Vietnam Airlines tip: 5 ways to have economical trip

You want to discover different lands of the world but you have a tight budget? You always ask yourself how to enjoy exciting journey with low cost. Vietnam airlines suggest you 5 effective ways to reach your goals.

1. “Hunt” for cheap tickets

“Cheap tickets” is definitely the key point for you. As usual, airline firms give incentives several months to a half of a year prior to the flight. Hence, pay your attention to the website to earliest get cheap tickets, as well as special service of hotel, resort… because the number of them are limited.

Hunt for cheap tickets

2. Choose appropriate hotel

Instead of deluxe hotel or restaurant, you may cut the cost of the trip by staying at a small guest-house and have local simple food to entirely harmony the regional atmosphere. Vietnam Airlines gives you two common kinds of them: home-stay(stay with locals) and couch-surfing (sleep on Sofa).

3. Avoid public holidays

The price for services and transport will significantly rise these days. Avoid them and enjoy your quiet and peaceful vacation.

Preparation for vacation

4. Go shopping at local markets

Expenses for several stuff such as: local traditional food or drink, souvenir are indispensable parts of your trip. But instead of big and modern supermarkets or shopping centers, you may buy your interesting things at regional market following the instructions of locals.

Go shopping at local market

5. book trustworthy ticket agents.

Booking on  trustworthy websites of airline’s cooperation will be safer and more economical. You can book tickets online easily with good  supporting services.

Vietnam Airlines tips on buying weekly cheap tickets

As usual, the prices of tickets in the weekend are more expensive than that of the other days of the week. So, which day of the week is the most reasonable to book your tickets? Vietnam airlines will give you several useful advices about this issue.

There is the most vital rule that you have to remember that: "buy tickets as soon as possible".

An economist of Japan, Mr. Makoto Wanatabe has announced his research that an ideal time to purchase tickets is eight weeks prior to the date of departure. He explained: "For example, when having ordered tickets to London for several weeks, we must consider all possible cases that may delay our flights. To make passengers accept to take risks, many airline firms often offer promotional tickets with very cheap prices for early purchasing. Consequently, the prices increase when it is closer to the date of travel".

Vietnam Airlines' tips on cheap tickets

The Japanese economist also discovered that it's cheaper when we ordered in the afternoon. According to him, the airlines raise fares in the morning because that is the period of time when many people leave their office to order tickets for the business trips, while those who intend to relax , travel, often purchase tickets in the afternoon.

In terms of the Wall Street Journal, you should buy tickets at the midweek. The reason is that most passengers purchase tickets at the travel agencies, but the agencies usually open during the week, from Monday to Friday. Hence, it is too late to attract clients if they offer cheap tickets from the sixth day. Therefore, they often offer lower prices in the early weeks.

President of a company that specializes in airfare com Paris on confirmed that passengers ought to pick up the third day to purchase airline tickets online. As noted by the Wall Street Journal, on Tuesday 11/1 at Kayak.com website, the cheapest tickets of 10 different airlines had difference of 324 dollars, but it was up to 332 dollars on Saturday of that week. As regards analysis of domestic airfares in the U.S., people find out that Wednesday is also an ideal day to purchase airline tickets.

Vietnam Airlines hope these tips will help you much in having a great journey!

Vietnam Airlines news: Magical moon cakes

Do you have a sweet tooth? Every autumn, bakers across Vietnam turn out special cakes and pastries. For children, the Mid-Autumn festival is arguably the most exciting event of the year. As well as being given toys and lanterns, kids enjoy special fruits, sweets and cakes during this traditional festival. Sticky cakes and grilled cakes are essential, but each region has its own recipe. Here, Vietnam airlines introduces some of the tastiest Mid-Autumn cakes on offer in Vietnam’s three regions.

The North:

-Green bean-filled sticky cake (bánh dẻo nhân đậu xanh):

Green bean-filled sticky cake

The most popular Mid-Autumn cake across all regions, sticky cakes are circular in form-just like a full moon. Sometimes, sticky cakes are designed to resemble cats, dogs or fish, which adds to kid’s excitement. Covered in dough made from sticky rice flour, sticky cakes are stuffed with a mix of ingredients, including salty eggs, meat, lotus seeds and whatever else takes the chef’s liking.

-Vietnamese sausage cake (bánh chả):

Sausage cake

Available everywhere, sausage cakes are a simple but appealing gift for people of all ages. Ingredients include rice dough for the outer cover and a stuffing of ground chicken and lime leaves. Sausage cakes are often served at tea parties and at family meals. They often accompany a plate of autumn fruits, such as sugar apples, and grapefruits.

The Central Region:

Green tea- filled grilled cake (bánh nướng nhân trà xanh):

Green tea-filled grilled cake

All over Vietnam, grilled cakes are essential during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Filling may include meat, salty egg, green bean paste, red bean paste, or whatever is on hand. A green tea-filling give these cakes a special scent and flavor. There is nothing like a green-tea grilled cake washed down with a cup of tea on a crisp autumn morning.

