VIETNAM
What’s New Air
Flight options to Vietnam have been boosted with Emirates’ non-stop, daily service between nd Ho Chi Minh City,
Dubai and Ho Chi Minh City started last summer. Etihad will add HCMC in October 2013.
Operators
Emirates Tours has added Vietnam,
Cambodia and Laos to its 2013 brochure. Travel Indochina now
includes an overnight stay in Halong Bay on its popular 14-day Vietnam Discovery small group escorted journey. New luxury boat Paradise Peak has been added for tailor-made clients.
Travel 2’s new three-day Northern
Landscapes package offers rural scenery and a chance to meet Vietnamese hill tribes in the mountainous Mai Chau region.
Hotels On the
accommodation front, Banyan Tree
opened its fi rst Vietnam
resort, the Banyan Tree Lang Co last November, offering a series of pool villas, and an 18-hole golf course. Guests staying a minimum of two nights before March 31 will receive resort credits for dining and spa treatments. Hyatt Regency has just opened a
hotel at beach resort Danang. The 200 rooms have oversize balconies and fl oor to ceiling windows. Facilities include a spa, kids’ club, and tennis and badminton courts. Vietnam’s largest international
Below, from left: Con Dao Market; Temple architecture (Banyan Tree); Mekong Delta (Travel Indochina); Hoi An; Evason Nha Trang; Hoi An
hotel operator, Accor, opened the Pullman Hanoi Horison in November 2012 and plans the Pullman Saigon Centre and Pullman
Kuoni has expanded its Vietnam programme with new tours and more beach accommodation at Phant Thiet, Mui Ne and Nha Trang. Hue is new for Virgin Holidays, which is featuring the recently opened
Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa.
Hai Phong Flamboyant Island Resort for 2013.
Victoria Hotels & Resorts has a
new range of short tours from its Chau Doc Hotel. These include an eco-tour of the bird-rich Tra Su Nature Reserve and a cultural tour of the pilgrimage sites and temples at Sam Mountain. It also offers half- and full-day cycling tours.
Vietnam for… Couples With uncrowded white-sand beaches and swanky hotels, Vietnam has romance aplenty. Consider the Nam Hai near Hoi An, the Six Senses and Evason properties, or Fusion Maia, which includes daily spa treatments in its rate. Con Dao Island is a popular retreat. For exploring, tailor-made operators offer a range of private tours. Pham-Ha, CEO of Vietnam-based
Luxury Travel is one operator fi nding that British holidaymakers like custom and private tours, not big groups. “Holidaymakers are becoming increasingly canny and watching exchange rates as well as seeking out keenly-priced packages before fi nally deciding on their destination,” he said.
Meet the Operator
Which itinerary would you recommend for first-timers? Our new Vietnam Impressions 10-day private tour is good for fi rst-timers. Set off from historic Hanoi to Halong Bay for an
overnight beneath the beautiful karst islands. Explore Hoi An, a wonderful little town with red lanterns dripping from shop windows and tailors on every corner. Jump on a bicycle to the beach 20 minutes away past people farming with buffalos. Then head to the colonial charm of Saigon and the Mekong Delta.
What types of clients is Vietnam best suited to?
Most! We’re seeing a much wider cross-section and the beaches are less crowded than Thailand’s.
Which niche markets does Vietnam appeal to? Foodies: We have a Living Traditions Cooking Tour.
Rail buffs: see our Vietnam by Rail tour from Hanoi to Saigon with the Reunifi cation Express River Cruisers: You can sail from Saigon on to Cambodia’s Siem Reap on our Mekong Exploration tour.
Any new product for 2013? ‘Vietnam Impressions’, a new Vietnam and Laos tour and a rail tour, capturing that backpacking excitement for a mature market.
Sample Package Wendy Wu has an 18-day
Vietnam Highlights group tour fully inclusive of fl ights, accommodation, meals, guiding and entrance fees from £2,590. It covers Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Danang, Nha Trang and Saigon.
www.wendywutours.co.uk
16 January 2013 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
SIX SENSES
BANYAN TREE
BANYAN TREE
TRAVEL INDOCHINAA
selling tip
Southern Vietnam can be visited anytime bar June to July. Explore the Mekong Delta backwaters by rice barge
Stuart Whittington Head of Product and Commercial, Wendy Wu
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