Thailand’s outbound trips to Vietnam slipped off the top 10 list although it ranked 10th last December with 17,940 visits. However the market from Thailand to Vietnam is not making headway mainly reporting declines on highs in 2010.

Throughout 2011,Thailand’s outbound market supplied 181,820 visits to Vietnam down 18.41% from 222,839 visits in 2010.

China continues as the top supplier in January with 147,667 visits representing an increase of 93.39% from 76,358 visits during the same month last year followed by South Korea, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia.

Neighbouring Cambodia moved up to seventh place supplying 42,058 visits, an increase of 94.92% over 21,577 visits.

All of the top markets are in the Asia/Pacific region with the exception of the United State and France.

The bulk of arrivals in January (530,000) passed through two main aviation gateways Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

VNAT updated its data on website, late last week, sourced from the government statistics office.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Tourism Promotion Division deputy head, Nguyen Bao Anh, said promotions will focus on South Korea, the United Kingdom, India and Ukraine.

“Tourist arrivals from those four countries remained small, last year, but the growth rate was promising.”

Air links between Ho Chi Minh City and these markets have opened and that has prompted interest in promotions.

“The UK market is expanding since the national airline started a London flight last December,” he said.

Mr Anh added: “A similar route from Ukrainian has now started and services to India will be launched this July, also on Vietnam Airlines in partnership with Jet Airways.”

Trips for journalists and travel agency staff from the four markets will kick off the effort.

In the South Korean market, foreign tour operators will be invited to try river tours from the city and check out investment opportunities particularly joint ventures.

Last year, there were 3.5 million international tourist arrivals increasing 12.9% against 2010.

The city’s revenue from tourism was estimated at VND49 trillion (US$2.33 billion) improving 19.5% year-on-year. Of that revenue, VND29 trillion came from restaurants and hotels, while VND12 trillion derived from travelling services.

The top 10 markets for HCMC were: the United States; Japan; Taiwan; South Korea; Australia; China; Malaysia; Singapore; France and Canada.

A popular one-night escape heads to the Mekong River delta covering visits to orchards on Mekong islands in My Tho and a wholesale floating market in Can Tho.

The Mekong River delta covers vast stretches of marshy land forming a triangle extending from My Tho in the east to Chau Doc and Ha Tien in the northwest, down to Ca Mau and the South China Sea at the southernmost tip of Vietnam including Phu Quoc Island.

The area is blessed with fertile soils and a complex network of rivers and canals that sustain agriculture and aquaculture the region’s main industries. This slice of land representing 12% of the country’s land mass. It is a major food supplier, not only for locals, but for export too. The delta region produces 50% of the country’s rice output and Vietnam is the second largest rice exporter after Thailand.

My Tho, is the gateway to the delta, 70 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Despite the short distance, travelling time is around two hours; first to get out of Ho Chi Minh City’s traffic jams and then on a bus that rarely goes faster than 60 kph.

Once you start to cross several bridges, over small and large waterways, you recognise you are in the delta and My Tho must be close by.

At My Tho, tourists meet a local guide and board a boat for a short cruise to visit islets. In the same area, there are four islets: Con Qui (Turtle Island); Con Phung (Pheonix Island); Con Thoi Son (Unicorn Island) and Con Tran Long (Dragon Island). The islands are famous for fruits such as coconut, pineapple, papaya, longan, banana, rambutan and jackfruit.

The tourist activities are mainly on the Unicorn Island, the largest, while the tour stops at Turtle Island for lunch.

The Mekong River, during this monsoon, is swift and mud red in colour. Each island is about 15 to 20-minute trip by boat.

Once you step onto Unicorn island you will see restaurants and souvenir stalls, mostly selling the same goods as in Ho Chi Minh City. But villagers here generally quote cheaper prices than in HCMC to justify the repetition.

The first stop (unless shopping) is a coconut candy factory. If visitors arrive early, they can watch workers mixing and cooking the coconut, but after lunch, the tass has progressed to cutting and shaping the tiny rectangular pieces and packing them. The chewy sweet candies come in several flavours.

Then, the tour continues to a bee farm, for tasting locally produced honey and drinks. Tourists take a seat, while the sellers prepares a hot longan honey drink mixed with Kumquat, (sour orange-like fruit). Questions about bees and honeys are welcome and if you buy some honey or sweets then the farm workers wave you off with broad smile.

Afterwards, the guide leads the way to an orchard to check out fruits, while listening to Don Ca Tai Tu, folk songs sung and played by villagers.

