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© ChrisYunker

Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi is a bustling metropolis of 6 million people, where you will encounter a lively cacophony of conversation, cars, clamor and chaos at every turn. The Vietnamese capital is a swirl of unfettered and colorful street capitalism that is moving forward at a rapid pace. Some Vietnam travel tips can come in handy for any tourist who is planning to visit this dynamic city.

First, you should know that there are no major international carriers serving Hanoi's Noi Bai airport directly from the US or Europe, so travelers must connect via flights from Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong or other Asian hubs. The best time to visit Hanoi is outside of the hottest season, which runs from May to September. Travelers from most countries will need visas to visit Vietnam, which are usually obtained ahead of time, though it is easy to procure one if you are crossing the border by land.

© Kossy@FINEDAYS

Vietnam travel Asia tips for Ho Chi Minh City can make your trip more enjoyable. Lori Fleening visited Ho Chi Minh City with her baby and has some useful advice for family travel. For example, she recommends take the Baby Bjorn carrier along with you because it makes traveling with a baby much more convenient. She also recommends a specific hotel in Ho Chi Minh City where she stayed called the Rex Hotel.

She notes that the staff was very attentive and helpful, but she recommends staying in a suite here rather than a regular room. The suites are much larger and the extra space is especially useful for accommodating the "baby cot" provided by the hotel for families with babies. Suites facing the street are not recommended because of the loud noise 24/7, but those on the inside are much quieter.

© ngotoh

Asia tours in Nepal are a fantastic way to experience the unspoiled natural environment of this Himalayan country. Travelers can stay at the Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in the heart of the Chitwan National Park, which boasts 360 square miles of some of the finest forest and grassland in Asia, not to mention elephants and tigers too.

Over the last half-century, tigers have become extinct in Korea, Java, Bali and China, where it's feared that the last Indo-Chinese tiger was eaten by a peasant in 2009. Poaching has brought these great cats to the brink of extinction in Siberia, Cambodia, Laos, Thaliand, Malaysia and Vietnam as well. Getting to Tiger Tops is quite a journey in itself, which involves a flight on a small plane, a drive over dirt roads in a Land Rover, crossing the Narayani river by kayak, and a drive through a forest of sal trees to the heart of what had once been private hunting grounds of the Nepalese kings.