Taroko National Park is one of the highlights of Taiwan, with the Taroko Gorge ranking among the great natural wonders of Asia. When I was planning my trip most of the information I found was from travel agents selling tours. If you are in Taipei on a short visit it is possible to visit Taroko […]
Flight Review: VietJet Air – Dong Hoi to Ho Chi Minh City
Flight: Vietjet Air VJ 261 From: Dong Hoi (VDH) To: Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) I flew with Vietjet Air from Dong Hoi to Ho Chi Minh City, and this is my flight review. There are three airlines that fly this route, so I used Skyscanner to compare price and flight times. In the end […]
Hotel Review: Victory Road Villas, Phong Nha – Vietnam
Hotel Name: Victory Road Villas. Address: DT 20 Victory Road, Phong Nha, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. I stayed at the Victory Road Villas in Phong Nha, Vietnam. I was staying here as a guest of the owner, who is also a personal friend. With that disclosure out the way, this is what to expect when […]
Phong Nha Farmstay – A rural retreat in Central Vietnam
Hotel Name: Phong Nha Farmstay. Address: Hoa Son Hamlet, Cu Nam Village, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. The Phong Nha Farmstay is located near the town of Phong Nha in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. The area is most famous for its caves, including the world’s largest known cave (Son Doong […]
Hotel Review: Lum Dong Tien Hotel, Hue – Vietnam
Hotel Name: Lum Dong Tien Hotel Address: 18/48 Ngo Quyen, Hue, Vietnam. I stayed at the Lum Dong Tien Hotel in Hue, Vietnam. I booked online and picked it for its location and price. The rate was 170,000 VND per night ($7.35 USD), proving that Vietnam remains as an amazing value destination, especially outside the […]
Flight Review: Jetstar Pacific – Ho Chi Minh City to Hue
Flight: Jetstar Pacific BL 506 From: Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) To: Hue (HUI) I flew with Jetstar Pacific from Ho Chi Minh City to Hue. I compared flights with Skyscanner as there are three airlines flying this route (Jetstar Pacific, Vietnam Airlines, and VietJet Air). In the end I picked Jetstar Pacific for a […]
Hanoi to Haiphong by train
The Hanoi-Haiphong railway is one of the few railway lines in Vietnam that is not part of the main north-south railway. Originally this line was part of the Yunnan-Haiphong Railway that was built by France between 1904–1910. Haiphong is the closest seaport to Hanoi so it’s always been an important access point for Hanoi. Haiphong […]
Notes on Haiphong – A historic port city in Northern Vietnam
Haiphong is the third-largest city in Vietnam, and it’s one of the five municipal cities. apart from being an industrial port city, it has a historic city centre that should attract more tourists than it does. It rarely makes anyones list of places to visit in Vietnam, but if you have time it’s worth a […]
Shamian – the historic concession island of Guangzhou
Shamian in Guangzhou is a former concession island that was established by the French and British after the Second Opium War. This small island has some of the best preserved colonial architecture in Asia. It might also be the best 19th century historical site that isn’t a UNESCO World Heritage Site (yet). The island was […]
Notes on Guangzhou: A worthy stopover city beyond the trade fair
I was in Guangzhou on a stopover with China Southern Airlines. In addition to being a modern megacity, it also has some of the best preserved heritage architecture in Asia. It had been nine years since my last visit to Guangzhou. Nine years is a long time in modern China, and Guangzhou (like Shenzhen) seemed […]
