VIETNAM
A treasure trove of natural and cultural attractions
Vietnam attracted over 2.3 million visitors last year, more than 200,000 of them from the United States, and has outstanding potential for further tourism development. The country offers great natural beauty, including pristine beaches and verdant mountainous areas; one of the country’s natural treasures is Halong Bay, a world natural heritage site. With its many natural parks, wildlife sanctuaries, exotic flowers and even hot springs, Vietnam is ideal for ecotourism activities.
In addition, the country’s 4,000-year history has left a rich architectural heritage, including the One Pillar Pagoda and Kim Kien Pagoda in Hanoi, Cham Towers — the remarkable vestiges of a lost civilization – on the central coast, and three UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites: the citadel of Hue, the ancient town Hoi An, and My Son Holy Land.
With a population of more than 70 million people representing 54 different ethnic groups, Vietnam has a particularly rich culture; its renowned arts, crafts, theater, appealing culinary treats, and lively festivals ensure that visitors will find much to interest them at any time of the year.
The government’s “Vietnam: a destination for the new millennium” program is successfully stimulating investment in the country’s high-potential tourism industry and helping to make Vietnam a world-class tourism and services center. Improved tourism infrastructure is one of the goals of this far-reaching campaign.
Added to these many attractions, Vietnam offers a welcoming population and a growing choice of luxury resorts, hotels and state-of-the-art conference facilities to serve business and leisure travelers.
Hanoi Horison Hotel
“We make our guests feel at home immediately.”
Jan Hilhorst General Manager Hanoi Horison Hotel
The Hanoi Horison opened at the beginning of 1999 and is a five-star hotel in a prime, fast-expanding area of Hanoi. The hotel is owned by an Indonesian-Vietnamese joint venture partnership and managed by Swiss-Belhotel of Hong Kong, facilitating the reservation process worldwide.
One of seven five-star hotels in Hanoi, the Hanoi Horison is distinguished by its top-of-the-bill conference facilities, and has organized several international and ASEAN conferences. The biggest banqueting room can cater for up to 1,000 people. General Manager Jan Hilhorst says, “You’ll find the latest facilities at your disposal and our staff are fully trained to make sure your meeting or conference runs as smoothly as clockwork.”
The Horison also boasts plenty of parking, a large health club offering massage and sauna facilities, and is the only hotel in Hanoi with a tennis court. The executive club floor has all the extras, such as a club lounge with com-plimentary drinks. A Chinese restaurant provides authentic food by a Chinese master chef, and Le Majeur offers international cuisine. The Horison has 250 rooms – superior, deluxe and Horison Club, plus seventeen suites. Each room is a minimum of 48 square yards and the poolside rooms are particularly popular with guests.
The hotel’s clients come from all over the world, including France, the United States, Japan, Italy and Taiwan. The United States is the Horison’s third largest client provider. “We have great co-operation with the American embassy,” Hilhorst explains. “We make all our guests feel at home immediately. Our staff go out of their way.”
