Vietnam to welcome two international yacht races

by VietNamNet Bridge on 30 Aug 2010 The Hong Kong-Nha Trang International Yacht Race 2010 and an international yacht festival entitled 'Yacht, Sea, Sun' are scheduled to take place in October in Nha Trang and in December in Phan Thiet. The race in Nha Trang will attract 200-250 domestic and foreign racers from Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and several countries in Europe and America.

Under the race rules, three types of yachts will be used: the high-speed Keelboat I (8-40 meters long); the medium-speed Keelboat II with the same length; and the medium-speed Ocean Multihulls (10-30 meters long). The race will begin in Hong Kong on October 20 and reach its finish in Nha Trang on October 27. Officially launched in 2004, the biennial race is co-organized by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and Saigontourist.

The 'Yacht, Sea, Sun' festival will be held in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province, on December 8-12. Over 100 yachts from 26 countries will participate in the event, including four from Vietnam. The festival, the first of its kind in Vietnam, is the biggest event in the province. The festival will have a range of activities in beautiful locales around the province, such as Mui Ne Bay, Hong Hill, Duong Hill, Sea Link, and Ham Thuan Nam.

The event will provide an opportunity to turn Mui Ne into a city for yachting. The event is expected to attract 20 yachts from Russia, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Germany and Italy, as well as 20 beach beauty queens from 20 nations and territories from around the world.

Hoang Anh Tuan, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said that the event also aims to build an international yacht industry to promote maritime tourism.

The event is also expected to attract several experts from the world’s leading yacht manufacturers.

During the festival, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) will organize a workshop on building Vietnam’s sea brands with the participation of international experts.

A conference of the World Yacht Association will be held at the same time to discuss the development of the yacht building industry in Mui Ne, Binh Thuan province.

Full story: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/sports/201008/Vietnam-to-welcome-two-international-yacht-races-932337/

[Sail-World is not responsible for the accuracy of any of this information, especially as the image that accompanies the story appears to feature dhow racing - which, as far as we know, takes place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Ed].