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Cindy Fan

I'm a travel writer with a passion and skill for both storytelling and crafting carefully researched guides. A Laos and Vietnam expert, I’ve been writing travel guides professionally since 2014. My global stories on food, culture, under-the-radar destinations, unique outdoor experiences and wildlife/conservation have appeared in leading international publications including TIME, Fodor's, The Independent and CNN Travel.

Vietnam - Laos - Mexico - Montana - Switzerland - and beyond

TIME •

Ho Chi Minh City Metro: World's Greatest Places 2025

Twelve years after construction began, the first-ever metro line in Vietnam’s largest city opened in December. The arrival of mass rapid transit is an achievement for a megapolis famous for its motorbike-choked roads. (The city of 9 million has more than 7 million motorbikes.) The $1.7 billion project, largely financed by loans from Japan, was initially greenlit in 2007 with a $668 million budget and an opening planned for 2018, but ballooning costs and funding shortages led to numerous delays....
TIME •

Boca de Agua: World's Greatest Places 2024

With tourism awash in greenwashing, a new boutique property in Quintana Roo has boldly made sustainability its DNA. Boca de Agua’s mission was to create a hospitality project that regenerates and preserves nature. The result, designed by renowned Mexican architect Frida Escobedo (winner of the 2024 Le Prix Charlotte Perriand), features 22 treehouse-style villas immersed in the jungle on the brilliantly blue Lagoon of Seven Colors. The suites and walkways float on pillars and are carefully built...
TIME •

Natural Selection’s Guided Cycling Safari: World's Greatest Places 2024

Cycling safaris are gaining in popularity because they’re active, immersive, and more sustainable than traditional safari models. More importantly, they’re exhilarating—nothing compares to the thrill of viewing game from a saddle, and venturing where noisy diesel-powered Land Cruisers can’t. Botswana specialists Natural Selections is blazing a trail with a multi-day cycling safari, the first of its kind in the Okavango Delta, home to one of Africa’s greatest concentrations of wildlife. Following...
Wanderlust •

How to spend a unique winter in Canada with Wexas - advertorial

The delicate flutter of falling snowflakes. Deep breaths of clean alpine air. Merry laughter round a roaring fire after a day of fun in the snow. Winter is a magical time to visit Canada, and there’s far more to it than just skiing in Whistler. Wexas crafts tailor-made journeys featuring enchanting experiences that connect you to the country’s festive spirit. From viewing the mesmeric Aurora Borealis and dogsledding in the Yukon, to staying at a hotel made of ice and immersing in over 400 years...
The Australian •

Three wildly spontaneous train journeys from Zurich

Coming to the station without a plan feels like a sin. Planning and preparation are  tenets of Swiss culture, but the irony is that micromanaging is virtually unnecessary. When I enter a destination into my Swiss railway app, all upcoming departures and routes appear, which may include trains, buses, cable cars and boats. There is no need to purchase tickets days in advance or fight for seat reservations like in France or Italy. Select the departure time and buy the flat-fare ticket before stepp...
TIME •

Luang Prabang, Laos

Turquoise waterfalls, Buddhist temples, and sunset boat trips on the Mekong are just a few of Luang Prabang’s highlights. Despite its remote location in the jungled mountains of Laos, the former royal capital is not just for backpackers.After a two-year border closure, a new $6 billion high-speed railway from China to Thailand now runs from the Chinese city of Kunming to the Laotian capital, Vientiane. The train turns the once 12-hour bus ride from Vientiane to Luang Prabang into a scenic two ho...
TIME •

Medellín, Colombia: World's Greatest Places 2023

Today, nearly 30 years after Pablo Escobar’s death, visitors to Colombia’s second largest city enjoy trendy cafés and vibrant nightlife in upscale neighborhoods El Poblado and Laureles. They take in street art, break dancing, and freestyle rap in district Comuna 13, the former epicenter of violent gang warfare. Medellín’s radical turnaround (during Escobar’s reign, news outlets labeled it “the most dangerous city in the world”) into one of Latin America’s most innovative cities is often describe...
The Independent •

Mexico travel guide: Everything you need to know before you go

With balmy beaches spread across 9,350 km of coastline, rich culture and history, beautifully preserved colonial towns, warm hospitality and mouthwatering cuisine, it’s no wonder that Mexico is one of the most visited destinations in the world. The multifaceted country is bursting with life, flavour and diversity. Whether you crave nightlife, fun in the sun or spiritual solitude; jungle, mountain, ocean or desert; mellowing out in a charming pueblito or going full throttle in one of the greatest...
The Australian •

A river for all seasons

It’s summertime in Bern, capital of Switzerland. I’ve joined hundreds of people swimming down the frigid Aare (pronounced Ar-reh) River and we’re all whooping and laughing like children.The scenario is inconceivable in many ways. First, I’ve voluntarily jumped into 19C water. Though this is considered warm by Aare standards, it took every iota of courage and a torrent of cursing to get in. The 288km-long waterway is fed by glacier meltwater from the Swiss Alps. The temperature can rise to 22C, i...
Horizon Guides •

Vietnam Travel Guide - Horizon Guides

Venture outside of the cities and it doesn’t take long to find yourself immersed in a traditional rural world of agriculture and fishing. Imperial dynasty, French colonial and war-time vestiges remain — and some citizens continue to suffer from the legacy of Agent Orange and unexploded ordinances. But Vietnam isn’t focused on its turbulent past; nearly 100 million citizens are busy hustling for a brighter future. The result is a fascinating mix of old and modernity.
CNN •

Vietnam’s best beaches | CNN

Diverse. Unique. Memorable.

These words reflect the people of Vietnam but they can also describe the country’s countless beaches. Long and narrow, Vietnam boasts 2,140 miles of coastline – and that doesn’t include its many islands.

From lively and popular to unspoiled and wild, there’s a beach for every type of traveler. Some sun seekers flock to popular tropical hotspots such as Nha Trang while more adventurous souls motorbike the entire length of c...
CNN •

Long Beach | CNN Travel

Sunsets and somnambulation in a jungle-cloaked idyll

Chances are that once you’ve flopped into the hammock on Phu Quoc Island, you’ll have forgotten you’re in Vietnam. The country of 96 million people is more famous for metropolises and motorbikes than tropical idylls. However, Vietnam’s largest island boasts incredible beaches including the aptly named Long Beach. Over 12 miles of clear water, soft beige sand and beachfront accommodation unfurls against a backdrop of languid palms and jungle-cloaked mountains.Adding to the confusion, Phu Quoc is...