When I first showed up in Vietnam in 1992, Coca Cola was not readily available, nor was Pepsi. A trade embargo was in effect. American companies could not sell in Vietnam. And so, back then, we drank Tribeco soda, which wasn’t all that bad. After the embargo, consumer brands dipped their toes in Vietnam’s waters....
HUE, Vietnam — Twenty years after Vietnam emerged from decades of war and privation, lighting up on the radar screens of travelers worldwide, maturation of the country's hospitality industry reached a new milestone this month as La Residence Hotel & Spa appointed Phan Trong Minh as its new general manager. The Hue native succeeds a...
SINGAPORE— GHM, the 20-year-old luxury hotel group that has opened the door to some of Asia’s most exotic locales, is appointing hospitality heavyweight Hansjörg Meier as senior vice president. Meier, a Swiss native with a prominent 34-year career on the international hospitality landscape, will oversee GHM’s hotel and resort operations, as well as the upcoming...
When I was traveling into Vietnam’s most out-of-the-way pockets in 2005, reporting for National Geographic’s first travel book on Vietnam, I would ask my guides about sightings of the region’s most charismatic animals. Outside Kontum, gazing at the distant peak of Chu Mom Ray, my guide Nguyen Do Huynh, told me that 5-6 tigers were...
BANGKOK — As China continues its ascent to the top of the world’s economic rankings, one travel company is lifting the lid on some of the country’s richest tourism assets. Backyard Travel’s five newest tours delve beyond the familiar Forbidden City and Great Wall and into such little-known treasures as the ancient village of Hongcun...
HOI AN, Vietnam — Less than a month after celebrating its sixth anniversary, Vietnam's most distinguished resort is raising a glass to a new face and a renovated space. The Nam Hai Hoi An welcomes Anthony Gill, who takes over as general manager after spending almost two years overseeing La Residence Hotel & Spa, another...
HANOI, Vietnam — The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi found favor last month with the two most prestigious travel magazines in North America, winning spots on Travel + Leisure’s and Condé Nast Traveler’s top hotel awards list – the T+L 500 and the Gold List, respectively. The awards capped a year of winning ways for the...
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — A 115-year-old municipal theatre designed by French architects is the centrepiece of a newluxury holiday showcasing Vietnam’s colourful culture in the heart of its most progressive metropolis. The Caravelle Hotel’s ‘Opera Nights’ package aims to amplify the echoes of Ho Chi Minh City in its early days, as a...
