TRAVELLIVE MAGAZINE Travellive 02-2016 | Page 139

GENERAL NEWS QUANG NINH Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has allowed the northern province of Quang Ninh to begin offering trans-border self-drive tours between its city of Mong Cai and the bordering city of Dongxing, in China within a year. Accordingly, cars are only permitted to operate within Mong Cai city and not on the provincial highways, border corridor, or over Km15. Self-drive tour cars must abide by the Road Traffic Laws of Vietnam. of more than 100 caves, each unique and beautiful in its own way. C7 is considered the largest cave in Southeast Asia. After lots of research and investigating, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dak Nong is working with the Vietnam Museum of Geology to coordinate a plan to turn the volcanic cave system into a global geopark. Nha Trang and Kunming per week. They will be flying Airbus A320s, and the flight time will be about 2.5 hours. Flights will depart from Kunming at 19:55 (Beijing time) and arrive in Nha Trang at 21:30 (Hanoi time). Flights will depart from Nha Trang at 22:30 and arrive in Kunming at 1:55. THAILAND - CAMBODIA From 2016 on, visitors can fly directly from HCMC to Penang, Malaysia without having to transit in Kuala Lumpur. Located in northwest Malaysia, Penang Island is dubbed the "Pearl of the Orient" with magnificent beaches, unique 3D Graffiti art, and the rich culinary culture. Direct flights will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, helping visitors to explore Penang more easily. DANANG Da Nang has become the first city in Vietnam to relax long-standing commercial restrictions and allow foreign cruise ships to keep their casinos and duty-free shops open after arrival. The new policy is intended to help the city center draw more visitors, particularly those with money to spend. Instead of arriving only during the day, cruises will allow guests in the city to stay out at night. Star Cruises will be the first to reap the benefits from Da Nang's new policy. Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to build a key rail link connecting Bangkok to Phnom Penh and plan to open more border crossings. This rail link will promote trade and tourism the two capitals. The Bangkok - Phnom Penh railway will be open late 2016, promising to be a new path for the development of trade and tourism in the Southeast Asia. DAK NONG CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES Geopark volcanic cave system, located, along the Serepok River of Krong Noah (Dak Nong) is expected to open in 2016. The volcanic cave system in Dak Nong is more than 25km long and consists China Eastern Airlines has officially launched its direct route connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Kunming (China). The airline now conducts two round trip flights per week on the Kunming-Hanoi route and three per week on the KunmingHCM City route. Previously, passengers who wanted to fly to Kunming had to connect a flight through Nanning, Guangzhou. At the same time, starting on May 2nd 2016, Yunnan Lucky Air will have three flights operating between AIRASIA AIR NEW ZEALAND Direct routes between HCMC and Auckland with Air New Zealand will begin operating in June 2016. Air New Zealand initially plans to make three trips per week with potential to expand after October and in subsequent years. With a flight time of around 11 hours, the direct service will be made by 224-seat Boeing 767-300s. Currently travelers from Vietnam wishing to reach New Zealand must transfer in Singapore or Sydney. PHU THO Phu Tho Province has announced that it is planning a conservation project to restore Hung Temple, a historic monument. The project costs VND4.5 trillion and is expected to be completed in 2025 with the intent of turning one of Vietnam's most important national relics into an attractive tourist destination. The site will be expanded to 845 ha and include two main areas - the first will contain the monument and temples covering Nghia Linh Mountain with the tombs, stelae, gates, and paths within; and the second consists of the natural landscape around the monument where festivals and tours will eventually be organized. Updated information about new flight routes, culture programs, tourism policies, ranking & awards... in Vietnam and other countries ELECTRIC POWERED VEHICLES The Prime Minister has agreed in principle to a pilot operation for electric powered 4-wheel vehicles for tourist passenger services to a limited extent in the provinces and the cities of Hai Phong, Da Nang, Lao Cai, Thua Thien Hue, Khanh Hoa, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau. The PM urged the People's Committees of these provinces and cities to report on the outcomes of the pilot operation after six months to get feedback for the ensuing implementation. Each car can carry 12 people including the driver. This 4-wheel electric vehicle operation is clean, fuel-efficient, and environmentally friendly. Price: VND 12, 000 ñ 20,000/guest. Time: 6am - 10pm, every 30 minutes. TRAVELLIVE 139