Legacy Yen Tu - MGallery - Luxury hotel - The Guardian

“Devout Buddhists have long made pilgrimages to Yen Tu mountain, two hours east of Hanoi, but a new village complex at the foot of the sacred peak is now welcoming tourists too. It has a design hotel, the Legacy Yen Tu (doubles from £128 B&B) but there are also hostel beds for £12 a night. Climbing the four miles to the 1,068-metre summit takes at least four hours, but two cable cars can take some of the strain. Also in north Vietnam, as backpackers’ favourite Sapa gets built up, a quieter landscape of hills and rice terraces can be found at Pu Luong nature reserve, a four-hour bus ride south-west of Hanoi. There are several homestays, plus Pu Luong Retreat (dorm beds £13, doubles £85, both including breakfast) with open-air restaurant, infinity pool and gardens. Trek in the hills or try bamboo rafting, kayaking and cycling. InsideAsia Tours can include Pu Luong on a tailormade trip.”