Your guide to the five must-see beaches in Vietnam.

By Justin Calderon

Vietnam, a country reminiscent of a war-torn epic that rang of rock-and-roll, decadence, and destruction­ was, up until recently, visited by only the adventurous traveler. Though late in its arrival as a member of part of the Southeast Asian travel belt, today this crescent-shaped land with innate tropical beauty has attracted international appeal, leading to an influx of budget tourists and luxury travelers alike from across the globe.

Cheap, tropical, mysteriously alluring — Vietnam’s climate provides the perfect beach vacation, while offering ample opportunity to peek down one of history’s infamous alleyways. Travelers will find a gamut of beaches dotting the coast including chill backpacker hangouts, luxurious resort getaways and sleepy fishing villages. From Central Da Nang to the southern capital of Saigon — north to south — lie five beaches every traveler should check out in their quest for the perfect beach in Vietnam.

1) Hoi An

Hoi An is an enclave of beautifully preserved yellow and blue buildings that makes you feel like you just stepped back in time into an 18th-century trading post. Sapphire waters lie on the other side of a 10-minute bike ride north through stagnant rice paddies, old French colonial villas, and the occasional propaganda billboard. The beachfront of the famed China Beach — the beach where soldiers were sent for R&R during the war — makes up the southern stretch. Recently named one of the most luxurious beaches in the world by Forbes, this white sand beach is home to comfy resorts and secluded swaths of sand.

Hoi An, however, has much more to offer than just a beach. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1999, this coastal village was once known as the premier trading post in Southeast Asia for the Chinese and Japanese. A bike ride around town takes you back to life in a small far-flung trading settlement. However, since the influx of visitors, shoppers are more likely to come across trinkets and “made-to-measure” one-day tailors than authentic goods.

Market life is still prevalent next to the river where you will find fishermen paddling along in their boats, stirring up their catch of the day. For a sense of life before modern times, head into select buildings in the Old Quarter where you can view 200-year-old interiors that have been preserved for public viewing. (more…)

It’s that time of year again: Groundhog Day! Oh yeah, and it’s Trippy Awards season, where all the glamor and pizazz that is the travel video world comes out on display to the world.

But seriously, head over to TripFilms.com during February to vote for your favorite video, with the grand prize being an all-expense-paid trip to China (an award I lost last year to “Justin” — a feat not be repeated again this year due to Jutin being safely locked in my basement for the month).

86 events, 17 days, 5500 participants from 80 different countries, 3 billion television viewers, and 1 managing editor sent to stir up the pot and see what happens. Yes, the rumors are true: I will be loading up my camera, skis, tickets, and computer and heading to Whistler on February 9th for roughly a week, to see what all this Olympics hype is about (and to do my best tracking down the notoriously inept ski jumper from Calgary’s ’88 Olympics, Eddie “the Eagle” Edwards — he’s got to be nearby, right?).

Truly, though, I am extremely fortunate to have this opportunity. To many, the Olympic Games symbolize the coming together of people and cultures from all over the world. Despite its controversy, as there always seems to be at this event, I have always held the belief that the games mean more than winning a race of a sport that you never see but every four years. It is about representing your country, yourself, spirit, abilities, and seeing the best in people from different backgrounds.

Besides all that, how cool is the Skeleton (picture extreme headfirst sledding, in tights, somewhere within Avatar’s Pandora)? Where else do you see cross country skiers with rifles on their backs, or curling for that matter? This is stuff you just don’t see everyday!

To better follow the happenings, TheExpeditioner will put up a picture along the right hand side of the site, under the Features Section. So, keep an eye out for my daily Olympic dispatches from my time in Vancouver, Whistler, and everywhere in between.

I guess I will have to live vicariously through the internet when it comes to neat travel ideas happening back home in Toronto. Look out NYC, a wave of Torontonians are headed your way!

The Star gives us a heads up of what´s going to be happening February 24th to the 28th: a bus-load of Toronto´s art appreciators are road-trippin’ it to the Big Apple. The event, presented by the group METHINKS, was organized in order to soak in as much of the artistic culture from the city that never sleeps.

I assume that no one will be sleeping as the itinerary is extensive. Activities include: a jazz club in Harlem, a ¨cheap, fast, loud concert of some local punk-rock music,¨ having some good eats, and, of course, gallery hopping. The METHINKS website also brought to my attention that Toronto local, Nicholas Di Genova, has his solo exhibit happening simultaneously with the Canadian invasion at the Fredericks and Frasier Gallery. What chance!

