Qui Nhon is a coastal town in central Vietnam, at about a one hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City and one  hour and a half from Hanoi. Its origins stretch back to the 11th century Cham civilization, whose vestiges can be visited; indeed the region is rich in historical remains. The present town was officially founded over 100 years ago. It is a small town of fishermen; its people lives a simple and peaceful life, unspoilt from turmoil of modern life and not yet exploited by tourism. It has had a University for more than 50 years with 30000 students with majors in Science.

Accomodation/Cost

In order to enhance the interaction and exchange, all participants will be accommodated, have lunch and dinner in the same hotel : the Seagull Hotel****, which is located beachfront.

• Participants will be expected to arrive on Sunday July 28th, and will leave on Saturday August 3rd in the afternoon. The cost per person (full board for 6 days) will amount to $270 US for a double room and $390 US for a single room.
• If you wish to have alcoholic or soft drinks with your meals, these will be charged to your account by the hotel. The meals will include mineral water.
• Payment for board and lodging should be done upon arrival either in cash or with your credit card (the latter will incur a small supplement).
• Please note that the accomodation at this hotel is guaranteed if your registration at the conference is made before June 1st. After this date, if the Seagull hotel is full, you will be accommodated in a neighbouring hotel.

Important Notes

• Hotel reservations are made for the whole duration of the meeting (i.e., from Sunday noon, July 28th to Saturday, morning August 3rd). Please note that the total cost of the meeting cannot be reduced even in case of partial attendance.
• 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.
• If you intend to arrive before July 28th (Sunday) or to leave after August 3rd (Saturday), please contact Hady Schenten in advance so that we can try to make the appropriate hotel reservation for you.

Conference site

All sessions will be held in the new ICISE conference center, 10 minutes taxi (or one hour walk) away from the Seagull hotel.
Conference facilities : The following equipment will be available :

• video projector for computer presentations, overhead projector
• internet access will be available at the conference site. In particular, we anticipate that a wireless hub will be installed.

History of Quy Nhon

Quy Nhon is the capital of Binh Dinh province, until recently, it has been isolated from the main tourism routes roughly half-way between Danang and Nha Trang. Although it was recognised as a city as late as 1898, its history reaches back to the days of the Kingdom of Champa. In the 11th century, the Cham people migrated southwards and has moved their capital city to a location about 30km north of present-day Quy Nhon and named it Vijaya. It survived until 1471, when the citadel was sacked by the Vietnamese. The nearby city of An Nhon (formerly Binh Dinh) was an old Annamese capital.

The Cham Pa legacy —  Little remains of Vijaya, it became the capital of the short-lived Tay Son Kingdom in the 18th century and abandoned thereafter. Now only a few walls and a single tower remain standing. There are fourteen Cham towers and monuments around Binh Dinh province, but the most convenient are a mere two kilometres from Quy Nhon city centre. The Thap Doi Cham Towers are good examples of Cham craftsmanship. Further away, there are two notable sites. The four remaining towers of the Banh It group are on a hill just outside Binh Dinh town, about 25km inland from Quy Nhon. Around 50km from Quy Nhon, the three Thap Nga (Ivory) Cham Towers are regarded as one of the best Cham tower complexes in Vietna.

The Quang Trung Museum, which is located in Kien My village in Tay Son District, 45km from Quy Nhon, has been created in the memory of Nguyen Hue, a national hero of the 18th century. He was one of three brothers who led the Tay Son Insurrection. In 1788, he led a peasant army northwards from Phu Xuan (Hue) to Thang Long (Hanoi) where they defeated the occupying Chinese forces and liberated the royal capital. Nguyen Hue declared himself Emperor Quang Trung, but his dynasty lasted only fourteen years before his forces were crushed by the Nguyen Lords.