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.
Tourists Generate Up to 3 Times More Plastic Waste Than Locals, UNDP Finds
A recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warns that plastic waste pollution poses increasing pro...
Paul Christiansen in Travel
'Chuyện Của Pao' Turned a Historic H'Mông Home in Hà Giang Into a Tourist Attraction
The photos don’t do it justice. That’s what you’ll often hear from people who visit Hà Giang to cruise its famed highway loop.
Paul Christiansen in Travel
From Dark to Dawn, an Early Morning at Hội An's Duy Hải Fish Market
At 3am, Hội An’s streets resemble dog-gnawed pork bones, licked clean of all scent and viscera. No light, no noise, no movement. But that’s the time you must venture out to witness the Duy Hải Fish Market in action.
The Year of the Horse Gallops into The Grand Ho Tram
Inspired by the spirit of the horse, The Grand Ho Tram encourages you to have a year of success, confidence, and new horizons. Traditional Tết performances and activities alongside special feasts and opportunities for revelry will usher in a year of remarkable achievements and memorable moments.
Vietnam Welcomes 21m Tourists in 2025, Highest-Ever Figure in History
Last year marked an impressive year for tourism in Vietnam. A record number of 21.17 million international tourists visite...
Hanoi's Proposal to Stop Train Service Might Spell the End of 'Train Street'
Hanoi’s infamous train street might be going away if a new municipal plan becomes a reality.
Pete Walls in Travel
At Kon Tum's Đăk Đrinh Lake, Life Slows to a Therapeutic Pace
Đăk Đrinh Lake lies in the northern reaches of Kon Tum, where the hills rise in slow, deliberate waves and the pace of life is set by the land. The Ca Dong ethnic communities remain here, maintaining their language, stilt houses, and routines that have shaped this corner of the highlands for generations.
[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.
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.
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...
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.
[Video] Take a Mind-Blowing Tour of Myanmar's Capital
Naypyidaw is a strange place.
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.
[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...
[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...
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...
[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...
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.
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.
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 ...
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...
[Photos] Sapa Is Currently Covered in Ice
While the sun seems intent upon scorching every surface in Saigon, it's winter elsewhere in Vietnam. Up north, people are pulling out their heavy coats and staving off the December chill with scarves,...
Vietnam Approves Proposal for 1-Year Visas for American Citizens
After months of discussion and foot-dragging, the Vietnamese government has finally approved a proposal to extend the validity of temporary visas for Americans from three months to one year.
Nha Trang Just Held Its First-Ever LGBT Tourism Seminar
In the last couple years, Vietnam has made some impressive strides in the realm of LGBT rights. From legalizing same-sex marriage (though such unions are still not officially recognized by the state) ...
Brian Letwin in Travel
[Photos] Saigoneer Getaways: Boracay and Tourism Done Right
With picture-perfect beaches, well-organized tourism activities and customer service a cut above its Southeast Asian neighbors, could the Philippines' Boracay be a glimpse into the future of Vietnam's...
Epic Drone Video Takes You From Saigon to Hanoi
It’s been a while since we’ve heard from drone video maker Troy Nguyen, and for good reason. The Youtuber has spend the last few months traveling the length of Vietnam to produce this 1 hour video tha...
Foreign Arrivals in Vietnam Surge 20% in November
Vietnam’s tourism sector has had a strong showing in November with 723,740 international arrivals, a 12.9% increase over October and 20.4% compared to the same time period last year.
