International sport, tourism movies &TV festival opens

The fifth Vietnam International FICTS Festival – Sport, Tourism Movies and TV opened in the central city of Danang on May 27. Franco B. Ascani, President of the Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs (FICTS), was among guests to the festival.

More than 90 movies, including documentaries, feature films and cartoons from 32 domestic and foreign studios have competed in the four-day festival, which is an activity to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The festival is also a chance to promote the image of Vietnam and its tourism potentials as well as its people’s great love for sports, helping honour the Vietnamese cultural identities and preserve, restore and develop the country’s traditional sports and folk games.

During the festival, a photo exhibition on tourism and sports, a walk for health and the environment and an international seminar on Vietnam’s sport and tourism movies and television will also be held.

In addition, the organisers will launch a competition for screenplays of films on sports and tourism.

The International FICTS Festival was first held in Monaco in 1982 and then in Milan, Italy, for 28 times.

Since it joined the 103-member FICTS in 1999, Vietnam has participated in the festival for ten times.

Five-star resort gets off ground in Danang

The five-star residential-commercial-hotel complex Le Meridien Danang Resort & Spa got off the ground on May 4 in the central coast city of Danang for completion in 2013, said the investor Saigon-Danang Investment Corporation.

The 12ha resort project in Son Tra-Dien Ngoc Beach in Ngu Hanh Son District comprises of deluxe villas, residences and five-star hotels with a total investment of approximately US$110 million. Key components include some 350 five-star hotel rooms, 149 apartments and 48 villas for sales and rent.

Other auxiliary facilities in the complex include a gymnasium, swimming pool, groceries, beverage restaurants, indoor recreational center, and spas among others. The total floor space of the complex is over 125,000m².

The project is the ideal destination for tourists since it serves as the connection between Ngu Hanh Son and the three world cultural heritage sites namely Hoi An Ancient City, My Son Sanctuary and Hue Ancient Capital.

Kinh Bac City Development Share-holding Corporation (KBC), under Saigon Invest Group, is the biggest shareholder of Saigon-Danang Investment Corporation, investor of the Le Meridien Danang Resort & Spa.

KBC is also the biggest shareholder of Saigon-Dalat Tourism JSC, investor of the would-be Sheraton Dalat Resort complex consisting of deluxe villas, residences and the Sheraton Hotel in Dalat City.

KBC last year signed a letter of intent with the leading international hotel management company Starwood Group under which the latter would manage the two five-star hotels including Le Meridien Danang Resort & Spa.

According to the agreement, KBC would have Starwood manage its Le Meridien Danang Resort & Spa in the central city of Danang and Sheraton Dalat Resort in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

Meanwhile, Sheraton Dalat Resort with total investment of some US$40 million is located on an 18ha area near the center of the resort city of Dalat.

The development of deluxe resorts is a further bold step of KBC into the tourism industry following the company’s initial investment in several other hospitality projects, including Robin Hill Resort in Dalat, Lagi Resort & Spa – Ham Tan in Binh Thuan, and Danang Luxury Resort in Danang.

(Source: SGT)

Danang to host Craft Village Festival 2010

Danang will host its second Craft Village Festival from May 19-23, attracting more than 100 fine arts and handicraft stands from 60 traditional craft villages across the country. All the proceeds from the event will be used to support craft villages that find themselves in difficulty to maintain and develop their crafts.
During the five-day festival, a range of diverse activities will be held such as displays of brocade and ceramic products, mat weaving, wood carving, calligraphy and folk games. Craftmen will also cast kettledrums by hand and the drums will be played at the 1000th anniversary celebration of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The festival will provide a chance for craft villages to share their business experiences, introduce their products to domestic and foreign visitors and encourage consumers to make a joint effort to preserve traditional craft villages.

(Source: VOV)

Country’s first jade pagoda to be built

The management board of Quan The Am Pagoda held a ceremony to break ground for the country’s first jade pagoda in the 32ha Ngu Hanh Son sanctuary park in the central city of Danang. The ceremony was part of the Quan The Am Festival taking place in the sanctuary from April 2-4.

The jade pagoda will cover about 2ha at an expected cost of VND60 billion collected from Buddhist followers. The pagoda will comprise two floors designed totally in jade and a spacious area to serve worshipping practices of pilgrims and visits of tourists.

The pagoda will be completed within four years to be the highlight of the Ngu Hanh Son sanctuary.

The Quan The Am Festival is not only a religious festival of Buddhism but also a national folk festival associated with the legends of Ngu Hanh Son sanctuary’s establishment, the history of Bodhisattva and the founder of Non Nuoc Fine Art Stone Village.

The highlights of the festival include the exhibition of a jade painting named “One-Pillar Pagoda”, dance shows and a stone sculpturing contest.

(Source: SGT)