US firm to build resort on Vietnam's infamous prison island
HANOI: A US investment firm has won approval to build a four-star beach resort on Vietnam's southern island of Con Dao as part of plans to attract more tourists to the infamous former French penal colony.
Peter Ryder, managing director of Indochina Capital Corporation, said the ground-breaking ceremony for the 4.5-million dollar 60-room hotel project, would take place later this year.
"There is a niche in the market and it forms part of our game plan to develop a number of resorts in Vietnam over the next three to five years," he said.
The resort, which is expected to be opened to guests in late 2006, will be the most luxurious hotel on Con Dao, which attracted 280,000 foreign tourists last year and 4.8 million Vietnamese visitors.
Tourism authorities are heavily promoting Con Dao, which is located around 250 kilometres (around 150 miles) from the southern business capital of Ho Chi Minh City, as one of the key stops on the country's tourist trail.
In May, the state-run Vietnam Airlines began daily flights to the island.
Con Dao, which is the largest of a small chain of islands, was named Poulo Condore by the French and established in 1861 as a prison for opponents of their colonial rule. It earned a fearsome reputation for torture and cruelty.
In 1954, the prison was taken over by the US-backed South Vietnamese government, which continued to take advantage of its remoteness to hold opponents of the regime.
It was finally shut down in 1975 after the fall of Saigon to communist North Vietnamese forces, by which time more than 20,000 Vietnamese were estimated to have died during incarceration there.
- AFP
Full Version: US firm to build posh resort on Vietnam's Con Dao
QUOTE
Con Dao, which is the largest of a small chain of islands, was named Poulo Condore by the French and established in 1861 as a prison for opponents of their colonial rule. It earned a fearsome reputation for torture and cruelty.
Will the US tourists to stay in the tiger cages of Poulo Condor? Just great thrills!!!
wow They probably done it, becasue of cheap lands with high return on investments.
tourism will help pump money in - but i just hope it doesnt bring along the side effects like prostetution, regional disparity or disruption of culture/morals.
i've been to dao khi (monkey island) and though it is very nice and absolutely clean - i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
i've been to dao khi (monkey island) and though it is very nice and absolutely clean - i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
QUOTE (vn1234 @ Aug 3 2004, 07:30 AM)
tourism will help pump money in - but i just hope it doesnt bring along the side effects like prostetution, regional disparity or disruption of culture/morals.
i've been to dao khi (monkey island) and though it is very nice and absolutely clean - i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
i've been to dao khi (monkey island) and though it is very nice and absolutely clean - i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
Tourism for local Vietnamese has developped very fast for the last few years. People are better off, and they are now more and more travelling abroad for their holidays (China, SE Asia, Europe)...
Check this at all the Vietnamese travel agencies next time, or read about it in vnExpress.net.
QUOTE (Cuong)
wow They probably done it, becasue of cheap lands with high return on investments.
don't you know land price is now over-expensive in Con Dao, Phu Quoc, all islands!?
EDIT:
QUOTE (saigontourist)
Con Dao Island is a paradise for nature lovers and beauty seekers, as well as honeymooners. After an hour’s AN-38 flight, visitors will find themselves among wild sandy beaches, virgin forests and a vivid underwater world. The atmosphere is extremely peaceful and tranquil and visitors can roam through deserted roads hidden beneath the fresh shady vaults of old arjuns and enjoy outdoor dinners under the stars. The charming resort of Saigon – Con Dao with French-styled villas will surely make your stay enjoyable.
Saigon-Con Dao Resort expansion
In August, Saigontourist will spend VND50 billion (US$3.2 million) expanding the Saigon-Con Dao Resort (18-24 Ton Duc Thang, Con Dao Dist., Ba Ria Vung Tau Province. Tel: 064. 830 155. Email: sgtcd@hcm.vnn.vn) and building more than 100 three-star bedrooms.
Saigon-Con Dao Resort expansion
In August, Saigontourist will spend VND50 billion (US$3.2 million) expanding the Saigon-Con Dao Resort (18-24 Ton Duc Thang, Con Dao Dist., Ba Ria Vung Tau Province. Tel: 064. 830 155. Email: sgtcd@hcm.vnn.vn) and building more than 100 three-star bedrooms.
