VIETNAM TRAVEL DEPOT - SUMMER 2010 PROMOTIONS

Hochiminh City, June 11, 2010 - Vietnam Travel Depot has introduced two summer promotions to partners and international travelers. The summer hot deals offer two special destinations of central Vietnam.

Discover Hoi An Ancient Town for 4 days 3 nights, relax on the Cua Dai Beach and over night at Hoian Trails Resort & Spa. The package price starts only from US$209 per person and validity until 30 September 2010. Details of the programs please click here

Nha Trang Island Discovery - The 3 days 2 night programs offer travelers a real good time to relax on Vietnam’s one of the most beautiful white sand beaches combined with several water activities such as boat trips to islands, visiting to fishing farm, water sports etc. Overnight at five star Sunrise Hotel & Spa, deluxe room. Deal price is US$211 per person with validity until 31st December 2010. Visit here to see more program details.


Vietnam Travel Depot: Vietnam specialized travel services for individuals and small group travelers.

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Vietnam Travel Depot
108 Le Lai, District 1, Hochiminh City.
Tel: +84 08 62906577 - Fax: +84 08 62906577
Email:mailto:sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com
Website: www.vietnamtraveldepot.com

VIETNAM TRAVEL DEPOT LAUNCHED NEW CUSTOMER INTERFACE

11 May 2010 - Hochiminh City, Vietnam – Vietnam Travel Depot has launched new customer interface at company’s web presence www.vietnamtraveldepot.com.

The new online presence features total new look & feel which is more user friendly and more importantly provides international travelers with full of useful information about Vietnam travel, hotels, resorts, tours & excursions, cruises as well as other travel related services such as car, motorbike rental, visa, domestic and international flights, etc.

The new web presence also includes online interactive functions to ease contact with travel consultants, visitors can use real time chat via Yahoo Messenger or online call using Skype feature which are embedded in the web.

About Vietnam Travel Depot: Vietnam specialized travel services for individuals and small group travelers. Visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com for more of company special deals and extensive Vietnam travel offers. Contact sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com or call +84 8 62906577 for further information.

WATERWAY TRAVEL BY VIETNAM TRAVEL DEPOT

March 2010, Hochiminh City – Vietnam Travel Depot has introduced a new way of discover the famous Cuchi Tunnels and Mekong Delta in Vietnam by speed boats from Hochiminh City (Saigon).

The tours will take passengers from the wharf on Saigon River to visit Cuchi Tunnels, Can Gio Eco-Park or Mekong Delta’s favorite destinations of My Tho in one day. For those who whish to discover Mekong in deep can travel down to Can Tho and spend one night at provided hotels.

The speed boats are also available for rent on hour-basis to take short excursions along Saigon River and visit some spots such as Binh Quoi Tourist Village, Go Vap Temples or simply see how different Saigon is from the water view.

This is a new way of discovering the travel spots of Southern Vietnam as conventionally passengers have only an option of travel by road which sometimes takes longer because of the busy traffic.

Details of programs and rates please contact the travel advisers at sales(at)vietnamtraveldepot.com or call +84 – 8 – 6290 6577

Cuchi Tunnels: immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in Cu Chi District of Hochiminh City. The Cu Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War.

Mekong Delta: Nine Dragon River Delta in local term is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southeastern Vietnam of 39,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq miles). This is the hub of rice, fish and other key agricultural products of the country.

Vietnam Travel Depot: Vietnam specialized travel services for individuals and small group travelers. Visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com for more of company special deals and extensive Vietnam travel offers.

ONLY $99/PERSON PACKAGES BY VIETNAM TRAVEL DEPOT

Hochiminh City – Vietnam Travel Depot has introduced one priced packages for travelers who visit Vietnam. The US$ 99 packages include tours and excursions from one day to three days travel in either Hochiminh City (Saigon), Hue (central Vietnam) or Hanoi.

With US$ 99 passengers can benefit from at least one night accommodation at a centrally located standard hotel, at least one meal included, transportation, English or French speaking guide and sightseeing fees.