The whole thing costs $414.95 (Canadian) which includes round-trip bus, hostels and activities. Could a trip to NYC be any better? Methinks not.

We’re going to be running a piece on Monday about the five must-see beaches in Vietnam, but in an effort to get everyone in a Southeast Asia state of mind (my first and likely last Billy Joel reference ever on this site) we’re taking a look at Budget Travel’s top seven secret islands of Southeast Asia.

From Ko Yao Noi, Thailand, where the “anything-goes, barefoot-friendly” atmosphere “that made Thailand so famous” still lives on, to the foodie paradise of Phu Quoc, Vietnam, where the islanders create perhaps the country’s best fish sauce — a tall claim — this guide is one of those painful things to read in the dead of winter (here at least).

This winter season is full of Olympic hype (more to come on my plans soon), and for the first time ever, Mongolians can join in the fun. In November, the country’s first ski resort opened outside of its capital, Ulan Bator. Who knows what Sky Resort will do to the legacy of Mongolian alpine skiing?

The NY Times reports that the mountain boasts a mere seven runs, two lifts, and about 675 vertical feet, which doesn’t sound like much, but a Matador community member, fresh off the runs, says it’s the Sky Resort’s lodge facilities that make your trip worth it: “spacious facility made a pretty convincing case for a legitimate ‘resort,’ comparable to something back in America.” So, if you have some time to kill this winter, I suggest you opt for this side trip; full day lift tickets cost around 16,000 tugrik, or about $11. Everyone’s looking for new terrain, right?

One of those seven runs is reported to be groomed for ski racing. I thought Japan’s team was going to surprise people at this year’s games, but perhaps I should rethink that prediction . . .

This week, the Globe summarized what traveling ought to be, no matter where you go: experiencing authentic culture. Although Northern Mozambique may be a haven for the elite, true culture can still be experienced at Mozambique Island, a UNESCO-protected island.

Leaf, with help from his host, Luis, decided to savor dinner at the night market with the locals. Once there, not only did he get a delicious meal, but he got to observe what makes Mozambique truly unique. “In the square we find a chaotic scene of laughing kids, flickering firelight and old women trading stories while grilling ears of corn.”

Sounds peaceful to me.

Not only did he describe the food as amazing, but the architecture holds some interesting history. The 17th-century governor’s palace was built with a Mediterranean feel with hopes that the King of Portugal would arrive. Apparently, they waited for 400 years, and still nothing.

The overall experience must have been magical, and at times even rustic. Nevertheless, sounds like an ideal way of travel: doing more than just seeing it.

Oh man, my dream job: a city tour guide — in Rome no less. Rome Walks, a walking tour company in The Eternal City, put together this handy vid, pointing out some tips for seeing the city, both on and off the beaten path.

Highlight: 2:22. “Wander down Vicolo de Cinque and you can find your favorite liqueur served in a chocolate cup.” Yes, please.

If you are bored and don’t know what to do this weekend, go to Mexico City. I know it sounds crazy. Most of my friends cocked their heads to one side with eyebrows raised when I told them I had done just that one weekend, but it’s worth it. The food is delicious, the flight is relatively short (depending on your departure city) and it’s easy on the wallet.

The NYT explored some ideas on what you could do on a 36-hour excursion to Latin America’s largest city. And, according to them, if you want to see the capital, now is the time to do it. With violence and swine flu on the rise (as portrayed by Western media), prices are slashed on hotels and flights in order to attract more tourists. Perhaps haute tourism is a good thing.

Nevertheless, the 36-hour itinerary spares no expense. It takes you all around the different neighbourhoods in order to highlight the few things you should experience. From French-Mexican fusion food to art at the Kurimanzutto Gallery to salsa dancing at a Drag Cabaret show, Mexico City has it all.

I would like to add a few things to the list if I may. Ahem. Street food in the Distrito Federal is better than most fine-dining, gastronomic delicacies you can find in other cities. Tacos de canastas, tacos from a canister, are amazing and affordable. You can find a vendor just outside of the Zocalo but you have to get there quick because the vendors only bring a few canisters per day. Other delectable delights are elotes, which are white, big-kerneled corn coated in mayo, rolled in cheese and chillies, and finally squirted with lime. You can find elote-vendors on pretty much every corner.

As for party barrios, I was too stuffed from all the food and too exhausted from the altitude. Perhaps another weekend in Mexico City is in order? Maybe get a chance to see the Aztec’s “floating gardens” or the Museo Frida Khalo? Claro.

