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The Indochine Hotel is a great haven in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, making your initial landing in Vietnam pillow soft. It’s a small, family run inn that caters to casual and business travelers. The location makes walking to a lot of the sites in Old Saigon an easy exercise. They are happy to arrange a pickup at the airport upon your arrival, eliminating the negotiating and direction exchanges at the terminal curb. The rooms are spacious and pleasant. Security is reassuring and there is a lift. The ATM and convenience store next door makes establishing a stash of cash and treats just steps away. Pricing varies depending on the room and season, but it is a great value no matter when you stay. The included breakfast has Asian and Western offerings, all fresh and individually prepared to order. Staff are skilled in a variety of languages and generous with directions and recommendations. The website is sparse but inquiries get a quick response. Coming from the US, you’ll be so spaced-out from jet lag when you arrive, you won’t appreciate how good Indochine really is until you’ve left. If you want a welcoming introduction to Vietnam, make Indochine your first stop.

This Caribbean town looks like it’s straight out of Europe. Here’s why.

A sommelier travels to the birthplace of wine.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent food writer Francis Lam on a spontaneous journey to St. Vincent.

One angler’s trip to Oklahoma.

After crawling through a few of the tunnels that have been somewhat expanded for tourists and seeing the displays of recovered bombs, people who were not involved in the Vietnam War (called the American War there) can get a feeling of the horror that occurred during those years. A system of 125 miles of tunnels became almost a complete underground city. The picture offered above is the delivery bomb of cluster bombs from the U.S. The Vietcong recovered many of these and other unexploded bombs and used them against South Vietnam and the U.S. It is a sad place but worth going for a better understanding of why the U.S. lost this war.

A revived cultural scene mingled with medieval charm make this town in Brittany worth a visit.

In Scotland, a writer disconnects from civilization and discovers something much more. . . civilized.

Writer, Robert Mailer Anderson, shares his favorite places in the California small town Boonville.

A writer travels to the Horn of Africa to find the source of a global obsession.

Mumbai’s street snacks are all about fresh ingredients assembled on the spot.

The Vietnamese rise early and work hard, and a nourishing morning meal along with some rocket-fuel coffee goes a long way toward setting up the day. The breakfast staple is, of course, pho, and its warming goodness shouldn’t be missed. Western-style sustenance—from crepes to steak and eggs—is also easy to find within the city.

Writer David Thompson shares his favorite parts of living in Bangkok’s Dusit neighborhood.

Tea house owner, Gaynor Salisbury, shares her favorite spots in Edinburgh.

An artist living in East Amsterdam shares her favorite places to go.