Details of the packages can be found at www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or email to the company sales(at)vietnamtraveldepot.com

About Vietnam Travel Depot: Vietnam travel centre for international travelers. The company is specialized at customized tours and adventures for individuals or group travelers with a strong focus on Vietnam heritages, Vietnam history, natural landscape and most importantly its culture and people.

Cam Ranh to become international airport

Cam Ranh Airport in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa will become an international airport with the opening of an official direct air route linking Cam Ranh and Vladivostock in Russia on December 12.

This was announced at a recent working session between Chairman of the Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee Vo Lam Phi, leaders of the Minh Nhat Ltd.Co. and representatives of Russia’s Vladivostock Avia and Transero Airlines.

Under the agreement, TU204 aircraft will be used for a flight every two weeks and the flight frequency will be increased later. Another air route will also open for flights from Moscow to Cam Ranh and vice versa.

Mr. Phi also asked hotels and guest houses to offer promotion programmes and lower service prices on the occasion of the inauguration of Cam Ranh international airport.

Travel agents’ hotels have pledged 50-70% discount in hotel room prices for nearly 130 international tourists flying from Russia to Cam Ranh on December 12.

The national aviation sector invested more than VND200 billion in building a new terminal, air traffic control station, a modern runway lights and other facilities in Cam Ranh Airport.

The capacity of the new terminal doubles the old one, which was only capable of loading 300 passengers per hour.

(Source: VNA)

Food fest to bring slice of Hanoi to HCMC

HCMC residents will have a chance to savour authentic Hanoi cuisine and experience the rural ambience of northern Vietnam at a three-day event held to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long- Hanoi.

The “Thang Long Citadel cuisine in South Vietnam” Festival at Van Thanh Tourism Park would introduce "significant cultural traits and folk cuisine of the North," said Chiem Thanh Long, Director of Van Thanh Tourism Park. "We are getting ready a miniature of ancient Hanoi at the park."

The event, organised by the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will open on December 11. There will be a rural market, snack counter, temple festival, and traditional feast.

Visitors can enjoy delicacies like banh gai Hang Be (glutinous rice cake dyed black in a concoction of leaves made in Hang Be Street), banh gio Do Mang (pyramidal rice dumpling filled with meat, onion, and mushroom from a place called Madame Demange), banh com Hang Than (grilled cake of young rice in Hang Than Street), and banh tom (crisp shrimp pastry).

A death-anniversary feast and a wedding feast will be the highlights of the event.

"We will have artisans and officials from the Vietnam Cuisine Research Institute to make it a genuine northern feast," Long said.

"Every day we will serve only 40 tables of traditional feast, which will cost VND960,000 (US$52). Each table will have ten dishes serving six people."

Besides the food, daily Northern Vietnamese life will be depicted, including a market with street vendors in traditional costumes and calling out to passers-by, an exhibition of Vietnamese wines, and an exhibition of paintings and books about Thang Long, the country’s ancient capital.

Huynh Van Son, a department representative, said northern folk games would be on display, including Chinese chess, water puppetry, and wrestling.

There would be performances of ca tru (ceremonial singing), quan ho (love duet), hat xam (songs of an itinerant blind musician), and hat xoan (folk workship singing of Phu Tho Province), he added.

Around 8,000 visitors were expected at the festival, Long said. It will run from 4pm to 9pm on each of the three days.

(Source: VNS)

Cu Chi Tunnels Adventure with Jeeps by Vietnam Travel Depot ( Vietnam Jeep Tours)

This is one of our interesting trip: ( if you like this trip and wanna join with us, please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or email us at sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com)

In this tour, our group included our drivers and tour operators with 16 French tourist.

In this morning, at 7:30 AM our jeeps arrived early to stick the numbers on each jeeps then we pick up the tourist at their hotel and let jeep to the extraordinary Cu Chi tunnels, just outside Ho Chi Minh City.



On the way to Cu Chi, we stopped for a while to take photos of Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office ( which were built during the French Colony). Then we jeep straight to Cu Chi Tunnels to start our adventure in Underground World.










During the war for independence, Viet Cong guerrillas built the labyrinth of narrow tunnels virtually underneath U.S. bases, using them to hide during bombing raids and to stage surprise attacks. On the way to Cu Chi, we saw many cottages and beautiful fields which still only exist in Vietnam countryside.



