Vietnamese village among world's 16 most beautiful coastal places

Vietnam's Cua Van village was ranked ninth among 16 world's beautiful coastal towns by New York-based travel magazine Travel + Leisure.

"Located in Vietnam’s dramatic Halong Bay, with lush mountains as a backdrop, this little village is completely composed of floating homes," it wrote.

"About 700 people (traditionally fishermen) live in anchored houseboats, with kids attending a floating school. Cua Van has become a popular tourist attraction, as visitors want to see this unique way of life for themselves," the magazine added.

Out of the four villages in Ha Long Bay, Cua Van fishing village is the top attraction. Situated on a calm bay surrounded by mountains, 20km away from the tourist boat wharf, Cua Van is a tranquil haven for travelers who want to experience the authentic lives of the local people. Another reason to pay a visit to the village is that it is also home to an interesting marine and coastal ecosystem.

The other destinations in the list in order are Polperro (England), Saint George’s (Bermuda), Manarola (Italy), Camden (Maine), Kotor (Montenegro), Lunenburg (Canada), Sidi Bou Said (Tunisia), Cadaqués (Spain), Ilulissat (Greenland), Oia (Greece), Paternoster (South Africa), Rovinj (Croatia), Reine (Norway), Port Fairy (Australia) and Sausalito (California).

In mid-January, the New York-based travel magazine honored the incense village Quang Phu Cau on the outskirts of Hanoi as Pantone's 2023 "color destinations".

"Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations - called Tet in Vietnam - you'll find hundreds of bright-pink incense sticks fanned out like bouquets along the streets and courtyards," the magazine wrote.

Pantone, a multinational corporation headquartered in New Jersey, U.S., is best known for its Pantone Color Matching System, a copyrighted color space commonly used in a variety of industries, mostly printing and the paint, plastic and textile manufacturing industries.