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140,000 foreign visitors to Da Lat, 25% from RoK

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The resort city of Da Lat in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong has so far this year welcomed about 140,000 foreign visitors, 25% of them from the Republic of Korea (RoK), according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

140,000 foreign visitors to Da Lat, 25% from RoK hinh anh 1Foreign dancers participate in a street carnival that was held on December 27 at Lam Vien square in Da Lat as part of the activities of the ongoing Da Lat Flower Festival 2022. (Photo: VNA)

Lam Dong – The resort city of Da Lat in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong has so far this year welcomed about 140,000 foreign visitors, 25% of them from the Republic of Korea (RoK), according to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

RoK is the first country to reopen direct flights to Da Lat after an over-two-year disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On July 23, an international flight from RoK’s Incheon landed at Lam Dong province’s Lien Khuong International Airport. The charter flight of Korean Air carried 141 passengers who spent five days and four nights in Da Lat City.

From December 20, Vietjet Air also started selling tickets for commercial flights between Da Lat and Incheon with a frequency of four flights per week and reoperated charter flights between Da Lat and Rok’s Muan city with two flights per week.

According to Lam Dong provincial People’s Committee, Da Lat city this year expects to welcome more than 7 million visitors, an increase of 340% over the same period in 2021.

Its revenue from the accommodation, restaurant and tourism services reached 11.9 trillion VND (nearly 504.23 million USD), a year-on-year increase of over 122%.

A street carnival was held on December 27 at Lam Vien square in Da Lat as part of the activities of the ongoing Da Lat Flower Festival 2022 with the participation of foreign dancers and Vietnamese circus artists./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/140000-foreign-visitors-to-da-lat-25-from-rok/246230.vnp

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HCM City looking to recover int’l tourist market

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Ho Chi Minh City posted strong socio-economic recovery last year after a long period of grappling with COVID-19, with its tourism sector recording rapid and impressive growth.

 

The city’s tourism sector began to prosper following the Government’s decision to reopen borders and welcome international visitors from March 15, 2022.

It welcomed nearly 3.5 million foreign visitors last year and over 31.5 million domestic travellers.

Total tourism revenue exceeded 130 trillion VND (equivalent to over 5.5 billion USD) for the year.

Despite this recovery and the city proving to be among the most popular destinations nationwide, there remain a host of concerns.

Despite these obstacles, HCM City is maximising efforts to recover the international tourist market.

The city is focusing on investment to create new tourism offerings, upgrade tour packages, and promote tourism activities.

Though the tourism sector failed to reach its goals in 2022, results were still much more positive than in the previous year.

HCM City expects to welcome 5 million international visitors this year.

Though this goal is relatively modest compared to pre-pandemic levels, the local tourism sector is working to improve entry and visa policies as well as air and road transport links, and to promote tourism activities to welcome back a large number of foreign holidaymakers./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/hcm-city-looking-to-recover-intl-tourist-market/250024.vnp

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Unique beauty of Hang Pagoda in Trà Vinh

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A panoramic view of Hang Pagoda. — Photo thamhiemmekong.com

Lâm Giang

As a province with many ethnic Khmer people living, Trà Vinh Province has a distinct beauty expressed through its unique architectural works.

Among the famous landscapes and monuments in the province, Hang Pagoda is a must-visit destination.

The pagoda, also called Kompông Chrây Pagoda, was established in 1637. It is 5km from Trà Vinh Town.

The 2ha-pagoda is completely covered in green forest.

It is called Hang (Cave) Pagoda because the western side gate, facing National Highway 54, is built like a system of three caves. The middle gate is a large cave, and the two sides are small caves. All three gates are solidly built with 12m thick walls, creating the feeling of standing in the gate like a cave.

The arched pagoda gate is an artistic architectural work that distinguishes Hang Pagoda from the rest of the Khmer pagodas in the province. It contains a deeply religious and historical value.

The cave gate is a ‘relic’ showing that Trà Vinh Khmer Theravada Buddhism has a certain inheritance of Brahminism because, in the old days, Brahmin monks often lived quietly in dark and deserted caves.

