#Vietnam - 50,000 pilgrims visit Huong Pagoda on festival’s opening day

More than 50,000 pilgrims were at the Huong Son complex in Hanoi Sunday, overwhelming roads and cable cars. 

Tens of thousands of devout Vietnamese flocked to the Huong Son complex on Sunday, the first day of the Huong Pagoda festival.

The Huong Pagoda, in Huong Son Commune, Hanoi's rural district of My Duc, is a collection of many temples and pagodas built amidst mountains and forests.

Every year, on the sixth day of the first lunar month, February 10 this year, the three-month Huong Pagoda festival opens. 

The festival, one of the grandest religious festivals in the country, attracts hundreds of thousands of Buddhists in the early days of the Lunar New Year.

From early Sunday morning, the entrance to Thien Tru Pagoda, one of the main pagodas in the religious complex, was overflowing with people. This year, in an effort to ensure security and manage the place better, the organizing committee has not allowed business booths in the temple, caves, on narrow roads and at the Nam Thien Mon Gate.

"This year, the festival’s opening day is still a public holiday, and the weather is warm, so the number of pilgrims has increased dramatically compared to other years," said Nguyen Van Hoat, chairman of My Duc district people's committee.

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The entrance to Thien Tru Pagoda was obstructed as many pilgrims climbed over the fence to get in.

According to the festival organizing committee, more than 125,000 visitors visited the complex from February 7 to 9. On Sunday morning, more than 50,000 pilgrims thronged the sacred complex.

 Pilgrims prayed and made offerings at the pagoda’s altars, invoking divine blessings, peace and luck for the New Lunar Year.

 Thousands waited patiently in line for hours in front of the cable car station to catch a car to reach the Huong Tich cave.

 In 2018, the Huong Pagoda festival welcomed 1.4 million pilgrims, ticket sales feteched VND 112 billion ($4.8 million). This year, 1.5 million tickets have been printed.

 

The Huong Tich Cave, the heart of the Huong Son landscape, had no empty space Sunday morning. On the entrance to the cave, on a high cliff to the left, five words, "Nam Thien De Nhat Dong" (The best cave in the South sky) are carved. These were the words given in 1770 by Trinh Sam, a Lord from the Trinh family which ruled the country at the time.

The Huong Pagoda festival lasts from the sixth day of the first lunar month to the last day of the third lunar month, that is, from February 10 to May 4 this year. This is the longest Lunar New Year festival in the country.

Source - VNExpress

New luxury river cruise ships set to sail Nile and Mekong rivers next year

The Golden Buddha at Phu Salao Temple overlooking the Mekong river and the city of Pakse, Laos

Some of the world’s most famous river bodies including the Nile in Egypt and the Mekong in Vietnam will become the playground for new luxury river cruises set to launch next year. 

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is expanding its fleet with the addition of three new luxury ships that will set sail along the Nile, Mekong and Douro rivers beginning in 2020.  

Its ship anchored in Italy is also slated to undergo major renovations and re-emerge as the SS La Venezia early next spring. 

Unlike behemoth cruise ships that are built to carry thousands of passengers, river cruise ships are designed as smaller, more intimate alternatives. Uniworld’s fleet has an average capacity of 130 guests.

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 Here’s a look at the new ships and the 2020 itineraries: 

SS Sphinx 

Set to lift anchor January 6, 2020 as the only luxury river cruise line in Egypt, the SS Sphinx will feature three gourmet dining destinations, swimming pool, massage room and 42 suites. The 12-day itineraries include some of Egypt’s top sites, ending in Cairo. 

SS Sao Gabriel, Portugal

Food and wine will be major themes aboard the newest ship destined for the Portugal Douro river which launches March 26, 2020. Expect an itinerary that highlights the best of Portuguese cuisine and the country’s premiere wine-growing region. 

Mekong Jewel, Vietnam and Cambodia 

The newest luxury river cruise on the Mekong has been designed with the environment in mind, with features like a special paint which claims to create less drag; more efficient, high-performance propellers; energy-efficient LED light fixtures; and an energy-efficient air conditioning system. The 13-day itinerary is set to launch January 3, 2020, taking guests from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, to Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat and more. 

SS La Venezia, Venice 

The River Countess is slated to undergo major renovations and resurface as the SS La Venezia. Itineraries include a stop in Milan to visit Da Vinci’s renowned “The Last Supper” and sailings around Venetian islands Burano, Mazzorbo and Torcello. The launch date is set for March 27, 2020.

 

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Thailand - Princess Ubolratana Mahidol runs as Prime Ministerial candidate in election

In a stunning political move, Princess Ubolratana Mahidol,  the eldest child of the late King Bhumibol, Rama 9, has been nominated by the Thai Raksa Chart party.

 

Her nomination as a Prime Ministerial candidate immediately places the plans of current PM and the Junta-leaning Palang Pracharat party into disarray.

 

 To paint this as an ‘upset’ move in the last day of nominations is an understatement. Not only now running as an opponent to the NCPO Chief, who is running as a PM candidate for Palang Pracharat, but also running with a party historically aligned with a fugitive former prime minister.

 

This is the first time a close member of the royal family has sought political office in Thialand’s 86 years as a constitutional monarchy. Today is the final day political parties can nominate candidates for next month’s election.

 

The Princess’s entry into politics has completely reshaped what was already looking like a major battle for votes from multiple fronts – new parties and the largest field of candidates ever standing for a national election.

 

The announcement today is seen as a profoundly political maneuver from the country’s highest institution and shades the military, and Prayut, as it prepares to cede power.

The Thai national election is being held on March 24.

Thai Raksa Chart party make the announcement this morning.

