VI^th Rencontres du Vietnam
Nanophysics and Particle astrophysics
Nanophysics : from fundamentals to applications
Challenges in Particle astrophysics
Hanoi, Vietnam, August 6 - 12, 2006

INFORMATION BULLETIN N^o2

(replacing the original bulletin, available by clicking here)
update to social programme: click here
update to tours: click here
update to conference facilities: click here

Conference Site

The Conference site (see map) is in:

Sofitel Plaza Hotel
1 Thanh Nien Road, Ba Dinh District
HANOI, VIETNAM

Tel : (+84)4/8238888, Fax : (+84)4/8293888

ARRIVAL AT NOIBAI AIRPORT (Hanoi)

There will be a welcome team at Hanoi airport on Sunday, August 6 from 8:00 to 22:00. It will probably be located in the luggage reclaim area of the airport, i.e. between immigration and customs. Please inform both Ms Elizabeth Hautefeuille (elizabeth.hautefeuille@th.u-psud.fr) and M. Nguyen Gia Lap (nglap@vast.ac.vn) of your flight number and the air carrier as well as the date and time of your arrival.
Taxis will be available to take participants to the hotel. The price for a taxi carrying 3 passengers with their luggage will be about 15 US$.
For arrival on Saturday August 5, we will try to organize a welcome team corresponding to the arrival times of the participants. Please inform both Ms Elizabeth Hautefeuille (elizabeth.hautefeuille@th.u-psud.fr) and M. Nguyen Gia Lap (nglap@vast.ac.vn) of your flight number and the air carrier as well as the date and time of your arrival.
If you arrive after 22:00 or your flight is delayed, please take a taxi to go directly to your hotel.
Half of the participants are lodged at the Thang Loi Hotel; the distance between the Thang Loi Hotel and the Sofitel Plaza Hotel is about 1km, which can be walked in 10-15 minutes; a taxi ride between the two hotels costs 12 000 VND approximately, which is less than 0.8 US$. Taxis are always available at the hotels.
A high speed internet connection is available at both hotels.
The Sofitel Plaza Hotel and Thang Loi Hotel have a very fine swimming pool; don't forget to bring your swimming costume.

CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT

The conference secretariat will be located in the Sofitel Plaza Hotel.
The opening hours are:

Saturday 5th: from 9:00 to 20:00
Sunday 6th: from 8:00 to 20:00
From Monday 7th to Saturday 12th: from 8:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 18:00
Thursday 10th: from 8:00 to 12:00
A restricted team of secretaries will be in Hanoi starting from Thursday 3rd August.

REGISTRATION

The registration desk will open at the Conference site on Sunday 6th August from 8:00 to 20:00.

We encourage the participants to register on Sunday 6th August in order to avoid congestion on the first morning of the Conference.

REGISTRATION FEES

The conference fee for participants will be 350 US$ or 320 Euros. This covers a copy of the proceedings and the cost of standard social events. For the accompanying persons, the conference fee is 100 US$ or 90 Euros. It covers the standard social program.

Payment can be made either by interbank transfer (preferred method) or by cash at the conference site; we regret that credit card payment will not be possible for the conference fee. Depending on whether you are sending the fee in euros or in dollars, you should transfer the fee to one of the following two banks (and please remember to add 25 Euro or 30 $ to cover the bank charges):

If paying in Euros (please add 25 Euros for bank charges)		If paying in US dollars (please add 30 US$ for bank charges)
RENCONTRES DU VIETNAM CREDIT LYONNAIS, 5 Rue A. Pecard 91190 Gif sur Yvette, France		RENCONTRES DU VIETNAM CALYON Hanoi Branch 49 Hai Ba Trung Street Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Account number : 0000079171H Key : 45 IBAN : FR12 3000 2089 6800 0007 9171 H45 BIC : CRLYFRPP		Account number : 0040073-2150-000-USD Swift code CRLYVNVX

The transfer should indicate clearly your name to identify the payee. Please inform the conference secretariat by fax or email that the transfer has been done. You should bring proof of payment, and hand it to the conference secretary when you register on arrival.

