Ha Long will see 21 five-star Superstar Virgo cruise ships arrive between May and October this year, according to the Quang Ninh Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The ships will arrive in Ha Long and dock for one day. Five-star Superstar Virgo tours around the world and brings tourists mostly from Singapore, Europe, the US, China, and Hong Kong to Ha Long with 500-1,500 travelling aboard each vessel.

In the first four months of this year more than 80 foreign cruise ships with thousands of visitors arrived in Ha Long.

TripAdvisor honours two Hilton Hanoi hotels

Hilton Hanoi Opera and Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi have been awarded the Certificate of Excellent 2014 by TripAdvisor- a world’s largest travel website providing trusted advices from real travellers.

To obtain the award, businesses need to maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travellers on TripAdvisor, as well as the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

About 10% of hotels and resorts around the globe have been presented with this award annually.

Hilton Hanoi Opera has won the TripAdvisor honour for three years in a row, but this is the first time Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi has received the award.

Vietnam promotes tourism in Russia

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will organize a program to promote Vietnam as a tourism destination in Moscow and St.Petersburg in Russia from June 24 to July 1.

It will introduce new destinations and products and incentives for investors.

Vietnamese travel firms will have the opportunity at the events to meet and tie up with their Russian counterparts.

Russia is becoming one of the top markets for Viet Nam, with 298,126 Russians visiting the country in 2013, a year-on-year increase of 71 percent.

Vietnam has welcomed 155,092 Russian tourists in the first four months of this year, a 37.4 percent increase.

Jetstar Pacific offers discounts for 6th anniversary

Low-cost airline Jetstar Pacific said it is offering a discount of 40 percent on local routes for travel from September 9 to October 23 to celebrate its 6th anniversary in Vietnam.

Tickets have to be booked between May 26 and 31.

A ticket from HCM City to Buon Ma Thuot, Nha Trang, or Phu Quoc costs VND450,000 (US$21.4).

A ticket to Da Nang costs VNDVND550,000 from both Hanoi and HCM City.

The HCMC-Hanoi fare is VND990,000.

Cua Lo town targets 2.2m visitors, $83.3m in revenues this year

Cua Lo town in Nghe An Province hopes to welcome 2.25 million tourists, including more than 1.4 million who will stay overnight and 550,000 foreigners, who will spend VND1.75 trillion ($83.3 million).

It has been upgrading infrastructure and adding hotel rooms to improve the quality of tourism services and become a beach tourism destination by 2015.

Last year Cua Lo received 2.12 million visitors, a 9.6 per cent increase over 2012, and reported earnings of VND1.46 trillion, almost a third higher than in 2012.

Central province to host Vietnamese martial arts festival

The fifth International Vietnamese Martial Arts Festival will be held in the central province of Binh Dinh from August 1 to 4 with 30 countries and territories participating.

It will feature martial arts competitions and performances, a seminar on preserving martial arts, a street carnival, and a beauty contest for women martial artists

There will also be music and dance performances featuring martial music, classical opera, and bai choi folk music.

Besides preserving traditional culture, especially ancient martial arts, the festival also seeks to promote the province's image and tourism.

Vietravel kicks off online photo contest

To celebrate the upcoming summer travel season, HCMC-based tour operator Vietravel has launched an online photo contest “Moments of Summer” for all tourists who love photography and want to share their best pictures captured in their adventures.

Competitors should visit the website at khoanhkhacmuahe.travel.com.vn to join the contest and get updates on it.

The entries will be selected and introduced on the official website of Vietravel and its Facebook page.

Prizes include domestic and outbound tours.

Ho Chi Minh City welcomes 1.8 million foreigners

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed 1.8 million foreign visitors in the first five months of the year, an increase of 9.7% over the same period last year, according to the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This brought the city’s tourism sector revenue of VND 37.08 trillion, up 8% compared to the same period last year, which amounts to 41% of the target set for 2014.

In May, the number of international visitors to Ho Chi Minh City reached 310,000, up 8.3% over the same period in 2013. Out of the total number of international arrivals, the number of tourists who arrived by air was 248,400, up 18%, and those who arrived by other means of transport numbered 61,820, up 10%.

In order to develop its tourism industry, Ho Chi Minh City has recently focused on promoting its more popular sites and improving the quality of tourism products and tourism event such as the Tourism Festival, the Southern Land Cuisine Festival and the Southern Fruit Festival.

Ho Chi Minh City is considered a safe, attractive and friendly destination for international travelers. During the first days of New Year aloine, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed a large number of international tourists to the city.