At the end of this tour,at 1:30 PM, on the way to Saigon from Cu Chi, we had lunch at Ben Nay Restaurant. The food is delicious and the sights are very nice.

We arrived Saigon at 4:00 PM, a little bit late with the time we had planned before because there was traffic jam after the rain. Any way, this is really interesting trip. Hope you will enjoy this tour with us someday soon! :)

( if you like this trip and wanna join with us, please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or email us at sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com)

Bonus: Our "soldiers" Jeep on the way and parking at Cu Chi.

Vietnam Travel Depot Launches Jeep Adventure

Hochiminh City, 16 October 2009 - Vietnam Travel Depot has launched Jeep tours for the adventure enthusiasts. The unconventional tours by the US military Jeep M151 A1 and M151 A2 - vehicles once used in the Vietnam War will cover famous destinations such as historic Cu Chi Tunnel, Cao Dai Temple, Vung Tau Beach & Australia War Memorial, Mui Ne Beach, up to the mountain of Dalat or Central Highland or deep into the forest of Nam Cat Tien National Park.

Beside tours on Jeep, Vietnam Travel Depot offers travelers with various combined options such as camping in the forest, trekking, motorcycling, biking, camera rally or team building based on customer's individual interests. The company also specially developed a website www.vietnamjeeptours.com to provide detailed information and images about the Jeep travel, its technical specifications for the serious travelers who wish to know more about the historic vehicles and this special service.

About Vietnam Travel Depot

Online travel portal specialized in travel to Vietnam focusing on individuals and small groups travel. More information the company, its offers and rates please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or Tel: (84 8) 5404 3116.

About Vietnam Jeep Tours

A special service dedicated to Jeep adventure in Vietnam with adventure activities of Jeep-ing, camping, trekking, motorcycling, biking, camera rally or team building. Vietnam Jeep Tour is a specially product managed by Vietnam Travel Depot. More information please visit www.vietnamjeeptours.com

Free Visas To Vietnam By Vietnam Travel Depot

Hochiminh City, 10 Oct 2009 – Hochiminh City, 10th October – Vietnam Travel Depot has announced to offer free visa approvals and free visa stamps for passengers traveling with the company.

By this, passengers who book a trip with a value from US$300 per person will receive free visa approval letters for single entry issued by Immigration Department. This letter will be used to get visa stamps either at Vietnam Embassies overseas or at the international airports on their arrivals.

Free Visa to Vietnam with Vietnam Travel Depot

Passengers who book tours value from US$600 per person will receive both visa approval letters and single entry visa stamps (value of US$/25) for free. Once passengers receive their visas, Vietnam Travel Depot will pay back the visa fees in cash or deduct directly from their tour prices.

Both of the above offers are applied to tour bookings only of minimum two persons in a group and are not applicable for hotel bookings or other single services.

Further details about the offers, please contact sales consultants online or email sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com


About Vietnam Travel Depot: Online travel portal specialized in travel to Vietnam focusing on individuals and small groups travel. More information about the company please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or contact Tel: (84 8) 5404 3116.

Vietnam Travel Depot Offers Airport Assistance Services

Hochiminh City, 01 Oct 2009 – From October 2009 Vietnam Travel Depot will offer passengers free welcome and assistance services at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Hochiminh City. Passengers who travel with Vietnam Travel Depot will be greeted at the airport by the company staffs, assisted with the luggage and to be provided with necessary information during their stay in Vietnam.

For passengers who book tours in Vietnam for at least three days for a value from US$300/person the company also provides a mobile phone with credit of around US$10 to contact with their families, friends and stay in touch with Vietnam Travel Depot when they need.

About Vietnam Travel Depot: Online travel portal specialized in travel to Vietnam focusing on individuals and small groups travel. More information about the company please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or contact Tel: ( 848 ) 5404 3116.

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To he – an attractive folk toy (Tò He)

To he is one of the rare folk toys of Vietnamese children remaining until today. Xuan La Village in Phuong Duc Commune, Phu Xuyen District, Ha Noi (former Ha Tay Province) is often mentioned as one of originated places of making to he (kneading coloured dough into coloured paste animals).

