In framework of the event, posters on beautiful beaches, landscapes and tourism products will be showcased to attract visitors from ASEAN countries and the world.

The deputy minister mentioned this at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City recently to implement the new pilot scheme that will offer a VAT refund to foreigners leaving the country with purchases made during their stay.

Tuan said the pilot scheme will help promote tourism and leave a good impression on foreign visitors, so officials at airports must provide and facilitate easy procedures for the same.

The pilot scheme will be improved gradually in accordance with international practices, but for now VAT refund formalities must be made simple, clear and transparent, Tuan said.

Foreigners will now receive a Value Added Tax (VAT) refund on commodities purchased while in Vietnam and which they carry back when leaving the country.

According to the General Department of Taxation, 154 enterprises in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are eligible for participating in the new scheme. Purchases made by foreign visitors during their stay in Vietnam, will receive VAT refund at point of departure, provided all criteria is met.

These enterprises are eager to join the pilot scheme as this is an excellent opportunity for them to promote their products in other countries of the world.

Relevant agencies such as tax and customs departments will release the addresses and names of participating enterprises on their websites. They will also be allowed to advertise the scheme on billboards and posters on their shops, so as to inform foreign clientele.

Tax and customs departments should also inform travel agents of the enterprises listed in the VAT refund scheme, so as to curb corruption.

Enterprises also raised the idea that there should be one common logo for the VAT refund scheme for easy recognition by foreign tourists. This idea met with approval from the deputy minister.

The General Department of Taxation has been asked to think of a common logo to be used by shops offering VAT refund in the country.

The first place to see the crack of dawn

Mui Dien in Phuoc Than village, Hoa Tam Commune, Dong Hoa district, in the south-central province of Phu Yen is the first place in Vietnam to greet the dawn.

Visitors will have the chance to see the first rays of the rising sun and its reflection in the sea. The best view is from the 26-metre light house, which was built by the French in the late 19th century.

It is very convenient for tourists to get to Mui Dien by car as there is a road leading up to the peak from the bay, not far from the sand dunes at the foot of the hill. In the evening, visitors can enjoy eating grilled fish while listening to the tales of the lighthouse watchmen.

The hottest place

Cua Rao is located in the Lam River Junction, 60 kilometres from Phu Mat forest, but its temperature always goes up to 37OC after 9am. During winter days, it is still very hot with a blazing sun.

The changing Sand Dunes

The White Sand Dunes is a top attraction at Mui Ne in Phan Thiet town, in southern Binh Thuan province. Affected by Northeastern and Southwestern winds, they change rapidly, both in shape and colour.

In addition, visitors can enjoy the full contact of sand boarding. 5am-6am is considered the best time for this sport.

The longest seaward bridge

The 7-km Thi Nai Bridge, which connects Qui Nhon City and the Phuong Mai Peninsula has become the longest seaward bridge since it was completed in December 2006.

From Qui Nhon City or the Phuong Mai Peninsula, visitors can enjoy seeing the charming bridge over the blue river and the reflection of the Thay Boi (Fortune-teller) tower in the calm water, as well as the Swallow Ground (Bai Nhan) and the Bird Hillock (Con Chim) in the distance.

The longest house

Built in 2002, the 85-metre long thatch-roofed house in Gia Lanh ethnic village, Krong Na Commune, Buon Don District in the Central Highland province of Dak Lak is considered the longest in Vietnam.

The interior of the house is decorated in the unique traditional style of the Central Highland people, with rafter, papoose and cooking fire. Visitors pay VND15,000 (US$0.7) for entry and another VND150,000 (US$7) if they want to spend overnight there in one large, common bedroom.

Cathedral with the biggest bells

Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, located in Paris Commune, district 1, Ho Chi Minh City, is a magnificent cathedral which was built with material imported from France.

The cathedral has a set of six large bronze bells weighing 28.85 tons, in the musical syllables of sol, la, ti, do, re and mi. All these bells, which were cast in France, are considered the biggest in Vietnam.

The biggest Jesus Statue

Built on Tao Phung Mountain in Vung Tau City, the 32-metre-tall Jesus Statue is the biggest with his arms stretching 18.4 metres long, on a 4-metre-high concrete base with a beautiful carving of the last supper of Jesus and his 12 apostles.

Inside the statue, visitors will be able to climb a 133-step spiral staircase to his arms and stand on his shoulders to enjoy panoramic views of the sea and mountain.

Source: VOV

Uyen, 32, is a realtor, and a born and bred Hanoian who has spent most of her life in Ha Noi. When she was an 8-year-old girl, her parents used to take her to the most beautiful places in the city to teach her about the capital.

