According to Cho Young Jai, general secretary of Asean-Korea Centre, currently, his centre is promoting many programmes to boost the cultural and tourism exchanges and enhances the mutual understanding between Korea and Asean region like cultural and tourism festival, programmes on school tourism and Asean tourism guides.

The centre also plans to build a Korean version for the website of Tourism Administration of four countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma.

Buon Ma Thuot Street is colorfully decorated to welcome the coffee festival

Street festival

Music festival and traditional dances of the Central Highland people

Sword and shield dances

Young men walking on stilts

Smile of young girls

Sticks wishing for a happy and prosperous season

All activities taking place on the main stage of the Buon Ma Thuot Victory Monument

Elephant march on the main street

Festival honouring coffee trees and growers

Ancient vespas rolling in the street

First runner-up of the Miss Vietnam 2010 beauty pageant Vu Hoang My

Local residents and visitors eager for the colourful activities

Since early this morning [March 16], the temperature of northern mountainous provinces sharply decreased, causing snow in Sapa. Particularly, the region from O Quy Ho-Tram Ton area is full of snow, with some places receiving up to 10cm.

This unusual phenomenon has brought large number of visitors who have rushed up to see the snow before it melts.

This has led to some traffic jams.

Locals said, this is the largest amount of snow Sapa has had in over the past ten years.

Photos of falling snow in Sapa this morning:

So announced the speaker of the Grand Parade held on March 13 in the framework of the Honolulu Festival when the 60- graduate student delegation of Vietnam was passing the podium on Kalakaua Avenue in the Waikiki Beach Walk. The Honolulu Festival, the annual biggest one of Hawaii state in the US, was organised from March 11-13.

“This is the third year the VSAH, based at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has participated in the Honolulu Festival, but is the first time it joins the Festival Parade,” said the speaker.

“Besides, you should know about Vietnam’s Pho (rice noodle soup) which I have been enjoying at least once a week,” he added.

Goro Nakamura from Japan, who was among tens of thousands of witnesses of the parade, told Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent that his wife, two daughters and himself waited for the parade quite a long time and enjoyed it much.

Right after the parade, the VSAH was invited to attend cultural activities to be held in Honolulu during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, slated for Nov. 7-13 this year.

Also at the Convention Center in Honolulu on March 13, Vietnamese graduate students also performed a fashion show and the “Beauty of Central Highlands” dance.

Vietnam’s diversified culture will also be introduced by Vietnamese post graduates and PhDs in Hawaii to friends of the US and other countries next month at the East – West Fest to be held by the East – West Center and the International Day by the Hawaii Pacific University.

Russian tourists in particular have swamped the towns of Central Vietnam making it a popular destination for their countrymen.

400,000 international tourists visited Khanh Hoa Province in 2010, continuing to affirm its position as the most attractive tourist site in the Central region. 30,000 Russian tourists came to Khanh Hoa last year, an increase of 30% compared to 2009. Russians form the fourth largest tourist group to patronise Khanh Hoa Province.

Nguyen Van Thanh, director of Khanh Hoa Tourism & Trade Promotion Centre said that Russia was offering flights from two of its cities to Cam Ranh Airport and was greatly boosting the country’s tourist trade.

It is anticipated that Khanh Hoa province will continue to be an attractive tourist destination for Russians in the near future. Khanh Hoa tourism sector is expecting to welcome around 50,000 Russian tourists this year.

Binh Thuan Province also has a very large number of Russian tourists. In 2009, the province welcomed nearly 30,000 Russian tourists and 2010 welcomed 57,000 Russian visitors.

In the beginning of this year, Russian tourists accounted for one third of the province’s total 35,000 visitors.

Nguyen Van Khoa, chairman of Binh Thuan Tourism Association said that the increase in the number of Russian visitors is due to Russia having opened direct flights to Cam Ranh Airport in Khanh Hoa Province.

Valeriy, a Russian tourist on Nha Trang Beach, said he is a pilot and has travelled to many countries in the world. However, he and his family only like to visit Vietnam, because Vietnam has so many natural beaches and one of the nicest parts of the country was the Central region. He added that sea food in the Central region was plentiful and so fresh.

According to reports from tourist agencies, generally Russian visitors are friendly and easy-going. Most of them are young people and most of them prefer the Central region. They like spending money on tourist services and buying souvenirs. It is a favourite destination of middle-aged people because they want to recall memories of the days when they worked in Vietnam and want to see the new changes in Vietnam now.

