The Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai Adds Composting To Its List Of Guest Activities

Thanks to its beaches, historic sites, mountain hikes and irresistible food, Vietnam draws travelers from all over the world. 

It's 10 p.m. and I'm riding pillion on a vintage Vespa through the traffic-choked streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Hair is lashing my face and sweat is pouring off my brow. My baby-faced driver doesn't speak a lick of English, nor I Vietnamese, but I know my euphoric smile says it all: I'm having the time of my life.

Who doesn’t want to visit Vietnam? This Southeast Asian powerhouse has it all: beautiful beaches, unparalleled history, diverse cultures...and did we mention the food?

Tours and activities operators in Asia expect at least another 6 to 12 months of pent-up travel demand. However, maximizing this opportunity depends on addressing capacity bottlenecks, especially in markets like Japan. 

Imagine spending your vacation days exploring ancient temples in Cambodia, indulging in the vibrant street food culture of Vietnam, or exploring the neon-lit skylines of Japan’s cities—all while enjoying the comforts of home.

Vietnam’s cuisine has been shaped over generations by a rich tapestry of cultural influences. French colonialism introduced baguettes, leading to dishes like banh mi sandwiches; Vietnamese spring rolls are made with Chinese-style rice paper; and Indian and Thai influences are showcased via the widespread use of spices like star anise and curry powder.

Like so many travelers, my family spent the first couple of years of the pandemic dreaming of visiting a place that was very far away and had become very, very inaccessible to visitors. In our case, it was South Korea, where my wife was born. We'd last visited in 2015, when our daughter was learning to walk and our son, as I've often joked since, was with us but we didn't know it yet. We promised the family there that we'd be back within five years, but COVID-19 intervened.

Vietnam might not have the reputation of its Southeast Asian neighbours when it comes to leaning palms and turquoise waters, but its 3400km of coast hides its fair share of resplendent beaches – not to mention the handful of tropical, coral-ringed islands bobbing off shore. Whether you’re looking for a stretch of sand near one of the country’s buzzing cities, a spot suitable for families, or a quiet cove to escape the crowds, here’s our pick of the best beaches in Vietnam.

Breathtaking landscapes appear at every turn in Vietnam. From the window of a trundling train you'll witness an endless patchwork of impossible-green rice paddies, while in Halong Bay a horizon studded with incisor-like limestone islands makes an ethereal sight. From Mui Ne in the deep south, where you can wonder at a Sahara-esque scene of wind-sculpted sand dunes from the basket of a hot-air balloon, to the stupendous karst mountains of the far north, Vietnam offers up a bewitching array of superlative landscapes.

Raising my family in Singapore has meant that air travel is second nature to my two young kids. Between long-haul flights to visit family back in the US to weekends spent exploring Southeast Asia, I frequently take advantage of living 20 minutes from Changi International Airport, which is consistently ranked among the world's top airports. 

A tourist was killed after a glass panel broke on a suspension bridge in Indonesia on October 25, the The Jakarta Post reported, citing local police. 

When you hear travel critics say that the big brands like Marriott and Hilton don't really know how to run luxury hotels, it's probably because those critics have stayed at a property affiliated with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.