The last activity of the programme sees visitors travelling by row-boats through narrow canals. Most of the rowers are women dressed in traditional Mekong delta outfits; Ao Ba Ba– button down long sleeves blouse and pants with Non La, the Vietnamese conical hat.

Women usually row the boats, daily, to the orchards and nipa palm forest to sell the products in the markets so it is a common sight not one created to please tourists.

I must admit, I was very impressed watching these women standing tall at the back of the boat in beautiful working outfit rowing their boats with skill and pose.

Each boat is propelled by two rowers; one standing at the rear using two oars and in the front using a paddle to help steer the boat.

Leaving My Tho to Can Tho, the largest province in the delta on the southern bank of the Hau River, we reach the town on a branch of the Mekong River after a three-hour, 90 km transfer. From Ho Chi Minh City, tourists can also catch a hydrofoil to reach Can Tho in four hours.

Can Tho boasts floating markets – Cai Rang, Phung Hiep and Phong Dien. To visit the markets, you must travel early, or you will miss the colourful scenes as people trade their goods at this busy market.

The market we visited is Cai Rang, 6 km upstream from Can Tho City, taking around 15 minutes by motor boat. Individual travellers can hire small boats and they are usually owned by women and are fitted with small engines. Oars are used whehn the width of the channels narrows.

The floating market is a very lively trading scene, genuine and not contrived. But how long will it stay that way?

Rivers are quite busy because they are the main transport channels in the delta region.

Cai Rang is the main wholesale floating market. Barges loaded with fruits and vegetable from other districts and provinces arrive before the moon sinks, while retail sellers from Can Tho head from their homes to buy goods to sell at dawn.

When they trade, the small boat will draw near the barges. There are hundreds of boats around, so it a confusing scene that makes you wonder how they can trade.

Among the traders, there are also food and drink boats moving around. You can buy a glass of strong Vietnamese coffee to wake you up.

In Can Tho, there are very few other attractions. After breakfast at the hotel, the guide takes tourists to a small Chinese temple, close to the pier and a community shrine that is a place for worship.

On the way back to Ho Chi Minh City, the bus stops for lunch at the Mekong Rest Stop, a huge complex of restaurants and souvenir shops in the middle of nowhere. It is very touristic place, purpose-built to serve tourists en route to the delta. TT Group that built Mekong Rest Stop plans to replicate the facility throughout the country with the second one due to open near Danang.

The association deputy chairman, Nguyen Huu Tho, said new training programmes will be introduced through to 2016 to achieve objectives to move the country up the scale to become a leader in ASEAN.

“Over the next five years, the association plans to ask relevant authorities to establish a Tourism Knowledge Fostering School to train staff and managers,” he said.

Mr Tho added: “We will collaborate with universities and colleges to open short-term courses for staff in local tourism associations.”

Earlier, VITA’s Vietnam Society of Travel Agents, in collaboration with the European Excellence in Management Education, launched the BMA Tourism Programme, which is particularly focused on managers.

“The programme aims to improve manager qualifications in the build up to ASEAN 2015,” Mr Tho said.

The association will also build relations with airlines such as Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar to extend tourism benefits.

VITA estimates that 80% of all tourist destinations in the country will set up local tourism associations by the end of 2016 to coordinate with VITA.

Currently, there are 31 cities and provinces that have tourism associations with more than 1,000 members including enterprises, tour operators, travel agents, and transport services.

Meanwhile, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hoang Tuan Anh said “There was a need to build a closer link between businesses, tourism associations and state management agencies.”

Mr Anh added: “The country welcomed more than 6 million international visitors and served 30 million domestic tourists, earning VND130 trillion from tourism in 2011, an increase of 30% year-on-year.”

Therefore, an overall long-term master plan would boost the country tourism and tap more business from the  strongest markets, he claimed.

The top five suppliers for Vietnam in 2011 were: China (1,416,804; +56.50%); South Korea (536,408; +8.17%); Japan (481,519; +8.92%); the United States (439,872; + 2.06%); and Cambodia (423,440; +66.35%).

The four strongest markets were China supplying 309,000 visits (+19%); Japan 115,000 (+13%); Australia 109,000 visits (+28%); and South Korea 53,000 visits (+22%).

Hanoi benefited in 2010 from new international air services that linked the capital to major tourist source markets with nonstop flights. There were increases in low-cost airline services within Asia that also broadened the city’s tourism base.

In addition, domestic travel reached 11.66 million visits improving 10% over 2010.

To boost tourist arrivals in 2012, the tourism department is drawing up plans to support craft villages and cultural heritage sites including developing more tours to recommended destinations such as Lao Cai, Quang Ninh and Ninh Binh provinces.

