HCM CITY  —  HCM City ranks third in a list of the 10 best places to visit in Asia in 2018 released this week by UK travel magazine Rough Guides.

With more than 3.83 million foreign arrivals in the first half of this year, the city continues to soar up the popularity charts, seducing globetrotters with its local music scene, craft beers, street food, and nightlife.  

“Ageing apartment blocks are being colonised by vintage clothes stores and independent coffee shops, innovative breweries….and it appears this buzzing Asian megalopolis is in no danger of going out of style,” the site said.

International visitors to HCM City spent $145 a day on average and stayed for 5.21 days last year, according to a survey carried out by the city Department of Tourism and Statistics Bureau.

The South Korean city of Busan topped the list, followed by Uzbekistan. Nagasaki in Japan, Chiang Mai in Thailand, Lumbini in Nepal, and Sichuan in China also made the list.

Rough Guides released last April a list of the eight best night experiences in Southeast Asia, and HCM City was named the place to go for a good nightlife experience. — VNS