World renowned travel guide Lonely Planet recently revealed its list of 10 dream trips to take in Asia this year, with Hanoi and the surrounding areas making the cut.

The Vietnamese representative is a city which simply refuses to grow old gracefully and offers visitors a journey into the millennium-old capital full of ancient pagodas.

Lonely Planet suggested that travelers should experience 10-day adventure in the capital, including spending at least two days wandering around its various temples and museums, as well as stopping by President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Early on day three, tourists should take a three-hour bus ride east to Bai Chay, the harbor from which most boats depart for Ha Long Bay in nearby Quang Ninh province. Trips vary in duration and luxury, although visitors should not miss out on mooring at Titop Island where they can climb the stone steps for a view over the archipelago.

The travel guide also shared that it would be a wonderful experience for tourists to head back to Hanoi and catch the night train to Lao Cai province.

Relaxing in the cool air of Sa Pa for two days or working up a sweat ascending misty Fansipan, known as the ‘Roof of Indochina’, is among the top things to do early this year, it wrote.

Lonely Planet also gave a brief introduction to Ha Giang province, the Imperial City of Hue, and the colourful merchant warehouses of Hoi An in central Vietnam.

Falling for romantic forts and palaces of India, admiring a rainbow of wildlife in Borneo, traveling through the Golden Triangle in China, following a Southeast Asian food trail, enjoying temples and cherry blossoms in Kansai, trekking in the serene Langtang Valley, seeking out ancient cities by road and rail in Sri Lanka, traveling back in time in Thailand, and traveling the silk road in Uzbekistan, are the other ideas which complete the top 10.

Source: VOV – english.vov.vn – Jan 15, 2025