Victoria Hotels & Resorts Website/News Letter

News from the Head Office
After two and half years with Victoria Hotels, Virginie Meyniac, Director of Sales & Marketing, leaves the company.
Marie Giuge will replace her and will be based in Ho Chi Minh City. All the best to Marie.

Victoria Express Train
Welcome on board!

Reaching Sapa, one of the most appealing locations in Vietnam, is no longer an ordinary journey.
Enjoy watching the scenery unfold before you from the comfort of your seat by day, or drift off to sleep in your cosy cabin by night; this is the New Adventure in Style from Victoria.
The Victoria Express Train is made up of two carriages and one restaurant car. The two carriages offer 5 Superior (4 berths) and 2 Deluxe (2 berths) compartments.
These feature air-conditioning, wood panelled interiors, individual reading lights, baggage storage and ample space for hand luggage. The restaurant has ten tables, each with 4 seats, and a corner bar that will offer Vietnamese plus Western cuisines, snacks and drinks. With its stylish interior, guests are able to relax in soft, comfortable banquette seating, or while away the hours over a meal, chatting, reading, playing board games or simply enjoying the scenery.

New schedule

From Hanoi Railway Station: Monday & Wednesday at 10:00 pm or Friday at 9:30 pm
From Lao Cai Railway Station: Tuesday & Thursday at 10:10 am and Sunday at 6:45 pm The journey takes 10 hours.

Public Rates
Weekend rates (Friday & Sunday)

	Round trip	One way
Superior Compartment	70US$ per person	45US$ per person
Deluxe Compartment	120US$ per person	70US$ per person

Weekly rates

	Round trip	One way
Superior Compartment	50US$ per person*	35US$ per person
Deluxe Compartment	80US$ per person **	50US$ per person

*60US$/**90US$ if returning during the weekend.
50% discount for children under 12 years old.

The above prices are valid until 31st December 2000.

Inaugural trip of the Victoria Express Train
The whole team of Victoria Vietnam Group and Victoria Sapa were delighted to organise the inaugural trip to Sapa during 15-18 May to showcase the new carriages of the Victoria Express Train.
On this occasion, we would like to thank the 20 inbound tour operators, the photographers and the journalists who participated during this trip.

Package
With the Victoria Express Train and its new schedule, enjoy the Victoria Sapa week day package of 3 days/3 nights at the exceptional price of 184US$ per person (based on double occupancy).
This package includes return transportation from Hanoi to Lao Cai with the Victoria Express Train and the return transfer from Lao Cai Sapa by minibus. Accommodation, buffet breakfasts, one dinner and one excursion to Ta Van are also included in the package.

Good Bye and Welcome!
Executive Chef Nicolas Josi left Sapa in early March to join Victoria Chau Doc as Resident Manager. Best wishes on his new venture.
He has been replaced by Remi Faubel who previously worked in the West Indies, United Kingdom and Switzerland. Raclette connoisseurs do not worry, Remi will carry on this Sapa classic!

The Victoria Sprite:
faster transportation between the Mekong Delta Hotels

The 10-seat Victoria Speed Boat will link Victoria Can Tho to Victoria Chau Doc in two hours. Scheduled to operate in July 2000, the Sprite may also be the way to discover the amazing sites on the bank of the Mekong.
The Victoria Sprite can be booked on request at both Victoria Can Tho and Chau Doc.

My Thuan Bridge is open
Reaching Can Tho becomes easier and easier. The My Thuan bridge across the lower Mekong River was opened on the 21st May 2000. The journey by car from Ho Chi Minh City now takes only 3 hours.

Royal visit
It was an honour for the Victoria Can Tho Hotel to welcome the Princess of Thailand, HRH Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and delegates in April.

News in the Victoria Can Tho
HBO and Star Sports channels are now available at the Hotel.

Sightseeing Tours
Victoria Can Tho Hotel offers four new and exciting locations to discover on foot, mountain bike, boat or car;

Soc Trang Discovery, a day to remember Soc Trang Pagoda, both beautiful and extraordinary with its amazing
congregation of bats. Go on our wonderful day trip to discover this site before touring the rest of the City on drawn-bicycle. Also visit the Kleng Temple and have lunch in a local restaurant. On the way back, stop at the Phung Hiep tortoise and snake market.

Treasure Islet, enjoy the simple and authentic experience of life in the Mekong Delta. Let our guide take you across the river to cruise through the flooded mangrove reserve. Let the natural beauty of the surrounding environment inspire you to experience life as a local fisherman. Not only watch the professionals work, but at low tide guests can try their hand at fishing too. They can also pick their own vegetables to prepare a lunch in Vietnamese style.

Cruising The Mekong Join our delightful cruise on a traditional riverboat. Guests can hike or bike on quiet country roads through the lush countryside. Guests also encounter tiny villages, the famous Cai Rang floating market and an enchanting fruit orchard and vegetable garden where you can treat yourself to delicious fresh exotic fruits.

Delta. Begin by visiting the bamboo basket making community and admire the natural beauty of the surrounding environment. Discover the rice processing plant and end your journey coming
face-to-face with thousands of storks at Thot Not stork sanctuary, one of the wonders of South Vietnam!
For more information and booking, please contact the hotel.

