Tourism Conference in Halong Bay - Vietnam

Ha Long Bay - Vietnam hosts int'l cruise tourism conference

QUANG NINH -- An international cruise tourism conference, recognised as
a milestone in the development of Viet Nam's tourism, opened yesterday
at the World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay in the northern province of
Quang Ninh.

Organised by the National Administration for Tourism (VNAT) and the
Saigontourist Travel Service Company, the conference was attended by
representatives of outstanding cruise lines, including Star Cruises of
Malaysia and Crociere S.p.A of Italy.

The event, which also attracted delegates from the world's largest
travel operators, sought to promote co-operation between international
travel agencies and cruise shipping lines to benefit tour operators
and countries in Southeast Asia.

With an over 3,000km coastline, Viet Nam is becoming an attractive
destination for international cruise tourists.

Yesterday Ha Long Bay also welcomed the Malaysia-flag cruise ship
SuperStar Libra, which carried some 1,200 tourists, most of them from
Hong Kong and China.

The cruise ship docked at Cai Lan Port in Ha Long Bay where guests
were taken to the sites of Rong, Lu Huong and Ga Choi islets, Sung Sot
Cave; Hon Gai fishing village; and other areas seen in the film
Indochine starring French actress Catherine Deneuve.

Organised by Saigontourist, the six-hour tour of Ha Long Bay, which is
being considered for classification as one of the world's Seven
Wonders in an ongoing contest, also included visits to Chay Beach,
Long Tien Pagoda and Hon Gai Market.

This was SuperStar Libra's second weekly visit to Ha Long Bay. The
first on December 3 marked the resumption of SuperStar's scheduled
journeys to the bay after over three years' suspension.

A representative of the Malaysian cruise shipping line said from
December of this year, the company would send five-star cruise ships
including SuperStar Libra and SuperStar Virgo to Ha Long before
heading for China, Japan and South Korea on weekly journeys.

Source: http://www.easyvietnamtravel.com