Travel magazine
Six running series and hundreds of articles, written by the people who plan the trips.
When to go
Seasons, month by month, region by region
What it costs
Real budgets in dollars, with tables
Routes that work
Tested itineraries and combinations
Eating across Asia
What to order and where
On foot
Treks and long walks, described honestly
Before you book
Visas, permits, timing, practicalities
What we would skip in Vietnam, and what we book instead
This article costs us bookings and we publish it anyway. A day you resent is worse for us than a day we…
Walking in northern Vietnam: Pu Luong, the Muong Hoa valley and Ha Giang
Trekking in northern Vietnam is a phrase that oversells what the walking actually is, and undersells how good it is. There are…
Vietnam with children: what works, what does not, and what we change
Vietnam is one of the easiest countries in Asia to travel with children, and family trips here go wrong for one reason…
What does a trip to Vietnam cost?
The honest answer to what a Vietnam trip costs is that food and transport are cheaper than almost anyone expects and accommodation…
Vietnam for the first time: what actually surprises people
A first trip to Vietnam goes wrong in predictable ways: too many stops, the wrong month for the wrong region, a single-entry…
Northern Vietnam: motorbike, or a car with a driver?
The northern Vietnam motorbike or car question comes up in almost every Ha Giang enquiry we receive, usually phrased as though there…
Hoi An and the centre, honestly
Central Vietnam is the part of the country most people fall in love with and the part most often planned badly. It…
Eating your way through Hanoi in three days
Eating in Hanoi is not eating in Vietnam. It is eating in the north, and the north cooks in a way that…
Ha Long, Bai Tu Long or Lan Ha? An honest comparison
Almost everyone arrives in Hanoi wanting to see Ha Long Bay, and almost nobody arrives knowing that Ha Long, Bai Tu Long…
Best time to visit Vietnam: month by month, region by region
There is no best time to visit Vietnam, and any article that gives you one month is describing a third of the…
Your Asia trip, planned day by day
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