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.
[Video] A Day in the Life of a Vietnamese Train Conductor
Ever wonder what it would be like to drive a train through the winding, verdant hills and claustrophobic tunnels of central Vietnam?
Vietnam Planning To Extend US Tourist Visas From 3 Months To 1 Year
In a bid to draw more visitors from the US, the Vietnamese government is planning to extend the validity of tourist visas for Americans from three months to 1 year.
Chinese Overtake Russians In Mui Ne
Mui Ne, long a stronghold for Russian tourists has been attracting a different set of international visitors in recent months – Chinese.
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...
