A tourist sits on a cliff on top of Pha Luong Mountain in Son La Province in northern Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Meo Gia
U.S. News lists Vietnam as one of 30 best solo travel destinations alongside neighbors Singapore and Thailand.
The increasing popularity of solo travel has trained the spotlight on safe destinations. The U.S. News newspaper recommends a solo vacation in Vietnam, which it describes as “a safe destination with friendly locals and outstanding cuisine.”
It’s best to drop into local restaurants and try signature dishes that have made Vietnamese cuisine famous, like pho – rice noodles soup with beef or chicken, bun cha – grilled pork with rice vermicelli, and fried spring roll nem.
The paper also lists Saigon and Hanoi, the country’s two largest cities, among its best attractions.
Beaver Creek in the U.S. topped the solo travel list, followed by Grand Cayman in the U.K and Paris in France. Singapore and Thailand are the other two Southeast Asian destinations in the list.
Earlier this year, TripAdvisor readers ranked Vietnam as one of the 10 best places to go in the world.
The ancient town of Hoi An last June was named among the 10 safest and most exciting places on this earth for solo travelers compiled by travel editors at Momondo, a U.K. based travel site.
Last year, the U.K. lifestyle site Good Housekeeping listed Ho Chi Minh City as one of the 10 friendliest places on earth for solo trips , based on solo bookings data from Airbnb, an accommodation service that allows people to list their homes and hotels for holiday rentals.