Asia
Ten Days in Laos Without Racing the Map
The old version of this itinerary attempted Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Nong Khiaw, Muang Ngoi and the Plain of Jars in…
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Asia
Vang Vieng at River Speed
An inner tube is a poor vehicle for ambition. This is part of its appeal. The Nam Song River moves through Vang…
Asia
The Road Through Ha Giang
Everything about Ha Giang makes you want to look away from the road. This is a terrible instinct. The loop runs through…
Asia
Five Ways Into Vietnamese Food
Vietnamese food is often introduced as a neat list: pho, banh mi, spring rolls, coffee, repeat. It is an efficient way to…
Asia
Hoi An Is Not the Venice of Anywhere
Calling Hoi An the “Venice of Southeast Asia” does neither place a favor. Yes, there is water. There are also lanterns, boats…
Asia
Vietnam’s Beaches Are Not One Trip
Vietnam has more than three thousand kilometers of coastline, which makes a list of its “best beaches” about as useful as a…
Asia
Sapa Beyond the Viewpoints
Sapa is sold through one image: green rice terraces curving beneath misty mountains. The landscape is real. The timing is not guaranteed.…
Asia
Two Weeks in Vietnam Without Pretending It Is Small
Vietnam looks narrow on a map, which has encouraged generations of travelers to mistake it for small. The old version of this…
Asia
Five Days in Singapore Without Treating It Like a Layover
Singapore is often given forty-eight hours and a list of photogenic architecture. Five days allows a better question: how did a small…
Asia
A Night Out in Singapore Should Not Depend on a Secret List
The old version of this post was a list of Singapore speakeasies, complete with addresses, passwords and breathless descriptions of unmarked doors.…