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.
Khôi Phạm in Travel
Bask in the Morning Sun in the Green Heart of Huế Along the Hương River
As tourists, it's in our built-in compass to seek out novelties and excitements, if anything, to remind us that our daily humdrum is not everything, and there exists a world out there with multitudes to explore.
All Aboard the Languorous 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 journ...
Khanh Hoa Official Proposes Visa Exemptions for Foreign Tourists
Officials are looking for ways to boost tourism as Vietnam slowly begins to re-open.
Just 50km From Hanoi, Đường Lâm Village Is a Charming Historical Relic
If one were to strike out west from Hanoi and follow the Red River for some 50 kilometers, there they will find Đường Lâm Village — a quintessence of rural Vietnam.
5 Localities Aim to Welcome Vaccinated Foreign Tourists From Next Month
Tourism destinations in Vietnam are eager to restart their economies after it appears that the current outbreak is subsiding.
Immerse in a Serene Morning at Ngã Năm Floating Market
Floating markets haven’t completely disappeared from Vietnam’s commercial landscape.
A Lifetime Adrift: Phu Quoc Cruise Ship Crewmen Live and Work On Board
In the days before our lives were disrupted again by the pandemic, I was fortunate enough to visit the remote beauty that is Phu Quoc and its many ivory beaches. On my trip, I also had the opportunity...
A Day in the Life of Madame Xuân, Hoi An's 85-Year-Old Vegetable Vendor
She is not famous but has silently become a part of Hoi An’s cultural beauty for years.
Adrien Jean in Travel
With Summer Comes a Glorious Lotus Harvest Season in Hoi An
The farmers we met in these fields near Hoi An have been working their lotus farms since the end of the 1970s. The area has been a hub of lotus production in the decades since.
Morgan Ommer in Travel
Glimpses of a Tranquil Hanoi From Inside 21 Days of Hotel Quarantine
I landed at Noi Bai Airport on May 28, 2021.
How Quy Nhon's Old Cemetery Slowly Expands up Vung Chua Mountain
You might miss it if you were driving past, but once you walk down a small hẻm off Quy Nhon’s main Tay Son Street, the massive cemetery sprawls in all directions.
Could Phong Nha Be One of Vietnam's Top Sustainable Travel Destinations?
A recent trip to Phong Nha — before this most recent COVID-19 wave — left me wondering whether I had just visited one of Vietnam’s more sustainable travel destinations. Of all the places I have been s...
Bamboo Airways Will Start Daily Flights to the US This September
Starting in September, the upstart airline will offer non-stop services from Saigon to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Urbanist Travel's Guide to Da Lat
What to eat, drink and discover in Da Lat
The Vietnamese Filmmaker Turning Travelogues Into Cinematic Spectacles
Kop Dinh is a professional travel videographer whose YouTube channel has become a trusted online platform among young viewers thanks to carefully crafted videos showcasing Vietnam’s famed places of in...
Exploring the Green Oases Hidden Inside D5's Old Apartment Buildings
Spare some time one slow afternoon for a stroll around District 5’s old apartments, and one might discover many interesting things — it could be a hidden residential area amidst a labyrinthine hẻm, th...
Adrien Jean in Travel
On the Gentle Train Ride in a Myanmar From Another Era
Since the shocking coup d’état in Myanmar on February 1 and the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, the world has watched helplessly while the military junta brutally cracks down on peaceful protesters try...
In Suburban Đà Lạt, With Spring Comes Mai Anh Đào's Breathtaking Pink Tapestry
Mai anh đào, or wild Himalayan cherry flower trees, blooms the brightest and most intensely in Lâm Đồng Province for a few short weeks from the end of January until mid February.
[Photos] A Stroll Through Eclectic Chợ Lớn
Until fairly recently, Chợ Lớn was its own city, long inhabited by người Hoa who carved out an economic hub along the banks of the Saigon River over 200 years ago.
Pete Walls in Travel
[Photos] Watching the Sunset From Fansipan, the Roof of Vietnam
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.
Michael Tatarski in Travel
An Eye-Opening Mushroom Farm in Da Lat for Budding Mycologists
It could be argued that mushrooms are among nature's strangest creations.
