Limestone Islands & Illuminated Caves: The Beauty & the Beasts of Halong Bay

By: Gabrielle Yetter

This breathtaking bay in the north of Vietnam provides a wonderful taste of nature. Complete with massive limestone islands, fishing villages, grottoes, island hikes and beach picnics, an excursion to this region offers various styles and experiences – from basic to luxury.

Heaven & Hell in Historic Hoi An

By: Simon Hare

Hoi An is a sensory feast. Its ancient streets and alleyways are lined with ornate dark-wood shop-houses of mould-streaked ochre, pale cornflower blue, and the occasional rebellious splash of peppermint green. Brightly coloured silk lanterns gently dance in every shop and every house. Ornate Chinese meeting halls jostle for space with cool white European town houses, their elegant Dutch gables festooned with vibrant bougainvillea, shuttered windows framed in timid hibiscus and the jagged spikes of bird of paradise.

The heady perfume of luxuriant frangipani mingles in the warm river breeze with the swirling incense from myriad pagodas, and the faint aroma of cinnamon drifting from the pho pots of dozens of kitchens. The gentle rustling of the wind in the swaying palms and towering bamboo is only broken by the insistent chirping of lively songbirds, the occasional reedy blast of a moto horn and the constant shout of “YOU BUY SOMETHING!...HAPPY HOUR PRICE!…BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!” or, somewhat appropriately “BOGOF”, as those familiar with retail promotions call this particular sales gimmick.

What to See, Do & Eat in Hanoi, Vietnam

By: Gabrielle Yetter

There’s singing in the streets of Hanoi.

Around almost every corner in the city’s Old Quarter, you’ll find wooden birdcages hanging from telephone wires or dangling outside cafes and shops. Inside are tiny birds, chirping and twittering as motos zoom beneath them, street vendors carry poles across their shoulders bearing baskets of pineapples and bananas, and tourists browse countless boutiques and souvenir shops while dodging the constant surge of traffic.

Hanoi is a city of contrasts and turmoil. The capital of Vietnam, it’s a metropolitan center offering everything from history to culture to great cuisine to a thriving expat community.

It’s a place where beautiful French architecture mingles with skinny sliver buildings, chic fashion boutiques stand alongside street merchants selling slabs of raw meat or steamed corn and almost four million motorbikes dominate the roads.