There are rows of ancient trees at the pagoda’s gate. — Photo thamhiemmekong.com

The main hall of the pagoda was built on high ground, with many steps leading up, decorated with many patterns and motifs. The roof of the main hall is composed of many overlapping layers, on top of which is a majestic tower.

Inside the main hall are two rows of tall columns, and in the middle of the hall is the altar of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Opposite the main hall is a population of 12 animals arranged in an arc shaped like a boat.

Like other Khmer pagodas, Hang Pagoda is not only a place of worship and belief but also a place of learning, moral education, and preservation of the traditional art and culture of the Khmer people.

In the pagoda, there is a fairly large school and about 20 small stilt houses for the Khmer in the area to come to pray and practice here.

The main hall of Hang Pagoda. — Photo thamhiemmekong.com

The properties of Hang Pagoda cover an area of about 7ha. It is really a primaeval forest with many endemic plant species such as bamboo, rare wood trees. They are crammed into many different layers, which are very valuable in terms of the biosphere and are a natural source of genes for future generations.

Another attraction of this pagoda to visitors is the wood carving workshop that has been operating for nearly 30 years, with many products that are famous in the Vietnamese fine art market and a strictly protected “bird sanctuary”, home to many different kinds of birds and bats.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the forest on the properties of Hang Pagoda has been inhabited by many bats and crows. At night they go out to look for food. During the day, they hang from the branches of the trees.

However, after that, not many bats were left for unknown reasons.

From the 1990s onwards, the forest of Hang Pagoda has become home to many kinds of birds. The pagoda sets out very strict regulations on protection of birds and trees in the forest, creating a peaceful natural environment for flocks of birds to live. There are nearly tens of thousands of birds of all kinds. Most are white storks, ivory storks, red-necked storks and herons.

Hang Pagoda is home to many birds and bats. — Photo huongsacmientay.com

Loved and protected by people, more and more birds have arrived in the pagoda. They make their nests even in the newly planted bonsai area in front of the main hall and the monks’ house.

Visiting Hang Pagoda, visitors will have the opportunity to witness the monks of the wood-carving workshop to create unique artworks from tree roots.

Wood-carving artists at work at Hang Pagoda. — Photo thamhiemmekong.com

During nearly 30 years of operation, the art wood-carving workshop has produced thousands of works of different sizes. All works from the workshop are imbued with the traditional visual arts of the Khmer ethnics.

After visiting the workshop, tourists stroll around the pagoda. In the morning, the birds soar to the sky, spreading to find food in the fields and rivers nearby, creating a noisy atmosphere for the whole forest.

Trà Vinh boasts about 150 pagodas of the Khmer and nearly 60 pagodas of other ethnic groups. 

Visitors feel like they are lost in the “Land of Buddha”, being immersed in the unique spiritual and cultural space of the Khmer with unique ancient architecture of their pagodas.

For tourists who love to learn about spiritual culture, Trà Vinh is the ideal choice. VNS

Source: http://ovietnam.vn/travel/unique-beauty-of-hang-pagoda-in-tra-vinh_342701.html

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Spring festival attracts visitors to Quang Nam

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A spring festival was held recently in Dong Giang district in the central province of Quang Nam, with various activities offering visitors the chance to experience the land, people, cultural identity, tourism services, and typical cuisine of highland people.

Visitors to the Heaven Gate Spring Festival could immerse themselves in nature and capture moments of spring amid vibrant flowers of the highlands. Of particular note, festival organisers provided free entry to Co Tu ethnic minority people in the province.

The festival is held outdoors, with activities experiencing local culture such as folk dances and new rice celebrations, etc., with the participation of dozens of local artisans. Visitors joined dances and learned the meaning of such beautiful community activities.

The festival is a prominent event in Quang Nam province, attracting more than 5,000 visitors on a journey of discovery and experience./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/spring-festival-attracts-visitors-to-quang-nam/250089.vnp

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