Travel in brief 1 July

Da Lat prepares for biennial flower festival
The provincial authorities of Lam Dong have announced that the Da Lat Flower Festival 2012 will take place in the resort city between December 30 to January 3.
Themed Da Lat, the City of Flowers Festival, this year's event will feature nine main programmes including art performances, a flower-and-light street festival, flower exhibitions, food festivals, a workshop on flowers and a wine-tasting event.
The biennial event has become a popular tourist attraction in Da Lat since it was first launched in 2005.
Tourism authority plans tours to East Sea islands
A sea tourism development project to be conducted from now until 2020 will include tours to islands in the East Sea, said the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) at a recent conference in Ha Noi.
Nguyen Van Tuan, VNAT director general, said these tours to coastal and island destinations, will offer an opportunity for the Vietnamese to show their love for the country.
HCM City yacht club opens to develop domestic river tourism
The HCM City Tourism Association has established the Viet Nam Yacht Club in HCM City, the first activities of which are aimed at helping to develop river tourism in the city, according to the association's chairman Nguyen Huu Tho.
The first activities of the club, which groups some 20 yachts owners from HCM City and neighbouring provinces, are necessary for the development of river tourism, including collecting information about waterway transportation rules and preparing a map of stopovers in HCM City for yachts.
Tho said the opening of the first river tour route from Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 to Ham Long Artisan Village in District 2 has helped pave the way for river tourism in HCM City.
Mekong region to exhibit tourism projects
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam will exhibit tourism projects at the International Travel Expo 2011 themed Four Countries – One Destination to take place at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Centre in HCM City's District 7 between September 14 and 17.
Along with the project exhibition, the tourism ministers of the four countries will discuss ways to link transport systems for tourism development and policies to attract investment for hospitality services.
Air carriers such as Philippines Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Viet Nam Airlines have put their name down to bring foreign tour operators and buyers to the event, organisers have said.
Carrier, resort join hands in luring tourism to Binh Dinh
Royal Resort has teamed up with Air Mekong to attract summer tourists to the coastal city of Quy Nhon in Binh Dinh Province by offering discount packages and the carrier's daily service to Quy Nhon.
Besides flexible air tickets, Air Mekong passengers receive a 50 per cent room discount at Royal Resort until July 31 this year. Air Mekong launched its daily service between HCM City and Quy Nhon on June 1.
Vietnamese volunteers set to lend Japan a helping hand
Saigontourist Travel Service Co has launched a special tour that will help Vietnamese lend a helping hand to Japanese residents of Sendai City, Miyagi Province in the aftermath of the natural disasters that hit the country in March.
Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing manager of the company, said travellers would visit attractions in Tokyo before having one day to take part in voluntary activities with members of a Japanese volunteer organisation. Vietnamese travellers will help local people clean houses, give elderly people a bath, cook, and do other tasks.
The four-day tour, costing VND35 million (US$1,700) per person, is scheduled to depart from HCM City on July 7 and 14.