After featuring Pnom Penh, the NY Times Travel section now published a review on another Southeast Asian city: Hanoi, Vietnam

On the piece “The Awakening of Hanoi” the writer described Hanoi with these words:

A stylish, European-influenced metropolis with manicured lakeside promenades, tree-lined boulevards, ancient pagodas and French-colonial buildings painted in a peeling palette of jade, turquoise and burgundy.

Located at the northern part of the country, this current capital of Vietnam was once was was the capital of North Vietnam from 1945 to 1976 and home to about 3 million people.

Check out these links for more information about Hanoi:

• Hanoi, Vietnam (Wikipedia)
• Hanoi, Vietnam (Wikitravel)
• Traveling to Hanoi (Lonely Planet) 

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For majority of people, Asia is just a big foreign continent. The Oriental, the Far East, but what exactly to go if you want to visit “Asia”?

Check out this list of 12 Destinations in Asia that make the continent what it is.

1. Guangzhou, China. To the British it was Canton. The city is over 2200 year old. It is littered with temples and pagodas - and with old markets and new shopping malls. If Shanghai is the Whore of the East, this is where she bought her dress.

2. Goa, India. On this former Portuguese colony, 75 miles of its coast line, over 50 miles of it, is beach.

3. Suzhou, China. Perhaps the most beautiful place in China. Suzhou. The city could remind a Westerner of Venice. Canals and street are interlaced.

4. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has become famous in recent years for its seven star hotel, perfect beaches, and relaxed atmosphere.

5. Beijing. Possibly the most visited city in Asia. Places to see in Beijing:

• The Confucius Temple
• The Summer Palaces
• Tiananmen Square
• The Ming Tombs
• The Western Qing Tombs
• The Great Wall

6. Xi’an, China. Six thousand year of history. And perhaps most famous for the Terracotta Warriors discovered there in 1974.

7. Henan Province, China. The cradle of Chinese civilization. The attractions in Henan are numerous. Among them:

• The Shaolin Temple
• Dengfeng and the Songshan Mountains
• The Longmen Grottoes
• Kaifeng: Memorial Temple of Lord Bao, the Iron Pagoda (Tie Ta) and Xiangguo Temple.
• Luoyang: Guanlin Temple, Ancient Tombs, and the White Horse Temple.

8. Tibet. The roof of Asia. Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, is a fascinating city of history and culture.

9. Bangkok, Thailand. Its reputation for fast living combine with traditional values and easy atmosphere has made it an exciting place to visit. The world comes here to wheel and deal, to shop and relax.

10. Angkor, Cambodia. The great temple-city complex of Cambodia is bigger in reality, the complex alone covers some 500 acres of land and is rich enough to spend much more than a single day at without actually wasting your time.

11. Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. Famous for slim young girls walking elegantly down the avenues in the white ao dai suits unique to Vietnam - pants with a knee length shirt that has a slit up to the belt line. Despite all the things to do, it is the people, the hospitality, and the street scenes that make this city an essential Asian experience.

12. Bali, Indonesia. The island is Asia in a capsule in many ways: Idyllic beaches and lofty mountains together in one package. Bali is a Hindu culture left over from the days before Indonesia because the world’s most populous Islamic country.

For more destinations and travel guide of Asia, check out this page from Wikitravel Asia.

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Basically you will need Visa to enter Vietnam unless your country have signed a bilateral or unilateral visa exemption agreement with Vietnam.

You can apply for Vietnamese Tourist Visa in Vietnamese embassies or consulates abroad.

Otherwise, you can get a visa at the border gates if you are invitees of some Vietnamese competent organs or you are travelling on a package tour organized by Vietnamese travel companies.

Requirements to apply for Vietnamese Visa:

+ Entry permit form (which can vary from one Vietnamese embassies or consulate abroad to another) - There are two categories of this form: for foreigners and for Vietnamese overseas.
+ Two photos (4cmx6cm or 3cmx4cm)
+ Original passport
+ Visa fee

List of countries where its citizens are eligeble for Visa Exempetion:

+ Not more than 30 days: for citizens of Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Laos.

+ Not more than 15 days: for citizens of Japan and South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland.

+ Three months: for French citizens

+ Not more than 60 days: for Chile citizens

More information as well as Visa form sample can be found here: Visa Procedure - Vietnam Tourism.com

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Special program in March from airasia depart from/to Bangkok Airport. These prices are exclusive tax and fuel surcharge.

Booking Period: 8 Mar 2006 - 23 Mar 2006

Travel Period: 1 Apr 2006 - 28 Oct 2006

International low fares

- Singapore from THB699 / SGD 28.88

- Penang from THB699 / RM 69.99

- Hanoi from THB999 / US$ 25

Domestic low fares:

- Surat Thani from THB 499 (US$ 13)

- Krabi from THB 499 (US$ 13)

Visit airasia for online booking!

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