Swat Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Behind the political instability, Pakistan still retains its captivating beauty, emanating from the year-round snow-capped mountain ranges, the pristine green valleys, or the steep cliffs waiting to be explored, such as in Swat Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, known as the "miniature Sweden" of Pakistan.
There are many places for tourists who love to explore such as Mahodand Lake, Ushu Forest, Malam Jabba... or historical sites. You can also go to the hilltop observation stations in Bahrain and Malam Jabba to enjoy panoramic views of the mountains and winding rivers flowing around the valley. Imagine waking up in Swat with the murmuring sound of water flowing over the rocks, or admiring the majestic Shingrai Falls at dawn... However, when traveling here, you need to prepare yourself for bumpy roads, poor conditions and the risk of landslides, floods or flight cancellations.
Lamayuru, Ladakh, India
Lamayuru ancient village is one of the great destinations to learn about Asian culture in general and Indian culture in particular. There is an old Buddhist monastery here, which is the main attraction of the village, an ideal place for visitors to learn about Tibetan Buddhism. In particular, this Buddhist monastery is the place where many festivals are held every year. In addition, there is Yuku Kabgyat where Lamas perform a very mysterious and attractive masked dance.
Phoenix Ancient Town, Hunan, China
Phoenix Ancient Town is one of the most beautiful ancient villages in Asia. If you are a fan of Chinese historical dramas, you will find this ancient village very familiar because Phoenix Ancient Town is an extremely famous place, often chosen for filming.
This ancient town is over 1000 years old, built next to the Da Giang River with ancient houses close together, behind is the mountain, all reflecting on the Da Giang River. The combination of architecture and nature of mountains and rivers creates a picturesque landscape, making everyone want to set foot in the ancient town of Phoenix at least once.
Damyang, Jeollanam-do, South Korea
Damyang Bamboo Village is considered a natural wonder in Korea, where visitors can see straight, green bamboo trees in a beautiful forest. As you walk in the forest and immerse yourself in the canopy of trees, the quiet and peace will bring you a relaxing "forest bathing" time, escaping the stress and bustle of big cities.
Coming to Damyang, people do not forget to mention the Bamboo Damyang Festival. The festival is an opportunity for Damyang to introduce to tourists everywhere souvenirs made from bamboo such as handicrafts, handbags, folk games on the theme of bamboo, writing on bamboo paper, reciting poems about bamboo, making lanterns, making bamboo fans... In addition, in the bamboo garden, there are also special Jukro tea tasting sessions under the cool bamboo canopy, helping visitors to dispel fatigue and worries in life.
Biei-cho, Hokkaido, Japan
Biei-cho is a village in Hokkaido famous for its beautiful natural scenery. The locals affectionately call the village “The Town of Hills”. As the name suggests, the view from the hills will surely overwhelm you with its carpet of colorful flowers. During the summer and autumn months, the hills and vast fields are covered with countless flowers, creating a dazzling and enchanting landscape. The best way to enjoy this colorful feast is by cycling or driving along the farms.
Jiufen, Taiwan
Jiufen Old Village is a village on Keelung Mountain in Taiwan, about 50km from Taipei City. This ancient village also preserves many ancient architectures and unique local lifestyle and culinary culture. Jiufen attracts backpackers because of the romance of the ancient houses on the cliff facing the coast and the extremely quiet space. Built along the mountainside, the village consists of 4 layers of architecture divided by height. The village is named Jiufen because in the past there were only 9 families living in the village. Every time they bought goods from the bottom of the mountain, they ordered 9 parts. Gradually, the name Jiufen has been associated with the village until today, when it has become a famous tourist destination in Taiwan.
Baguio, Philippines
Baguio Ancient Village, 730 km north of Manila, is a mountain town with a cool climate, pine forests, flower gardens, universities, mines and winding roads. Coming to Baguio, visitors can escape the heat and humidity of the lowlands. This city still has historical relics, majestic colonial architecture and is also a great place for shopping; shopping districts, markets... providing local handicrafts. The most popular way to get here is by bus for 6 hours. The best time to come here is the dry season (from November to April) visitors should avoid coming during Holy Week (the week before Easter Sunday) when the city's population increases due to the number of domestic tourists and hotel room prices also increase.
Wuyuan, Jiangxi, China
Vu Nguyen is famous for its ancient houses with unique architecture, especially during the blooming season of rapeseed flowers. From early March to mid-April, carpets of brilliant yellow rapeseed flowers bloom in the sky and earth, making Vu Nguyen as beautiful as a fairyland. Vu Nguyen ancient town is known as "the most charming village in China", with its irresistible beauty that will surely "knock out" anyone at first sight. This is a great destination for those who love the ancient beauty of Asia.
