Hanoi, Hoi An among Eid Al Fitr holiday ideas to get you packing

Hanoi Old Quarter

Hanoi and Hoi An have been named among eight Eid Al Fitr holiday ideas to get you packing, according to a list released by Gulf News, a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Eid Al Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

 For travelers who look to step back into the pages of history, Gulf News picked the culturally rich Hanoi and Hoi An as the ideal Eid getaway.

 Vietnam’s capital Hanoi is a great city bursting with a cultural cocktail of Chinese, French and Southeast Asian influences. “From the chaos of the Old Quarter to the Dong Xuan Market, it’s a city to get lost in,” Gulf News wrote.

 Hanoi is also the starting point for the Ha Long Bay tour. If time permits, do book yourself into a cruise aboard a Vietnamese junk. However, the adjacent Bai Tu Long Bay cruise is now drawing tourists’ preference because it takes you further afield into the Unesco Heritage Park, with days spent kayaking in the pristine waters and evenings spent dining in hidden caves lit up by a thousand candles.

 Another Vietnam’s favorite place recommended by Gulf News is the ancient city of Hoi An, a town nestled amid a plethora of canals the French Colonial and Chinese architecture.

Days spent exploring its rich history is coupled with evenings spent wandering through its busy riverside food market are the charms of this little town. If you have time, rent a bike and cycle down country roads to experience the simple life.

 In the first three months of 2019, Hanoi welcomed more than 7.4 million visitors, a rise of 10.6% year-on-year, of the total, 1.8 million were foreigners, a 15.5% increase from a year earlier, and 5.6 million were domestic tourists, up 9% over the same period last year.