Emotional Connection is the Key to Luxury Travel at Banyan Tree Lăng Cô
What does luxury travel mean? The center of countless hospitality conference panels, LinkedIn posts, and marketing pitch decks, this question will elicit different answers depending on who is asked. Exclusivity, indulgent comforts, unique experiences, and dedicated service surely play a part, but a visit to Banyan Tree Lăng Cô, recent recipient of Two Michelin Keys, reveals that no matter one’s definition, true luxury travel requires an emotional connection.
An Ode to Vũng Tàu, Saigon's Unwavering Summer Crush
I recently took a trip to Vũng Tàu after a long summer of cultural research, which had me traveling up and down Vietnam. It had been seven years since I’d been back to the homeland, and 19 since I’d last seen the beaches of Vũng Tàu, when I was only 16. It felt like returning to a high school crush, and it made me think of the words of Trần Thiện Thanh, who once wrote, “Nhớ lúc xa xưa mười sáu trăng tròn…” I won’t say I wasn’t looking for something familiar, poetic, and possibly even as sappy.
Paul Christiansen in Travel
In Hội An’s Pottery Museum, Mini Clay Landmarks Hold Unexpected Memories
When preparing to visit Hội An’s Thanh Hà Pottery Museum, I didn’t anticipate an opportunity to reminisce. I hadn’t been to the museum dedicated to the region’s pottery traditions before, so how could it illicit fond memories?
Kit Humphrey in Travel
The Poetry of Everyday Life in Central Vietnam's Coastal Towns
Traveling south through central Vietnam by train can bring you to the familiar or the obscure: the Disney-fication of Hội An, the peaceful bays of Quy Nhơn, or the thrill of derelict spaces in Huế.
A Tribute to the Incredibly Eye-Catching, Organic Signage of Sa Đéc
Signs are like voices.
Linh Phạm in Travel
On a Walking Tour, Mulling Over the Glorious Past and Odious Present of Tô Lịch River
We began our journey in front of a bank where the street Trần Nhật Duật turned into Chợ Gạo.
Tuyết Nhi in Travel
Visit a 160-Year-Old Chapel Inside Saigon's Historic St. Joseph's Seminary
Hidden within the compound of the Saigon St. Joseph’s Seminary is a historic chapel that has withstood the test of time.
Tà Năng, One of Vietnam’s Most Beautiful Trails and Best-Kept Secrets
Whether we choose to participate or not, most of us are fascinated by Vietnam’s motorbike culture.
Hue's Infamous Abandoned Water Park Might Get a Makeover Soon
After years in limbo, Hue is making plans to transform the derelict Ho Thuy Tien Amusement Park into a more useful site.
[Photos] Urbanist Travel Getaways: The Stillness of Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Taisha at Night
If you visited Kyoto but didn’t snap a snazzy shot of the seemingly infinite row of torii gates, did you really visit Kyoto? Or at least, that’s what common travel conventions seem to suggest.
Airlines in Vietnam Prepare to Resume Domestic Flights on Thursday
The two airlines plan to begin offering more domestic routes from April 16, following the scheduled ending of the national social distancing campaign.
Adrien Jean in Travel
[Photos] In Yangon's Forsaken Amusement Park, Nature Finds Home in Decrepit Artifacts
Yangon Amusement Park was built in 1997 by the former military junta as a flashy distraction from their violent dictatorship.
Kit Humphrey in Travel
[Photos] Dangerous, Adorable, Bizarre: A Look at Japan's Time-Honored Art of Making Mochi
Frenetic, dangerous, absolutely bizarre… the time-honored art of pounding mochi, a simple Japanese glutinous rice desert, is as entertaining as it is ngon vãi chưởng.
[Photos] In a H'Mong Village, Harvest Time Is When Perseverance Pays Off
Tending to a crop takes dedication. Workers are subjected to early mornings, sore bodies and weary minds. However, after all the trials and tribulations, harvest time — the world over — is usually a t...
The Virtues of Cruising on the Saigon River
With sunlight shimmering on skyscrapers that stretch proudly above the horizon across from untrammeled patches of green space, Saigon appears most attractive when viewed from the river.
[Photos] For Vietnam's H’Mong Communities, Life Tilts on a Precipice
On a small goat path beneath the high peaks of the Ma Pi Leng Pass, a group of H'Mong ladies walked uphill with more than 10 kilograms of wood and grass on their backs.
Bamboo Airways to Launch Vietnam–Germany Flight Routes From July
The upstart airline will operate flights to Munich from Saigon twice a week and from Hanoi once a week starting July.
Adrien Jean in Travel
[Photos] Immersing in a Lonely Japan Outside the Urban Crowds
Japan's cities are known for their dense urbanity and crowded subways, but they can also be isolating.
Vietnam Launches Campaigns to Revitalize Tourism Industry Hit by Coronavirus
The campaigns are the effort to compensate for the losses in tourism revenue due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
UN Report Names Vietnam World's 7th-Fastest Growing Destination of 2019
Will the coronavirus put a dent in that?
Almost 2m Foreign Tourists Visited Vietnam in January, a Record Number
Vietnam's tourism industry saw unprecedented growth in international arrivals last month, though the timing of this success — right in the middle of a coronavirus outbreak — is unfortunate.
The Merits of Experiencing Tet on a Tropical Island
During Tet, the most important time of the year in Vietnam, Saigon empties, its beloved energy spilling out alongside the droves of people returning to their hometowns. Because the Lunar New Year foc...
Vinpearl Air, Slated for a Summer Launch, Is Suddenly Cancelled by Vingroup
The move comes as Vietnam's largest private company looks to focus on its technology and industry operations.
Google Names Da Nang as 2020's Top Trending Travel Destination
The central coastal city experienced the biggest increase in travel searches, according to Google analytics.
[Video] Travelogue Captures Quotidian Life in Northern and Central Vietnam
Oscillating between wide-angle scenes and the more close-up views of everyday people's interactions, the video is an ode to the country’s beauty.
Michael Tatarski in Travel
Saigoneer Getaways: To a Saigoneer, Phnom Penh Is Same Same, But Different
Is it possible to even recognize everything that has changed after 10 years?
Vietnam Welcomes 18m Foreign Tourists in 2019, an All-Time Record
According to the General Statistics Office, in December 2019, the country welcomed 1.7 million tourists from other countries.
VietJet Launches 3 New Routes From Da Nang to Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore
The new routes could be beneficial for Da Nang's tourism revenue.