Participants from the Eurozone can also cover their registration fees by personal check, in euros, to the order of "Rencontres du Vietnam", sent to our secretariat in France:
Mrs Elizabeth Hautefeuille
Rencontres du Vietnam, BP 33
104, avenue du Général Leclerc
F-91192 GIF SUR YVETTE CEDEX , France

Payment of the fees before the conference will be much appreciated, since this will reduce congestion on arrival.

ACCOMMODATION

Most participants will be lodged

either at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel (5*):
Address : Sofitel Plaza Hotel
1 Thanh Nien Road, Ba Dinh District
HANOI, VIETNAM
Tel : (+84)4/8238888, Fax : (+84)4/8293888
Or at Thang Loi Hotel (4*)
Address : Thang Loi Hotel
Yen Phu Street, Tay Ho District
HANOI, VIETNAM
Tel : (+84)4/8294211, Fax : (+84)4/8292927

However, due to limited room availability, some participants may have to be lodged in neighbouring hotels, within a short (about 1km) taxi ride of the Sofitel Plaza hotel. Taxis in Hanoi are very cheap and easily available.

Nevertheless, all meals (lunch and dinner) will be taken together.

The cost per person (full board for 6 days) will amount to:

420 US $ for a double room, 630 US $ for a single room for the Sofitel Plaza hotel.

360 US$ for a double room, 510 US $ for a single room for the Thang Loi hotel.

All rooms are air conditioned and have either a shower or a bath.

Payment for the board and lodging should be done at your arrival directly to the travel agency by cash (preferably), travellers' checks or credit card (the later will incur a small supplement).

Important note: Hotel reservations are made for the whole duration of the meeting, i.e. from Sunday 6th August afternoon to Saturday 12th August morning (lunch included). Please note that the total cost of the meeting cannot be reduced even in case of partial attendance.

If you intend to arrive before August 6tth and leave after August 12th, please let us know in advance, so that we can make the appropriate hotel reservation for you.

Please note also that if you arrive before midday, and wish your room to be made available immediately, you will be charged for an extra day; you must inform us, so that the hotel can prepare your room in advance.

MEALS

In order to allow the participants to experience the vietnamese cuisine (and not the international cuisine of the large hotels), lunch and dinner will be scheduled in different restaurants in Hanoi. The list of chosen restaurants will be available during the conference; transport to and from the restaurants will be organized when necessary. Lunch and dinner are included in the accommodation fees. The restaurants can prepare a few extra vegetarian meals if necessary, but unfortunately cannot cater for the dietary rules of different religions.

If you are on a special diet or must avoid certain foods for medical reasons, please let us know as soon as possible about your health requirements, and we will try to come to an arrangement with the restaurant.

VISA

A visa is required to enter Vietnam.

Those who have already sent in their visa application form will receive the visa authorization with which they can obtain a visa at the Vietnamese embassy.

If you have not yet sent off your visa application to Elizabeth, it is now too late to do it from France. You should apply for a tourist visa at the Embassy (mentioning the hotel in Hanoi: Sofitel Plaza Hotel or Thang Loi Hotel) or send the visa application form directly to:
Mr TRAN THANH LONG, International Relation Department, VAST, Hanoi
Fax: (00) 84 4 756 44 83 - Phone: (00) 84 836 17 79 - Email: ttlong@iop.vast.ac.vn
with a copy to elizabeth.hautefeuille@th.u-psud.fr and nglap@vast.ac.vn; you must include your email and fax number so that Mr TRAN THANH LONG can send you the visa authorization directly.

Please note that persons accompanying participants also require a visa - do not forget to send off a form for each accompanying person.

OPENING CEREMONY

The Opening Ceremony will take place on Monday 7th August at 8:30 in the Conference Room of the Sofitel Plaza Hotel. All participants are invited to attend the ceremony.

CONFERENCE FACILITIES

The following equipment will be available : a slide projector for 5cm x 5cm slides, an overhead projector and a video projector ("beamer") for computer presentations. The beamer will have a dedicated computer, loaded with standard Powerpoint software; we strongly advise participants to bring a computer PC backup set of transparencies (or at least a printout of your presentation so that we can make transparencies), in case of catastrophic equipment failure which cannot be repaired on the spot. Of course, if you bring your own computer, you can connect it to the beamer.

