The Vietnam’s first luxury tour company LUXURY TRAVEL will be presented  with a Excellent Product and Service Awards 2008 from the Vietnam Small and Medium Enterprise Association on Sunday 4 Jan 2009 in Hanoi.

According to Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Mr. Hoang Trung Hai, the criterias for this prestigious award certificate the quality of the products and services of the player in the market.

This is the annual award of the Vietnam Small and Medium Enterprise Association with the purpose of honoring the most outstanding faces in thousands of companies in Vietnam.

This year, the organization committee will award 100 enterprises national wide in all sectors, the economy components, including the enterprises with 100% foreign capital operating effectively in Viet Nam. Luxury Travel will be awarded for the most Excellent Product and Service Awards in Vietnam in 2008 in the tourism industry.

The “Excellent Product and Service Awards 2008” award ceremony will be organized solemnly at Hanoi Opera House on 04 Jan 2009 and live broadcast on the Viet Nam National Televisions VTV1 and VTC1.

The organization committee expects the presence of many high ranking officials of States, Party and Government at the event live on TV, among others, Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet – President of Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr. Le Kha Phieu former General Secretary of the Communist Central Committee of Vietnam, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Doan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai, Mr. Nguyen Ðuc Kien, Vice President of the National Assembly.

“We are very proud of this Excellent Product and Service Award 2008 as it is acknowledgement of our continued efforts to create the niche tourism products for high-end tourists and deliver the right experiences with best available services. We are a small company but we still believe small is beautiful” Mr. Pham Ha, Founder and CEO of Luxury Travel Vietnam said:

“We recently returned from our wonderful 15 day journey to Vietnam and Cambodia arranged by Luxury Travel” attested Pamela Solvang, a journalist from Shark Tivi, Texas, USA. “We can’t thank Luxury Travel enough for providing such an excellent travel experience for us from start to finish. The three of us on this trip have all traveled extensively, all around the world. We have used the best luxury travel companies in the US and elsewhere and can says that Luxury Travel Vietnam have moved to top notches of all”

Notes to Editors

Luxury Travel Co., Ltd. (Vietnam) is a 100% fully registered and privately-owned Vietnamese company. It was founded by luxury travel specialists since the 1990s when Vietnam had just opened its doors to worldwide tourism.

The Luxury Travel Company is Vietnam’s first luxury tour company and full travel service agency. Luxury Travel is experienced in providing special services and unique tourism products to luxury global travelers.  The company’s depth of experience and large infrastructure enable it to create unique itineraries with the operational confidence to fulfill client expectations.

Luxury Travel Company’s main business activities – luxury inbound/outbound operator, luxury adventures, custom tours, romance, wellness and spa, MICE, family travel and private travel arrangements for VIP stars, celebrities, Royal and Government clientele, private jet and yacht cruises…nothing is impossible in the whole luxury meaning.

Last year, the company served 10,000 satisfied customers. Among Luxury Travel’s clients are ambassadors, senators, Russian millionaires, CEOs and presidents of Oman Oil Company, royalty and Oman Royal Government ministers, French ministers, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada…and others.

Luxury Travel operates two brands – Luxury Travel and Premium Travel, both for high-end travelers who are inbound and outbound. They are both registered by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam.

Luxury Travel is a member of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), American Association of Travel Agents (ASTA), Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam E-Commerce Association (VECOM), Vietnam Tourist Association (VITA).

Luxury Travel has several locations throughout Vietnam. The Head Office is located in Hanoi. Branch offices are located in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Danang, Sapa and Nha Trang. All company operations are run by experienced, creative managers and guides. The Luxury Travel Team includes more than 50 people located throughout Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Luxury Travel has won numerous other awards in Vietnam including the most recent award: Vietnam’s Top Trade Service Awards 2007, Integration and Development Businesses Awards 2008, Cultural Entrepreneur Awards 2008, Excellent Performance – The Guide Awards 2007-2008, Vietnam’s Excellent Product and Service Awards 2008 and Most Nominated So Far for Vietnam’s Best Service Awards 2008.