Visit Con Dao island – Nature & History !
http://www.saigontourist.net/eng/tour_details.php?tourID=61
Visit Phu Quoc island – Escape to Paradise Found ! (khong co mui nuoc mam dau!)
http://www.sgphuquocresort.com.vn/
QUOTE (vn1234 @ Aug 3 2004, 07:30 AM)
i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
How the hell could they do this to the people? Viet-kieus are nothing more than the natives themselves. This is bull$hit. I hate it when Vietnamese discriminate against each others just because they are Viet-kieu and non-Viet-kieu. That blows!
QUOTE (DAI_VIET @ Aug 3 2004, 12:57 PM)
QUOTE (vn1234 @ Aug 3 2004, 07:30 AM)
i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
How the hell could they do this to the people? Viet-kieus are nothing more than the natives themselves. This is bull$hit. I hate it when Vietnamese discriminate against each others just because they are Viet-kieu and non-Viet-kieu. That blows!
i know right but some viet kieu is rich now and they act all suck up and stuff they forgot about the way it is in the old day when they were poor
QUOTE (DAI_VIET @ Aug 3 2004, 12:57 PM)
QUOTE (vn1234 @ Aug 3 2004, 07:30 AM)
i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
How the hell could they do this to the people? Viet-kieus are nothing more than the natives themselves. This is bull$hit. I hate it when Vietnamese discriminate against each others just because they are Viet-kieu and non-Viet-kieu. That blows!
QUOTE
Monkey island
Bee positive: the more successful their hives, the less locals will have to encroach on the langur's habitat.
Before the late 1980s, when the first foreign tourists began trickling back after Vietnam opened its doors to the world, much of the island of Cat Ba was virtually deserted. By that time the roads had deteriorated, there was just a handful of very basic hotels and electricity was a luxury that was only supplied for a few hours at night. The locals made a living mainly from fishing, agriculture or exploiting the riches of the forest.
But this low level of development, coupled with the bountiful ecological environment, paradoxically turned out to be good news for the island when the government decided to set up a national park there in 1986. The park covers two-thirds of the 15,000 hectares island, which lies some 50 kilometres off Haiphong.
Then the island suddenly won fame around the world, when it was discovered that a wild primate, the golden-headed langur, was found nowhere else on the planet.
Older local residents say there were thousands of golden-headed langurs there in the 1960s and 70s. They lived in small groups and were relatively unafraid of humans. At the time, nobody realised they were unique, so they were freely hunted.
In 2000, the German-based Frankfurt Animals Association in conjunction with the Primate Conservation Centre of Cuc Phuong National Park announced the alarming results of a survey. The report said that between 1970 and 1986, some 800 of the primates were believed to have been killed. In the 1990s, at least another 90 were hunted by the locals.
In consequence, according to Fauna and Flora International (FFI), by the time Cat Ba had been linked in the popular imagination with the striking image of its golden-headed langur, there remained only about 50 of them left. Today, they are obviously at extreme risk of total extinction.
Even so, until very recently many locals continued to wander into the forest to hunt, collect fruit and fell trees - which often made a significant contribution to their income. Nguyen Van Chac, from Lien Minh village in Tran Chan commune, says wild bees were another attraction. The locals would go into the forest alone or in groups in search of hives; the honey and wax they contained were comparatively valuable commodities.
The people of Cat Ba boasted that their honey was the equal of that found anywhere else in Vietnam. They claimed it had almost magical qualities, aiding rapid recovery from wounds or burns and capable of curing digestive ailments. Although this may be disputed by scientists, the locals use it to treat almost anything. This is probably why honey sells for VND200,000 a litre on Cat Ba, three or four times the price on the mainland.
Mr Chac, who was locally famous for his talent for finding wild bee hives, says hunters used to go into the forest and used fire and smoke to rob the bees of their honey. A good hive was worth between VND 300,000 and 500,000 thousand. Although there is a long history of bee-keeping on the island, sources of new bee strains was always a problem and the beekeepers had to depend entirely on swarms they could take from the forest.
But international conservation organisations have warned that if the practice continues, nothing can be done to save the langurs from extinction.
