Vietnam by the night train: Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi

Once war-torn, now sublime, Vietnam is long, lovely and languorous.

Whether you choose to live like royalty or scrimp on a shoestring in Vietnam, you’re going to have a memorable trip.

Vietnam takes the imperial grandeur of China and the waterlogged landscapes of Southeast Asia, stirs in a double dose of rich history and fabulous flavors and serves the resulting cocktail over ice as the sun dips behind the mountains.

Wrapped around the east coast of mainland Southeast Asia like a mythical Naga serpent, Vietnam naturally lends itself to overland travel. Its two biggest cities – Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) – are divided by 1100km of rice paddies, tropical jungles, historic townships, wartime relics, national parks and sandy beaches, and most people plot an itinerary that takes in both of these lively hubs.

Remi Lucidi, a sergeant in the French Army, died far from a battlefield. His body was found last week aside a Hong Kong skyscraper where he had been spotted near the rooftop.

Looking for a new museum to add to your travel to-do list? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) has released the Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Museums of 2018, including the top 10 worldwide and the top 10 in the United States, with some surprising frontrunners. The findings also highlight bookable ways to see each winner—think VIP tours and scavenger hunts—with some offering the added perk of allowing you to skip the lines to get in.

Seen from the outside, Red Jane, a new bakery in the center of Chania, a Greek port city on the island of Crete, looks like a Berlin nightclub, with no obvious sign and a concrete facade covered in graffiti. Inside, it might pass for a New York boutique: There are Italian tiles on the floor and an exposed-brick ceiling and on a long red marble counter, lit by minimalist pendant lamps, pastries are laid out like jewels in a glass vitrine. Owned by Nikos Tsepetis, the hotelier behind the nearby beach resort Ammos (a favorite of the art and design crowd), the space is the first fully realized interiors project overseen by the London-based lighting and furniture designer Michael Anastassiades. Eyal Schwartz, the former head baker and co-owner of London’s E5 Bakehouse, created the menu. On its opening day this month, Red Jane sold out of its chocolate-filled croissants, koulouri (Greek sesame-topped bagels) and baklava swirls by noon. Locals lingered for an hour after, despite the fact that Tsepetis and Anastassiades designed the space without tables.

Before I went to sleepaway camp, my dad said my life was about to change forever. The oldest of five boys, summer camp temporarily granted him only child status and freed him of his bad reputation at Catholic school.

Experienced travelers know that transportation is not just about getting from point A to B — the journey must be savored. And what better way to enjoy the ride than spending the night in a moving train? Sleeper trains in Europe may not be as ubiquitous as they once were, but there are still enough of them out there to take you on a grand tour of Europe, from the wilds of Scotland to London, Istanbul, and even all way across the Arctic Circle.

From psychedelic milkshakes to overloaded tuk-tuks, there are some things everybody comes across when backpacking in Southeast Asia.

Situated at the northern and southern extremes of this long, thin country, Vietnam’s two main cities lie more than one thousand kilometres apart.

Wherever you go in downtown Shanghai, you’ll be struck by international influence both past and present. From the leafy avenues of the former French Concession to the modern malls on Nanjing West Road, this is a city that grew up with globalisation.