QUẢNG NAM — The popularity of Hội An, a top tourist destination in Việt Nam, continues to grow. Its latest landmark achievement is making it to second place on the list of 10 safest and most exciting places on the earth for solo travellers compiled by US travel site Momondo.

Unlike HCM City and Hà Nội, Hội An casts a spell over backpackers with its tranquility and slow pace of life, the site said.

“Motorbikes are banned in the town centre, so take a stroll past the yellow houses with their old red-tiled roofs and admire the street-side cafes and picturesque historical homes lining canals and winding alleyways.”

It’s best to cycle to the pristine An Bàng Beach around 3km away from the town, it said.

The beach, home to fishing villages and providing a romantic setting for couples, is best enjoyed between May and September and has been raved about by leading global travel magazines.

For many, Hội An is not just a collection of 16th century houses for which the former port city has been recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

A cuisine native to the ancient town, influenced by many different cultures from Japan, China and Portugal, is a major part of its attraction too. — VNS