Archive for May 27th, 2006
APEC Summit 2006
Vietnam will host the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit this year.
The main event will be the APEC CEO Summit in Hanoi from 17 to 19 November. Other meetings and functions will take place in February and April in Hanoi or Danang. Some of the five star hotels in Hanoi have been appointed by the Government of the Social Republic of Vietnam to accommodate the Summit’s participants. All rooms in these properties will be blocked for this purpose and local tour operators will not be able to place any bookings. We will be forced to reroute our tours to Halong or Haiphong and provide day tours to Hanoi. Please refer to the following websites for more information:
http://www.apecceosummit2006.org/
http://www.apec.org/webapps/events_calendar/events_calendar.php
May 27th, 2006
The Baphuon Temple has recently been partly opened to the public after 10 years of renovations by Ecole Francaise D’ Extreme Orient.
The sunctuary, a symbolical representation of Mount Meru, is situated inside the Royal City of Angkor Thom. It dates from the 11th century and was built before the city was established. An interesting feature of Baphuon Temple is the bas-releifs which are scenes carved in small squares. This temple is expected to be fully opened in the next 3 years.
If you have more time in Siem Reap - this is one of the sites you should certainly visit!
May 27th, 2006
For those of you who plan to visit the National Museum while in Bangkok on your own - please note that:
* The museum is opened from 9.00 a.m. until 4.00 p.m. from Wednesdays through Sundays
* The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
* Entrance fee is THB 50.00 per person
* The National Museum Volunteer Group is organizing the museum tours (for appromimately 2.5 hours) in foreign languages (FREE OF CHARGE) as follows:
- In English and French on every Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9.30 a.m.
- In Japanese on every Wednesdays at 9.30 a.m.
- In German on every Thursdays at 9.30 a.m.
Dont worry if the timings do not fit in with your schedule - English-language literature is available throughout all rooms so you will still enjoy learning about Thai art and culture in your own pace!
May 27th, 2006
When preparing for your trip to Vietnam - be sure to bring along the followings:
* Lomotil (or its equivalent)
* Wash ‘n Dries
* Anti-bacteria soap
* Sunglasses
* Sun hat
* Sun block cream
* Mosquito repellent
* Fans (either hand-held type or battery-operated one)
* Liquor
* Plenty of books and magazines (for airport delays!)
It’s also a good idea to prepare for a small first-aid kit that should inlcude aspirin, a laxative, band-aids, antiseptic ointment and antihistamine cream.
If you will be in Bangkok prior to entry into Vietnam - it might be useful to have all these things prepared in Bangkok as here you will find all the above at cheaper prices than in your own countries.
May 27th, 2006