Luxury Travel is headquartered in Hanoi and has offices around Vietnam and management offices in Laos and Cambodia. It pioneered luxury tourism development in the early 2004. Today, Luxury Travel boasts a 5-year industry track record and brands that are recognized nationally and worldwide. www.luxurytravelvietnam.com

It is also understandable why the green lobby and the tourism industry has brought into question the justification for volunteering abroad and why volunteers sometimes feel like they are caught in a conundrum.

Global warming is one of the most serious threats facing the world and some of the leading campaign groups have stated that the most ethical thing we can do for the environment is to stay at home. Whilst we can all agree that the best form of travel is to avoid flying, we should not stop flying altogether. That would send us back to the dark ages with massive unemployment (1 in 10 people work in the tourism sector), business recession, and increased poverty (deepening recession, increased unemployment and worsening poverty is not conducive to creating new lower carbon technologies and lifestyles).

There are many people who rely on tourism for their livelihoods and many natural habitats depend on visitors for their survival. If you want evidence of this you should look no further than Latin America. Tourism is a big contributor to the economy of many Latin American countries and the industry generated nearly US$2 billion in Costa Rica alone in 2007 (three-fifths of GNP). Tourism helps support some of Latin America’s most fragile natural habitats and if we stopped flying there many national parks and private reserves will lose their incomes, deforestation will increase and global warming will accelerate. Unless we support the people and communities now making money through ecotourism they have no other choice but to exploit natural resources.

Similarly, it is worth noting the importance of international volunteers to conservation efforts in the region. Without the commitment and financial support of international volunteers, many organizations would be unable to carry out their vital work. This is because there is generally very little governmental or outside support for these organisations and the projects which they manage. Your contribution as a volunteer could help ensure the long-term survival of a tropical forest or an endangered species. This is because you are actively participating in the conservation of that habitat or species. The participation of international volunteers also enables money to reach grassroots level of society and this can change a small communities perception of their environment or an endangered species.

The question of whether it is possible to be an ethical volunteer seems to largely rest on the ability to make informed choices before and during your trip. If you choose the right project, minimise the impact of your travel, maximise the benefits for local economies, and stay for a considerable period of time, then you can most definitely volunteer abroad with a clean conscience.

It is worth mentioning the importance of choosing the right project before setting off and the key message is ? do your research if you want to so some really valuable work. Prospective volunteers must examine the work they will be doing and how it affects local people and the natural environment. Although there are some good placement companies out there, a do-it-yourself placement is the most ethical form of volunteering as you work directly with the host organization. You also have the assurance that all your money goes to the cause rather than paying for the marketing and administration expenses of a volunteer placement (sending) agency. If you opt to work through an agency please be aware that some of these agencies offer little more than glorified holidays and others are more interested in making money than helping the environment or providing sustainable and well-targeted help for local communities. No one benefits from these placements apart from the companies that organise them. An ethical volunteer ensures that as much of their money as possible reaches the grassroots level of society. Eco-conscious travellers should consider contributing to a project that helps reduce the impact of climate change and/or provides a hands-on approach to offsetting their own carbon emissions.

It is also worth mentioning the length of time volunteers spend overseas. You are clearly going to do more harm than good if you travel all the way to Costa Rica from the UK (a carbon-heavy 8,700km flight) to rescue sea turtles and stay for only a few weeks. To maximise the benefits for local communities and negate the environmental impact of your flight you need to contribute to a project for a much longer period of time. A long stay is more sustainable if travelling long distances as this will enable you to minimise the impact of your flight. The time spent as a volunteer is time not spent contributing to carbon emissions in your home country (i.e. non use of home appliances, zero emissions form you car, etc). A long stay also eliminates the need to take several shorter holidays throughout the year.

In reality, the dramatic growth in short breaks and cheap flights is a more pressing issue than questioning the justification for volunteering abroad, particularly if volunteers wish to devote their time and energy to do something positive for the environment. Those who want to stop us flying should focus more on the business and the leisure side of flying rather people wanting to make a difference (e.g. those that fly with a purpose). The destruction of the Amazon and other tropical forests around the world should also be a priority for campaign groups (e.g. air travel accounts for less than 5% of carbon dioxide emissions, clearing tropical forests for agriculture is estimated to produce 18% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions ? more than the entire global transport system).

