The conference will take place in the city of Phan Rang – Thap Cham, Ninh Thuan province, Vietnam. The working sessions and the reception will be held at the 4 – star Saigon – Ninh Chu hotel. This conference venue was selected in consideration of the delegates’need for recreation during summer vacation.

The city of Phan Rang – Thap Cham, the capital of Ninh Thuan province, is a beach resort city located at the South of the Middle part of Vietnam, approximately 340 kilometers away from Hochiminh city. Phan Rang – Thap Cham is blessed not only with some of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam but also with rich cultural heritages. Phan Rang is the home of the unique Cham ethnic minority villages as well as several well – known traditional craft villages such as Bau Truc ceramics village and My Nghiep tradditional weaving village. Moreover, other famous resort cities are also  easily accessed from Phan Rang – Thap Cham city. Phan Rang is only 150 kilometers away from Phan Thiet, 100 kilometers from Nha Trang and 110 kilometers from Dalat.

*ACCESS

There are several ways to reach Phan Rang:

By air: There are 4 daily flights between Hochiminh city and Cam Ranh airport (45 minute - drive from Phan Rang city) operated by Vietnam Airlines, departing at 6 a.m., 7 a.m., 10:05 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Tan Son Nhat airport (Hochiminh city). Flight duration is 45 minutes. Air fare (economy class) is 680,000 dong (approximately $42 US) for each one-way ticket and 1,355,000 dong for round trip ticket (approximately $80 US) (as of Jan 2008).

By rail: Many trains bound for Phan Rang depart daily from Saigon train station and vice versa. Options include the 5-star Express train catering for tourists, as well as the express train and local train operated by Vietnam Railway. One – way trip from Saigon train station to Phan Rang or vice versa takes around 6 hours. Train tickets may cost $10 - $150 depending on the type of train and seat class.

By bus: A great number of bus companies offer high – quality express bus service connecting Hochiminh city and Phan Rang. Tickets can be purchased at the Bus Station ticket office (Ben xe Mien Dong).