However, the province still lacks Russian speaking tour guides. Currently, Khanh Hoa Province has only 20 tour guides, who can speak Russian. Some time ago, a few tourist agencies had organized Russian classes but that did not meet expectations.

There will be 30 events organised in the south-central region of the country, including the International Boat Racing Festival in Binh Thuan; mountain climb race contest in Phu Yen; the 1st International Choir Festival & Competition in Hoi An Town; Goddess of Mercy Festival in Danang City and Sea and Islands Festival in Quang Ngai.

Phu Yen Province will set off an event to mark the 400th anniversary of its founding.

Also, this year will see the 17th Vietnam Film Festival. This event will include a conference on the scientific and cultural heritage of the south central region.

This is a good time for the south-central coastal region, not only to promote their viability as a tourist destination, but to highlight their maritime economy.

Le Kim Anh, the Vice Chairman of the Phu Yen People’s Committee, said the locality is preparing infrastructure to welcome tourists. He also disclosed that, so far this year, the number of foreign visitors to the province has increased by 20% from last year.

This year, Vietnam has set a goal of attracting 5.3 international visitors.

The commencement ceremony for the new year in tourism will be held on April 1.

Some photos of people and landscapes in Phu Yen:

Bai Mon Beach in Phu Yen Province

National relic of Mo and Luong Van Chanh Temple, a beauty spot in Phu Yen

Poetry festival

Nhan Moutain and Da River at sunset

Hoa Da cake

Coconut shells made into handicrafts

Mang Lang Church

Drotan Waterfall

Dong Cam Dam

Lithophone

A big catch

In 1951, Doan Huy Hoang Thi Cuc, the mother of Bao Dai, the last king of the Nguyen Dynasty who abdicated his throne in 1945, donated seven hectares that she possessed in the Central Highlands region to build a pagoda, recognizing the increasing popularity of Buddhism in the country.

After work on it was completed in 1953, Doan Huy named it the Khai Doan Pagoda, combining the given names of her deceased husband and herself.

The appearance of Khai Doan Pagoda marked Buddhism’s development in the Central Highlands region. The first abbot of the pagoda was Monk Thich Duc Thieu. Until now, Khai Doan has had seven abbots, and the pagoda has gone through several expansions and embellishments.

Khai Doan Pagoda

Today, increasing numbers of devout Buddhists as well as tourists visit the pagoda.

Khai Doan Pagoda was given a reddish brown earth color, the color of basalt soil in the Central Highlands.

We entered the pagoda through the cong tam quan (three-entrance gate). As there are several steps to climb to reach the pagoda from this gate, those who are on vehicles or otherwise unable to negotiate the stairs can use the rear entrance.

The sanctum’s pillars are carved in a style similar to Hue’s Royal Court

Inside the pagoda, its unique features becomes obvious. While the roofs are characteristic of the nha dai (long house), its pillars were carved in style similar to the Royal Court in Hue.

Nha dai, a long house on stilts where several families live together, is favored by the Ede ethnic minority. The long-roofed house is distinct from the nha rong in that the former is a residence while the latter serves as a venue for meetings or festivals.

The 320-square meter sanctum of the pagoda has seven bronze Buddha and Bodhisattva statues. The 1.1-meter tall Sakyanumi Buddha statue is highest, placed in the middle. In front of the statue is a Buddha relic gifted by Monk Narada Thera from Sri Lanka in 1953 when the pagoda was inaugurated.

We were also impressed by a large bell that weighs 380 kilograms and is 1.15 meters high. Made by highly skilled craftsmen from the former feudal capital of Hue, the bell has sophisticated carvings on it and its chimes can be heard far away, reminding Buddhists and others that it is time to meditate on the ephemeral nature of life.

We felt a sense of quiet and ease at the pagoda. Monks walked by slowly with measured steps. Pilgrims were silent as they tuned in to the sacred atmosphere.

In the garden surrounding the pagoda is a statue of the Buddha under a tall Bodhi tree that reminded us of the enlightenment that the Compassionate One attained and pointed humankind to. The fresh, tranquil atmosphere swept away the stress we’d been carrying from our daily lives.

There is a shop in the pagoda where tourists can buy Buddhism-related souvenirs and next to it is a house where tourists can rest and drink tea for free.