Today, though, Cat Ba is a very different place: it is the main beach resort of Haiphong and indeed of the capital, Hanoi. The rusty old State-owned ferries linking the island with the mainland have been largely replaced by high-speed air-conditioned boats funded by private investors. The trip now takes an hour instead of three or four.
The flourishing tourist trade has brought impressive infrastructure development. A new road has replaced the old pot-holed one that ran between the shore and the national park. New hotels and restaurants have mushroomed thanks to private investors from the mainland. There is not a lot of land left to build on. Xe om drivers get rich catering for the tourists; more than 600,000 are estimated to have visited the island last year.
When tourism was seen to be developing partly as an invisible benefit brought about by the golden-headed langurs, the local authorities started to change their- mind about conservation. Forest protection forces were beefed up and conservation regulations were issued for the local people. For example, being caught hunting a primate can earn a three year prison sentence. But preventing the locals from exploiting the forest is no easy matter. Very recently, forest rangers got into a brawl with a group of locals whom they caught gathering fruit in the forest.
Bee positive: the more successful their hives, the less locals will have to encroach on the langur's habitat.
Before the late 1980s, when the first foreign tourists began trickling back after Vietnam opened its doors to the world, much of the island of Cat Ba was virtually deserted. By that time the roads had deteriorated, there was just a handful of very basic hotels and electricity was a luxury that was only supplied for a few hours at night. The locals made a living mainly from fishing, agriculture or exploiting the riches of the forest.
But this low level of development, coupled with the bountiful ecological environment, paradoxically turned out to be good news for the island when the government decided to set up a national park there in 1986. The park covers two-thirds of the 15,000 hectares island, which lies some 50 kilometres off Haiphong.
Then the island suddenly won fame around the world, when it was discovered that a wild primate, the golden-headed langur, was found nowhere else on the planet.
Older local residents say there were thousands of golden-headed langurs there in the 1960s and 70s. They lived in small groups and were relatively unafraid of humans. At the time, nobody realised they were unique, so they were freely hunted.
In 2000, the German-based Frankfurt Animals Association in conjunction with the Primate Conservation Centre of Cuc Phuong National Park announced the alarming results of a survey. The report said that between 1970 and 1986, some 800 of the primates were believed to have been killed. In the 1990s, at least another 90 were hunted by the locals.
In consequence, according to Fauna and Flora International (FFI), by the time Cat Ba had been linked in the popular imagination with the striking image of its golden-headed langur, there remained only about 50 of them left. Today, they are obviously at extreme risk of total extinction.
Even so, until very recently many locals continued to wander into the forest to hunt, collect fruit and fell trees - which often made a significant contribution to their income. Nguyen Van Chac, from Lien Minh village in Tran Chan commune, says wild bees were another attraction. The locals would go into the forest alone or in groups in search of hives; the honey and wax they contained were comparatively valuable commodities.
The people of Cat Ba boasted that their honey was the equal of that found anywhere else in Vietnam. They claimed it had almost magical qualities, aiding rapid recovery from wounds or burns and capable of curing digestive ailments. Although this may be disputed by scientists, the locals use it to treat almost anything. This is probably why honey sells for VND200,000 a litre on Cat Ba, three or four times the price on the mainland.
Mr Chac, who was locally famous for his talent for finding wild bee hives, says hunters used to go into the forest and used fire and smoke to rob the bees of their honey. A good hive was worth between VND 300,000 and 500,000 thousand. Although there is a long history of bee-keeping on the island, sources of new bee strains was always a problem and the beekeepers had to depend entirely on swarms they could take from the forest.
But international conservation organisations have warned that if the practice continues, nothing can be done to save the langurs from extinction.
Today, though, Cat Ba is a very different place: it is the main beach resort of Haiphong and indeed of the capital, Hanoi. The rusty old State-owned ferries linking the island with the mainland have been largely replaced by high-speed air-conditioned boats funded by private investors. The trip now takes an hour instead of three or four.
The flourishing tourist trade has brought impressive infrastructure development. A new road has replaced the old pot-holed one that ran between the shore and the national park. New hotels and restaurants have mushroomed thanks to private investors from the mainland. There is not a lot of land left to build on. Xe om drivers get rich catering for the tourists; more than 600,000 are estimated to have visited the island last year.