“The lake was so serene and the water was so clear that you could see straight to the bottom in the day light,” Uyen says. Like most Hanoians, she is in love with West Lake.

The lake is located in the northwestern part of the city, spreading out across an area of 560ha. Long ago, the lake was a branch of the Hong (Red) River, but, as the river changed its course, it became its own body of water. Environmentalists consider the lake to be the lungs, or the natural air conditioner, of the whole city, calming the extreme tropical weather of the industrializing capital.

West Lake has always been an area for vacationing royalty. In the past, kings from the Ly and Tran dynasties (1010-1400) built summer homes along the lake. On the northern end of the lake there are several villages famous for their flowers and fruit plantations. Most famous is Nghi Tam Village, the birthplace of Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, one of Viet Nam’s premier women poets.

These days, many of the summer homes built by the kings of yesteryear are now shrines and temples. Phu Tay Ho (West Lake Shrine) is one of the more popular shrines on the shores of the West Lake. Locals believe that the saints worshipped in Phu Tay Ho would most likely answer their prayers for wealth, luck and success. “It’s a Hanoian tradition to visit the shrine at least twice a year, before and after Tet (Lunar New Year Festival),” Trinh To Nga, a 68-year-old pensioner, says.

During the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, people from all over Ha Noi flock to the shrine to pay their respects to the deities. On these days, the roads are filled with people dressed in colourful attire heading to the narrow road leading to the shrine. Phu Tay Ho is also famous for the bun oc (snail soup) and banh tom (shrimp cakes) sold in stalls and small restaurants along the street.

Breathtaking views

These days, West Lake can be a setting for any kind of occasion. For people looking for a cultural spot with breathtaking views to snap a few photos, Phu Tay Ho is the place to go. “I would prefer the original moldings and paint, but the views of the water really blew me away,” Steve Jerrod, an American tourist, says.

Time stands still: Lotus harvesting on Ho Tay.
If you travel to Ha Noi on a summer day like today, you should try waking up early, at about 5 or 6am, and coming to see the lotus ponds just outside of Ho Tay Water Park. The smell of lotus flowers is very refreshing in the early morning before the ponds are burnt by the tropical sun. You may even see farmers on boats in the middle of the pond picking lotus flowers to sell at markets. They might even let you pick one yourself.

You can also check out peach blossom gardens in Quang Ba Village, but only during the Tet holiday, around the end of January.

Tourists can book individual or group tours from local agencies, which will give them an opportunity to thoroughly discover the many historical and cultural spots in the area.

Uyen is now married to Alex Petrovsky, a 35 year-old Russian engineer, and together they have built a beautiful home overlooking the lake. “The area is fantastic; I can find everything that I need here. As I drive home from work every day, I am welcomed by a different air as soon as I get into the area,” Petrovsky says.

On weekends, if you and your family are up for some wet summer fun, you can take them to the Sao Mai swimming pool, with its endless lake views, or to one of the most popular entertainment parks in the city: Ho Tay Water Park. You and your family can spend the whole day playing water games and then indulge in one of the best buffet restaurants in town, Sen, which is located just outside the park gates. Sen serves the best of all Vietnamese cuisine in Ha Noi, with a view of the lake and a traditional atmosphere to boot. “It’s our weekend tradition, and my kids love it,” Uyen says.

On the other hand, if you are just looking for a chic set-up for a night out with friends, you can go to one of the bars with the best view in town, the Summit Lounge. The bar is actually atop the penthouse suite at Sofitel Plaza Ha Noi. From the 20th floor, the view of the capital city is overwhelming, with its luminous buildings and sparkling Thanh Nien Road.

While the Summit Lounge is more on the fashionable side, with well-dressed and well-paid customers social-ising and enjoying the soft music and view, Sheraton Hotel’s Nutz bar is a more hip and fun hangout spot.

DJ hangout

World famous DJs have frequented the bar since its opening and the US$10 cocktails are quite good. “I don’t care that the bar has to close by 2am; I have fun while I’m here,” Jerrod says.

As a largest lake in Ha Noi and also a great entertainment centre, real estate prices in the areas around West Lake are staggering and the surrounding quarters are full of five-star hotels and high-class villas.

“The weather is perfect here. Whenever I’m in the area, it feels like I have moved to a totally different area code,” Jerrod says. “Rent can be a little stiff but it’s worth every cent.”

“Ever since I was a child picking lotus flowers in the pond, I’ve always dreamed of having a house looking over the lake.

“Now I have one and it’s even better than I imagined,” Uyen says.