Halong Bay-Vietnam ranks 6th among top 10 sailing cruises

Vietnam’s world heritage Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh ranks sixth among the world’s top ten destinations for sailing cruises by the US’s National Geographic book Journeys of a Lifetime.

The book wrote “Ha Long Bay, or the Bay of the Descending Dragon, in northeastern Vietnam, is scattered with some 3,000 precipitous, strangely sculpted limestone islands and outcrops, and dotted with small floating villages and deserted sandy beaches.

“In spring and early summer the water is particularly calm and clear. This UNESCO World Heritage site is best explored by a cruise on a junk.”

The other nine destinations are Nova Scotia and Labrador Tall Ships of Canada; San Juan Islands, Washington; Pirate Cruise, Grand Cayman Island of the UK; Star Clipper to French Polynesia of France; Junk Cruise, Andaman Sea of Thailand; Seychelles Islands of Seychelles; Dhow Cruise, Straits of Hormuz of Oman; Lamu Island of Kenya; and Evia Island Cruise of Greece.

Earlier, Ha Long Bay was also listed among the world’s top ten best and romantic destinations for 2011 by the UK’s Lonely Planet magazine.

(Source: VOVNews)

Supported by Indochina Sails

INDOCHINA SAILS - offers luxury cruise in Halong Bay. Book Halong Bay cruise trip, tours, vacation, travel, junk and overnight Ha Long Bay cruises Vietnam

Hanoi Office
Add: 27 – A6 – Dam Trau Quarter – Hai Ba Trung District – Hanoi – Vietnam
Tel: +84 – 4- 39842362
Fax: +84 – 4 – 39844150
Email: info@indochinasails.com
Website: www.indochinasails.com

Indochina Sails attends Luxury Travel Market in France and International Travel Trade in Spain

Indochina Sails announce to attend Luxury Travel Market in Cannes, France from Dec 6^th to 9^th 2010 and International Travel Trade Fair in Madrid, Spain from Jan 19^th to 23^rd, 2011 to promote the newest and biggest luxury cruise in Ha Long Bay named Indochina Sails Premium. It is grand opening in Nov 2010.

Indochina Sails is the first and biggest company to offer luxury overnight cruises on the bay. Indochina Sails is now widely known as the number one choice for discerning travelers, operating a fleet of six luxurious built wooden junks and cruises. Two of them are newest additions in 2010, named Premium Valentine with 2 deluxe cabins and Indochina Sails Premium with 24 deluxe and suite cabins. They were designed in time-honored traditional style, with contemporary and luxurious cabins and facilities.

From December 6^th to 9^th 2010, the Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) is going to be held in Cannes, France. Indochina Sails aims to promote Luxury Cruises in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam in the luxury segment, which is addressed to people who want to live a unique experience, with personalized service, privacy, tranquility and simplicity about World Heritage in Vietnam.

ILTM Asia is a 'by invitation only' event, offering a tailor-made diary of one-to-one meetings, exclusive insight into luxury travel trends and developments, plus an enviable business and social networking calendar of events to help you engage with your luxury travel's elite.

After this show, Indochina Sails is going to attend Fitur - the International Tourism Trade Fair, which celebrates its 31^st anniversary from January 19^th to 23^rd 2011 in Madrid, Spain.

Fitur is a meeting point for tourism professionals, an opportunity to establish lines of action, innovating to answer the changing demands of the market and to form strategies and business alliances to energize/consolidate the tourism business.

1. The Luxury Travel Market in Cannes (ILTM)

Attendee: Le Phuong Nhi – Director of Sales and Marketing

Stand number E181 – Asia Section

Email: dosm@indochinasails.com
Website: http://www.indochinasails.com

ILTM link: www.iltm.net

2. International Travel Trade Fair in Madrid (Fitur)

Attendee: Le Phuong Nhi – Director of Sales and Marketing

VietNam Booth – Asia Section

Email: dosm@indochinasails.com
Website: http://www.indochinasails.com

Fitur link: http://www.ifema.es/ferias/fitur/default_i.html

Two months in Southeast Asia - Travel Vietnam, Laos, Thailand

Since my second backpacking trip through Europe, I wanted to journey to Southeast Asia.

