Traversing the countryside on a bicycle has much more to recommend it than gazing through the window from the confined interior of a tour coach.

Its possibly the best way to see the Mekong Delta, and it just so happens that Saigontourist and Fiditour offer a guided tour of the region tailor-made for cycling enthusiasts.

Starting in Ho Chi Minh City, the cyclists and their bicycles, along with a doctor or two, travel by bus to the center of Tan An, the main town of Long An Province.

Its much safer this way as the traffic on the main road can be hazardous.

Saigontourist Travel Service Co. 49 Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, HCMC Tel: (08) 3 827 9279 Fiditour 129 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, District 1, HCMC Tel: (08) 3 914 1414

The bus drops everyone off at a temple where the tour party can learn about the home-grown Cao Dai faith.

From Tan An, its 25 kilometers of pedaling to get to the town of My Tho in Tien Giang Province, where the party visits a garden and Vinh Trang Pagoda, and takes a boat to Thoi Son Island.

Ben Tre Province to the immediate south comes next. The itinerary here includes visiting coconut gardens, canals, a busy town market and a rice farm.

Day three starts out with a trip to Cai Mon in Ben Tres Cho Lach District, which enjoys nationwide renown for its fruit and ornamental plants.

From Cai Mon, the journey continues along charming country roads, with stops at several orchards along the way, and into Vinh Long Province.

The accommodation in Vinh Long is a pre-arranged homestay, and comes after a busy day of cycling.

Before sleep, the tourists can eat grilled snakehead fish they have just caught, drink rice wine, and watch a traditional music show.

The next day begins with a run to the provinces main town, also called Vinh Long, and ends in Can Tho City.

In between there are markets and villages to see in Long Ho District, and a Khmer village to visit in Ba Can.

Early the next morning, the tour party catches a boat from Ninh Kieu Quay for a trip to the famous floating markets at Cai Rang and Phong Dien.

The days itinerary also includes a bike excursion to Bang Lang Bird Sanctuary about 20 kilometers from Can Tho.

More information is available from Saigontourist or Fiditour.

Reported by Dat Tien

Travel companies in HCMC report lower than expected tour bookings ahead of the extended Southern Liberation Day holiday, according to local agencies.

Lua Viet, Fiditourist and VYC among other travel companies said their sales have not hit the numbers that they had predicted weeks ago.

Many factors have contributed, including what is seen as an unreasonable increase in hotel room charges, said travel agencies.

Many hotels at tourist attractions including Nha Trang, Dalat and Phan Thiet have taken the holiday as a chance to double their room charges as tourism boomed on the holiday in previous years.

Also, locals have reconsidered plans due to overcrowding of sites, common on weekend holidays like the April 30^th Liberation Day as many travel companies have grossly exaggerated tour bookings.

Faced with the declining booking numbers, local travel agencies are likely to lose their deposits at hotels if they cannot receive sufficient tour bookings as predicted.

Hotels in the Central Highland city of Dalat announced full occupancy during the holidays three weeks ago but now rooms are available as many tour organizers have canceled their contracts.

Reported by Cam Nhi amp; Lam Vien – Translated by T.H.

In front of a classic white and pale green mosque in Chau Doc Town of An Giang Province, a group of Cham children play under the blazing sun.

The Mubarak mosque, located along the Hau Giang Riverbank which is home to a group of Cham minority villagers, was recognized as an Artistic Architecture Work by the government in 1989.

For the Cham people, mosques play an important role in their everyday life.

The Mubarak mosque is well known in Vietnam as it is associated with the late Hakim Al-Haji Umar Aly, the first Cham to train in Mecca and the first known Vietnamese expert on Islamic religious law.

The mosques architecture, including a graceful dome and watchtower, is typical of structures in Middle Eastern countries.

Built in 1967, the Mubarak has been renovated five times most recently by an Indian-born architect named Mohamed Amin.

However, the mosques architecture has always followed Islamic style, from outside to inside.

The curved oval top of the two-storey tower rises into the sky with a crescent and a star, representing Islam.

On top of the main building stands four small towers which converge with two other sloped towers.

Five times a day, at dawn, midday, in the afternoon, at dusk and at midnight, a drum-call resounds from the main tower, calling people to come to the religious site and pray.

As Muslim people believe Alah is their only god, no other statue or saint is present inside the mosque.

There is, however, one minbar a pulpit in the mosque where the Imam (leader of prayer) stands to deliver sermons every Friday.

Next to the mosque is a Madrasah where Islamic doctrine and Malaysian language are taught to children.

Yearly, the Mubarak mosque holds three main ceremonies including Roja on December 10, Ramadan from September 1-30, and the birthday of Mohamet on March 12, according to the Muslim calendar.

These events attract large numbers of people from around the country, highlighting the diversity of religious followers throughout Vietnam.

Reported by Phuong Anh

The authorities of the coastal province Ba Ria-Vung Tau ordered two hydrofoil companies to assume responsibility for their passengers stress and losses caused by an accident over a month ago.

Quang Hung Ltd. and Dong Song Xanh Ltd. are required to accept full responsibility for the inconveniences their passengers experienced and to pay these passengers compensation, said the Ba Ria- Vung Tau Department of Transportation.

In early August, the hydrofoil ship Greenline 3 of the Dong Song Xanh Ltd. met with an accident which pierced the ships hold off the coast of Vung Tau. As water rose in the ships hold, the ship staff made no efforts to reassure the terrified passengers or to give them any safety instructions. The panic-stricken passengers were rescued later thanks to a rescue boat which managed to reach the damaged ship in time.

Thanh Nien newspaper later published a letter by Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, a passenger on the Greenline 3, describing the terror that he and other passengers went through.

