All Aboard the Languorous 35-Hour Train From Hanoi to Saigon
The train connecting Vietnam’s largest cities takes 35 hours. Yet even after the first time I finished the trip, I was already coming up with excuses for why I needed to do it again. For me, the journey is much more than a chance for great views and time to reflect. It’s an exploration of life itself.
Kit Humphrey in Travel
In Thổ Hà Village, Rice Paper Spills Onto the Streets and Wraps Around Daily Life
A few hours after sunrise in the small village of Thổ Hà, Bắc Giang Province, alleyways morph into picturesque tunnels of drying rice paper, while ladies toast crackers over fire in the streets.
Pete Walls in Travel
Watching the Sunset From Lai Châu's Fansipan, the Roof of Indochina
Conquering Mount Fansipan’s 3,147 meters was once a feat reserved for those willing to take on the potential multi-day hike from Sapa to the summit and back.
Family-Friendly Summer Vacations Made Easy at Crowne Plaza Phu Quoc Starbay
The ripening of sweet jackfruit, mangosteen and mangos; hammocks swinging gently in patches of cool shade; and evenings that stretch on with the comfort of knowing there is no alarm clock waiting the next morning: summer arrives as opportunity. When school holidays begin, families scramble to adjust schedules and secure care and activities, creating the potential to carve out some time for a vacation to savor fresh air, explore thrills, and simply bond as a family in a beautiful destination.
Pete Walls in Travel
For the Freshest Fish of the Day, Head to Hội An's Coast Before Sunrise
The alarm goes off at 3am. By 3:30am, scooters laden with empty crates and baskets are already moving through the dark lanes and sandy passages towards Hội An's coast. Long before the old town wakes, the beaches along the shore are coming alive with engines, head torches, waves, and fishermen preparing to return to land. Thankfully, coffee is readily available almost anywhere.
In Saigon's Bửu 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.
A Special 'Doraemon' Episode Taking Place in Vietnam Will Be Released in May
After decades of watching Doraemon and his close friend groups adventure to all sorts of strange lands from the deepest trenches on Earth to fantastical planets, fans of the beloved cat robot in Vietnam will finally see our country in the cartoon series.
ACV Proposes Moving 90% of Saigon's Overseas Flights to Long Thành
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has proposed plans to transfer flight operations in Hồ Chí Minh City from Tân Sơ...
Hanoi Is A Hospitality Mecca According TripAdvisor’s Seemingly Arbitrary Algorithm
TripAdvisor has long drawn the wrath of business owners in Vietnam, as their ranking on the travel website often determines whether they thrive or fail. Many have taken issue with the site’s algorithm...
Nha Trang To Open Beach For Night Swimming
Those living in and visiting Nha Trang will soon be able to swim in the ocean long after the sun goes down as the city has approved plans for its first night beach.
Lee Starnes in Travel
Saigoneer Getaways: Hue
In our latest addition of Saigoneer Getaways, we bike through Vietnam’s former Imperial capital, Hue. Despite rapid modernization throughout Vietnam, Hue has somehow retained is 'charm.
Vietnam's International Tourist Arrivals Increase for the First Time in 13 Months
For the first time in 13 months, Vietnam’s tourism industry is showing signs of life with the country registering a relative surge in international visitors.
Vietnam Looks To Eliminate Visas For Overseas Vietnamese And Spouses Of VN Nationals
After a round of successful visa exemptions for European travelers, Vietnam is pushing ahead with scrapping visas for overseas Vietnamese, their families and foreigners married to Vietnamese nationals...
VietJet to Offer Direct Flights Between Saigon And Yangon
It will soon be easier for Saigonese to visit Yangon with VietJet announcing it will soon offer direct flights between the southern Vietnamese metropolis and Burma’s commercial capital.
[Video] Does This New Thailand Tourism Promotional Video Go Too Far?
Like Vietnam, Thailand is a country famous for its culinary offerings that serve as a major selling point for the country’s tourism industry. It’s an obvious strength to play to and one that a local f...
Singapore (Kind Of) Explains Why It’s Been Turning Away Vietnamese
Singapore has been barring entry of Vietnamese travelers, especially women, in recent weeks without explanation. Following questions from their Vietnamese counterparts, the city-state's immigration au...
Australian Vietnam Airlines Passenger Tied up for Smoking Mid-Flight
Though some first time flyers have been known to mistake emergency exits for lavatories, some blatantly disregard well-known airline regulations, like this Vietnamese-Australian man who had to be tied...
2 Workers at Tan Son Nhat Caught Stealing iPhone, Jet Fuel
When it comes to theft at Tan Son Nhat Airport, it seems like everything is on the table.
Photos of Foreign Tourists Cleaning Beaches Highlight Vietnam’s Trash Problems
The spotlight was put on Vietnam’s well-documented problems with garbage strewn across its natural landscapes last week when two photos of foreign tourists collecting litter on a Hai Phong beach went ...
Hanoi and Saigon Make Travel + Leisure’s Best Cities in Asia List
Popular American travel magazine Travel + Leisure just released their 2015 edition of their “World’s Best Awards” wherein Vietnam’s two largest cities ranked in the Asia top 10.
[Video] The Making Of Vietnam Airlines’ First A350-XWB
One of the only things in the world we enjoy more than watching massive machines being assembled is when we actually have a shot of traveling in one of them.
[Video] A Flight Over The Majestic Mountains And Rice Paddies Of Ninh Binh
Last June, filmmaker Phan Vu grabbed his flycam and took off to Ninh Binh, the pearl of the Red River Delta.
Vietnam Plans To Add More Countries To Visa Waiver List
Two weeks after visa waivers went into effect for a number of European nations, Vietnamese officials said that they were planning to extend visa waivers to visitors from a number of other countries.
Drone Video Perfectly Captures Vietnam’s Beauty From North To South
The Yamaha Blue Core Touring campaign recently released this lengthy but beautiful drone video, “Vietnam through Flycam’s lens.”
[Video] Inside North Korea's Shiny New International Airport
You wouldn’t know it by the smile on his face in these photos, but Pyongyang’s shiny new international airport has been plagued by defects, reportedly prompting Dear Leader 3.0 to execute its architec...
Vietnam Airlines Aims For 4-Star Rating To Dominate SE Asia
Vietnam Airlines is making a bid to dominate air travel in SE Asia and climb the international rankings, investing heavily in new airplanes and service upgrades.
European Tourists Reportedly Charged For Visas At Noi Bai Despite Waiver
Apparently, immigration officials at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport didn’t get the memo about Vietnam’s highly publicized visa exemptions for German, French, British, Italian and Spanish tourists that went i...
[Video] Man Fined $35 for Shattering Smelly Pickle Jar at Security Checkpoint
Vietnam’s northern airport authority has fined a passenger VND750,000 (US$35) for throwing a jar of picked eggplants at Noi Bai International airport.
