Peninsula Management Board in collaboration with the Cycling Club and authorities of tourism beaches in Da Nang.
Da Nang has become a major sea tourism destination, with beaches and sea resorts attracting some 900,000 tourists, or half of the total number of tourists to the city in 2010, according to figures from Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Hotel offers special group package
The InterContinental Asiana Sai Gon has offered a special residential package starting this January, applying to group bookings from 10 to 100 rooms per night. The package deal wraps up on February 28 and is priced starting at US$165 a person. The cost includes one night's stay in a deluxe room, daily breakfast, internet access and a one-hour welcome reception.
InterContinental Asiana Sai Gon has been honoured by the World Travel Award as Viet Nam's Leading Hotel 2010.
Four Viet Nam hotels in top 500
Sofitel Legend Metropole and Hilton Opera Hotel in Ha Noi, and Caravelle and Park Hyatt Sai Gon in HCM City won coveted spots in a listing of the world's top 500 hotels by Travel + Leisure magazine.
In its January issue, the New York City-based magazine called out the four hotels in its ninth annual survey, known as T+L 500.
The magazine polled its 973,000 subscribers, soliciting votes for the best hotels around the world.