Macaque island draws tourists – and criticism

Vietnam macaque island draws tourists – and criticism



Monkeys cling to a tourist at Monkey Island in Nha Trang, central Vietnam. There are about 1,200 macaques on the small island, where vaccine experiments were once carried out by Soviet scientists before it was transformed into a tourist attraction in the 1990s. NHAC NGUYEN/afp

Menacing macaques snatch bags of crisps, water bottles, cookies and crackers from uneasy tourists on Vietnam’s Monkey Island, a popular attraction decried as cruel by activists calling for an end to animal tourism in Southeast Asia.

Tourists are encouraged to show the monkeys their empty hands if they don’t want to be accosted by the aggressive macaques, who routinely steal snacks, hats, and even mobile phones from visitors, who nervously laugh and snap pictures.

“They grabbed my biscuits and climbed on my body,” Dinh Thi Hoa said on the small island in Nha Phu bay in south-central Vietnam.

“I didn’t even have time to open my bag, the monkey took it from me and opened it!” she said, smiling, after a gang of macaques rifled through her rucksack.

It is one of countless animal tourism sites across Vietnam where for just a few dollars visitors can ride elephants or ostriches, or see costumed bears and tigers perform at circuses.

Over on Monkey Island, macaques ride motorbikes, lift weights and shoot basketballs in their own packed circus performance that ends with a monkey in a frilly skirt collecting tips from the audience.

Elsewhere on the island, visitors eagerly place bets on a monkey swimming race to close out a morning of animal entertainment.

It’s cruel work, according to some.

“Monkeys don’t choose to walk on their hind legs, ride bikes, or perform other meaningless and humiliating tricks – they’ve simply learned to fear what will happen if they don’t,” said Jason Baker, animal rights group Peta’s vice president of international campaigns.

“Travel companies and tourists must stop buying tickets to cruel exhibits like Monkey Island,” he added.

There are about 1,200 macaques on the small island, where vaccine experiments were once carried out by Soviet scientists before it was transformed into a tourist attraction in the 1990s.

Monkey Island manager Truong Nguyen Phuoc An says the animals are never beaten, and are well looked after thanks to tourist dollars.

“We can have money to maintain the island and buy more food for the monkeys,” he told AFP, as tourists boarded boats under a searing midday sun.

Throngs of visitors stream though every week, mostly Vietnamese, Chinese and Russians who jet across the bay from the beach resort hotspot Nha Trang.

Many are happy to see the monkeys, brushing aside claims the animals should be left alone.

“I think they are well-fed and happy, it’s perfect,” said Kirill, a 19-year-old visitor from Russia.

~Phnom Penh Post~

AirAsia starts new route to Vietnam

AirAsia starts new route to Vietnam



New destination: (From second left) Lee, Fam and Nguyen at the inauguration of AirAsia’s latest route from Kuala Lumpur to Nha Trang.

AirAsia, Malaysia’s award-winning low-cost carrier, has launched its 54th unique route, Vietnam’s coastal city of Nha Trang.

The maiden flight, with a 93% flight load, landed at around noon (Vietnam time) on Thursday at Cam Ranh International Airport, greeted with a water cannon salute.

The inaugural flight was a milestone for AirAsia, being the first to operate direct flights to Nha Trang from Malaysia.

AirAsia Bhd commercial head Spencer Lee said 2017 has been an eventful year for Asean as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Also present were AirAsia director Datuk Fam Lee Ee and Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism vice-director Nguyen Thi Le Thanh.

Nha Trang is the capital of Khanh Hoa which lies along the coastline of south central Viet­nam.

Lee said the daily direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Nha Trang showed the carrier’s commitment to provide more connecti­vity between the two countries.

AirAsia also flies to other Vietnamese cities including Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hanoi.

Lee said passengers can use Fly-Thru, an optional baggage check-through service to their final destination without the hassle of immigration clearance at the transit hub.

With Fly-Thru service, passengers from 23 cities in eight countries can travel to Nha Trang seamlessly.

“We are confident that we will keep this route strong,” said Lee.

From now until Sept 24, AirAsia is offering RM99 all-in-fare one way to Nha Trang for travel until Feb 28 next year.

For more details, visit AirAsia on Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia) and Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia).

~News courtesy of The Star~

New raft makes waves in Nha Trang

New raft makes waves in Nha Trang

New facility in the central beach town of Nha Trang offers tourists additional recreational options


Tourists dive near a tourist raft which was set up last month in Hon Mun, Nha Trang / PHOTO: KHUE VIET TRUONG

Located about 30 minutes by boat from Nha Trang, Hon Mun (Mun Island) is the only marine reserve in the nation’s most famous beach resort town.

Besides being home to 230 species of fishes, a system of mangrove forests and seagrass beds, the island also boasts the country’s richest coral reef with 350 species, or nearly half of the world’s identified ones.

The coral reef is undoubtedly the main reason for Nha Trang’s popularity as a diving site among tourists.

Many travel companies offer diving services off the island, including short training sessions and longer courses.

The Lan Bien Xanh Travel Company also launched its diving service towards the end of last month. But, instead of entering the water from a boat, diving, and returning to the shore, tourists can do it from a raft where they can eat, drink, sunbathe and engage in other activities offshore during their breaks from diving.

