With 99 million souls and a coastline stretching for 2,000 miles from north to south, there are plenty of people to meet and a lot to see, do, and eat in Vietnam, according to author Claire Boobbyer.
Topping the list was Hanoi, a city described as being noisy, traffic-choked, and beautiful all at once. The thousand-year-old city of lakes was founded on a bend in the Red River and is full of history, charm, museums, shops, markets, and wonderful street food.
The capital was followed by Ha Giang, an otherworldly landscape of sugarloaf peaks, mountain passes, and rice paddies carved into impossibly steep mountains, along with Pu Luong and Mai Chau which can be found amid green rice paddies.
Ha Long Bay, along with tourist destinations in the central region such as Hue City, Da Nang, Hoi An, Ninh Van Bay in the southcentral province of Khanh Hoa, Da Lat City in the Central Highlands region, and Ho Chi Minh City all made the Top 10 list.
The Mekong Delta region claimed 11th position. Here, travelers will find a mostly rural way of life with floating markets, temples, and churches, and market farms harvesting coconut, bananas, mangos, and vegetables, The Times wrote.
Elsewhere, 12th place went to Con Dao archipelago. Today, this remote island off the south coast of Vietnam is a nature paradise which is an internationally recognised (by Ramsar) wetland area and home to the most important location for nesting sea turtles in the country, the newspaper shared.
