Happy New Year and welcome to our first Newsletter in the year 2012!

Just after recovered from Christmas and New Years celebration another important event in Vietnam awaits us in January: Tết - the Lunar New Year. Eventhough Tết is considered the most important event in a Vietnamese calendar you can rest assured, that all your booked tours will carried out smoothly and with our highest attention.

With kind regards,
Your Team at IT&T

IT&T Trade Show participation

We are very excited to showcase our services at this years ITB 2012 in Berlin with our own booth. From 7th to 11th March we would like to invite you to visit us in Hall 26/131 and talk to our Travel Specialists about your requirements for the Indochina region.

Additionally to ITB we will also be present at TUR in Gothenburg, Sweden this year. TUR takes place from 22nd to 25th March and you can find us sharing the booth with Vietnam Airlines. More details to follow.

Last but not least for the golfing enthusiasts in the region we will partake at the IAGTO Asian Golf Convention in Kuala Lumpur April 22nd to 25th.

Should you plan to attend one of those events, we would be delighted to have the opportunity of meeting you there. We are looking forward to receiving your appointment request at sales@itt.com.vn and are very much looking forward to seeing you soon either in Berlin, Gothenburg or Kuala Lumpur!

"Vietnam-Timeless Charm" - new tourism slogan

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday introduced the country's new tourism slogan "Vietnam-Timeless Charm".

The previous slogan of "The Hidden Charm" has been used since 2005.
The new slogan, designed by painter Tran Hoai Duc, is featured with five-color flower bud representing a new period of the sector's development.

The main navy blue implicates sea and island tourism - one of the Southeast Asian country's key tourism products while green representing bio-tourism, yellow speaking for cultural tourism, purple demonstrating discovery and adventurous tourism, and pink featuring dynanism and hospitality of Vietnamese people.

VNAT said it launched the logo and slogan competition from August to December last year. 233 contestants sent 400 works to the organizers. Top ten works were sorted out for open comments from State agencies, businesses, experts, and professional consultants.

The new slogan was approved by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a new official slogan for the National Tourism Promotion for the 2012-2015 period.

IHG to debut in Laos

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed an agreement to develop its first hotel in Laos. The deal, with Vietnamese conglomerate, BIM Group, will see the development of a new-build Crowne Plaza property in the Lao capital Vientiane. The 200-room property will be located on a two-hectare site on Rue Samsenthai, in the city centre and is scheduled to open in 2015.

Vietnam investors eye Myanmar's hotel industry

The explosive growth rate of tourism in Myanmar has attracted numerous international suitors. An unnamed Vietnamese company is the latest to express interest in the country's hotel sector, having approached the Myanmar Investment Commission over a hotel in Yangon. No agreements have yet been signed, and investors have already complained that it has taken two years to get the project off the ground. Minister for Industry and Chairman of the Myanmar Investment Commission U Soe Thein said "huge" foreign investments would be made in the next six months, which the government was trying to encourage by inviting both foreign and local investors to develop the hotel and tourism sector.

ADB evaluates partner role in Myanmar tourism

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is manoeuvring to assist development of Myanmar's tourism industry. The organisation is appraising the rapid growth of the sector and how it might best contribute to its development. Craig Steffensen, Country Director of the bank's Thailand Resident Mission, told The Myanmar Times that tourism growth would bring challenges, such as cultural and environmental protection, and these could be addressed through the ADB's Sustainable Tourism Development Project (STDP), which is currently implemented in Laos and Vietnam. Tourism consultant Daw Kyi Kyi Aye welcomed the news, saying; "It would be very good if they could provide infrastructure and technical assistance on sustainable tourism development." The ADB will be working alongside the democratically elected Myanmar government, which is keen to nurture private sector development in the tourism arena.

Vietnam Airlines London route opened on schedule

Vietnam Airlines' first ever direct flight to London took off on 9th December as scheduled. The national carrier operates four weekly flights to London Gatwick, with services departing the UK on Tuesdays and Fridays to Hanoi and on Wednesdays and Saturdays to Ho Chi Minh City. All flights are operated using a Boeing 777 aircrafts.

Jetstar dismisses Vietnam exit reports

Jetstar has dismissed reports that its Vietnamese subsidiary, Jetstar Pacific, will be absorbed as part of a proposed airline deal. The claims stem from a proposed ownership swap between Jetstar Pacific's majority shareholder, Vietnamese State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC), and Vietnam Airlines. The Qantas Group has said however, that it supports the deal, and that its 27% share in Jetstar Pacific would be unaffected by the deal. Jetstar Group CEO, Bruce Buchanan, added in a statement that Vietnam Airlines would be welcomed as a partner in Jetstar Pacific.

