The Word Ha Noi

Located on the Chinese border, Lang Son is often relegated to the somewhere-in-between status. Through his lens and in his own words, Irish-Vietnamese photographer Quang Nong tells us an alternative story of his hometown

For those who’ve had their fill of the culture of Asia and the bright lights of Europe, an African safari seductively beckons. James Pham explores the world of overlanding. Photos by James Pham

The turbulence of the last 150 years has meant that much of Vietnam’s architectural heritage has been erased. Take, for example, the labyrinthine alleyways of Hanoi's Old Quarter. Few of the shop houses in this maze of 36 streets are original. Villages such as Co Nhue, Yen Phu and An Duong that have been absorbed into the wider area of Hanoi have shared the same fate. The traditional brick-built, wooden-framed houses erected around a central courtyard have been knocked down. The land has been divided into smaller blocks, and over time newer, multi-storey edifices have emerged built from concrete and cheap brick.

In the first of a series of articles, we take excursions close to Hanoi. On this trip we head to the fresh milk capital of the north, Ba Vi. Words by Alex Field

This eco resort is further proof that being green is not synonymous with camping. Visitors to Mango Bay on Phu Quoc Island get luxury treatment while staying in one of the 40 rooms and bungalows constructed out of natural materials on the island that spread across 20 hectares of indigenous forest.