Beijing in Brief

Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China is the nation’s political, cultural, scientific and educational heart as well as a key transportation hub. Beijing has served as the capital of the country for more than 800 years dating back to the Yuan Dynasty. The city has many places of historic interest and scenic beauty, including the Forbidden City — the largest and best preserved ancient architectural complex in the world; the Temple of Heaven – where Ming and Qing emperors performed solemn rituals for bountiful harvests; the Summer Palace — the emperors’ magnificent garden retreat; the Ming tombs — the stately and majestic mausoleums of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors; and the world-renowned and genuinely inspiring Badaling section of the Great Wall. Large-scale construction has brought great changes to Beijing since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 which has added many new attractions to this mysterious old city

Beijing is located on the eastern coast of China on the Pacific Ocean, at approximately the same latitude as Philadelphia in the U.S. and Madrid in Spain. The city is 39% flat and the other 61% is quite mountainous area.

Beijing is bestowed with large amount of China’ s imperial remnant because of its position as capital for several dynasties spanning over 800 years. These vestiges nowadays serve as valued travel resources for the city, which have drew million of visitors worldwide yearly over the past decades. The Chinese capital is a prominent historical and cultural city, abundant in treasured historical heritage and cultural relics.

Standing side by side with old Beijing’s crimsone palace complexes are the city’s impressive skylines. Beijing is a fine example of the great transformation China has undergone as it burst into the 21st century. The city boasts the most modern facilities and is able to provide all the comfort and enjoyment imaginable to visitors who travel to Beijing. Traveling around Beijing, one is struck by the city’s impressive skyline, the modern Olympic Village, ocean world and International Park.

The green area in and around the city are also inspiring and are epitomized by the Xiangshan Hill( Fragrant Hill) Longqing Gorge. It is the exhilarating green that render visitors’ Beijing travel memory more vitality and tint.

Those historical heritages and the breathtaking natural scenery are valued resource to ganrantee visitors exceptional Beijing travel experiences.

Beijing’s travel industry has forged forward after China’s opening in 1978 and the city now is one of the most popular tourist destinations around the world.

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Vietnam Hidden Charm Continued

By 2010, it’s expected to increase by more than 25%, creating an additional 30mil new jobs. WTTC forecasts that one-quarter of international visitors will visit the region and one-third of global visitor expenditure will be spent regionally.

Vietnam has the opportunity to grab a major slice of the action because it’s a new destination. The traveling public has already visited Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and they are looking for the next Phuket, Langkawi or Bali. Vietnam has a number of resort locations that could, with foreign investment and know-how, be ‘the next destination’.

Because of historical and cultural reasons, Vietnam is not as advanced or open as its regional competitors. Tourists like to visit a country to see its landscape, the people and to experience the culture and food. The more unique offerings that a country has, increases its appeal and Vietnam has a lot to offer.

In order for Vietnam to benefit from tourism, it needs to compete with its regional neighbours. A five-year plan announced by the VNAT aims for 10 to 20% annual growth in foreign arrivals to more than six million in 2010 and doubling tourism revenues to $5bil in 2010. The government said it would spend $7.6mil from its state budget on the five-year programme.

I doubt how VNAT can effectively carry out their plans with such a modest fund, when the amount allocated is what Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia would probably spend in one year.

Vietnam is competing on the world stage and if the government wants to make tourism a ‘key driver’, they need to invest the dollars now, not after they get income from the tourists.

Vietnam- The Hidden Charm

After the end of the American War in 1975, Vietnam was hidden from the world for about 20 years. Opening up began in the mid-80s and at the beginning of 2007, Vietnam became the 150th full member of the World Trade Organization.
A remarkable 32-year-journey that has reminded the world, the Vietnamese people are resilient, determined and proud. There’s always a flip-side and they can also be stubborn, too proud to accept external influences and very traditional in thinking and practices. Being traditional is a positive factor for tourism, but a negative one when engaging with the modern, international business world.

Work by the Government of Vietnam isn’t completed yet, the recent meeting between the prime minister and the Pope at the Vatican was one of the most significant events. It goes a long way to counter accusations, especially from the American conservative right, that Vietnam practices religious intolerance. If Vietnam is to be appointed as Asia’s representative to the United Nations Security Council in 2008, the Vietnamese Government and people can be very proud.

My involvement with Vietnam began in 1994, when I first visited this mysterious country. Having lived and worked in Vietnam for the past five years,

I can say that I have a good understanding of the psyche. There are parts of Vietnam that will always remain a mystery to a foreigner, even if they’ve married a Vietnamese lady.

