Hoi An beats Hanoi, Saigon to crack TripAdvisor’s global travel list

The charming, well-preserved town in central Vietnam is loved for its lantern festival and tailor shops.

Vietnam’s beloved town Hoi An has proved its charm once again as TripAdvisor users have chosen it among the world's best destinations.

The town claimed the 13th position in the top 25 best destinations in this year's Travelers’ Choice Awards.

It is praised as a "well-preserved" example of Southeast Asian trading ports of the 15th-19th centuries.

According to TripAdvisor, the biggest highlight of the central coastal town is the lantern festival held on the 14th day of each lunar month, when “the town trades its electric lights for traditional colored lanterns.”

The site also recommended visits to the 400-year-old Japanese Bridge and the three-century-old Fukian Assembly Hall.

Tailor shops are another best part of Hoi An as tourists are told to “let the town’s expert tailors make you some bespoke clothing.”

Indonesian Buddhist island Bali claimed the top spot for the first time in the TripAdvisor list, published on Tuesday. European cities dominate the top 10.

Travelers’ Choice Award winners are determined using an algorithm that takes into account the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings published on the TripAdvisor website for hotels, restaurants and attractions in destinations worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.

Hoi An ranked fourth in the regional top 25 for Asia, which also included Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese capital slipped from the global list — it stood at the eighth position last year, down four spots from 2015.

It has been a good year for Hoi An’s tourism. The town’s An Bang Beach also made TripAdvisor’s list of 25 most beautiful beaches in Asia, for the second year.

Hoi An received more than 1.3 million foreigners last year, up 26 percent against 2015, according to official data.

Top 10 Travelers’ Choice Destinations - World

1. Bali, Indonesia

2. London, U.K.

3. Paris, France

4. Rome, Italy

5. New York, U.S.

6. Crete, Greece

7. Barcelona, Spain

8. Siem Reap, Cambodia

9. Prague, Czech Republic

10. Phuket, Thailand

11. Istanbul, Turkey

12. Jamaica

13. Hoi An, Vietnam

14. St. Petersburg, Russia

15. Roatan, Bay Islands

By VnExpress