Administratively speaking, the province of Dien Bien was created in early 2004 from the southern area of the former Lai Chau province (north of the Da River) and the town of Dien Bien. Dien Bien Phu is now a modern and historical place with a blend of administrative buildings, modern hotels and cultural or historical sites, surrounded by a cluster of ethnic Thai villages. Tourists can enjoy home-stay accommodation there in a wonderful way to discover the Thai culture.

A traditional Vietnamese cookery competition will take place in Hanoi from January 5-9, 2010. The competition, which is being held to celebrate the 1,000th founding anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and 50 years of the country’s tourism industry, will see many chefs from numerous famous hotels and restaurants across the country taking part.

The Da Lat Flower Festival 2010 kicked off in the city’s flower garden in the central province of Lam Dong on January 1, attracting the participation of about 20,000 domestic and foreign visitors.