It’s a country with which I have a love-hate relationship and reminds me of my early days in Hong Kong, the city where I was born and lived for 30 years. I’m not sure how long I’ll live in Vietnam, but at least for the next 10 years.

The new slogan adopted by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) – ‘Vietnam – The Hidden Charm’ is very apt. During my travels all over Vietnam to look for locations to establish hotels, I’ve found that there are hidden charms in every part of the

country and in the people, one just has to find them.

Emerging onto the world stage hasn’t been an easy task. It’s been necessary to change attitudes and ways of doing things. Whilst some of these transformations have been successful, there’s room for improvement. Vietnam will be judged now, on how it implements the requirements of the global trading club and how it presents itself to the international community.

The investment-protection guarantees required of WTO members and recent anti-foreign investment signals from Thailand will accelerate FDI flows away from other Southeast Asian countries toward Vietnam. Vietnam’s comparatively cheap, but industrious, labour is also attractive.

Investment into tourism has been strong in the past and recent announcements by global players, such as Intercontinental and Kingdom, to establish their brand in Vietnam is further encouragement. There’s no doubt that tourism could be a key economic driver, perhaps the most important driver.

Vietnam’s tourism sector has attracted 190 foreign-invested projects with total registered capital of $4.64bil and the sector currently employs more than 234,000 people directly and 510,000 indirectly, according to official statistics.

Tourist arrivals have grown on average 20% per year over the past 15 years, shooting up from 250,000 in 1990 to 3.6mil last year. Some industry analysts optimistically estimate tourist arrivals will double to 8mil by 2010.

Although long popular on the backpacker trail, Vietnam is aiming to cater for higher-spending travelers. Compared with regional neighbours such as Thailand, Vietnam’s tourism infrastructure is still antiquated but many travelers prefer Vietnam’s less commercialised, mass-market experience. The challenge will be striking a balance between preserving old-world charms while introducing more modern creature comforts.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in the APEC region, tourism and travel accounts for more than 100mil jobs.

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Ba-Be Lakes Vietnam

Ba Be Lake lies in the middle of a vast limestone mountain range of Ba Be District, Bac Kan Province, 180 km north-west of Ha Noi, belong to the commune of Nam Mau, Khang Ninh, Cao Thuong, Quang Khe, Cao Tri.

Ba Be Lake have a water area around 500ha, spreading over 8km, as biggest natural water lake in Vietnam, situated in Cho Ra-Ba Be-Cho Don carste terrain pertaining to lowlying lands of Vietnam North raising mass. This raising mass was formed from the destruction of South East Asia continental mass at the end of Cambri era, around 200 million years ago. Due to its special geological constitution, the Lake has very original and special features compared with other world-wide carster lakes :world carster lakes are spent or only with one-season water, while Ba Be Lake has its permanent full-water.

By decision No.41/-TTg dated 10.1.1977, Vietnam Prime Minister recognized Ba Be Lake as a forest preserve area.

By decision No. 83/TTg dated 10.11.92, Vietnam Government gave its approval on the econo-technical study on Ba Be National Park conservation.

Ba Be National Park takes a 23,340ha area in 7 communes of Ba Be district, Bac Can province on the North West of Hanoi. The terrain covers most of limestone rocks inserted with a few earth hills with medium to abrupt slope, a 150-1,535m average height (from sea level) and is laid completely within the South-West valley of Phiabyior Range with 1502, 1517 to 1525m peaks.

Ba Be Lake is Ba Be National Park Center with likely special configuration contracted in the middle and swollen out on the two ends, surrounded by cliffs with very original and attractive forms and shapes. Through influenced by 3 rivers flows discharging their water into the Lake, lake water remain always blue and its current velocity is kept on at 0,5m/sec. giving the take both lake and river characteristics.

The lake has an average depth from 20 to 25m and is deepest at 35m. Lake bed is not plain but with much of submersible mounts and grottoes. There are ideal home ranges for aquatic animals.

With an area around 500ha, the Lake plays a great role in spate distribution for Nang, Gam and Lo rivers deltas.

According to primary survey documents, 417 species of trees including 300 branches, 114 parenties.Also, hundreds of orchids and species of medicine-plants. The system of animals including; land, aquatic and flying animals covering 319 species of animals in 27 forms, 85 parenties in which 42 species recorded in Vietnam Red Book with 3 endemic anima l species that are gibbon (snub no se) Bamboo-Thread and Red Algae.

