Phan Dinh Phung Street is one of Hanoi's most romantic roads. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi has been listed among the 12 best places worldwide to travel this fall by the United States' CNN Travel.
According to CNN Travel, Asia tourism generally has been the slowest to bounce back, but Vietnam "is the real bright spot right now."
It said that autumn in the city is drier and cooler after the monsoon season. However, the city has plenty to keep foodies satiated. "Cha ca" (fish cooked with turmeric and dill) is so popular that a street was named after the dish. Hanoi-style Banh tom (shrimp cakes) is another must-try."
The US-based news site highly recommended visitors ramble around the city's Old Quarter with its historical streets and shops trading in jewellery, fabrics and flowers.
"The Old Quarter of the capital is a must-do for tourists. Explore its quaint alleys and streets by foot or by motorbike. And go hungry because you'll want to sample the food."
CNN said a motorbike tour through the quarter dotted with ancient houses, French colonial buildings, cafes and food stalls is also a must-try experience.
"Also, you can visit Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre of the Old Quarter for an autumn respite."
It also encouraged tourists to drop by Dong Ngac, a "village of scholars" on the outskirts of Hanoi that has barely changed in centuries. It's one of a few villages in Hanoi to retain its cultural features and historical architectural style despite the impacts of rapid urbanisation.
The CNN Travel list also included Mexico City, Madrid of Spain, Samoa, Greenville of the US, Egypt, Cape Town of South Africa, US-Canada Atlantic cruises, Bavaria of Germany, Buenos Aires of Argentina, Hawaii of the US, and the Azores of Portugal.
The capital city has also been named among Tripadvisor's top 25 popular destinations in Asia and sixth on the global list this year.
According to Tripadvisor, the city has "aged well, preserving the Old Quarter, monuments and colonial architecture, while making room for modern developments alongside".
It also ranked first among the ten cheapest cities to live in the world, selected by the US's World Packers. The city is a multicultural and historical city known for architecture, street food, nightlife, and vast history.
Together with Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc Island, Hanoi was listed among the world's 100 greatest places to explore on earth in 2021 by the US Time magazine.
The city was also on the list of the "Best Cities for a Workation" released by the UK travel website Holidu, ranking 18th among the 147 cities globally, and named among the top 50 cities responding the best to the COVID-19 pandemic by the UK's Deep Knowledge Analytics.
Hanoi welcomed about 8.61 million tourists, including some 211,300 foreigners, in the first half of 2022, nearly tripling the figure in the same period last year.
The city's tourism revenue in the first half of 2022 amounted to approximately 25.2 trillion VND (1.08 billion USD), more than three times higher than the figure in the first six months of 2021.
Local hotels rated 1-5 stars recorded an average occupation rate of over 30%, up 6.11% year-on-year.
The capital city, home to 24 recognised tourist destinations, is offering a series of enticing products to attract tourists given its reopening of the local tourism industry. These include night tours at Hoa Lo Prison and Thang Long ancient citadel; a northern mountainous wet market programme at Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Son Tay township; and Hanoi City Tour by double-decker buses./.