It is hoped to make the talks available on the web; transparencies will be collected and scanned after each talk. To expedite the work, speakers are encouraged, whenever possible, to send their talk in advance, as an attached PDF, PPT or Postscript file to:

Jacques.Dumarchez@cern.ch
for the particle astrophysics conference
bernard.placais@lpa.ens.fr
for the nanophysics conference

PROCEEDINGS

It is hoped to publish the proceedings of the VIth Rencontres du Vietnam in a reasonable time frame; instructions for preparing a manuscript will be made available on the Conference website at the time of the conference.

Although the deadline for submission of manuscripts is January 1st, 2007, early submission would be much appreciated. Reminders will not be sent before; it would also be particularly appreciated if there were no need to send reminders after the deadline!

E-MAIL CONNECTIONS

We will have 4-5 PCs for e-mail connections. A personal laptop can also be connected directly to the network via a cable in the hotel, or (but this will incur extra expense and we have no experience of its reliability in Vietnam) via a WIFI connection. Either way, if you bring a laptop, you can avoid queuing up for one of the PCs.

Social Program - updated June 28, 2006

All the participants and their families are invited to the following events:

The conference banquet, which is scheduled for Wednesday, 9th August.
a guided tour of Hanoi, which will be organized on Thursday 10th August in the afternoon,
followed by a visit to the Hanoi Water Puppet show (water puppets are a Vietnamese speciality).
¥ The Hanoi Opera, scheduled for Friday, 10th August.

The cost of these events is included in their registration fee.

Finally, keep in mind that the hotels have a large swimming pool; don't forget to bring your bathing costume!

ACCOMPANYING PERSONS PROGRAM

A volunteer-based program for accompanying persons will be organized. A meeting with all interested persons to establish a program of visits in Hanoi will be organized on Monday August 7th at 10 am in the lobby of Sofitel Plaza Hotel. A suggested programme is :

Monday August 7th :14:00 - 17:00 : Temple of Literature and walking tour in the old quarter (5US$)
Tuesday August 8th : 8:00 - 18:00 : Perfume Pagoda : 1:30 bus (60km), 1h boat trip, 2h walk, picnic, pagoda visits and same schedule for return (30 US$)
Wednesday August 9 th :
- 9:00 - 10:00 : Bat Trang Ceramic Village (7 US$)
- 14:00 - 17:00 : Ethnographic Museum and SOS ChildrenÕs Village
Thursday August 10 th :
- Free morning for shopping
- Afternoon : Conference Guided tour and Water puppet Show
Friday August 11 th : 8:00 - 17:00 : Tay phuong and Thay Pagodas (20 US$)

The cost of this program (with the exception of the Thursday afternoon guided tour and Puppet Show) is not included in the cost of the above "standard" social program.

TOURS (see below for more details)

All the tours: 1 (Halong bay), 2 (North to South, Ho Chi Minh City), 3 (Halong bay and Sapa) and 4 (Hoa Lu) will be organized. Participants who have registered for these tours will meet with the travel organizers in Hanoi for payment of the tours. Payment can be made either by cash (preferred) or traveller's checks.

CLIMATE

Summer in Hanoi is hot and humid. The temperature often rises to at least 34^o C ( 90^o F) in the daytime. Bring your handkerchiefs, sunhats and sunglasses. Conference rooms and hotels are generally well air-conditioned, as are most taxis.

VACCINATIONS

There are no compulsory vaccinations for travel to Hanoi or to big cities. However, it is a good idea to ensure that routine vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and polio are up to date. Please check with your doctor. Bring your usual medicines, and also adequate medication in case you happen to have diarrhoea or constipation.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

In addition to the Vietnam currency, the Dong, the most common currency used in Vietnam is the US dollar. The exchange rate is approximately: 1 US$ = 15 500 VND, 1 Euro = 19 500 VND.

ATM cash service for credit cards is not available in Vietnam. We recommend that participants bring US$ or Euro in cash (relatively small denominations) or travellers' checks and to exchange this currency to Vietnamese Dongs. It may be possible to obtain cash at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel with your credit card; be aware, however, that the exchange rate, while not ruinous, is unlikely to be very favourable.

There is a safe in each room, in which you should keep your valuables, spare cash etc.

