Ode to Hoan Kiem Lake

Lyrical poem by : Gan Yung Chyan
                          / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Travel Professionals

Home where travellers belong
On the waters God's tower enfolds.
Heaven's Will enriched Thanh Long --
Orient's gem, Rafetus swinhoei.

The waters uplift faith --
Brevity, bravery
Of a horse and a dragon
The waters embrace fate --
A pilgrim, bright city
Of the jade mountain dragon.

Honour the ages' lake --
The Huc is the new haven.
Come, see the crimson lake,
The heart of every element.

Written in remembrance of the first media trip to Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake, Hoan Kiem District, on 12 April 2013.

Notes : Rafetus swinhoei is the name of the endemic turtle species found in Hoan Kiem Lake. Locally, it is named Rafetus leloii, in honour of the founder Emperor Le Loi that named the lake Ho Hoan Kiem in Vietnamese. The Huc is the Vietnamese name for the Chinese bridge of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Travel to Hanoi : Vietnam Airlines, Tiger Airways, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, VietJetAir, Cambodia Angkor Air, Dragonair, Hong Kong Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways International, China Eastern, China Southern, Sichuan Airlines, China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Eva Air, Uni Air, British Airways, Finnair, Aeroflot, Korean Air and Lao Airlines fly to Hanoi on a scheduled basis every week.

Hanoi is 1003 years old this year

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Readers 

Hanoi is 1003 years old in 2013. It is a progressing capital city of Vietnam. It has a vast countryside. Its street traffic is not as chaotic as it appears to be even when after fat traffic policemen were not allowed to direct traffic on Hanoi's streets and roads under a new law legislation which went effect early this year.

It is safe to walk on Hanoi's streets as long as a traveller's cash and digital camera are in pouches worn in front of him. Taxi is the most comfortable transport to travel with in Hanoi but travel in Hanoi with reputable taxi companies, names which you can find on Wikitravel, to avoid fare scams. Avoid motorcyclos (motorcycle taxis) whenever one can as riders will try to befriend and rip tourists off later.

Hotels and guesthouses in Hanoi and other Vietnamese cities and towns keep one's passports after checking-in and they return the passports to travellers when travellers check-out. No room deposit is required.

To visit Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other Vietnamese cities with international airports and harbours, ASEAN travellers are no longer required to fill in any customs and immigration forms. This practice paves way for Vietnam to accept the ASEAN Open Skies policy in the future more willingly and quickly.

The following pictures were shot in Hanoi in one day as part of my debut trip on 12 April 2013 to this Capital of the Soaring Dragon whose ancient name was called Thanh Long.  They will be uploaded in several reports.

 

 

 

Next : More pictures of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi.

Sriwijaya Air begins daily flights to Dili from Denpasar from 10 May 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Sriwijaya Air, one of Indonesia's private airlines, begins daily scheduled flights to Dili from Denpasar, Bali, from 10 May 2013. Dili is Sriwijaya Air's third international destination after Singapore and Penang.

On 10 May 2013, Sriwijaya Air departs for Dili from Denpasar at 9.50 am and arrives in Dili at 12.40 pm under flight code SJ270. At 1.25 pm, it takes off for Denpasar from Dili and touches down in Denpasar at 2.15 pm under flight code SJ271.

The Denpasar-Dili-Denpasar routing was previously operated by the now-defunct carrier Batavia Air.

SilkAir flies to Semarang and resumes flights to Makassar

Summary by : Gan Yung Chyan
                    / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

According to local press reports, SilkAir flies to Semarang directly from 29 July 2013. It will resume direct flights to Makassar on 1 August 2013.

Low-cost flight between Kalibo (Boracay) and Singapore begins on 18 July 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Changi Airport will celebrate a new destination link when SEAIR South East Asian Airlines, the Philippines affliate of Tiger Airways, begins low-cost scheduled flights between Singapore and Kalibo International Airport in Boracay, the famous resort town of the Philippines on 18 July 2013. It will fly the route three times a week.

On 18 July (Thursday), SEAIR's Airbus A320 aircraft departs from Kalibo at 8.10 am for Singapore and touches down in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 11.55 am under flight code DG8802. At 12.25 pm, it leaves Singapore under DG8803 for Kalibo and arrives in Kalibo at 4.05 pm, providing convenience for passengers who wish to fly directly to the paradise town of Boracay which has the cleanest white-sand beach and five-star resorts in the Philippines.

SEAIR flies between Kalibo and Singapore on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays. It currently flies daily between Clark and Singapore.

Tiger Airways flies to Yogyakarta and Bandung from July and August 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Tiger Airways is finally expanding its own Indonesian flight network without Mandala's involvement. Effective 1 July 2013, the budget airline begins its inaugural flight to Yogyakarta and on 1 August 2013, it starts flying to Bandung.

On 1 July 2013, Tiger Airways begins its first flight to Yogyakarta from Singapore at 1.05 pm and touches down in Yogyakarta at 2.20 pm under flight code TR2215. It then departs for Singapore at 2.50 pm from Yogyakarta and arrives in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 6.05 pm under flight code TR2216.

