VIETNAM

Tourist police en masse in Ho Chi Minh City In April, the tourist police, clad in bright green uniforms, were unleashed in Ho Chi Minh City; their jobs to assist tourists with advice and directions and safeguard them from aggressive vendors. Over one hundred members of the task force, trained in martial arts and stationed throughout District 1 and 3 at locations where tourists frequent the most, can speak at least one foreign language, mostly English and French.   Flight updates Vietnam Airlines and American Airlines have agreed to code share on flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to cities in the United States, including Dallas, San Jose, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Denver, Washington, Atlanta, Oklahoma, Miami and New York, with stops in Tokyo, Osaka, Paris and Frankfurt. Schedules will be announced after the airlines have been given approval from aviation authorities. The airline is also planning a trans-Indochina route that would fly from Hanoi to Luang Prabang, Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City. In mid-April, Vietnam Airlines increased departure fees for international and domestic routes. The international departure charge for Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport was increased to 14 USD, while Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport will remain at 14 USD. Danang Airport and other airports that offer international flights increased departure fees to 8 USD. Domestic flight charges, included in the ticket price, increased by 0.3 USD; fees are now 1.9 USD for flights from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, 1.6 USD from Hue, Haiphong and Khanh Hoa, and 1.25 USD from other provinces. Please note that children under two years of age are exempted from fees, and children between the ages of two and 12 will be charged 50 percent of fees. In late April, Hong Kong Express launched test flights from Macau to Haiphong’s newly renovated Cat Bi Airport. If successful, the airline may implement this service twice weekly. By the end of the year, Australia-based Jetstar may begin offering flights to Ho Chi Minh City.   Hotel reports On 1st May, the Hai Duong Nacimex Hotel will open in Hai Duong with 157 guest rooms and apartments, and facilities that include convention halls, the Garden View and Golden Rice restaurants, the Palm, Bubble and Sky bars, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and a sports club. The Imperial Hotel, which soft-opens in Hue on 1st June, houses 195 guest rooms and suites, including 168 deluxe rooms, 20 junior suites, three imperial suites and one presidential suite, and three apartments over 16 floors. Amenities include city or river views, antique furniture, satellite television, free high-speed Internet access, executive desks, mini-bars, electronic safes, tea and coffee facilities, and separate bath and shower areas. Apartments have added kitchenettes. Dining venues comprise of the Imperial Vietnamese Restaurant, a banquet hall, Yoshihara Japanese Restaurant, Piano Bar & Café and King’s Panorama Bar, while facilities include a swimming pool, a business centre, a gym, the Royal Spa and meeting rooms. From 14th until 19th May, the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers will welcome the return of Jazzman Eldee Young with drummer Tama Goh and pianist Jeremy Monteiro. The Eldee Young Jazz Trio will be performing jazz classics from 20:00 onwards at The Lounge. Says Young, ‘Jazz lovers on this occasion will enjoy sensational sounds of many of the jazz greats’.

CAMBODIA

Single visa for Cambodia and Thailand By July, travellers can visit both Cambodia and Thailand with one single visa. Officials from the two countries will meet again in May to decide on the fees and how it will be divided. This initiative is likely to expand to include other countries in South-East Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and China.   Flights take off Cambodian Civil Aviation authorities have announced that the first flights between Indonesia and Cambodia will be available soon from Garuda; to and from Phnom Penh and Jakarta.   Chanthou Mondial Angkor Hotel In late February, Siem Reap saw the opening of the Chanthou Mondial Angkor Hotel on National Road 6, on the road to the airport. It has 100 deluxe guest rooms and suites equipped with air conditioning, tea and coffee making facilities, satellite television, mini-bars and in-room safes. Facilities include a coffee shop, restaurant, business centre, health club, swimming pool, gift shop and gym.