The South:

Pia cake filled with durian and salty egg (bánh pía sầu riêng trứng mặn):

Pia cake filled with durian and salty egg

Along with sticky cakes and grilled cakes, pia cakes are popular in the South, where they are often given as presents. These cakes feature a soft doughy shell stuffed with a mix of sweet durians and fatty salty egg. Pia cakes are made in many different regions, yet those from Soc Trang province are said to be the most delicious.

Foreign travelers can take flights with Vietnam Airlines to go around Vietnam and enjoy all the specialties.

Discover the green highlands with Vietnam Airlines

Passengers of Vietnam airlines to Vietnam’s Lam Dong province will find beautiful mountain views, diverse flora and fauna, and a sense of adventure.

Located on the Lam Vien- Di Linh Highlands at an altitude of 1,500 meters above the sea level, Lam Dong province offers great tourism potential thanks to its beautiful scenery. Dubbed “The city of Flowers”, Dalat enchants visitors with its romantic French Festival. Not far from town, visitors can ride mountain bikes, visit waterfalls, rock-climb, camp and hike.

About 50km from Dalat City along Province Route 723, Bidoup National Park features amazingly rich biodiversity. Located on Ba Mountain, it is one of 28 national parks in Vietnam designed as a special-use forest. The park is home to more than 1,468 species of plants, including rare orchids and daisies. 91 plant species are unique to this area, such as the red pine tree and Lang Biang flowering tea. Rare animals live here too, and Bidoup ranks as one of the world’s most vital bird reverses.

Lang Biang flowering tea

All-terrain jeeps take visitors on an adventurous journey through the Central Highland. Crossing beautiful valleys, dry springs and sloping paths through dense forests, visitors encounter magnificent towering mountains and cozy cottages nestling in the quiet hamlet of Cu Lan- Suoi Can in Lat Commune, Lac Duong Province. Cu Lan village is home to the ancient Lach people. Visitors ship Ruou Can-homemade rice wine that is drunk through hollow canes that serve as straws- and listen to Cong Chieng performances, deep bass sounds of which seem to hold the very souls of the highlands.

Central Highland

About 18 km northwest of Bao Loc Town, the Damb’ri Waterfalls offer a majestic sight of white water plummeting 60 meters off a cliff. Nearby, visitors can discover the habits and customs of the Chau Ma ethnic group through the scared Giang ceremony and displays of local antiques.

A trip to Lam Dong province is an enchanting mix of culture, history and natural wonder. Highlands delight even the most jaded travelers and you will never regret following Vietnam Airlines’ invitation.

Dos and Don'ts in Vietnam

Vietnam is a friendly and safe place to travel. Vietnamese people are very gracious, polite and generous and will make every effort to make customers feel comfortable. Here are some general advices on things to do and not to do Vietnam as:

Do and do not in Vietnam

Bargaining and shopping

Bargaining is a culture in the small retail business in Vietnam. If you look at any items without listed prices when you go shopping, salespeople often ask you 10% - 20% higher than actual price. Be ingenious and skillful when buying favorite items and keep in mind the following tips:

• Some stores display "fixed price", which means you will not have to bargain! However, there are many places you can still bargain for discounts such as: markets, stalls, souvenir shops, etc. You should always keep a friendly attitude. Bargaining is sometimes a fun experience, not a battle, and leaves both parties satisfied.

• You may need to make a reference and consider carefully before buying valuable items such as jewelry, gem or camera. With such valuables, you should buy at big and prestigious stores with clear warranty.

Currency exchange

• You can easily exchange currency in places like: the reception in the hotel or the surrounding banks.

• Visa, American Express Cards, Master Card and JCB are accepted in many places such as: hotels, restaurants, tourist centers, shops, supermarkets and ticket office.

• Most foreign currencies can be exchanged into Vietnam Dong, especially U.S. dollars. Many restaurants give you the bills in even U.S. dollars. However, you should still use Vietnam Dong for easy shopping for souvenirs or enjoying the delicious food on the street vendors.

Dress code

• Vietnamese dress style is quite casual and simple. Unless you want to dress for dinner in a luxurious hotel, opulent places, normally you should not wear smart dress and accessories.

• Always keeping awareness when you visit a family, a locality or a religious place such as temple/ pagoda. There, you need to leave shoes at the door before entering, never wear shorts, dresses or skirts with low-neck line and bare shoulder. Because this is considered to be extremely crude and offensive.

Gift giving

• If you are invited to Vietnamese home, you should give small gifts for women, children or the elderly of the house to show your respect. They may be cosmetics, clothing or flowers, and fruits and wrapped in Nice and colorful paper.

• Avoid using black color, daisy when you visit them because it represents bad luck.

Language and expressiveness

Expressiveness and language of Vietnamese people are very rich, you can sometimes cause misunderstanding. Many Vietnamese do not speak English well; they somehow can listen to you, smile and nod. It really is their friendly gesture, but it does not mean that they fully understand what you mean. When you need to demonstrate your language without an interpreter, you should use pen and paper.