 

Source - TheThaiger

#Thailand's most important airports are going smoke-free

Goodbye smoking lounges

Smoking is no longer allowed inside the passenger buildings at six of Thailand's main airports.

As of Sun, Feb 3, Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai and Mae Fah Luang airports, all operated by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), have been declared no-smoking zones with fines of up to B5,000 (around US$160) for any violators.

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The move is in accordance with the 2017 Tobacco Control Act and a 2018 Public Health Ministry announcement requiring all offices of government agencies and state enterprises, which includes airports, to assign no-smoking areas.

According to Bangkok Post, the AoT has instructed staff at the six airports to arrange smoking areas outside the passenger buildings
 

Passenger traffic at Bangkok’s two airports, Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi, both affected by the change, exceeded 100 million in 2018. 

Source - Thaiger

#Cambodia - Gov’t warns tourists over use of fake visa websites

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Wednesday urged tourists to avoid websites offering e-visas for Cambodia after receiving fresh reports of tourists being ripped off and losing their money.

The ministry warned prospective visitors to only use its official website as there is no legal framework in place to get back any money that is lost.

The call comes after the ministry found bogus websites – including cambodiaimmigration.org, which charged one unsuspecting tourist $300 – falsely claiming to be able to obtain e-visas for visitors to the Kingdom.

One British national complained to the Cambodian Embassy in London about the excessive cost of an e-visa after they were charged $90 by one such website, which is far in excess of the ministry’s own pricing.According to the ministry’s official website, an application for an e-visa for tourists should be made at evisa.gov.kh. An e-visa is valid for three months and costs $36.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson on Wednesday told The Post that the ministry does not have the framework in place to take legal action against fraudulent websites offering e-visas for foreign tourists over the internet and called on tourists to only use official channels.

Ket Sophann said on Wednesday that e-visas ease the application process while also reducing fees for tourists. He warned that using other websites to apply for one would lead to the applicant being defrauded.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls for those wishing to visit Cambodia to only use the ministry’s website for an e-visa, or to go to their nearest embassy to avoid being deceived. We only issue visas this way,” he said.

The ministry released a letter in 2017 saying it had found 17 websites that fraudulently sell e-visas to tourists at a price far in excess of the true cost on the ministry’s website.

Sophann said he did not know an exact figure on the number of tourists who have been cheated by fraudulent websites.

Phat Sophanit, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, and Kirth Chantharith, the director-general of the ministry’s General Immigration Department, could not be reached for comment.

Tho Samnang, an official at the Legal and Consular Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told local media that those behind the fraudulent websites used a sophisticated system to defraud users.

When applicants typed in the words “Cambodia” and “e-visa”, the browser shows fake websites that have paid to be shown first in the results, he said. With the applicant unaware the sites are bogus, they register, complete the form and then send payment.

“After getting the money for the application, those running the fake websites send the forms to the ministry to issue the e-visa, but we always catch their IP address and do not issue one because the ministry does not permit brokers to act in this way,” he said.

A member of staff at a Phnom Penh tourism company said she was unaware of websites offering e-visas, saying only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its official website could do so.

Source - PhnomPenhPost

#Bangkok leads ranking of top travel destinations during Lunar New Year

Bangkok has emerged the most popular destination for travelers in Asia-Pacific during the Lunar New Year period, the world's largest annual human migration, which is currently underway. 

The Thai capital reclaimed the top spot this year as the most popular travel destination in online booking platform Agoda's list of top spring festival destinations 2019, knocking last year's winner Tokyo to second spot, followed by Taipei. 

The results are based on hotel booking data on Lunar New Year dates for 2019. 

This year, it's estimated that Chinese travelers will undertake nearly three billion trips by car, train and plane in the 40-day period between January 21 and March 1, an increase of 0.6 percent from 2018. 

On February 5, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Mongolia, Indonesia and Malaysia will celebrate the lunar new year and usher in the year of the pig, the 12th and last position on the Chinese zodiac. 

In general, Pigs are born in the years 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 and 2019. 

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 Here are the top 10 most popular travel destinations according to Agoda: 

1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. Taipei, Taiwan
4. Hong Kong
5. Kaohsiung, Taiwan
6. Osaka, Japan
7. Taichung, Taiwan
8; Sapporo, Japan
9. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
10. Singapore

Source - TheJakartaPost

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#Indonesia sixth in top-20 ranking of ‘most beautiful countries’

British guidebook publisher Rough Guides has included Indonesia in its list of the world’s most beautiful countries – and quite high up, too.

The ranking was updated on Jan. 4 based on Rough Guides’ readers voting on social media channels.

This was not lost on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who hailed the achievement with a video shared on his Instagram account.

“Renowned UK publisher Rough Guides recently conducted a global survey on the world’s most beautiful countries. The result [shows] that Indonesia was ranked sixth in the world, but [was named] the most beautiful country in Asia,” Jokowi wrote in the same post.

The video shows some of the most popular tourist attractions, from temples to surfing spots in Bali, beautiful beaches in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, and orangutans in Kalimantan.

“Rough Guides’ polling strengthens Indonesia’s position as a world-class tourist destination,”  

said Jokowi.

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 Source - TheJakartaPost

Here’s the full of the world’s 20 most beautiful countries, according to Rough Guides readers.

1. Scotland
2. Canada
3. New Zealand
4. Italy
5. South Africa
6. Indonesia
7. England
8. Iceland
9. United States 
10. Wales
11. Slovenia
12. Mexico
13. India
14. Finland
15. Switzerland
16. Peru
17. Norway
18. Ireland
19. Croatia
20. Vietnam