Take in the history, food & architecture of Saigon’s most enchanting district solo or with friends & family! Cho Lon (often referred to as “Chinatown”) covers a large part of multiple districts in Ho Chi Minh City, however, this walk introduces you to just a small section of it (map included) and what is perhaps…
By Matt CowanChief Editor The Bureau Asia Vietnam has developed at an incredible pace over the past decade, at the same time increasing its potential as a destination for health and medical tourism. But is it ready for it and should people trust it? In the video below, I also introduce you to a recent…
Saigon has earned an enviable reputation for great street food, electric nightlife and friendly people, but it hasn’t always been this way. By Matt CowanChief Editor The Bureau Asia Saigon has a reputation for some of the best street food in Vietnam, friendly people and pretty awesome nightlife. It’s a lot of fun to be…
Press Release The Bureau Asia The largest travel event in Vietnam is set to take place on September 7-9, 2023 at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. The 17th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC) – themed Connectivity, Growth, Sustainability – will offer three full days of opportunities to network with international and…
But visas are just the beginning, history tells us that we need to work hard in order to keep tourists coming back By Matt CowanChief Editor The Bureau Asia The relief was palpable on social media travel pages in Vietnam this past week after the National Assembly approved a government proposal to extend the validity…
Cambodia has changed a lot since I visited as an energetic backpacker 20 years ago, but what I soon find is that not all change is good By Matt CowanChief Editor The Bureau Asia Recently I spent a week in Cambodia where I visited the tropical southern island of Koh Rong, the laid-back town of…
Built by the French in the 1930s, Cambodia’s railway network was brought to a halt by the Khmer Rouge, now it’s getting back on track By Matt CowanChief Editor The Bureau Asia Here’s one for the train nerds. Cambodia’s national railway network was built in the 1930s, but it gradually fell into disuse with the…
20 years on from my last visit to the Kingdom, nothing prepared me for the shock of how expensive Cambodia has become By Matt CowanChief Editor The Bureau Asia This may come as a surprise, but until my trip to Cambodia this month, it’d been 20 years since I set foot in the Kingdom. Why…
Need someone to design a luxurious resort in the most inaccessible location on the planet? Then Bill Bensley is your man By Matt CowanChief Editor The Bureau Asia In this podcast episode, I interview the incomparable Bill Bensley who’s brought to life more than 200 hotels and resorts in over 30 countries, including five amazing…
By Matt CowanChief Editor The Bureau Asia I interview highly-respected Australian journalist, food writer and restaurant critic John Lethlean who went motorbike riding in the north of Vietnam for a couple of weeks during his holiday in September. John’s been writing about hospitality and reviewing restaurants for more than 25 years for some of Australia’s…
