Travel in brief 11 Mar

Nha Trang makes Spratly Islands focus of fifth annual Sea Festival
The fifth annual Sea Festival to be celebrated in Nha Trang city on June 11-15 will be centred on the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago this year.
Authorities in Khanh Hoa Province, where Nha Trang is, said the festival will feature a photo exhibition of the islands, a music show, a film screening, and a conference on Truong Sa Island District. Artists from France, South Korea, China, Cuba, and Russia will perform at the event which is aimed at promoting the province's traditional cultural values and tourism.
The festival will also include a celebration of bird's nests, a beauty pageant, and a Vietnamese goods fair on Nha Trang, Doc Let, and Bai Dai beaches.
Epikurean all set to open luxury resort in Nha Trang
The Singapore-based hotel management company Epikurian Villas Hotels&Hideouts will open a new luxury hotel in Nha Trang on April 2.
An Lam – Ninh Van Bay Villas Resort, built on 20ha in Ninh Van Bay, will open 18 of its proposed 35 villas in the first phase. Rooms start at US$400 per night but are offered at $350 until August.
Last December Epikurean announced it is taking over the Bai Tram Hideout Resort in the central province of Phu Yen, which spreads over some 90 ha and has seven luxury private-pool villas.
Ha Long Life Heritage resort launches luxury boat tours
Life Heritage Resort Ha Long Bay has launched four private luxury boats in Ha Long Bay that are decorated with the history and culture of the bay. They are built and operated to Certified Marine Standards and equipped with modern maritime safety features and equipment.
Each boat has a 32sq.m cabin with an upper deck, a dining terrace, and sundeck. All of them have kayaks, swimming ladders, diving and angling equipment. Customers can design their own itinerary of the bay and its limestone caves, islets, and secluded beaches.
Six hour cruises cost US$220 for two, including a set lunch, and for additional persons up to a maximum of four, $65 each.
HCM City misses out on large cruise ships as port proves unsuitable
Tour operators serving cruise ships have reported a sharp increase in the arrival of cruise tourists but say the lack of ports to accommodate such vessels is hindering the development of this segment.
Phan Xuan Anh, chairman of Viet Excursions, said in the first quarter his company served many cruise ships including the QE II, Queen Mary II, Arcadia, and Artemis, with each carrying 1,500 to 2,000 passengers.
But large vessels like the Queen Mary II cannot dock at Sai Gon Port because of the low clearance of Phu My Bridge and have to dock in Ba Ria-Vung Tau instead, he said.
Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing manager of Saigontrourist Travel Service Co, said the company had expected to serve nearly 20,000 cruise tourists in the first quarter, but some large ships decided to go to Da Nang instead because they cannot drop anchor in HCM City.