When tourism was seen to be developing partly as an invisible benefit brought about by the golden-headed langurs, the local authorities started to change their- mind about conservation. Forest protection forces were beefed up and conservation regulations were issued for the local people. For example, being caught hunting a primate can earn a three year prison sentence. But preventing the locals from exploiting the forest is no easy matter. Very recently, forest rangers got into a brawl with a group of locals whom they caught gathering fruit in the forest.
yeah i know what you guys mean Johannjs and Dai Viet
hopefully tourism does help our peoples in VN, but as usual the media (in all countries) can sometimes mislead.
Monkey island has 2 entry fees, one for the locals and one for overseas visitors. personally i dont mind with this because of the simple fact that currency is way staggered when compareing US and VN dollars/dongs. The reason i felt kinda not too good in my stomach was because I was already quite tanned from being in VN for a while and no one thought i was Viet kieu - so i went and sat on a recliner seat by the beach (it was awesome just to sit and watch the pure crystal blue ocean) then suddenly a lady came up to me and said that i had to pay to sit here cause its for the customers - so i thought in my head WTF - then that means the simply joy of sitting on a chair is now limited to those with money???????
know what im saying guys - sometimes its the psychological separation that is caused by money that keeps many of our peoples out of their own beaches, etc.
also when i was back at moneky island - i was handed a pamphlet that the neighboring island (forgot the name - but i could see the production with my bare eyes in range) was being invested with taiwanese companies and had $hit like personal water craft tours and a mini-syndey opera house style reception center. this means that no one in vn (normal citizens) are gonna have enough money to enter. im also interested in graphics and notice that the pamphlet was printed on whats sometimes called "super synthetic paper" - which is costly, the paper itself can't be ripped by anymeans with the bare hands and is completely water proof - you can soak the pamphlet over night and the inks will stay intact - if the pamphelts are like that, then the actual resort is not gonna be cheap on the entrance fee
also it blows cause its not owned or run by our own people
I hope you are right Johannjs cause nothing makes me happier than the happiness of our people - hopefully tourism will bring more good than harm
btw monkey island rocked - also cause it was empty and i shared the island with 3 other visitors (not including my cousins from vn that came with me) - haha i guess its getting competition from the new place - uh oh!
them monkeys come right up to your hand and you can feed them monkey food you buy at the concession stand (though i think it was just nuts in the bag lol)
hopefully tourism does help our peoples in VN, but as usual the media (in all countries) can sometimes mislead.
Monkey island has 2 entry fees, one for the locals and one for overseas visitors. personally i dont mind with this because of the simple fact that currency is way staggered when compareing US and VN dollars/dongs. The reason i felt kinda not too good in my stomach was because I was already quite tanned from being in VN for a while and no one thought i was Viet kieu - so i went and sat on a recliner seat by the beach (it was awesome just to sit and watch the pure crystal blue ocean) then suddenly a lady came up to me and said that i had to pay to sit here cause its for the customers - so i thought in my head WTF - then that means the simply joy of sitting on a chair is now limited to those with money???????
know what im saying guys - sometimes its the psychological separation that is caused by money that keeps many of our peoples out of their own beaches, etc.
also when i was back at moneky island - i was handed a pamphlet that the neighboring island (forgot the name - but i could see the production with my bare eyes in range) was being invested with taiwanese companies and had $hit like personal water craft tours and a mini-syndey opera house style reception center. this means that no one in vn (normal citizens) are gonna have enough money to enter. im also interested in graphics and notice that the pamphlet was printed on whats sometimes called "super synthetic paper" - which is costly, the paper itself can't be ripped by anymeans with the bare hands and is completely water proof - you can soak the pamphlet over night and the inks will stay intact - if the pamphelts are like that, then the actual resort is not gonna be cheap on the entrance fee
also it blows cause its not owned or run by our own people
I hope you are right Johannjs cause nothing makes me happier than the happiness of our people - hopefully tourism will bring more good than harm
btw monkey island rocked - also cause it was empty and i shared the island with 3 other visitors (not including my cousins from vn that came with me) - haha i guess its getting competition from the new place - uh oh!
them monkeys come right up to your hand and you can feed them monkey food you buy at the concession stand (though i think it was just nuts in the bag lol)
QUOTE (vn1234 @ Aug 3 2004, 07:30 AM)
tourism will help pump money in - but i just hope it doesnt bring along the side effects like prostetution, regional disparity or disruption of culture/morals.
i've been to dao khi (monkey island) and though it is very nice and absolutely clean - i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
i've been to dao khi (monkey island) and though it is very nice and absolutely clean - i feel not to good and kinda ashamed that indigenous viets can't go in there because either of lack of money or simply because it is now considered a viet kieu's hangout
I went to Monkey Island. Not too many monkeys (they probably ate them all) and the shows were lame.