Public behavior

• Handshake is the most common form when you want to greet someone.

• Avoid excessively intimate actions and feelings for the opposite sex at public

• Do not touch someone's head

• Do not put anything over someone's head.

• Do not touch the shoulder of anyone.

• Do not touch a strange opposite sex.

Safety

• Really pay attention to your valuable items such as jewelry, money and passport

• Always leave cash, airline tickets, passport, copy of your ID card, original documents and other valuable in thehotels safety deposit facility

• Never bring too much cash with you when you go out to avoid pickpockets. You should leave your passport in the hotel. Your pocket and cameras should be kept in font.

Transportation

In major cities, you will often experience traffic jam during rush hours. Sometimes, you can see the drivers on the streets of Vietnam as circus artists. Please keep in mind the following points:

• Always drive on the right of the road in Vietnam

• Always wear a helmet when driving motorbike

• Should not use public transport during rush hours because it is not needed. It would be inconvenient and a waste of your time.

Note: The best way to travel Vietnam is to book Vietnam airlines to ensure high quality services.

Taking part in Le Muong festival with Vietnam Airlines

This autumn, Vietnam airlines invites all visitors to experience a place of extremes and marvelousness with the beauty of Vietnam’s Muong culture. Thai A reports on what is sure to be an exciting event.

On September 30th, the Le Muong festival will open in Hoa Binh town to honor the culture, music and traditional graphic arts of the Muong people. Held in the Muong cultural space museum in Hoa Binh city, Hoa Binh province, the event will encompass a festival and an exhibition.

Designed to celebrate and preserve ethnic Muong culture, the Le Muong festival features four key sections:

Mo Muong singing: The Mo Muong artist known as “Mr. Mo Muong” and other singers will take the stage to perform rhymed epics detailing the Muong people’s vision of the start of the world. The 70-year-old oracle Bui Van Chay will perform ancestor workship rites and recount the epic “The Birth of earth and Heaven”, a folk myth that narrates the Muong people’s history.

Special art: Stone and timber reclaimes from old Muong stilt houses will be transformed into artworks. There is also a 3000 square meter herb plantation. The displays are sent on a 1.5 hectare hillside,

Music: an orchestra will play traditional Muong gong music.

Body art: Body art in the patterns of Muong folding skirts will be painted on the bodies of Muong youngsters.

Weigh everything up, there will be definitely no disappointment revealed after long flight to set foot on this wonderland.

Over an area of 1.5 hectares of steep terrain in the museum grounds, a group of contemporary sculptors led by Mr. Dao Chau Hai and including the four sculptors Khong Do Tuyen, Nguyen Ngoc Lam, Nguyen Van Ngoc and Nguyen Van Thao, will use timber and stones obtained from two demolished Muong stilts houses to arrange and create works of art that combine Land art and Ecological art.

The fertile soil between the timber and stones will be filled with 200 species of herbs cultivated by Muong people. These herbs will contribute to the restoration of the Muong’s herb steam-bathing customs. Herbal steam-baths has long been used for medicinal reasons. One 200-square meter stilt house is devoted to herb stem baths.

The 1.5 hectare site and its various artworks will form an important visual focus for the festival. Exhibits should be in place for one year. A unique blend of modern arts and old-fashioned rituals, and an east meets West festival style, will hopefully bring new ideas to the community. The festival should have long-lasting impact on Muong society and leave visitors with enduring impressions of this fascinating culture.

Foreign travelers can book flights with Vietnam Airlines to Hanoi then take tours to Hoa Binh and enjoy the festival with the local people.

Vietnam Airlines introduces Co To Island

5 years ago, “Co To island” seemed to be a strange venue with many passengers. Nevertheless, this land is becoming an increasingly interesting place to go for a special trip, which will be introduced by Vietnam airlines as following.

Tourists visiting Co To island are impressed not only by pristine beauty of nature here but also by the friendly attitude of locals and their hospitality. All are thanks to the new and advanced management of the local authorities, triggering the development of tourism sector. Difficulties in transportation, water, electricity is being solved and other conditions and services are being gradually improved to meet the demand of travelers.

Eco-tourism is attracting many domestic and international tourists to Co To island. It also becomes huge revenue of this island village beside exploiting and processing sea creature. An increasing number of households are investing in several kinds of services such as: transportation, restaurants, hotels…”Home stay” is a new decision of the province government, which is just applied in Dong Tien commune. It is proving its effective side so that the local authorities are going to expand it to some other areas.

Infrastructures of Co To island are being built to make it more convenient with visitors but there remains indispensable pure nature to attract them. More special venues as well as relaxing activities will be discovered such as: local art exhibition, discovering the natural sea, one day becoming a fisherman. Besides, protecting environment will definitely plays a vital role in relation with developing tourism field.

Vietnam Airlines advises all our honored foreign passengers that you should take flights to Hanoi and utilize some means of transport to visit Co To island as soon as possible. Needless to say, Co To island will be a perfect choice in your summer holiday.