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.

in Travel

In Gò Vấp, a 'Floating Temple' Stands the Test of Time and River Currents

On an isle amid the Vàm Thuật river in Gò Vấp District, Phù Châu Temple, colloquially known among locals as the “floating temple,” has welcomed religious practitioners looking for a serene quarter in fast-paced Hồ Chí Minh City for over three centuries.

Back Travel

in Travel

[Photos] Delays Abound as Tan Son Nhat Receives 100,000 People a Day

No matter where you're headed this holiday season, travelers flying out of Saigon should expect to make a day of the journey.

in Travel

Vietnam to Purchase 160 Old Train Cars From China

Remember those flashy five-star trains Vietnam recently added to its fleet? Well, they're about to get some company.

in Travel

Tet Travel to Make Tan Son Nhat a Living Hell

As residents across the country gear up to participate in the largest human migration on Earth, it's safe to say Tan Son Nhat International Airport is going to be a living hell.

in Travel

Vietnam Adds More 5-Star Trains to Its North-South Line

With one five-star train already in service, Saigon Railway Transport JSC recently added a new set of high-end trains to the country's north-south line.

in Travel

[Video] Drone Reveals Hong Kong's Natural Charm

In addition to a pretty impressive 3D rendering of Hong Kong's skyline, courtesy of Google, armchair travelers can now experience the city from up above.

in Travel

[Photos] Remnants of War Along Laos' Ho Chi Minh Trail

During the American War, Laos' Ho Chi Minh Trail connected northern and southern Vietnam, providing revolutionary fighters with troops, supplies and vehicles.

in Travel

[Video] Tokyo Timelapse Makes Airport Travel Sexy

Airports can be hell. Just ask anyone who's ever had a delayed flight, a missed connection or a particularly feisty customs agent which, if you've ever been to Tan Son Nhat, is everyone.

in Travel

VNAT Orders Background Checks on Vietnamese Tourists

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is encouraging tour companies to perform thorough background checks on local travelers going abroad.

in Travel

How to Spend 36 Hours in Luang Prabang: NY Times

After spending 36 hours in Hanoi, Saigon and Phnom Penh, the New York Times recently took a trip to Luang Prabang, a tiny, UNESCO-protected town which the paper describes as full of “lo...

in Travel

Ha Long Bay Tourists Claim Crew Abandoned Burning Boat

Two German tourists are claiming the crew aboard their Ha Long Bay cruise ship did nothing to save passengers after a fire broke out on the vessel's top deck.

in Travel

[Video] Take a Mind-Blowing Tour of Myanmar's Capital

Naypyidaw is a strange place.

in Travel

Da Lat Makes New York Times 'Places to Go in 2016' List

As we all finalize our Tet plans and prepare for the madness of travel during the largest annual human migration on earth, it's going to be a long, slow, holiday-free slog from March to September.

in Travel

[Video] Let These Russian Kitesurfers Give You a Tour of Mui Ne

As a destination, Vietnam is sold to travelers in many different ways. Up north, there are nationally protected cultural and historical relics; in central Vietnam, Hue is packed with the country's bes...

in Travel

[Photos] Take a Tour of Hue's Eerie Abandoned Waterpark

As far as tourism goes, Vietnam has some weird attractions and no shortage of strange and unusual things which might fall under the ambiguous header of “Cultural Heritage Park.” Ho Thuy Tien...

in Travel

Vietnamese Travel Photographer Makes Finalist List for International Award

In the photo, the fields are awash with bright yellow flowers, adding a pop of color to the countryside. An elderly man ambles by, guiding his bike full of bamboo fishing baskets, staring directly int...

in Travel

[Video] Travel Through Myanmar in 9 Stunning Minutes

These days, the internet is home to about a zillion travel videos, most of which feature a heavily edited, heavily soundtracked version of some millenial's gap year journey through Southeast...

in Travel

Hoi An Could Lose 50 Ancient Houses in Anti-Flooding Project

Nearly 50 homeowners in Hoi An's Old Town are at risk of losing their homes, as a current anti-flooding project threatens to destroy the long-standing structures.

in Travel

Vietnam's International Arrivals Drop for First Time in 6 Years

As 2015 draws to a close, Vietnamese tourism has had something of a roller coaster year.

in Travel

Foreigners Pose Nude Atop Vietnam's Fansipan

While Cambodia has already seen its fare share of naked foreigners this year, posing sans clothing at ancient temples on more than one occasion, Vietnam had been spared from such debauchery ...

in Travel

Vietnam's 5 Weirdest Airline Stories of 2015

Vietnam's skies – and its airports – are a strange place to be. Whether it's a pilot accidentally hitting the “hijack” button, Jetstar's perpetually late planes or VietJet's master bikini marketi...