^indeed the show were lame - actually i never watched them cause im not too happy with caged animals for show - so i never went to the so called circus
the monkeys were abundant when i went, but the tourists were no where to be found - lol
the monkeys were abundant when i went, but the tourists were no where to be found - lol
Ngày giờ cập nhật tin: 2/8/2004 16:1 (GMT+7)
Sorry, this is in Vietnamese! for vn1234: as I said above, Vietnamese are now even travelling abroad quite a lot!
Khách Việt Nam đi du lịch cao cấp ngày càng nhiều
Theo Công ty Dịch vụ lữ hành Saigontourist, trong tháng 7 và tháng 8/2004, các tour VIP (tour dịch vụ cao cấp giá cao) đi Nhật và New Zealand đang thu hút khách đ̣an với số lượng lớn (từ 20 khách đến 100 khách /đoàn). Giá mỗi chương tŕnh tour VIP đi Nhật và New Zealand lên đến hơn 2.000 USD/khách, nhưng rất nhiều công ty vẫn đăng kư cho cán bộ đi tham quan kết hợp t́m hiều, nghiên cứu thị trường.
Khách hỏi mua các tour đi Mỹ, Úc, châu Âu, Hàn Quốc... cũng rất nhiều, nhưng do các nước trên cấp visa rất khó khăn, nên đă hạn chế lượng khách Việt Nam đi tour. Theo Fiditourist, các chương tŕnh tour cao cấp đi trong nước (nghỉ ở resort, dịch vụ đặc biệt...) trước đây chỉ thu hút khách Việt kiều, hiện này đang bán rất chạy cho nhóm khách gia đ́nh. Đây là một hiện tượng mới báo hiệu xu hướng tiêu dùng trong người dân TPHCM đang thay đổi.
Thu Thủy (Sài G̣n Giải Phóng)
http://www.htv.com.vn/tintuc/news_detail.a...5&news_id=24598
Sorry, this is in Vietnamese! for vn1234: as I said above, Vietnamese are now even travelling abroad quite a lot!
Khách Việt Nam đi du lịch cao cấp ngày càng nhiều
Theo Công ty Dịch vụ lữ hành Saigontourist, trong tháng 7 và tháng 8/2004, các tour VIP (tour dịch vụ cao cấp giá cao) đi Nhật và New Zealand đang thu hút khách đ̣an với số lượng lớn (từ 20 khách đến 100 khách /đoàn). Giá mỗi chương tŕnh tour VIP đi Nhật và New Zealand lên đến hơn 2.000 USD/khách, nhưng rất nhiều công ty vẫn đăng kư cho cán bộ đi tham quan kết hợp t́m hiều, nghiên cứu thị trường.
Khách hỏi mua các tour đi Mỹ, Úc, châu Âu, Hàn Quốc... cũng rất nhiều, nhưng do các nước trên cấp visa rất khó khăn, nên đă hạn chế lượng khách Việt Nam đi tour. Theo Fiditourist, các chương tŕnh tour cao cấp đi trong nước (nghỉ ở resort, dịch vụ đặc biệt...) trước đây chỉ thu hút khách Việt kiều, hiện này đang bán rất chạy cho nhóm khách gia đ́nh. Đây là một hiện tượng mới báo hiệu xu hướng tiêu dùng trong người dân TPHCM đang thay đổi.
Thu Thủy (Sài G̣n Giải Phóng)
http://www.htv.com.vn/tintuc/news_detail.a...5&news_id=24598
^lol dont sweat it dude - i can read vietnamese - its just that i post in english cause i type faster without accents
hahaha - thanks for the consideration - cheers
hahaha - thanks for the consideration - cheers
man i can only read a lil bit of bit vietnamese not enough to understand all that 
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