Special Offer:
3 days / 2 nights... deeper into the Mekong Delta.

Explore some of the most interesting sites of An Giang Province. Victoria Chau Doc offers a 3 day/2 night package for only 99US$* per person (Based on double occupancy)
This package includes; two nights accommodation, daily American breakfasts, two excursions (see below), one candle lit dinner, BBQ buffet dinner at Victoria Bassac restaurant.
*This offer is valid from 1st July to 31st August 2000.

Tours in and around Chau Doc

The floating houses (By boat-3 hours)
A small sampan is waiting along the jetty of the hotel. Crossing the Three Rivers intersection allows you to sail toward the floating villages to see hundreds of floating homes. The bottom of each of these houses is a cage for breeding species of high-value fish.

Cham Villages
Crossing the river and arrive in Phu Hiep, the Cham village.
The Cham People of Chau Doc are direct descendants of the once great Hindu civilisation of Cham. Through centuries, these communities have been shaped and influenced from India and Malaysia.
Most of its remaining representatives are now of Muslim religion. Phu Hiep district accounts for 13 different mosques. Among these is the Mubarak, a gift from the Egyptian president along with the Koranic school.
Outside, under many of the Chams pile-house, women are knitting traditional silk costumes or sarong that you can also buy as a souvenir.

For information and booking, please contact the hotels reservation desks.

Special Summer Package
Enjoy the 3 days/2 nights package for only 88US$* per person (based on double occupancy). This special offer includes 2 nights accommodation in a Sea View cottage, daily international buffet breakfasts and one dinner at LOceane Restaurant.

This offer is valid until 15th September 2000 and excludes Vietnamese public holidays.
*Single supplement: 52US$

News from the Victoria Phan Thiet

In partnership with ASTAIR, Victoria Phan Thiet will soon include some exciting new watersport activities on its beach. From July 2000, ASTAIR, a brand new watersport club on the China sea, will open and offer a large range of water leisure and sport activities; Water skiing (mono or bi-ski), Banana Boat, Towing Tubes, Windsurfing (six boards including funboards), Bodyboard and Kites (paraglider type also available on the beach).

A boat with a 75 HP outboard engine will also be available for leisure and safety. In the future, ASTAIR and the Victoria Phan Thiet will develop even more activities such as Flysurf (kitesurf), Sailing boats and Parasailing.

For more information and booking, please contact the hotels reservation desk.

Victoria Nui Sam resort is scheduled to open at the end of 2000. This resort will focus mainly on Green Tourism tours.
Rising from flood plains, Nui Sam, designated famed beauty spot in 1980 by the Ministry of culture, is most popular with Vietnamese tourists, especially at pilgrimage time.

The resort will boast 40 bungalows, all with a private terrace and spectacular, panoramic views.
Nui Sam - Site of pilgrimage

Sam mountain is situated 5km from Chau Doc Town and features a complex of over one hundred temples, pagodas, hermitages and shrines. It offers delightful sights and breath-taking panoramas over rural countryside and the neighbouring territory of Cambodia. The most important monuments of this area include; the Ba Chua Xu Temple, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb, Tay An Pagoda and Hang Pagoda.

Tra - Xu National Park
About 20 km from Chau Doc Town, the Tra-Xu Reserve is the undiscovered, protected home of rare birds and wild life. On a traditional canoe you are able to cruise about the large, clear lakes or swamp areas, getting deeper and deeper into the wild foliage. You can enter the Sanctuary of Bats, that evokes the feeling of a Vampires remote domain.

Various species of birds will greet you along way, thousands of storks, herons and egrets escorting you on the journey to their home, nestled among the dense mangrove jungle. These sights will delight you. On top of a lonely tower, amid the purity of clear water and verdant jungle, visitors behold thousands upon thousands of snow white wings.
The National Park is not open to the public. To organise a visit, contact the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel.

	Victoria Hoi An is scheduled to open in January 2001. Hoi An received international Heritage status from UNESCO in 1999. The ancient center still retains the architecture of the golden days when the atmosphere of
Hoi An was as an international port in the 17th and 18th century. For this reason, Hoi An has become one of the most attractive spots to be visited in Vietnam and Asia. Victoria Hoi An is located on Hoi An Beach, 5km from the ancient city, 40km South of Danang. The Victoria architectural concept is similar to a small fishing village in the traditional style, referring to the history of Hoi An. Bungalows and small houses are built in the Vietnamese, Japanese and French styles with small streets and water ponds.

Victoria Hoi An will offer a large variety of activities such as; swimming pool, floodlit tennis court, billiard table, table tennis, darts, petanque, volley ball and mountain bike rental.
For relaxation you will be able to enjoy the Wellness Pavilion with traditional aromatherapy massage, recreation area, and beauty treatment.

	Victoria Hotels & Resorts spreads over Indochina. The construction of the Victoria Angkor has just started in June 2000.
The opening of the 4-star hotel is scheduled for 2002. Located right in the center of Siem Reap, overlooking the river, the hotel will be within 10 minutes by car from the Angkor Temples.