HOI AN ON BIKE
Once known as Faifo, Hoi An was one of the orient's major trading ports in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Hoi An City Tours
Take a step back in time on a walking city tour of Hoi An -a well-known ancient town in Vietnam and a UNESCO World heritage site. A private guide leads you through the well-kept historic district of this once-prosperous seaport city.
Nha Trang Boat trip
Overview Transferring to Da Chong Whalf, about 18 km away from the city center for embarking on boat, cruising on Nha Phu bay.
Ha Long bay
Recognized by Unesco as a World Heritage Site since 1994 for it thousands of natural islands, Ha Long Bay is a legendary world, and one of the most magnificent scenic spots in Vietnam as well.
Discover Stunning Terraced fields in Northwest Vietnam
The terraced fields in the mountain district of Mu Cang Chai in Yen Bai, Vietnam are associated with the developmental history of the Mong ethnic minority group.
Exuberant orchards in Mekong Delta
Original wine cellar in Vietnam
This special cellar was built in 1923 for French military officers and businesspeople, as well as rich Vietnamese. It was named after Debay, a French officer, who built the structure. On May 15, 2012 the cellar was restored for tourism purposes. |
The arched structure simulates the French-style architecture. It is 100m long, 2.5m high and 2m wide. No bulbs are installed along the passageway of the cellar. |
Temperatures inside the cellar are rather low, ranging between 16-20 degrees Celsius during the daytime and dropping to below 10 degrees Celsius at night. Bottles of wine can be placed along the passageway of the cellar. |
Bottles are stored in locked compartments to prevent wine being exposed to heat, light, temperature fluctuations, and humidity that can spoil wine aroma and flavour. |
Not only grape wine, but rice wine distilled in Ba Na was also stored in the cellar to serve French military officers and rich Vietnamese businesspeople at the time. |
Big compartments were marked by the name of the wine maker. The wine was formerly deposited in the cellar for use by upper classes in society. |
The lighting system was only installed at the middle of the cellar, where parties or other formal functions were held by the French. |
A fire place was put up to warm up the cellar during the winter time |
Coming here, visitors have the chance to taste wine of different kinds |
Thousands of tourists visit Ba Na and the cellar every day. |
Hue displays all its old structures to boost tourism
Pillars of strength: Undamaged 120-year-old nha ruong (old-style house) owned by Ho Van Te in Phuoc Tich Village. Such houses will be used for community-based tourism to improve villagers' lives. |
With the support from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), the city chose the model of traditional markets on Thanh Toan tile-roofed bridges in Thuy Thanh Commune to develop.
In fact, the Thanh Toan market day was revitalised during the Hue Festival and gained tourists' applause. However, only the tourists who went on tours were introduced to the spot. In addition, few local households got involved in providing the service so the number of beneficiaries remained limited.
JICA will help set up an office for the village's tourism management which will monitor the local tourism quality and enlarge the service scale so more local residents can take participate in tourism.
Travel agencies and information providers are encouraged to co-operate in bringing more tourists to the destination. Field trips will be organised to test out tour quality.
Elsewhere in Phong Dien District's Phong Hoa Commune, Phuoc Tich ancient village, which is home to 40 hundred-year-old nha ruong (houses built with many beams and pillars), has been selected to develop homestays.
JICA also sent Mizokami Yoshihiro, a Japanese ceramic expert to help the village maintain its traditional ceramics production by creating new products based on their traditional technique. More than 20 villagers, most of them old artisans, took part in the programme.
The community-based tourism does not only refresh tourism in the old city but help create more jobs and improve the incomes of local people.
Apart from JICA, the Netherlands Development Organisation SNV helped 70 local residents get jobs as tourism service providers and craft sellers for Huyen Tran cultural centre in An Tay Ward.
This was a good way to promote Hue cultural values and the easiest way for local people to market their traditional crafts, Hoa said.
Visitors to Hoi An will enjoy discounts of up to 30 percent next month