• Cheap Lodging For The Olympics: The Olympics are just around the corner. If you’re on TheExpeditioner.com staff you’ll be attending (like Jon will be doing), and you can expect meager accommodations from your employer: a luxurious stay in the back of a rented van and clipped coupons for the local Tim Horton’s (sorry Jon — the budget’s a little tight this time of year).

For everyone else, why not save a little money and rent one of the many apartments being offered from local Vancouverites. Check out Rent2010.net for rooms at a fraction of the cost you’d find for a hotel. Jon, we’ll try to do better come 2014 in Russia.

• Dublin For $374: What else says “a rollicking good time in Dublin” then an Aer Lingus flight for you and three of your buds. Or, Aer Lingus introduces “The Hangover” special. The airline is running a promotion right now (apparently for the bachelor party set) where a group of four can buy four round-trip tickets for $1,498 total.

To Lima For Cheap: Flights to Peru have been really cheap, and they’re staying that way. LAN is offering flights from D.C. to Lima for only $339 + tax (around $416 total), and $359 from Miami.

In what has to be some of the best news to come to coach-class travelers since the inception of free headphones, Air New Zealand unveiled the “Skycouch,” a roll-out bed of sorts for your seats where you and your seatmate can lay down and grab some zzz’s.

Apparently, in what must be received as nothing less than disdain from those involved in AIDS research and renewable-energy exploration, according to the UK Times, “after two years locked away in a secret research facility, a team of designers, boat builders and airline executives unveiled a prototype of their solution . . . ‘[t]he days of sitting in economy and yearning to lie down and sleep are gone,’ said Rob Fyfe, the chief executive of Air New Zealand, which has spent several million pounds developing the concept.”

In all truthfulness, I have to say this is a great idea. Let me tick off the various ways I’ve slept on a plane: That time I stretched out on two seats heading to Colombia with my feet dangling in the aisle-way for everyone to bump into, and a certain seat divider resting someplace I need not mention; that 18-hour flight when I curled up with my head on the window, only to awaken to find my seatmate seemingly attempting to do the same — from the middle seat; and that time I got a fitful amount of sleep on an overnight flight — oh wait, that was every time I slept on a plane.

However, the kicker is that you and your sleepmate will have to shell out the money to buy that empty third seat so that you can lay down. Sigh. Just when I started to get my hopes up.

I had some relatively unfamiliar free time the other day and found myself reading an article titled “Cheap but Chic Destinations.” I have to admit, “chic” is not included in my vocabulary, but it was “cheap” that reeled me in. I sifted through the mandatory sentences that you would expect to see under this title, like “the free fall of the British Pound,” and “the Australian currency is just as battered . . .”

It continued: Iceland, Vegas, Montreal, but then, at the very bottom of the article was a place that has been on my radar lately (not because of it’s chic-ness, either), Nicaragua. The first sentence reads this, “Nicaragua has been called ‘the new Costa Rica’ for years, but the fact that it hasn’t taken off like its neighbor to the south shouldn’t give you concern.”

Concern? No. That’s reason for celebration. At $25/night on the Corn Islands, snorkeling and kayaking are steps away. To honor Matt’s diving extravaganza in Mozambique, how about 10 dives, including 2 night dives, for $330 through divelittlecorn.com?

Maybe I will quietly celebrate so that, hopefully, I am able to get there before it does take off.

This morning I saw somebody’s umbrella fly out of their hands and nearly take off a tourist’s head in the 45 m.p.h. winds that New York was experiencing all day. They were probably thinking, “This is what you get when you spring for cheap flights in the winter.”

It’s not all bad for visitors to New York this winter. Lines are short, hotels are discounted, and right now is the beginning of Restaurant Week, which means you have a choice of over 265 restaurants opening their doors for cheap (well, by New York standards) prix fixe meals. Plan before you go by visiting the City’s online search menu that lets you narrow it down my neighborhood and cuisine.

And if you’re in need of some ideas, Condé Naste is breaking down their top 10 restaurants this winter. From the perennial favorites, Balthazar and The Four Seasons, to some newer picks such as Blue Hill (where a certain President chooses to dine when he’s in town), and the very much buzzed about Aquavit that specializes in the best of Swedish cuisine.

For a little more expansive list, check out Eater’s “The 38 Essential New York Restaurants, Jan. ’10,” where they expand a bit from the island and seek out a few gems in Queens and Brooklyn as well.