In the city itself, the emphasis will be on designating streets as pedestrian ways during certain hours of the day, possibly in Hoan Kiem district.

This will help to overcome a major criticism that the capital is not tourist friendly due to heavy traffic congestion that makes it difficult to cross roads in popular shopping and tourist districts.

The authorities will also organise international tourism fairs and host the 11th meeting of the Council for Promotion of Tourism in Asia.

The new tourism slogan was introduced by VNAT, 27 December, as the official branding for 2012 to 2015, replacing the old slogan “Vietnam – Hidden Charm”.

Vietnam – Timeless Charm comes with the logo of five colourful lotus petals, which VNAT says symbolise the beauty of tourist products and Vietnamese people.

Designed by Vietnam artist, Tran Haoi Duc, the five colours of lotus petals signify the diversity of tourist products: blue for sea and island tourism; green for eco and natural tourism; orange and yellow for cultural and historical tourism; violet for adventure tourism and pink for the hospitality and dynamic service qualities of Vietnamese people.

A blooming lotus alone represents the expanding growth of the Vietnam tourism industry.

The decision to go with “timeless charm” ends months of wrangling over the disputed slogan “Vietnam – A Different Orient.”

That slogan was chosen through a competition, but to the surprise of many in the travel business, VNAT refused to accept the winning slogan, created by Cowan Design. The government agency later claimed that the agreement with Cowan failed to work out as planned.

VNAT then announced it would work with European experts under an EU-funded project called the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism Capacity Development Programme to create a new slogan.

According to VNAT general director, Nguyen Van Tuan, Vietnam tourism sector is in the spotlight as it serves as a major economic driver fueling expansion.

“Tourism grew to 6 million international arrivals and 30 million domestic trips, earning VND130 trillion or around US$6.24,” he reported.

This year the country should gain 6.5 million international arrivals, an 8.3% increase compared with last year. Domestic trips should reach 32 million, a 6.67% increase.

The Municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the city will focus on major services and products such as tourism resorts and the MICE industry, shopping and culinary tourism.

Next year, city officials say tourism promotions will focus on Europe particularly the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Russia.

It also hopes to reach more markets in Northeast Asia mainly Japan, South Korea, and China. But to broaden consumer appeal more attractions will be needed particularly to tap emerging markets in the Middle East, South Asia, and northern and eastern Europe.

This year, the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism estimates arrivals will close at 3.5 million up 12.9% from 2010.

That breaks down to 2.65 million arrivals by air, an increase of 6%. Top supply markets were the United States, Japan and China.

Revenue from tourism should close at an estimated VND49 trillion (US$2.33 billion) up 19.5% year-on-year.  Earnings breakdown into, VND29 trillion from restaurants and hotels and VND12 trillion generated by travel services.

Flights depart Kiev late night on Wednesday and Saturday and land in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday and Sunday afternoon. The return flights depart during the early hours of Friday and Monday.

AeroSvit said in a press release the carrier would consider scheduled nonstop flights to Hanoi if there was enough demand in the Ukrainian capital. But it was described as a long-term plan that would largely depend on the success of the HCMC service over the next two years.

AeroSvit also signed a code-share agreement with Vietnam Airlines on the route for connecting services to Southeast and East Asia and Australia. Vietnam Airlines gains code-share opportunities on AeroSvit’s routes in Europe, the Middle East, Trans-Caucasian region and the US.

Last November, Ho Chi Minh City gained air links from East Europe after Vladivostok Air commenced flights, but so far it is only a twice monthly service similar to a scheduled charter from Vladivostok.

The carrier will halt services to Singapore from 17 January due to heavy financial losses on the route.

Vietnam has already awarded visa exemption to citizens from 56 countries including Russia and Ukraine. In 2010, the country received around 51,000 Russian tourists and hopes to increase that to 150,000 visits by 2015. Beaches in the central coastal area are prime destinations for Russians.

In Asia, Royal Brunei Airlines suspended its Ho Chi Minh service, last October, along with services to Auckland, Brisbane and Perth due to financial setbacks and poor management.

The observations were made during a recent tourism development strategy meeting, held in Hanoi, 14 December, that studied tourism needs up to 2030.

Deputy prime minister, Nguyen Thien Nhan, who supervises the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports, said Vietnam needed to develop a much stronger tourism industry if it was to become a key economic driver in the country.

“By 2020, Vietnam can attract 10 to 10.5 million international tourists and serve 47 to 48 million local visitors,” he said, adding that tourism would need to grow its proportion of  gross domestic product to 6.5% to 7% .

“This would require a growth of around 11% to 11.5% annually to achieve that goal,” he told delegates.

