This list of the most stunning cities in the world spans continents and centuries, but the entries are all united by one common thread: the ability to make you fall in love at first sight, the magazine wrote.

Hanoi secured the 22nd spot in the global ranking, followed by Southeast Asian representatives Luang Prabang of Laos and Singapore, which ranked 30th and 40th, respectively.

“Hanoi feels like a distilled version of Southeast Asia itself—elegant, timeworn, and delicious, all wrapped into a city that’s compact and (relatively) navigable. Its devotion to tradition has long charmed Western travelers, who often rank it among their favorite Asian capitals for its incense-filled temples, classic shop houses, and stately villas in the French Quarter. And while Hanoi continues to modernize, it hasn’t lost its romantic soul,” the magazine wrote.

Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates topped the list, followed by Amsterdam of the Netherlands and Antigua of Guatemala. Barcelona of Spain and Bergen of Norway completed the top five, while Bruges of Belgium, Buenos Aires of Argentina and Cape Town of South Africa rounded out the top 10.

Australian writer shares impressions of Hanoi’s “Five City Gates” tourist train

Australian newspaper The Age on February 25 published an article by travel writer Julie Miller highlighting a new and safer way to experience Hanoi’s famed Train Street – aboard the “Hanoi Five City Gates” tourist train.