After Mr. Hungs letter was published, a representative from Quang Hung Ltd. came to Thanh Nien headquarters, saying it was Dong Song Xanh Ltd., not Quang Hung Ltd. that should have claimed responsibility for the mishap.

However, in a follow-up article dated Aug. 13, Thanh Nien newspaper made it clear that passengers purchased their tickets from Quang Hung Ltd., not Dong Song Xanh Ltd.

Quang Hung Ltd. and Dong Song Xanh Ltd. had earlier agreed that passengers who purchased tickets from either company could board either of their ships. However, both companies remained silent on the matter and assumed no responsibility for the trouble they caused to their passengers.

In response to their irresponsibility, Mr. Hung decided to lodge several complaints with the relevant authorities, demanding an official apology and compensation from Quang Hung Ltd., from whom he bought his ticket.

After a working session with all parties involved on Aug. 26, 2004, the Ba Ria Vung Tau Department of Transportation issued a statement requesting both companies to assume full responsibility and offer compensation to the passengers.

The statement also included specific training requirements for crews on passenger ships, such as crowd-management training for emergency evacuations.

Reported by CTBD Translated by Tran Phong.

The French General Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday will welcome visitors for the first time as part of its celebrations for the European Heritage Days.

The consulates door will open to all visitors, who must present their identity cards or passports before entering inside.

The permitted visiting time is from 9 to 11am and from 2 to 4pm of the day.

Visitors will be guided in French and Vietnamese.

The door-opening event was initiated by the French Ministry of Culture in 1984, which allows people to discover historical sites and special destinations restricted to the public.

Initiated by the Council of Europe, the European Heritage Days, a major cultural event across Europe, groups together 48 countries, enabling visitors to discover over 30,000 sites.

Source: Vnexpress Translated by Thu Thuy

After touring the resplendent ancient imperial capital of Hue in central Thua Thien-Hue Province, guests should be sure not to miss the Vi Da Xua Cafe in town.

From the outside, the cafe resembles a palace from the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 1945).

The interior boasts a large garden that occupies over half of its total area of 1,000 square meters, featuring various species of orchids and bonsai trees.

The garden is decorated with a host of stone statues and ornamental rocks, and contains a small stream with a quaint bridge over its waters.

The lines of willows and areca trees shading the path leading to the Vi Da Xua Cafe transport visitors to times past, when Vi Da Hamlet was acclaimed for its beautiful landscape enshrined in poetry.

Sipping on a drink at the cafe, visitors can appreciate the architecture of nha ruong, a type of wooden house with sculptures on the pillars and rafters.

This traditional house of Hue consists of either one, three or five apartments and two secondary roofs on both sides.

The back of the cafe provides a view of the Huong (Perfume) River and Hen (Mussel) Islet peopled by locals engaged in a variety of activities.

The front section of the cafe hosts several traditional houses with carvings, while the back is propped by a row of Chinese-style houses.

Relaxing at Vi Da Xua Cafe, visitors will conjure up emotions of an ancient time when quietude and tranquility reigned supreme in a corner of the former feudal capital.

The beverages served at the cafe include a wide range of special teas with exclusive flavors.

From Dong Ba Market in downtown Hue, head toward Trang Tien Bridge and cross the structure.

Turn left and walk along the Huong River to find the cafe after passing Dap Da Bridge.

The cafe is located at 131 Nguyen Sinh Cung Street in Vi Da Hamlet by the Huong River.

Reported by Diem Thu

A two-day conference on the preservation and development of Vietnamese traditional music took place at the Hanoi Vietnam Music Institute on August 8.

Researchers from China, South Korea and Japan introduced their own countrys experience in preserving their traditional music, which had earlier been at risk of sinking into oblivion.

Measures suggested at the conference included Japans implementation of national traditional music as a compulsory subject in schools, South Koreas set up of a specialized radio channel broadcasting traditional music and Chinas focus on the advanced training of traditional musicians.

The conference drew the participation of researchers and trainers from nine ASEAN countries, China, Japan and South Korea. Altogether 31 speeches were presented at the meeting.

Reported by P.V Translated by M.P.

An aircraft shortage has caused Pacific Airlines, Vietnams second largest carrier, to cancel several flights in the past few days.

It has had to reduce its Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi services from six daily to four since April 1.

The carrier originally had three leased aircraft of which one is now under regular maintenance. The lease has expired for another. It is awaiting delivery of a fourth leased plane.

The schedules would become normal in a couple of days once the shortfall was overcome, the carrier said Wednesday.

Source: Nguoi Lao Dong Translated by Ha Viet

A storm approaching towards the Philippines and the East Sea is to cause heavy rains in southern Vietnam, the Vietnamese weather bureau predicted Thursday.

The southern Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center said the Storm Chanchu was moving northwest by west towards southern Philippines.

It could reach the East Sea Saturday morning and thus become the first storm this year on the sea, the center added.

Two days from now, the storm will begin to cool down the currently hot weather in the central region and bring more rains in the central highlands.

The southern coastal region and Ho Chi Minh City are expected to experience heavy rains.

The name Chanchu was submitted by Macao and is a Chinese word for pearl.

Reported by Mai Vong Translated by Hoang Bao

Singapore Airlines will offer airfare reductions of over fifty percent for just over a month starting on March 27.

The promotional campaign will last until Apr. 30, 2005 with the price cut for two-way tickets from US$370 down to $160.

However, only passengers who book at least two round-trip tickets within a month and depart from Hanoi qualify for the promotion program.

In related news, Singapore Airlines announced that as of Mar. 27, they will add one more Hanoi-Singapore route each Sunday, raising its total flights to seven per week.

(Reported by X.Toan Translated by M.Phat)