All tagged Vietnam
Travelling on Vietnam’s so-called Reunification Express from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (or vice-versa) is not a luxury experience, but it’s a way to see some stunning scenery and perhaps interact with some locals along the way. It’s a 36 hours’ journey so it’s best to do the trip with stopovers and visit some of Vietnam’s interesting coastal cities along the way.
A guided foodie tour on a Vespa motor scooter is an exhilarating way to explore Saigon at night. It’s a way to enjoy some of the best Vietnamese street foods available in the chaotic old southern capital as well as experiencing the authentic side of Vietnamese life.
Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most popular destinations. It’s a dreamy landscape of breathtaking grandeur, a maze of jewel-like towering emerald islands, with grottos, caves and champagne-sandy coves engulfed by aquamarine waters. It’s a popular day trip from Hanoi but an overnight stay on a cruise boat is the best way to fully appreciate it.
A relaxing river cruise along some of Cambodia’s and Vietnam’s most iconic waterways provides an opportunity for visitors to enjoy interesting scenery, sample local cuisines, and participate in a range of on-land excursions that provide unique insights into the culture and lifestyles of the people living along these rivers.
Tripadvisor has just published it’s annual top hotel awards for 2023, based on the reviews that travellers leave on its website, and Asian hotels rate highly. Six Asian properties ranked in the prestigious World’s Top 10 Hotels category, and of the Top 25 Hottest New Hotels globally, 12 are in Asia. Here’s a rundown of the Asian winners.
Are you a first-time or infrequent traveller to Asia and wondering which countries are the safest to visit? No country is 100 percent safe, but this guide will tell you which are the safest to start with and what to look out for in those countries. The guide is based both on institutional rankings and the personal experience of a long-time traveller who has visited them all.
Vietnamese property developers are turning Phu Quoc island into a tourist mecca by building replicas of Mediterranean towns, theme parks, resorts, hotels and condominiums, but in the process they are destroying some pristine tropical environments and replacing them with artificial landscapes. The new facilities are impressive, but does the island have much to offer older travellers, and will the lack of eco-tourism destinations turn travellers away?
Asia is home to many superstitions and beliefs, some of which date back centuries. Whilst many Westerners may scoff at the rituals that supposedly bring health, wealth and happiness, millions of people continue to follow traditions to bring luck that have been handed down through generations. We take a look at some of the rituals you’ll likely come across in the coming months.
Booking train, bus and ferry tickets in Asia can be difficult if you are not familiar with the routes and transport operators, but online booking apps and websites can make the task much easier. But with hundreds of such online ticketing platforms vying for your business, how can you tell which are the best ones to use. We take a look at reviews of these sites to determine which are the most reliable.
Asia has many destinations that often exceed our expectations, and when we leave, we lament that we did not spend more time there. Here are seven of those special places that draw travellers back and to which the xyzAsia travel writers believe are worth the time and money to go back in preference to travelling to somewhere new. They are all destinations worth revisiting.
The Thailand tourism authorities have come in for a lot of criticism in recent months for not being able to handle the volume of Thailand Pass applications that were made once destinations were opened to international tourists under their ‘Test & Go’ and ‘Sandbox’ schemes for vaccinated travellers. But now there’s evidence that the backlog has been cleared and travellers are receiving their Thailand Passes within the seven days promised.
Southeast Asia has many colonial hotels with rich and varied histories. There are some that once hosted well known literary figures, stars of stage and screen, and were instrumental in the lives of foreign correspondents whilst covering wars in Southeast Asia. Those travellers who love literature and reminiscences of bygone eras will find these hotels worth a visit.
A boat trip along the Mekong River from Vietnam to Cambodia is a leisurely way to see and learn how people live in the Mekong Delta — a vast section of Indo-China that provides fascinating insights into the culture and history of a region that has been described as the heart and soul of Southeast Asia.
Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City is a fascinating destination for history buffs. With its French colonial past and the prominent role it played in the conclusion of the Vietnam/American War, there’s lots to see and learn in this bustling metropolis. There are many ways to experience this city that is full of life, and one of the safest in the region to explore, enjoy and embrace.
As many are starting to plan post-Covid travel and look for destinations where contact can be minimised with others, the appeal of remote retreats is greater than it has ever been. Asia has many such escapes along its thousands of kilometres of remote coasts and jungle interiors, especially for those looking to combine luxury with a little adventure.
Asia is blessed with many of the world’s greatest religious sites, some dating back centuries. While the finest of them enjoy near-universal acclaim, others are less well-known, and many people will have visited sites that mean something special to them. Here are 12 of the best to visit ranging from the famous to some lesser known.
