in Travel

Insights, Polished History Lessons Await in Hanoi's Massive, Brutalist Military Museum

When I pitched a review of Hanoi’s massive new Vietnam Military History Museum to the Saigoneer editorial staff, I expected to find the museum somewhat boring. After all, although I am a historian, I am not really that interested in military stuff, and I’d been to the original location on Điện Biên Phủ Street several times — how could this new museum improve on the old one? What could this new museum say that the old one didn’t? What could I learn here that I haven’t already learned at Saigon’s War Remnants Museum and Hồ Chí Minh Campaign Museum, at Điện Biên Phủ’s war museum, at Hải Phòng’s naval museum, and at the countless other shrines to Vietnamese martial prowess across the country? Quite a lot, it turns out.

Paul Christiansen

in Travel

Ruminate on Our Natural Legacies While Surrounded by Cây Sao at Ao Bà Om

I never pass up an opportunity to reflect on chò nâu and its dipterocarp relative, cây sao. The massive trees that gracefu...

Paul Christiansen

in Travel

Art, Flowers Bloom at Huế’s Hidden Museum, Lebadang Memory Space

People often think that art is distant and difficult to appreciate, but a garden is different; everyone knows how to admire a flower.

Brian Letwin

in Travel

The Quiet Calm of Hiding From the Heat Under Phan Rang's Grapevines

The punishing mid-day sun dictates the pace of life in the corridor between Phan Rang and Cam Ranh, where locals escape to their living rooms or hammocks, and tourists seek the cooling breeze of the beach, seafood restaurants or resort pools. Perhaps one of the most underrated ways to take refuge from the heat is to duck into one of the nearby grape vineyards where winding vines create a natural oasis.

Paul Christiansen

in Travel

The Curious Case of Quy Hoà Leprosy Colony's Park of Busts

A delightfully bizarre place, Quy Nhơn’s Quy Hoà leprosy colony deserves exploration in full , but clustered in a grove of...

in Saigoneer Getaways

On Japan’s Shonan Coastline, a Wintry Vista of Mount Fuji

It was my first trip to Zushi Beach and the sun was beginning to set. 

in Saigoneer Getaways

Finding Solace in the Placid Water of Trị An Lake as a City Dweller

I took a deep breath, realizing that I was suspended in the midpoint of everything, above the calm, glassy surface of Trị An Lake and beneath the vast, enveloping azure sky that blanketed Mã Đà forest.

Back Travel

Brian Letwin

in Travel

[Photos] Urbanist Travel Getaways: Cat Tien National Park

Three hours northeast of Saigon sits a patch of verdant forest among a landscape of neverending rice paddies. Cat Tien National Park is the closest you can get to hike-able, pristine nature from the m...

in Travel

44 New Caves Discovered Near Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park

On August 6, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park authorities announced the discovery of 44 new caves, bringing the total number of known caves in the area to 405.

in Travel

[Video] Sauntering Down Hoi An's Color-Doused, Sun-Soaked Hẻms

Hoi An is something of a paradox. Frequently, people seem to decry its changes from a small, halcyon town into a major tourist destination. But bemoaning its current influx of foreign visitors not onl...

in Travel

Anatomy of a Teen Magnet: Da Nang's Golden Bridge and the Giant Hands

In the midst of the forest high above Ba Na Hills outside of Da Nang, the Golden Bridge has grabbed visitors’ attention thanks to its striking appearance.

in Travel

[Photos] In Saigon's Buu Long Pagoda, a Meditative Escape and Pan-Southeast Asian Architecture

It all started with a sparkle on the horizon, a beam of solar brilliance bouncing off a garish metallic surface.

in Travel

[Photos] A Visit to Binh Thuan's 'Forgotten Land' Where Sand Comes to Life

Forgotten Land, a new sculptured sand park in Binh Thuan Province, may be perfect for tourists who like sand, but aren't a fan of the ocean.

in Travel

[Photos] The Japanese Village That Replaces the Departed With Creepy Dolls

More than 10,000 towns are facing depopulation in Japan, but in Nagora — a village hidden away in Shikoku Valley — locals are returning in bizarre fashion: as dolls that replace the dead.

in Travel

Urbanist Travel Getaways: Discovering Serenity in Bhutan – The Other Hermit Kingdom

Only a handful of pilots can manage the treacherous flight into Bhutan’s tiny international airport. As the plane tilts for the final descent, passengers gather by the windows — smartphones recor...

in Travel

Hoi An Puts Immediate Stop to Proposed Cable Car Project Near Ancient Town

Vietnam’s unhealthy obsession with cable cars needs to stop.  

in Travel

Urbanist Travel Getaways: Exploring the Izakayas of Japan

“I always liked side-paths, little dark back-alleys behind the main road,” Dostoyevsky writes in his 1879 novel, The Brothers Karamazov. “There one finds adventures and surprises, and precious metal i...

Chris Humphrey

in Travel

[Photos] Exploring Dala Township on the River Yangon's South Shore

Only a 10-minute ferry ride from central Yangon, Dala is a blur of motorbike horns, trishaw drivers peddling scams and old ships rusting on the riverbank.

in Travel

[Photos] The Infinite Greenness of Ca Mau Cape Biosphere Reserve From Above

Ca Mau Cape was recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 2009.

in Travel

[Video] An Aerial Tour of Vietnam Through the Ultra-Definition of 4K

With the rise in popularity and drop in price of drones, gorgeous aerial footage is not hard to come by in recent months.

in Travel

[Photos] Naypyidaw's Ghostly Central Train Station

Naypyidaw central train station, 11am. A heavy cloud hangs over the entire place. The moment you set foot in the city, it gives you the chills.

in Travel

[Photos] Saigoneer Getaways: Ha Giang's Mighty Loop

I’ve spent seven years in Vietnam and traveled from south to north on many occasions, but I have never seen a place as charming as Ha Giang Province.

Chris Humphrey

in Travel

Soviet Accommodation, Forest Cabins and a Hobbit House: The Eccentricity of Nha Ben Rung

“It is a rocket center. The Soviets, they stayed there to control the rockets…” These are not exactly the kind of words you expect to hear from a homestay owner in northern Vietnam, especially not whe...

Michael Tatarski

in Travel

Saigoneer Getaways: Vietnam's Best 'Secret' Beach Destination

When it comes to tourism in Vietnam, it's hard not to be depressed by the frequent news of ruinous cable cars and mega-resorts, often accompanied by bulldozed natural areas.

in Travel

Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit: A Beautiful Trek Amidst Change

In through your nose, out through your mouth. You can do this. In through your nose, aaaaand out through your mouth. I keep reminding myself how to breathe.

in Travel

[Photos] The Rugged Beauty of Indonesia's Komodo National Park

Most people think of dragons when they hear about Komodo. While the world's largest lizards are one reason to journey to this remote corner of the world, the rugged vistas and incredible biodiver...

in Travel

Vietnam Is Getting a New Budget Airline, Bamboo Airways, This Year

The new FLC Group-owned airline will begin operations in Vietnam by the end of the year.