The company says that its special facility, known as the Labixa raft, is inspired by fishermen’s rafts in Hon Mot (Mot Island), where locals raise fish on rafts and welcome tourists onboard to sell them seafood, fresh and/or cooked.

But the Labixa, a 400-square-meter raft, is a much more professional affair with three parts: one kitchen, one living room where there is a stage for musical performances, and one room dedicated to tourists’ sea activities.

Situated at the back of the wooden raft, the third room has a changing area and steps allowing tourists to access the water.

From the raft, besides jumping into the water to swim and dive, tourists can get on plastic coracles with glass bottoms, allowing them to see the corals without getting wet.

A smaller raft is also available to carry guests to the island for sightseeing.

And if the guests do not get into the water or go to the island, they can sunbathe on long chairs that are placed outdoors on the raft.

The wooden raft is designed with the architecture style of nha ruong – a traditional house common in Hue and central provinces and known for having lots of wooden beams and pillars carved with many details.

The roof, said to be inspired by Thai houses, are heatproof, so it always feels cool inside, despite the sunlight.

The raft, which can host as many as 300 people, is usually anchored about 100 meters from Hon Mun and is kept afloat by 400 blue barrels.

Tourists can access the raft from their boats or the company’s boats (which they need to book in advance).

Admission is free, but all services onboard have to be paid for.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Flights from Nha Trang to Moscow

Vietnam Airlines opens flight from Nha Trang to Moscow

Vietnam Airlines has just announced the opening of a direct flight route from Nha Trang City to Moscow, starting April 5.

Passengers getting on board of Vietnam Airlines' plane (Photo: U. Phuong) The national flag carrier will launch its first direct flight from Nha Trang to Moscow on April 5 via Boeing 777. Every Friday, a flight will depart Nha Trang City at 10.25 am and arrive in Moscow at 8pm local time.

The carrier will soon increase two flights per week on Monday and Friday to meet customer demand from October.

On its debut flight, a return ticket from Nha Trang City to Moscow will cost VND10.5 million (US$503.5), excluding VAT and additional charges, from April 1 to March 31--except for two holidays, April 30 and May 1.

This is the third direct flight between Vietnam and Russia that Vietnam Airlines has opened.

Nguyen Tien Nam, a representative of Vietnam Airlines in Russia, said the new route aims to maintain large numbers of Russian visitors to Vietnam in the face of global economic slowdown. In 2012, the number of passengers on the Moscow-Hanoi-HCMC flights rose by 10,000, to reach 79,000 visitors.

~News courtesy of SGGP~

Get muddy in giant eggs

Get muddy in giant eggs


Eggs as mud bath tubs among the trees at 100-Egg Mud Bath Resorts & Spa in the famous resort town of Nha Trang

Paying good money to sit in a pool of mud has long been popular in Nha Trang, and now the service is available at a new resort just outside the holiday town on the lower central coast.

The 100-Egg Mud Bath Resort & Spa, which opened last December, is situated in Phuoc Dong Commune eight kilometers from the center of Nha Trang. It stands at the foot of Hoang Nguu Mountain in the Dong Bo Range.

On the approach to 100-Egg, the large egg-shaped mud baths that give the leafy resort its name are visible from quite a way off.

The entrance is via a huge egg wearing a red hat, after which comes the central lake with a fountain. A pleasant footpath is decorated with a pair of rock eggs nearly two meters tall; they symbolize a couple.

On the roof of the restaurant is a basket boat in which well-arranged eggs stand out against the blue sky and white clouds. Two eggs flank the restaurant gate. Unsurprisingly, the menu there features several egg dishes.

There are eggs everywhere. The rattan chairs on the way to the VIP Section for visitors look like eggs, the basins for splashing the face are shaped like egg-halves, and eggs installed here and there spout water for the trees and grass. The eggs are made of various materials, usually rock, and come in different shapes, sizes, and colors from white to gray, pink and yellow.

The egg yard on the mountain side is the main feature of the 100-Egg Mud Bath Resort & Spa. Each egg therein is a mud bath pool, and measures two meters in height and 1.5 meters in width. Next to each egg is a tank of water, carved out of rock, and a platform for standing on to rinse off the mud after a good soak.

Below the egg yard are three swimming pools, and there is also the Egg Café serving drinks and snacks.

Another feature of 100-Egg is the Champa Quarter with its structures built in the old Cham style and carved with reliefs of Cham dances, plus a garden full of beautiful flowers.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, deputy general director of 100-Egg, said that the resort’s owner, Ponagar Co., aimed to create, through 100-Egg, a cultural space with Champa and Central Highlands sections, and a mix of Vietnamese images such as the paddy terraces of the northwest and Da Dia Cliffs in Phu Yen Province.

He added that Ponagar planned to extend 100-Egg Mud Bath Resort & Spa in two stages in 2013, including a VIP Spa and sections for rock climbing, picnicking and camping, to make it stand out on the tourism map and become the first choice for visitors to Nha Trang.

Visitors will notice that the steps leading to the 115 mud baths are like rice terraces and the artificial waterfall for hot baths in mineral water resembles Da Dia Cliffs. There is also a symbolic sculpture of a Central Highlands Grave House.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien News~