In January, the New York Times included the Red River Delta in its annual list of the 52 best places to travel in 2022.
The Red River Delta, spanning some 15,000 square kilometers, consists of eight provinces and two centrally-managed cities Hanoi and Hai Phong, with a population of over 23 million.
The delta is the cradle of quan ho folk singing, recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2010, and home to the Tam Chuc Pagoda complex (pictured) said to be the world’s biggest pagoda.
"Since ancient times, villagers along the Cau River in northern Vietnam have sung Quan ho, a call-and-response folk music style performed by alternating all-female and all-male duets from neighboring villages that was recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage practice in 2009," New York Times added. Photo by Giang Huy
In February, the ancient town of Hoi An made it on to a list of 10 most welcoming cities on Earth, endorsed by readers of the online travel booking agency Booking.com.
The ranking is based on analysis of more than 232 million verified traveler reviews made on the Dutch-based travel booking website. These are the destinations that have an above-average number of properties with exceptional reviews for friendly hospitality.
Lying along Thu Bon River, Hoi An boasts a unique architectural style that features traditional structures with yellow walls and red-tile roofs.
The town has pedestrian-friendly streets as motorbikes and cars are banned from the town center for large parts of the day – from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Photo by Dac Thanh
In March, the resort town of Da Lat in the Central Highlands was named by Booking.com one of the world's 10 best places to view flowers.
Situated on a plateau around 1,500 meters above sea level, Da Lat enjoys year-round cool weather that stands in contrast to Vietnam's tropical climate.
The highlands town is one of Vietnam's biggest flower-growing regions, producing around three billion flowers every year, 10% of which are exported to markets including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia and mainland China.
Its annual flower festival is considered the largest in the Central Highlands region. Photo by Nguyen Hieu
In May, the 632-meter-long glass bridge in Moc Chau in the northern province of Son La was recognized by Guinness as the world's longest glass bridge.
With this official recognition, the bridge has unseated the 530-meter-long glass bridge in China's Guangdong Province, which was recognized by Guinness as the world's longest in 2020.
Inaugurated on April 30 this year, the Moc Chau glass bridge is suspended some 150 meters above a lush green jungle valley. Photo by Ngoc Thanh
In July, New York-based travel magazine Thrillist listed Lan Ha Bay in the northern city of Hai Phong among the "most beautiful places" to visit in Southeast Asia.
Located to the east of Cat Ba Island, around two hours from Hanoi, the 7,000-hectare bay boasts around 400 islands, all of them covered with trees and other vegetation.
One of the biggest highlights in Lan Ha Bay is Cai Beo fishing village, believed to be the oldest of its kind in Vietnam and considered a living museum of Vietnamese fishing culture.
The floating village, with around 300 households, features dozens of houses that float on green clear waters. Photo by Pham Huy Trung
In August, CNN selected the capital city Hanoi in its list of 12 best places in the world to travel to in the fall.
The American news channel suggested tourists try a motorbike tour through the Old Quarter that is dotted with ancient houses, French colonial buildings, cafes and food stalls.
Hanoi has long been a favorite autumn escape among foreign tourists who love riding bicycles along the narrow streets covered with fallen yellow leaves, or taking photos of women wearing ao dai, Vietnam's beautiful national costume. Photo by Tung Dinh
In November, Tam Dao, a popular retreat built by the French in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, was voted the world's leading tourist town for the first time in the 2022 World Travel Awards.
Around 90 kilometers northeast of Hanoi, Tam Dao, or "three islands" in Vietnamese, used to be a favored summer retreat of French officials in the late 19th century thanks to its year-round cool climate and foggy landscape.
Dotted with French-built villas and decades-old hotels, Tam Dao has become a popular weekend escape for Hanoians in recent years. Photo by Viet Dinh
Phu Quoc, which lays off the southern province of Kien Giang, was named the world's leading nature island destination for the first time at this year's World Travel Awards.
Covering an area of 567 square kilometers and home to 180,000 people, Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam and the nation's first island city.
Well known for its long, sandy beaches with turquoise waters and dense forests, Phu Quoc has become a popular holiday destination for both domestic and international tourists.
The island is also home to a marine sanctuary and a national park famous for trekking. Photo by Huu Khoa
In November British magazine Time Out listed Ninh Binh, where Hollywood movie "Kong: Skull Island" was shot in 2016, as one of five underrated travel destinations in Southeast Asia.
Situated some two hours to the east of Hanoi, Ninh Binh was home to the ancient capital of Hoa Lu during the reign of the Dinh Dynasty (968-980), but has not been on tourists' radar for years.
It is home to UNESCO-listed Trang An Landscape Complex (pictured), Van Long Nature Reserve and Tam Coc, famous for boat tours through golden yellow rice paddies. Photo by Shutterstock
In November, Canadian travel magazine The Travel listed Sa Pa in Vietnam's northern highlands as one of 10 most ideal places in Asia to see snow this winter.
Located at an altitude of over 1,500 meters above sea level in Vietnam’s northwest mountains, Sa Pa is one of the rarest places in Vietnam where visitors can see white snow during the winter.
The winter season in Sa Pa lasts from December to February, when temperatures can plunge below zero, the landscape takes on a completely different look and there is the chance of seeing snow and ice on mountain peaks. Photo by Nguyen Van Thi