Ba-Be lake is the centerpiece of Ba Be National Park, a lush and peaceful oasis where the tropical rainforest is relatively well-preserved, as hunting and fishing are restricted, and the villagers receive subsidies not to cut the trees. The lake is 1km wide and 9km long, surrounded by tall limestone cliffs. The local fishermen ride typical narrow dugout boats. Besides the tiny village of Pac Ngoi and a few houses south of the Lake, nobody lives on the shores of the lake. There is no recent development to spoil the scenery. In general, visitors spend the night in Cho Ra (18km).

Would you visit Myanmar?

After watching films like Rambo and others it is unlikely that you would be keen to visit Myanmar and some Governments may not even let you fly there. However, it is such a shame that so few people are experiencing the true beauty that Myanmar has to offer. Bamboo Travel is one of the few expert travel companies that offers tours to the region that mean you will be able to take in all the best sites and many more.

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Cambodia: Background

Gone of the days of the war torn Cambodia that many people think of as soon as they hear the name of the country mentioned. Cambodia is embarking on a new age and era of political stability and the peace that this brings. The growing stability in Cambodia is meant that the country has been able to open up its borders and tourism has managed to flourish and the number of tourists visiting the region continues to grow year on year.

Cambodia has so much to offer that many people never knew existed. The temples at Angkor are spectacular and definitely worth a visit, I have visited them 4 times and I am planning on going back for a fifth visit. The temples are both awe-inspiring and splendid. The dense jungle area surrounding and beseiging the temples is almost as impressive as the temples themselves.

A visit to Cambodia in its new era offers the chance to explore and even begin to understand the rich cultural and national heritage that surrounds and engulfs Cambodia. A tour or even a simple holiday will allow you to visit some of the pre-Angkorian temples, trek through some of the world’s last remaining unspoilt forest areas. The indigenous tribes and people are welcoming and help to make the whole holiday a thoroughly enjoyable experience. They will welcome you into their home, share their food and attempt to teach you some of the language.

If visiting beautiful temples and priceless historial landmarks is not for you then you can take cruises down the Mekong river. On this cruise you can see the wildlife and nature at a safe distance. The weather is also good all you to soak up the Sun as you cruise past the old cities of Kratie and Phnom Penh.

The Laos Mosiac Festival

Interesting insight into an important part of the rich culture of Laos and the fun loving people that make Laos such a great place to visit.

The Nadaam Festival

Whenever someone mentions the culture of Mongolia this is what comes to most people’s minds. The Nadaam Festival is widely considered to be the cultural event of the year and the huge attendance year on year respects this. The ceremony is said to have been first conducted back in the 12th Century which was even prior to the reign of Genghis Khan. It is a testiment to the festival that it has been able to survive for over 900 years and is likely to continue for the forseeable future.

The ceremony begins on the 11th July and it is an annual event which means if you can not make it one year then you can see it at the same time next year. For many people, like myself, once you have seen it once you will want to go back year on year.

Ulaan Baatar is the location of the cultural masterpiece. With people coming from all over Mongolia to Ulaan Baatar. The ceremony resolves around the three supposed manly sports of wrestling, horse racing and archery. I have to say that the wrestling was the best thing to watch. As part of the ceremony there is a large dancing and musical performance including people from all different ethnic groups from across Mongolia.

There is still hope for those of you who are unable to make the date. There are smaller festivals that take place in the land around Ulaan Baatar. These festivals are obviously on a smaller scale but they are still worth visiting.

If you are unsure of the options for you or where to find the festival then it might be a good idea to arrange a tour with Bamboo Travel before embarking on your holiday.

Myanmar Water Festival

This is a ten minute video documenting the famous Myanmar water festival. It is definitely worth visiting and is nothing like anything you would have ever seen before.

Vietnamese Art

Unfortunately, the past of Vietnam has clouded some of the most impressive parts of the country. Many people only think of the wars that Vietnam has had with both France and America not to mention the on going conflicts within the country itself. However, because of the wars and conflict that have gripped the country, many of the greatest pieces of Vietnamese art have been destroyed or ‘lost’.

Despite that, when you wander around the small roads, alleyways and streets you will be surprised by the density of art galleries in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city. Their are literally hundreds of art galleries and each of the art galleries offers a unique insight into Vietnamese art.

It was pleasing to find that the number of galleries meant that the price of the art work was reasonable and affordable for everyone. The art is of no lesser quality than European art yet it sometimes as little as 10% of the price for the equivalent piece in Europe. The artists are there for you to talk to and find out what has inspired them to paint the painting.