The US-based magazine Reader’s Digest recently named Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the two largest cities in Vietnam, among the most popular travel destinations in Asia.
Reader’s Digest described Hanoi as a “feast for the senses” from its “picturesque temples and pagodas to vibrant markets”.
It highlighted the harmonious combination between modern and historical features in the Vietnamese capital city.
Coming to Hanoi, tourists can stroll around the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, visit the creepily fascinating Hoa Lo Prison turned museum, and admire traditional Vietnamese architecture at the Temple of Literature, the former site of a Confucian academy, the magazine stated.
A corner of Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City is well-known for its many attractive tourist sites, such as the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the 19th-century Central Post Office, and the Ben Thanh market “overflowing with food, handicrafts, and souvenirs”.
The incense-filled Jade Emperor Pagoda, War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, and Giac Lam Pagoda are also must-visit places in the city, Reader’s Digest said, insisting that visitors should not leave without touring the fruit orchards, paddy fields, and marshlands of the Mekong Delta.
The remaining Asian destinations in the Reader’s Digest list included Tokyo (Japan), Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Beijing (China), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Kyoto (Japan), Seoul (Republic of Korea), Macau (China), Hong Kong (China) and Sri Lanka.