Come & Go Vietnam Blog

Thirsty Thursday, Southeast Asia’s biggest tourism industry networking event, returns to HCMC on 16 September 2010.

Following a successful first event at the New World Hotel in May, September’s Thirsty Thursday will take place at one of Vietnam’s newest and most stylish venues, Roof Garden Saigon at Kumho Plaza (next to Intercontinental Saigon), and is sure to attract a big crowd from the city’s tourism & hospitality industry.

The event, organised by Saigon Tourism Industry Networking Group and Travel Daily Asia, features complimentary beer provided by Tiger Beer, complimentary wine provided by The Warehouse, and free snacks/soft drinks provided by the venue and sponsored by TRG International/eHotel Alliance. There will also be a lucky draw with prizes donated by Life Resorts, Victoria Hotels, Mercure Hue Gerbera, Novotel Phan Thiet, Bhaya Cruises, Duxton Hotel, Petit Fute, The Boathouse and Come & Go Vietnam.

Entrance is free of charge to anyone working in the tourism & hospitality industry, while non-tourism guests can enter for a nominal 100,000VND fee.

For more information, please contact Tim Russell on tim@comeandgovietnam.com, telephone 0903 393723.

TDA and STING present Thirsty Thursday Saigon

16^th September 2010 1800-2100

Roof Garden Saigon

Shopping Centre Level 2

Kumho Asiana Plaza

Following STING/Travel Daily Asia’s successful first Thirsty Thursday event at the New World in May, the next event is now being planned for September.

To make the event a success we need the following:

• Venue – must be able to take around 100-120 people, and supply drinks at reasonable prices
• Drink sponsor – to ensure all attendees get at least 1 free drink
• Prize sponsors – prizes of any value for our lucky draw. At the last event prizes included luxury resort stays, a Halong Bay cruise and hotel dinner vouchers

If you would like to get involved in this event and promote your brand/venue to the city’s tourism and hospitality industry, please email me on tim@comeandgovietnam.com. Thank you!

From today’s Travel Daily Asia:

Banyan Tree has held a ground-breaking ceremony for one of Vietnam’s largest integrated resorts. The Laguna Hue will be situated on 280 hectares of beachfront land in central Vietnam. When completed, Laguna Hue will incorporate over 2,000 rooms across seven internationallybranded hotel and resort operators, as well as spas, a championship golf course, resort residences, convention facilities and a “town centre” with retail and recreation facilities.

The development of Laguna Hue will be funded through the US$283 million Banyan Tree Indochina Hospitality Fund, the real estate investment fund founded by Banyan Tree in 2008. Development costs for the first phase of the project are estimated at US$200 million, and will include the Banyan Tree Hue and Angsana Hue resorts, which together will comprise 350 rooms, and 18-hole golf course designed by Nick Faldo, as well as a brand resort residence. The development is scheduled toopen by 2012.

This first foray into the Indochina region is a significant milestone for Banyan Tree, and we are delighted to share this momentous occasion with our valuable partners in the Fund who have helped make Laguna Hue a reality,” said the group’s Executive Chairman, Ho Kwon Ping.

From today’s Travel Daily Asia:

Vietnamese visitors to Cambodia leap

The number of Vietnamese tourists visiting Cambodia in the first six

months of 2009 leapt 40% compared with the same period

last year, the Phnom Penh Post reported government figures as

showing.

The result means that Vietnam has cemented its position

ahead of South Korea as Cambodia’s main source of

foreign visitors. Visa exemption and addition of border

crossings prompted the growth, the report said.

Notice those two words in bold? Vietnam’s foreign visitor numbers would shoot up overnight if key markets such as Australia, US and Japan were given visa exemption. Just mentioning it…