He told a seminar on Vietnamese tea in Bangkok last week that the association planned to study and exploit the Thai market. The seminar, jointly organised by the association and the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok, was aimed at introducing Vietnam's national tea trademark and searching for local markets.

Last year, Vietnam exported 90 tonnes of tea products, ranking as the seventh-largest tea producer in the world, after India, China, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Indonesia and Turkey. By 2010, Vietnam's tea production is expected to reach 200,000 tonnes annually, including 155,000 tonnes for export.

THAI cuts down on Mae Hong Son

Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) has cut services on its domestic route between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, leaving only two flights per day, down from three. The restricted services will apply to September 30.

THAI's Mae Hong Son station manager, Thewan Dumronghud, said passenger numbers on the route were falling, plus operating costs were rising because of higher oil prices.

Another THAI source said the airline would allocate some Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son flights to its low-cost subsidiary, Nok Air, eventually handing over all services on that route to Nok Air.

CORRECTION

In a May 8 article concerning the Novotel Bang Na, the hotel's room rates should have been listed as Bt1,900 to Bt2,300. In addition, hotels under the management of the Accor Group include general managers with nationalities outside of Asia, not Asians alone.