Rather than writing this article in the the familiar surroundings of my home in Muswellbrook Australia, I am writing this in Ho Ch Minh City in Vietnam. I am fortunate to be invited to attend the 8th International Travel Expo being held here. I arrived on Monday 10 September after an enjoyable flight with Vietnam Airlines and quickly settled into the Legends Hotel.
On Tuesday I enjoyed a River Tour to visit an art/craft village and the studios of several internationally famous artists. Pottery, painting and lacquer ware were a delight to see. A Welcome Dinner was held at the Continental Hotel that evening, which provided an opportunity to get to know some of the other delegates.
Wednesday was a busy day with a City Tour in the morning to visit the Re-unification Palace and War Remnants Museum. Lunch was at the venue of ITE HCMC 2012, the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center. In the afternoon I attended the Seminar featuring presentations of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. It was then off to the White Palace for the opening Ceremony and Vietnam Night Gala Dinner, which included food, singing and dancing floor shows. The Tourism Alliance Awsards were a part of this evening.
Thursday was another busy day, with arrival at the SECC in time for the Welcome Ceremony and viewing of all the Exhibits. After lunch a Seminar was presented by various Key Tourism Markets including Australia and India. It was then off to the Rex Hotel for the City Mayors Tourism Conference and the Cambodian Night Gala Dinner, which was a rich feast of food, dancing, singing, martial arts, and fashion parades highlighting the culture of Cambodia.
The program continues today with the Ministerial Press Conference, luncheon at the "Quan Ngon" Vietnamese Restaurant, and in the evening the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Show and "Non la" art performance.
As time permits in the busy schedule I intend to post more articles about ITE HCM 2012.
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