TIME DIFFERENCE

20:00 in Hanoi corresponds to:

15:00 in Paris
14:00 in London
9:00 in New York
8:00 in Chicago

MISCELLANEOUS

Taxis: Taxis are easily available and cheap. Driving a car is dangerous and not recommended.
English can be used only for very basic communication. Always carry the name, address and phone number of your hotel with you.
Electric power in Vietnam is 220 V AC. Power sockets are standard French sockets; US appliances require an adaptor.

Post-conference tours

One pre conference and three post conference tours are proposed below; details (including some photographs taken on previous tours) can be found by clicking on the relevant tour.

Note that all the Tours (1, 2, 3,and 4) will be organized independantly of the number of participants.

If you are interested in participating in any of these tours, please fill in the online tour registration form. For certain parts of these tours, you are advised to bring a decent pair of walking shoes!

Tour 1: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi from Saturday August 12th (14h00) to Monday August 14th morning. Price with full pension: 130 US$ (sharing room) and 180 US$ (single room). This price includes : Accomodation full board, air conditioned vehicule, boat trip, english speaking guide and entrance fees.
Tour 2: Hanoi –Vinh - Phong Nha - Hue - Da nang - Hoi An - Nha Trang - Dalat - Ho Chi Minh City from Monday August 14th morning to Thursday August 24th morning. Price with full pension: 850 US$ (sharing room) and 1 150 US$ (single room). This price includes : Accomodation full board, air conditioned vehicule, boat trip, english speaking guide and entrance fees.
Tour 3: Hanoi - Halong Bay - Sapa - Hanoi from Saturday, August 12th (14h00) to Friday August 18th morning. Approximate cost with full pension: 500 US$ (sharing room) and 680 US$ (single room). This price includes : Accomodation full board, air conditioned vehicule, boat trip, english speaking guide and entrance fees.

Tour 4: Hanoi - Hoa Lu Tam Coc - Hanoi (Inland Ha Long Bay" day trip) : Sunday August 6. Price 30 US$

Note that Tour 1 and Tour 2 are compatible, i.e. Tour 2 will not leave until Tour 1 has returned!

Detailed description of Tours 1, 2, 3 and 4 are given below; click the thumbnail pictures to see larger versions.

Tour 1: Ha Long: 12-14 August (2 days )
Aug. 12
13: 30 Departure for Halong
16:30 Check in at Hotel in Halong
18:30 Dinner at hotel
Aug. 13
8: 00 Breakfast
8: 30 Boat trip to visit Halong Bay
12: 30 Seafood lunch on boat
14: 30 Return to hotel
15: 00 Return to Hanoi.
19: 00 Check in at Hotel in Hanoi
Aug 14 Breakfast
End of the tour

Note : This tour is compatible with Tour 2

A view of Ha Long Bay

Tour 2 : Ha Noi to Saigon : August 14 -24 (10 days)
Aug. 14
Departure from Hanoi at 7 am sharp: drive to Ninh Binh region, to explore (in small rowing boats) the Tam Coc caves, a remarkable region geologically not unlike Halong Bay, but with rice paddies in place of the sea, from which emerge limestone rocks and hills eroded into strange shapes (see Tour 4 for a couple of pictures). The region is sometimes referred to as the "Inalnd Ha Long Bay". Lunch, followed by a visit to the Phat Diem Cathedral. Drive to Vinh. Overnight stay in Vinh.
Aug. 15
Drive to Dong Hoi. Tour of the Phong Nha grotto, included by UNESCO in their list of World Heritage sites. Overnight stay at a beach hotel in Dong Hoi.
Aug. 16
Tour of the town of Dong Hoi. Drive to Hue, the old Imperial Capital. Registration at a hotel in Hue.
Aug. 17
Tour of the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, followed by a boat trip along the Perfumed River. Guided tour of several Imperial sites, including Minh Mang and Tu Duc. Visit to the Children's Centre and the French bakery school at Thuy xuân. Hotel in Hue.
Aug. 18
Guided tour of the Imperial Palace and the Citadel. Drive to Da Nang. Visit to the Cham Museum. Registration at the beach hotel in Hoi An.
Aug. 19
Tour of My Son, a major archeological site of the ancient Champa Empire. Free time at Hoi An, a town famous for its artisans, formerly an active centre of commerce and meeting point of several civilisations. Hotel in Hoi An.
Aug. 20
Flight from Da Nang to Nha Trang. Guided tour of the town. Overnight stay in Nha Trang.
Aug. 21
Drive to Dalat. Visit of the Cham Towers at Poklong Garai, near to Phan Rang. Tour of the area around Dalat, formerly a health resort. Dalat features a remarkable and very active market, selling produce from the local agricultural communities (vegetables, flowers etc) but also from around the world. Visit of the SOS Children's Village of Dalat. Hotel in Dalat.
Aug. 22
Visit of Dalat's botanical garden, in which thrive many rare and exotic plants. Drive from Dalat to Saigon. Registration at a hotel in Saigon.
Aug. 23
Panoramic tour of Saigon, then of the old Cho lon district and its market. Visit of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, followed by a visit to the Central Post Office (unlike any post office you are likely to have seen!). Hotel in Saigon.
Aug. 24
Morning: breakfast and end of tour