LAOS

Ancient Luang Prabang unveiled The Ancient Luang Prabang Hotel, formerly the New Luang Prabang Hotel, has recently reopened after a renovation of its facilities and guest rooms. It is located in the centre of town, in close proximity to the bank, shops, a textile market and the post office, and is within walking distance to the Royal Palace Museum and the base of Mount Phousi. At night, the food and fruit market is set up right in front of the hotel. The hotel, located on Sisavanvong Street, offers 12 rooms, one for each sign of the Chinese zodiac. The standard rooms come with a shower cubicle or a bathtub, air conditioning, modern wooden furniture, sofa, satellite television, toiletries, dressing table and mini-bar. Facilities and services include the open-air Terrace Café on the third floor, free transfers to and from the airport, and free late check-out if rooms are available.   Vientiane introduces textile museum In early 2006, the Lao Textile Museum opened its doors for visitors in Vientiane. On display are more than 1,000 pieces of ancient silk fabrics from all the ethnic groups in Laos. These include many ancient silk fabrics from the Taideng Tribe from Houaphan Province and the Taiphouan Group of Xieng Khuang. Also featured in the museum are silverware, lacquerware, copperware, wood, rattan and bamboo artefacts, and an ancient house that is more than 100 years old. Visits to the museum are available by appointment only and admission is three US dollars per person.

MYANMAR

Hotel information during monsoon season Some hotels in Inle Lake will be closed for renovations during the rainy season, including Serenity Inle from 1st to 31st May, Inle Regal Resort from now until 30th June, Golden Island Cottages 1 from 16th June to 16th August, and Inle Inn in Pindaya for the whole month of June. The Inle Princess Resort has announced that it will be closed from 1st June to 14th July, in order to renovate nine garden view chalets into private lake chalets. Nearby ponds will be transformed into a private lake and new balconies will be set up to increase the quality and views of the chalets. Due to restrictions on electricity consumption during the low season at Myit Phar Ayer Hotel in Mandalay, we will accommodate all clients at the Silver Star Hotel, an equivalent quality hotel in central Mandalay. In Kyaiktiyo, the Golden Rock Hotel will be closed from 1st June to 30th September for renovations, while the Mountain Top Hotel will remain open and expand its facilities to 30 guest rooms by December.   Ayar Princess Boat The Tourism Coop Ltd. Company, which runs the Mergui Princess Cruise to the Mergui Archipelago in southern Myanmar, has launched another boat called the Ayar Princess. The Ayar Princess, which began operating in March, will run in the Irrawaddy Delta from Yangon to Pathein. She is available for charters from three to seven days with a capacity for six clients. From November, the boat will relocate to the Mergui Archipelago. She is equipped with a modern navigation and communication system.

THAILAND

Hotel openings In April, the AKA Hotel Resort & Spa was unveiled in Hin Lek Fai (earth, metal and fire) Village, a lakeside retreat located five minutes from Hua Hin and the beach. The resort, situated over four hectares, houses one- and two-bedroom private pool villas each equipped with a 10-metre infinity-edge swimming pool, an outdoor garden with shower and bathtub and a sundeck terrace with sala. Two-bedroom villas are equipped with extra facilities, including bar kitchenettes, cutlery and dining tables with chairs. Resort facilities include a 30-metre lake view infinity-edge swimming pool, three private lakes for relaxation, a spa, walking and jogging trails, a restaurant and bars, and conference rooms. AKA Resort is also opening the deluxe Guti Kiri Resort in 2007, a 10-hectare property situated against a hillside ten minutes from Hua Hin. It will have pool duplexes and villas appointed with private swimming pools and sundecks, courtyards with outdoor showers and bathtubs, bar kitchenettes, and luxurious amenities. A member of the Special Hotels of the World, the Shanghai Inn is a new china hip hotel located in the heart of Bangkok’s old Chinatown on Yaowarat Road and is also the perfect place for a foot massage after a walk in this area. The Manathai Hotels and Resorts Group has just opened its new property in Chiang Mai. Excitingly stylish and perfectly located on Tapae Road, it offers a new alternative in terms of boutique accommodation in the Rose of the North at very competitive rates. The Anantara Resort Golden Triangle is promoting its summer special package, valid from now until 31st October that offers guests one free night when they stay for two consecutive nights in a deluxe room. Breakfast is compulsory for the third night and there is a blackout period between 4th and 11th September.