Khai Doan Pagoda is located at 89A Phan Boi Chau Street, Thong Nhat Ward, Buon Ma Thuot Town, Dak Lak Province.

Along with the Bao Dai Palace, Lac Giao communal house, and Buon Ma Thuot Penitentiary, the Khai Doan Pagoda has added to Dak Lak’s tourist attractions, but it offers more than an aesthetically pleasing experience.

It offers a space to reflect on our lives and ways to make it more meaningful.

A large crowd of locals and tourists watched and cheered as 35-year-old Y Nap defeated 19 other contestants from Jun, M’Lieng, Yang Tao and Le villages to become the champion on a 200m dirt racing track on the banks of the Lak Lake, about 60km north of the province’s Buon Ma Thuot City. The second and third place went to elephants from M’Lieng and Le villages.

In the qualifying round, four teams, each comprising 5 elephants aged 23 to 45, raced each other and the first five qualified for the final.

Each elephant was ridden by two handlers who prodded the animals to run as fast as they could.

Swanny Henry, a French tourist, said this was the first time she had seen elephants.

“I did not know there was an elephant race today, but it is exciting and wonderful,” she said, adding that she wanted to dig deeper into the Central Highlands and make more “surprising” discoveries.

Annie Maisonneuve, 32, from Quebec, Canada, said she felt “very fortunate” to see the elephants for the first time. She was also not aware of the race and seeing it was a bonus.

Although he has been living in Vietnam for 17 years in the resort city of Nha Trang, it was the first time that Canadian Sylvio Lamarch, 54, had the opportunity to see an elephant race.

“It was great fun,” said Lamarch, who runs the Jungle Beach Resort north of Nha Trang.

A dugout canoe race was also held on Lak Lake, attracting competitors from Jun, M’Lieng, Yang Tao, Le, and Chua villages.

Each of the 20 canoes was rowed by three local young men who spared no effort as they raced in the strong wind towards the finishing line.

Canoes from Jun and Yang Tao villages won the first and second prizes at this event.

The events, organised by DakLaktourist, welcomed the 3rd Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival and celebrated the town’s Liberation Day (March 10).

Addressing the ceremony, Lu Ngoc Cu, Chairman of the Dak Lak provincial People’s Committee, said the festival is the province’s premier economic and cultural event in 2011.

He emphasised that Dak Lak is Vietnam’s largest coffee-producing province with a total cultivated area of 182,000ha and an annual output of 400,000 tonnes of coffee beans, which accounts for 40% of the country’s total output.

Dak Lak coffee is exported to more than 80 countries and territories worldwide, contributing to Vietnam’s standing as the world’s second largest coffee-exporting country, he said, adding that Vietnam is now very famous for its coffee brands.

He said the third biennial festival is aimed at introducing Vietnamese coffee to the world, boosting trade, attracting investment, building strong brand names, and improving coffee quality and productivity for the sustainable development of the sector.

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Phong highlighted Dak Lak’s significant achievements in socio-economics, politics, and culture.

Since the country’s liberation 36 years ago, the province has spared no efforts to maintain security and defence, protect the country’s sovereignty, improve people’s living conditions, and build a strong Party, said Ms. Phong.

She said Buon Ma Thuot coffee has reinforced the prestige of Vietnamese coffee and she asked Dak Lak province to continue planning for the sector’s development. She also requested the province to support coffee growers and promote their coffee products through festivals, exhibitions, and other advertising activities.

Phong also asked relevant ministries and agencies to co-ordinate with the province to improve the quality of its products and create a strong brand name for Buon Ma Thuot coffee.

Also at the ceremony, there were art performances representing the cultures of the Central Highlands as well as a fireworks display to congratulate the province on the success of the festival.

Prior to the opening ceremony, there were a number of additional activities such as the country’s largest coffee fair with the participation of 185 businesses, a photo exhibition focused on Vietnamese coffee and tourism, the launching of a fixed trading floor for coffee, a street festival, seminars on the development of Vietnamese coffee, and the 24th Charming Vietnam Gala Performance. – VOV

Various cultural, sporting and tourism events including an Asian music festival, an international choir festival, a film festival and a yacht race will be held within the framework of the programme themed “Beach and Island”.

This is a good opportunity for south-central coastal cities and provinces to introduce their tourism potential and promote maritime-based economy.

Vietnam aims to welcome 5.3 million foreign tourists in 2011 and earn a total revenue of VND110 trillion. – VOV