Inside the Phong Nha grotto Phat Diem stone cathedral Entrance to the Citadel at Hue A relic of the Cham civilization

A fishing village on a lake Getting a haircut in Dalat The central market in Dalat One of Saigon's canals

Tour 3 : Ha long Bay and Sapa : August 12 -18 (6 days)
Aug. 12
13: 30 Departure for Halong
16:30 Check in Halong Hotel
18:30 Dinner at hotel
Aug. 13
8: 00 Breakfast
8: 30 Boat trip on Halong Bay
12: 30 Lunch on boat
14: 30 End of boat tour
15: 00 Bus parture for Hanoi
19:00 Arrival in Hanoi. Dinner. Transfer to the railroad station
21:30 Night train to Lao Cai (4 berths per carriage).
Aug. 14
5:00 Arrival in Lao Cai. Transfer to Sapa
14: 00 Dragon's Jaw Mountain, orchids, villages of ethnic minorities in the Sapa region; Cat Cat village of the H'mong people.
Aug. 15:
Departure from Sapa early in the morning to visit the Coc Ly market, an important meeting place for local tribespeople to sell and buy goods of all kinds. Short trek to the nearby Black Dao village, to get a feeling for the life of one of the minority tribes. Continue with a boat trip along the Chay River and visit the Flower H'Mong, Trung Do village and the town of Bao Nhai.
Aug. 16
Visit Giang Ta Chai Village, appreciate the daily life of the Red Dzao people, via a trek along the paths that meander through the terraces and bamboo forests. Visit a waterfall and a ratan suspension bridge. Cross the river to visit a H'Mong village. On the return trip to Sapa, visit an ancient stone circle.
Aug. 17 Exploration of the mountainous region around Sapa, with its ethnic minorities, archeological curiosities and natural beauty.
Transfer to the Lao Cai train station (for night train to Hanoi).
Aug. 18
Arrival in Hanoi at 5 am; breakfast and end of tour.

A street vendor in Lao Cai Children from an ethnic minority in the Sapa area The traditional dress of an ethnic minority in the Sapa area A view of rice paddies in the Sapa area

Market day in a village in the Sapa area

Tour 4 :Hanoi - Hoa Lu Tam Coc - Hanoi ("Inland Ha Long Bay" day trip) ; Sunday, August 6, 2006

Departure of the tour at 8:00 from the Hotel.
Visit to Dinh King and Le King Temples. Lunch at a local restaurant. Sampan ride along the river to visit the Tam Coc caves (sometimes referred to as the "Inland Ha Long Bay", a remarkable region geologically not unlike Halong Bay, but with rice paddies in place of the sea, from which emerge limestone rocks and hills eroded into strange shapes.
Return to Ha Noi at 18:00. End of the tour.

Views of the Ninh Binh region ("Inland Ha Long Bay")

Last modified: Sun Jul 2 15:13:10 MET


Inside the Phong Nha grotto	Phat Diem stone cathedral	Entrance to the Citadel at Hue	A relic of the Cham civilization

A fishing village on a lake	Getting a haircut in Dalat	The central market in Dalat	One of Saigon's canals


A street vendor in Lao Cai	Children from an ethnic minority in the Sapa area	The traditional dress of an ethnic minority in the Sapa area	A view of rice paddies in the Sapa area

	Market day in a village in the Sapa area

INFORMATION BULLETIN No2