I chose to visit Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and developed a loose itinerary, starting in Bangkok, Thailand.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Bangkok was everything I expected. The number of people everywhere was staggering, but before long I got used to the crowds, the heat and the food.
I visited many temples and shops, including the Grand Palace and the famed Khao San Road. The Grand Palace was amazing. Inside there were countless statues of Buddha. To my disappointment, Khao San was the typical tourist trap, with vendors selling T-shirts and bootlegged CDs.

After a few days I headed to Phuket, where I played beach bum for a few more days before flying to Saigon, Vietnam.

Scooting around Vietnam

Now, that was exactly what I pictured an Asian city to be - scooters everywhere! Crossing the street in Bangkok was like crossing a street in Des Moines compared to trying to cross the street in a Vietnamese city. The first time in Saigon was a big leap of faith. The trick is to just walk and keep your head turned to oncoming traffic.

I spent three weeks in Vietnam traveling from south to north. The highlights were eating the food in Hoi An, enjoying Hanoi’s famed Bia Hoi beer gardens and eating snake, and seeing the rock karsts of Halong Bay.

I had many choices of border crossings into Laos from Vietnam but I chose the crossing near Vinh in central Vietnam. This meant that I had an eight-hour bus ride from Hanoi to Vinh followed by a 14-hour bus ride to Phonsavan, Laos.

Phonsavan is famous for its “Plain of Jars” fields. These are fields of stone jars, each about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide, scattered everywhere. Other jars are scattered in jungles surrounding Phonsavan.

Floating through Laos

After a day in Phonsavan I headed to Luang Prabang for a few days and then to Vang Vieng. My time in Vang Vieng was some of the best. There I went on a two-day trek that included hiking over mountains, spelunking through caves and kayaking the Nam Song River that runs through the town. The town has become a hotbed for young tourists who tube down the river. The river has a number of bars along its banks. Some have zip lines, bungee jumps and slides for the patrons to enjoy and all blare techno music.

Cambodia was the biggest surprise of the trip because I knew the least about it. The biggest draw to Cambodia is Siem Reap where Angkor Wat is located. Many people go only to see Angkor Wat but there are many more temples around Siem Reap and Cambodia. I felt like I was on another planet when I went to Angkor Wat to watch the sun rise over the temple.

I spent two months in Southeast Asia and there are still parts I didn’t see. I enjoyed every minute. Many people ask if I felt safe. I did.

Recommendation in Halong bay, Vietnam: Indochina Sails

Indochina Sails donates Cua Van School in Halong bay , Vietnam

On 12 March, 2010 the Staff and Management of Indochina Sails made a gift of twenty new desks and chairs, along with a large assortment of school supplies to the students of the Cua Van Floating Primary School. The school is located in the Cua Van Floating Fishing Village and has about 70 students aged from 6 to 14 years old. The village itself is home to about 600 people, who live there permanently, on about 130 floating houses.

Cua Van Primary School in Halong bay, Vietnam

The school is an important part of our daily itinerary. We visit the Fishing Village every afternoon and on days that school is in session our guests are allowed to visit. It is a fascinating experience, as you can see from the pictures. The schoolrooms and equipment are very basic, and the dedicated teachers do a fantastic job with limited recourses.

In the past, Indochina Sails has made cash donations for the betterment of the village in general. However, recently, one of our staff suggested; “What if we collect some money ourselves and try to fix up the school somehow to make it better for the kids?”

So, the idea was born. Donations were collected from every member of our staff, and added to that was a donation from the company’s Management Team. We then asked the teachers how best we could use the money to help the students.

Mr. Jerry Bowes, the General Manager of Indochina Sails makes donation in Cua Van Primary School in Halong bay, Vietnam

If any guest coming to Ha Long Bay would like to help the young students of the Primary School we suggest you bring donations such as pens, pencils, markers, crayons or chalk. Also, coloring books for the younger students and notebooks for the older ones. And what kid wouldn’t like some sweets!