Want to get through airport security with time to spare?

To do that, you’ve got to know what the rules are.

If you have liquids/lotions (non-prescription) in bottles over 3 oz/100 ml, put them in your to-be-checked luggage. If you try to carry them on, chances are good the security agent will take them from you. If you need them, you can buy bottles of water/juice/soda after being cleared.

Leave at home the pocket knife and tools. Put them in our checked luggage if you need them at your destination.

For liquids that you want to take in your carry-on, get a one quart resealable bag. Each bottle/container must be less than 100 ml/3 fl oz. I take travel sized items, such as toothpaste, shampoo, sunscreen, shaving cream, etc, to have for the first day or two. Then I go to a local supermarket and buy regular sized items for the remainder of the trip.

The first security person you approach will want to see your photo ID and boarding pass. Have them out and ready to show. Photo ID must be government issued like a driver’s license or passport.

Don’t hog the area by the conveyer belt. Move aside as you put into the plastic bins all metal from your pockets, your shoes, your laptop, the one quart bag with liquids, jacket/purse/briefcase/etc. Use more than one bin if necessary. Keep in your hand the boarding pass and your photo ID.

If there is room on the table, push your tubs/carry-on along. Make room on the table for travelers behind you.

The security person on the other side of the metal detector will wave you through. Wait for this. NOW push your items onto the moving conveyer belt. You want to get through the metal detector before your belongings come out the other side of the xray machine.

Pick up your belongings and move out of the way. Put your jacket back on later. Take a chair to put your shoes back on. Now you can put everything away, except for your boarding pass, and head for your flight. Bon Voyage!

(What I’ve written here applies to security in US airports. I’ve been through several international airports in the past year and it is impossible to state what will or will not be allowed through airport security. And to make sure you are current on US airport security rules, just before you leave, check out the Transportation Security Administration traveler’s site. )

In order to experience your vacation in India, a dream, please read more of India Travel tips:
Do some reading before Voyage to India, so that your visit becomes an experience, something you never dream could happen to you.
Do not be worried about living in India. The 5-star and 4 star international standards and so supply and cooking, they compare with any in the world. The palaces and luxury hotels are a world apart and many have been granted before the hotels in the world “status. The 3-star hotels are there for the average budget travelers, and 1 star and 2 star hotels, inns Travel, tourism bungalows, holiday homes, youth hostels, YMCA / YWCA’s are for those with small budgets.
Your India Travel arrangements must be made well in advance, especially if you are traveling between October-March (high tourist season) and May-June, the Indian holiday season. Travel authorizations are limited relative to demand so prior bookings are a must.
English is spoken in almost all tourist centers, but you can also ask us to reserve the Government has approved the formation and guides who also speak German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian or Russian. The guides not only help you with your sightseeing, but also help you better understand India.
Indians are friendly and kind people, if they look at you, do not think it is rude, it is only a matter of interest. A tourist must not be lost in India; most people are ready to go out of their way to guide you to your destination.
As with any foreign destination, the tourist is advised to drink bottled water, bottled drinks, coffee or tea. Most of the first hotels have their own filtration system. Keep away from eating spicy food all at a time shortly after arriving in India. Take one Indian dish with each meal and ask the server to reduce the chilies. In a few days, your system will be used to Indian food, one of the most delicious of world cuisine. It is wise to stick to only cooked foods and eating fresh fruit including the skin, you can remove or delete.
Bring your medications, because all medicines in India are locally manufactured and May, you will not find the same brand. There are very good druggists and doctors everywhere, and they can advise on substitutes. If the obligation arises, ask your lawyer to administer a doctor.
Remember to remove your shoes when you visit a place of worship or mausoleum. Moreover, some temples do not allow us to all leather goods in their premises. Certain areas of temples are not open to non-Hindus.
It is safe to travel in India, as you will discover for yourself. Even if you have trouble reading in any city or region, do not be discouraged, since most of India is safe at all times.