On 1 August 2013, Tiger Airways' first Singapore-Bandung flight begins at 10.15 am, arriving in Bandung at 11 am under flight code TR2204. Forty minutes later, it departs for Singapore at 11.40 am and lands in Singapore at 2.35 pm under TR2205.

Both new routes are operated by Tiger Airways' Airbus A320 aircraft.

Golden Myanmar Airlines starts daily flights to Bangkok from Yangon on 10 May 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Myanmar's low-cost airline Golden Myanmar Airlines (GMA/Y5) begins daily scheduled flights to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi International Airport from Yangon from 10 May 2013 using its Airbus A320 aircraft.

On 10 May, GMA flight under code Y5 237 departs from Yangon for Bangkok at 6.05 pm and arrives in Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 7.50 pm. It begins its outbound flight from Suvarnabhumi at 9.10 pm and touches down in Yangon at 9.55 pm under flight code Y5 238.

Bangkok is GMA's second international destination after Singapore, to which it operates daily scheduled flights during day time.  Golden Myanmar Airlines plans to introduce new flights from Yangon to Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Gaya by 2014.

Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines flies direct to Paro, Bhutan on Mondays from 20 May 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Media and Travel Professionals

Increasing demand for Bhutan travel from Singapore has enabled Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines, the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan, to introduce a direct scheduled flight to Paro from Singapore without any stopover in Kolkata from 20 May 2013.

The first direct Singapore-Paro scheduled flight takes place on Monday (20 May 2013) at 6.30 am, arriving in Paro after 4 hours 30 minutes at 9 am Bhutan time under flight code KB501. However, the flight touching down in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 from Paro on Sunday (19 May 2013) at 3.15 pm under flight code KB500 continues to have a stopover in Kolkata.

Flights are operated using Drukair's Airbus A319 aircraft.

Therefore, during the the week that goes effect from 15 May 2013, Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines flies between Paro and Singapore three times a week. Two other flights between Paro and Singapore with a layover in Kolkata are operated on Wednesdays/Thursdays and Saturdays/Sundays. 

Vietnam Airlines launched Nha Trang's first international route to Moscow on 5 April 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

HANOI- Vietnam Airlines has launched Vietnamese coastal city Nha Trang's first international scheduled route to Moscow on 5 April 2013. The once-weekly flights will continue until end of September 2013 with a Thursday departure from Nha Trang. After October 2013, Vietnam Airlines will introduce two flights per week on Mondays and Thursdays departing from Nha Trang.

The Nha Trang-Moscow-Nha Trang routes aim to enable more international tourists to discover Vietnam's great beaches. These routes are part of Vietnam Airlines' efforts to diversity its products and expand its flight network.

Besides the direct Nha Trang-Moscow route, Vietnam Airlines has also opened new routes between Da Nang and Seoul-Incheon and between Da Nang and Siem Reap recently.

XiamenAir flies to Jakarta from Zhengzhou via Fuzhou and Xiamen from 10 May 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Media and Travel Professionals

According to XiamenAir's Summer 2013 Timetable which is available in the Singapore office of the airline, XiamenAir flies to Jakarta from Zhengzhou via Fuzhou, and Xiamen, China from 10 May 2013.

On 10 May, XiamenAir departs for Jakarta from Zhengzhou at 1.40 pm, transits in Fuzhou at 3.25 pm  before leaving Fuzhou at 4.40 pm and arriving in Jakarta at 10 pm under flight code MF869. The return flight departs from Jakarta on 11 May at 9 am, transits in Fuzhou at 2.05 pm, leaves from Fuzhou at 3.10 pm and touches down in Zhengzhou at 5.05 pm under MF870.

The Zhengzhou-Fuzhou-Jakarta flights operate on Fridays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays while the Jakarta-Fuzhou-Zhengzhou flights operate on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays.

Also on 10 May, the second Zhengzhou-Jakarta flight departs from Zhengzhou at 1.40 am, transits in Xiamen at 3.40 pm, leaves for Jakarta at 4.55 pm and touches down in Jakarta at 10 pm under MF867.  The return flight departs from Jakarta also on 11 May at 9 am, transits in Xiamen at 1.55 pm, leaves from Xiamen at 3 pm and touches down in Zhengzhou at 5.05 pm under MF868.

The Zhengzhou-Xiamen-Jakarta flights operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays while the Jakarta-Xiamen-Zhengzhou flights operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. These are the Zhengzhou's second and third XiamenAir international routes to a Southeast Asian destination after Singapore.

Flights to Jakarta from Zhengzhou via Fuzhou and Xiamen are operated with B737 and B757 aircrafts.

The Jakarta flights of XiamenAir are not available for online booking. However, interested customers can book Singapore-Xiamen-Zhengzhou-Xiamen-Singapore tickets and other Singapore-outbound XiamenAir tickets online at XiamenAir's official web-site at xiamenair.com using Singapore banks-issued debit and credit cards.

XiamenAir flies to Zhengzhou, Dalian, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Xiamen and Fuzhou from Singapore.

For the latest flight schedules of XiamenAir, pick up a copy of its Timetable at all XiamenAir's local offices.