Indochina Sails

Add: 27, A6, Dam Trau Quarter, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: 84-4-39842362
Fax:84-4-39844150
Email: info@indochinasails.com
Website: http://www.indochinasails.com

Halong bay

Halong bay view

Since December the 14th 1994 at the 18th session of the World Heritage Commission in Phuket- Thailand Ha Long Bay has been inscribed in the World Heritage List by UNESCO. The decision of recognizing Ha Long Bay as a World Heritage area confirms the exceptional and universal value of this landscape.

For Vietnamese people Ha Long Bay is not only a great landscape but it is also a sacred and longstanding symbol of the country. In the Vietnamese people's consciousness the stone islands in Ha Long Bay are not only limestone but biotic. When the Nation was in danger Mother- dragon and her children landed and stay forever to depend the country.

Vietnamese Vinh Ha Long (?Where the Dragon Descends to the Sea?), bay on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Tonkin, near the city of Hong Gai, Quang Ninh province, northern Vietnam. Situated 102 miles (164 km) southeast of Hanoi, the 580-square-mile (1,500-square-kilometre) area contains some 3,000 rocky and earthen islands, typically in the form of jagged limestone pillars jutting out from the sea, and several caves and grottoes.

The system of grottos in multiform islands in Ha Long Bay are really heavenly palaces in the world. But Ha Long is not only beautiful within range of the traveler?s vision but also within their profound mind with respect to the far- off past and changes of nature and cultural history.

Visiting Ha Long Bay travelers can see the remains left by primitive people at the last 20000 years. Three famous prehistory cultures continuously developed in this landscape from the late Paleolithic age to age to early metal age. They are the Soi Nhu culture Cai Beo culture and Ha Long culture.

The most impressive of the grottoes is the Hang Dau Go, a huge cave of three chambers, while the Thien Cung Caves are also very impressive. The name Ha Long means ‘where the dragon descended into the sea’, and refers to a legend about a dragon that created the bay and islands with its flailing tail. There’s even a modern legendary creature, the Tarasque, said to haunt the area.

Taking a tour of the bay is the main activity here; most book a tour at a cafe or hotel in Hanoi. If you want to arrange things independently, be ready for lots of hard sell from touts in Halong Bay City. To see a lot, choose a fast boat. If you want a romantic experience but with the risk of getting hardly anywhere, look for one of the old junks. You have to charter the whole boat, but there are usually enough travelers around to make up a party and keep costs down.

The main town in the region is Halong City, which is in two halves, bisected by a bay. Bai Chay (the western part) is the more scenic and has the most hotels, restaurants and persistent touts. Hon Gai (the eastern part) is connected to Haiphong by a ferry. Masochists might try seeing the bay on a day-trip from Hanoi. Another option is to travel to Cat Ba Island, where you can arrange a tour of the bay with less hassles.

The name Ha Long Bay is literally translated as “Bay of Descending Dragons.” Prior to the 19th century, this name was not recorded in any document or archive. When mentioning the present-day Quang Ninh Sea or Ha Long Bay, old historical books often referred to them as the seas of Giao Chau, Luc Chau, Luc Thuy, Van Don, Hai Dong or An Bang. Not until in the late 19th century did the name of Ha Long Bay appear on the Bac Bo (Tonkin) Gulf chart or in press articles in French and in Vietnamese.

A legend has been handed down in the local area relating to the name Ha Long Bay, which says: ?Long ago, in the first founding days, the Viet people were attacked by foreign aggressors. The Jade Emperor sent the Mother Dragon and a herd of Child Dragons to help the Viet fight the invaders. While the enemy vessels were lauching massive attacks against the mainland, the dragons descended in flocks from the sky. They spat out innumerable pearls which, in a moment, were changed into innumerable jade stone islands linked together into firm citadels that checked the enemy?s advance and smashed their vessels into pieces. The Viet won at last.

After the invaders were driven out, Mother Dragon and her Child Dragons did not return to Heaven but stayed on earth, right at the place where the battle occurred. The spot where the Mother Dragon landed was Ha Long, and where the Child Dragons came down was Bai Tu Long. The place where their tails violently wagged was called Long Vi, the present-day Tra Co Peninsula with its soft sandy beach stretching dozens of kilometers.?

Source: newsfinder.org

Supported by: Indochina Sails