To He (image source: tin247.com)

Almost of all villagers (80%) in Xuan La know how to make to he. White-haired old people and even children who have not gone to school also can make to he. Derived long time ago, but nobody knows who was the ancestor of making to he (this is explained that since the loss of documentation). Besides, the village has many families such as: Dang, Nguyen, Vu, Le, Chu, Trinh... all of these families know well how to make to he. Thus, all deserve the title of ancestor of making to he.

The stage of making dough is the main secret formula of the profession. If this formula is not good, when the powder dry it will rub off very easily and break out of stick. The main ingredient for making to he is ordinary rice and a little of glutinous rice flour. It is mixed at the ratio of 10 parts of rice contain 1 part of sticky rice (this ratio may change depend on the hot and dry weather), well-blend, cover with water then pureed, boil and quick knead. After that, this flour is squeezed into some wisps and each wisp is dyed respectively.

Four basic colors are yellow, red, black, and green. In the past, people use colors derived from plants and boiled with a little flour: yellow made from hoe flower or turmeric, red from gac fruit or gardenia, black from burned-straw or dyer's weed, green from indigo leaves or rieng leaves... Other intermediate colors are created from these four colors.

To he attracts strangely not only young children but also many people of all ages. Perhaps, distinctions that create special appeal of to he is just only with a little of colored dough and a bamboo stick about 40cm in length, the artisan with talented hands has made pictures in the imagination became a reality in some minutes. To see the most attraction of this game, one should follow each skilful act of rolling and kneading of the artisan. Audiences palpitate with the artisan’s hands as a magic when products finish. Each to he always causes curiosity and admiration for all people on creativeness of the artisan.

Today, artisans make to he not only with traditional shapes of animals, fruits, but also with many others of abundant in shapes, especially cartoon characters that children love such as Doraemon, Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Superman…, and industry food colors are used for their more convenient.

With a simple tool set consists of a small knife, a few bamboo sticks and a little beeswax, the artisans of making to he go to many villages all over Viet Nam on market-days, festivals, to sell their products. Nowadays, to he appears not only at the village festivals, parks, schools but also at hotels, trade fairs, important national and international cultural, social, sports and tourism events...

Tò He with dragon shape (image source from chudu24.com)

To he is considered as a unique folk toy, which brings both national and scientific characters. It also plays an important role in life, learning, entertainment activities and aesthetic training for children. To he is a toy which children often pick for them in many occasions, especially every time the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived.

Phuong Anh
(Source: TITC)

Vietnam Travel Depot Launches Facebook Page

Hochiminh City, 21 Sep 2009 –Vietnam Travel Depot has launches its page on the social network Facebook to stay in touch with friends and company customers.

The page will features images, videos and latest news about travel in Vietnam as well as updates about Vietnam Travel Depot offers, its initiatives in creating ultimate travel experience, travel stories written by travelers.

Vietnam Travel Depot Facebook page is open for everyone and can be view here. Registration to Facebook is required in order to view our page.

About Vietnam Travel Depot: Online travel portal specialized in travel to Vietnam focusing on individuals and small groups travel. More information the company please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or Tel: (84 8) 5404 3116.

Discount Coupons With Vietnam Travel Depot

Hochiminh City, 24^th September 2009 - Vietnam Travel Depot has announced to offer passengers who book any service on the company travel portal www.vietnamtraveldepot.com will receive discount coupon of 10% at the below hot spots in central Hochiminh City.

1. Le Mekong Restaurant: French Restaurant
2. Dong Du Restaurant: Combination of Vietnamese and French
3. Liberty Restaurant: Vietnamese
4. Vietnam House Restaurant: Vietnamese
5. Pizza Sarpino's Restaurant: Italian
6. Nga Art & Craft Shop: Vietnamese tradition art and craft
7. Spa L'apothiquaire: Traditional French day spa
   

The numbers of coupons are limited and applied for early birds only. Please contact our sales@vietnamtraveldepot.com for details and conditions that may be applied.

About Vietnam Travel Depot: Online travel portal specialized in travel to Vietnam focusing on individuals and small groups travel. More information about the true home stay experience, expenses and other offers please visit www.vietnamtraveldepot.com or contact tel: (84 8) 5404 3116.