“ By 2030, Vietnam must strive to become a country with the most developed tourism sector in the region.”

In the short term, the goal is to attract 7 to 7.5 million international tourists and serve 35 to 37 million domestic visitors by 2015 with a tourism GDP contribution ratio at 5.5% to 6% of the country’s domestic growth. Hotel rooms will need to grow to 580,000 units by 2020 and to 900,000 by 2030 to meet demand.

To fuel growth the country needs US$42.5 billion in investment over the next 10 years.

Vietnam hopes to achieve 6 million foreign visitors this year.

From January to November, international travellers improved 17.83% from 5,420,624 visits compared to 4,600,285 visits over the same period in 2010.

China remains the largest market with 1,277,007 visits, up 53.29% from 833,081 visits during the same period last year. South Korea follows in second place supplying 483,480 visits increasing 7.35% from 450,373 visits. Japan ranks third with 434,007 visits improving 8.89% from 398,572 visits in 2010.

The United States is fourth with 396,470 visits growing slightly at 0.27% from 395,408 visits. Neighbouring Cambodia, in fifth place, supplies 381,659 visits increasing 63.30% from 233,714 visits.

Others suppliers are: Taiwan (325,426; +6.16%); Australia (261,171; +3.90%); Malaysia (210,129; +12.06%); France (190,581; +4.55%); and Thailand (163,880; -18.58%).

The bulk of arrivals for the first 11 months (4,537,678) passed through the two main aviation gateways Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City.

All of the top markets are in Asia/Pacific region with exception of the United State and France.

VNAT is promoting special events such as a Carnival Week in Halong Bay, an International Firework Competition in Danang, Marine Week in Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province and various activities of the National Tourism Year in southern coastal provinces.

In 2010, there were 5,049,855 foreign tourists visit the country increasing 33.86% from 3,772,359 visits in 2009.

Las Vegas Sands’ chief executive officer, Sheldon Adelson, revealed his plans at a meeting with Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee secretary, Le Thanh Hai, earlier this month.

The project will be on a similar scale to Marina Bay Sands resort also owned byLas Vegas Sands Corporation in Singapore. It will give Vietnam its first mega casino, hotels, restaurants, exhibition hall, shopping centre, spa, threatres and even so-called museums.

“Vietnam has great potential …for entertainment complexes to attract visitors to develop the country for international conferences, trade fairs and exhibitions,” the casino tycoon said.

Mr Adelson added: “ Once the project is completed, it will become a symbol for the city like Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.”

A party committee secretary added that everyone hoped it would “turn the city into the biggest economic hub and a gateway to Southeast Asia.”

Las Vegas Sands Corporation is one of the most successful casino operators worldwide. Most of its profits are earned through gambling, but it uses a clever public relations strategy that presents its operations as integrated resorts for the entire family.

The arrival of major casino will change the face of Ho Chi Minh City and there will be concerns in certain quarters, particularly within the strong Christian community, that it will have a detrimental impact in the long-run on family values.

The company’s announcement did not give a firm timetable on the project but usually they take three to five years to open.

For January to November this year, there were 3.1 million tourist arrivals to the city, up 8.4% against the same period last year, and generating VND44.3 trillion in tourism revenue.

In November alone, tourist arrivals reached 320,000 visits increasing 28% during the same month last year.

Of this, 78% came by air improving 20% while the balanced travelled overland from neighbouring countries or entered the country on cruise visits.

The top 10 supply countries are the United States, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Singapore, France and Russia.

This year, the city targets 3.5 million international arrivals, up 12.90% from 3.1 million visits in 2010 and to generate VND49 trillion in tourism revenue increasing 19.51% from VND41 trillion.

Las Vegas Sands Corporation established in 1988 is an integrated resort company based in Paradise, Nevada in the United States.

The company is one of the leading global developers of casino-related properties. Its resorts feature high-end accommodations, gaming and entertainment, convention and exhibition facilities, celebrity chef restaurants and clubs, as well as an art and science museum in Singapore.

It has several resorts in US and Asia. Among its properties in US are two resorts on the Las Vegas Strip—The Venetian (Las Vegas) and the Palazzo. Also, there is the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem located in Pennsylvania.

In Asia, the Marina Bay Sands located in Singapore is the most recent addition to the company’s portfolio.

Through its majority-owned subsidiary Sands China Ltd, the company owns several properties in Macau including the Venetian Macao, the Plaza Macao, Four Seasons Hotel Macau, and the Four Seasons-branded apartments at the Sands Cotai Central development, as well as the Sands Macao on the Macao peninsula.