VietJet Air goes solo

VietJet Air, the proposed partner of AirAsia in its failed bid to enter the Vietnamese aviation market, has officially launched on its own. The private airline had intended to fly as VietJet AirAsia, following an agreement to sell a 30% stake to the Tony Fernandes' Malaysian low-cost giant. But the joint venture failed to get past Vietnam's aviation authorities, and AirAsia divested its interest in VietJet. VietJetAir will cater the main route between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City but plans to launch HCMC-Danang flights in early 2012, with international services to destinations in Southeast Asia expected to follow by mid 2012.

North Vietnam

Sofitel Plaza Hanoi

Jan. 01 – Feb. 29, 2012
Magnifique Holiday Promotion, applied for FIT Asia market
The third night free when staying 3 consecutive nights
Condition: Minimum stay of 3 consecutive nights is required. For early departure, charges will be applied for full length stay.

Central Vietnam

Vedana Lagoon Resort & Spa, Hue

Jan. 11 – Apr. 30, 2012
Book 3 nights, pay 2 nights (3 nights is required to be consecutive)

Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort

May. 05 – Oct. 31, 2012
Summer Promotion
Every consecutive stay of 3 nights will receive additional 1 night free in one single booking

Ancient House River Hoi An

May. 01 – Sep. 30, 2012
GIT bookings:
Stay 2 consecutive nights, get complimentary cooking class by boat including Vietnamese set menu lunch or 1 complimentary Vietnamese set dinner including Cham Dancing Show.
Stay 1 night get 1 complimentary boat trip to Water Palm Paradise

FIT bookings:
Stay 3 consecutive nights get 1 complimentary cooking class by bicycle including Vietnamese set menu lunch or 1 complimentary Ancient House Body massage.
Stay 2 consecutive nights get 1 complimentary Foot massage.

Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel & Spa, Nha Trang

Jan. 06 – Nov. 30, 2012. Applied for FIT booking
Stay 3 nights, pay 2.5 nights
Stay 5 nights, pay 3.5 nights
Stay 7 nights, pay 5 nights

Jan. 01 – Mar. 31, 2012.
Applied for FIT Japanese market (except Jan. 01 – Jan. 10, 2012)
Stay min 2 nights will get 2 spa treatments (60 mins) for 2 pax.
Stay min 3 nights will get: combine with bonus night “stay 3, pay 2.5”. Complimentary way of transportation for 2 pax.

South Vietnam

Oscar Saigon Hotel

Jan. 01 – Sep. 30, 2012
Stay 2 consecutive nights, get 50% discount on the second night.
Not applied for the third night.

Victoria Phan Thiet Resort & Spa

May. 05 – Oct. 31, 2012
Every consecutive stay of 3 nights will receive additional 1 night free in 1 single booking

Intercontinental Danang Resort 5*

INTERCONTINENTAL DANANG RESORT
A 30 minutes drive from the International Danang Airport (20km) and the bustling streets of downtown Danang, the resort is nestled in a secluded private bay of the Son Tra Peninsula, also called the “Magic Monkey Mountain”. A complimentary hotel shuttle connects the resort with Danang downtown as well as the traditional city of Hoi An.
Famous Danang beach with white pristine sand invites for a long walk, just a short 10 minutes drive from the resort.
Guestrooms: The resort presents exclusive tiers of accommodation. Each selection reveals a unique experience that embodies the spirit of tropical living in a resort setting:
84 Resort Classic rooms (68sqm)
84 Resort Premium rooms (78sqm)
16 Junior Suites (120sqm)
3 Beach Front Villas with private pools, separate sundecks and private beach access (140sqm)
2 Spa Lagoon Retreat Villa (145sqm)
1 Presidential Villa (220sqm)
Will be opened in the 1st quarter of 2012

La Residence Hue 5*, Pool upgrade

From 15th to 25th the pool at La Residence in Hue will be closed for renovation and upgrading works. That period is selected as it usually is the coolest period in the year and not many guests are expected to sunbath at the pool. Should the weather be warmer than expected and guests still wanting to swim, La Residence will provide a complimentary transportation to another 5* Hotel in the city, where guests can use the pool without any charge.

Please contact us for more information on those properties.

Tết Nguyên Đán, more commonly known by its shortened name Tết or "Vietnamese Lunar New Year", is the most important and popular holiday and festival in Vietnam. It is the Vietnamese New Year marking the arrival of spring based on the Chinese calendar, a lunisolar calendar. Tết is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year, though exceptions arise due to the one-hour time difference between Hanoi and Beijing resulting in the alternate calculation of the new moon. It takes place from the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning the house. There are a lot of customs practiced during Tết, such as visiting a person's house on the first day of the new year (xông nhà), ancestral worshipping, wishing New Year's greetings, giving lucky money to children and elderly people, and opening a shop. Tết is also an occasion for pilgrims and family reunions. During Tết, Vietnamese visit their relatives and temples, forgetting about the troubles of the past year and hoping for a better upcoming year. They consider Tết to be the first day of spring and the festival is often called Hội xuân (spring festival).

Tết 2012 will be celebrated on January 22nd to welcome the year of the dragon.