Pariangan, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Pariangan Village is located on the opposite side of the Marapi volcano. It is one of the most beautiful ancient villages in Asia, with 300-year-old Minangkabau houses, with intricate wood carvings, woven rattan walls and traditional pointed roof architecture, called rumah gadang. The village also has a 19th-century mosque, and a hot spring, still active after many centuries. The village landscape is extremely elegant, surrounded by hot springs that are always warm. Pariangan is the oldest cultural village in Indonesia, and is a national preserve.
Zuluk, Sikkim, India
Located on the ancient Silk Road, Zuluk is an exotic destination with the Chinese border just a few kilometres away. It has only recently opened to tourists and special permits are required to visit the village.
Coming here, visitors will be amazed to see the forests with diverse and beautiful flora and fauna that are almost unexplored, as well as experience the winding roads that offer great views of the Kanchenjunga mountain. The breathtaking beauty of Zuluk is something that visitors can never forget.
Hongcun, Anhui, China
Hoang Thon is located near the southwest slope of the Hoang Son mountain range, and has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site thanks to its strong imprint of a Chinese-style village with ancient roads, ancient bridges, stone steles, ancient libraries, terracotta statues and many stone and wooden sculptures. The village was built in 1131 during the Southern Song Dynasty with more than 800 years of history, its old name was "Hoang Thon" and later changed to "Hoang" to avoid the taboo "Hoang Lich" of Qianlong.
With its unique artificial water system and gardens, Hoanh Thon is known as the "village in the picture". Seen from above, the village looks like a buffalo lying on a land of mountains and water. The nearby Loi Cuong mountain is the buffalo's head, two ancient trees are the buffalo's horns, the ancient houses arranged in order at the foot of the mountain are the buffalo's body, and the semicircular dike in the middle of the village is its stomach. One meter wide canals run for kilometers around the houses to bring stream water into the houses like the buffalo's intestines. Four bridges over the stream are the buffalo's four hooves.
Currently, Hoanh Thon has about 150 ancient houses dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties that are relatively well preserved, each house has a different style. One of them is a small museum. Scenes from the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" were filmed in Hoanh Thon.
Bukchon Hanok, South Korea
When mentioning the most beautiful ancient villages in Seoul, we cannot ignore the name Bukchon Hanok, a great destination for tourists who want to learn about Korean culture. During the Joseon Dynasty, Bukchon Hanok Village was home to nobles and high-ranking officials. Today, this place has become a place for residents to live. In addition, many houses have also been developed into guesthouses, tea rooms, cafes, cultural centers... with typical Korean style to serve tourism.
Currently, in the Bukchon Hanok Village, there are about 900 houses with quite unique architecture. The outside is built rustic but solid. The inside is decorated very harmoniously and elegantly. These houses were built during the Joeson era, 600 years ago. Until now, they are still preserved and preserved intact.
Shirakawa-go, Gifu, Japan
Shirakawa-go, an ancient village nestled between giant pine-covered mountains in central Japan, is one of the most famous ancient villages in Asia. The peaceful village has the wild beauty of a Japanese countryside with wooden houses scattered along the edge of the forest, roofed with thatched roofs in the gassho-zukuri style that resemble the hands of monks clasped in prayer, and a slope of 60oTo avoid snow accumulation and keep warm, it is often used to raise silkworms in winter.
Winter is the most beautiful and romantic season in the village. Snow covers the roofs and treetops, making this small village appear as dreamy as a dream. From Takayama, it takes less than half an hour to reach the ancient village of Shirakawa-go. Visitors can go to Shirakawa-go by bus on the Tokyo – Toyama – Kanazawa route and then take a bus to the village.
Xitang, Zhejiang, China
The ancient town of Xitang is hidden between the ancient city of Suzhou and the most modern city of Shanghai. From Shanghai, it only takes about 1 hour by car for visitors to set foot in the ancient town of Xitang. As an ancient town with more than 1000 years old, Xitang has long been known as "paradise on earth", a tourist destination that is hard to miss when coming to China, especially for those who love the ancient features of ancient villages.
Xitang is a river town with different small rivers dividing the town into 8 parts connected by 27 stone bridges. Standing on each bridge, you can see rows of old-style houses along both banks, most beautiful when the sunset falls with a red sunset. Xitang is also famous for being the setting for the action movie "Mission Impossible 3" starring Tom Cruise.
Ban Rak Thai, Thailand
The ancient village of Ban Rak Thai is a village with more than 1,000 Chinese people living in northern Thailand. This village is located at an altitude of 1,776 m above sea level. Ban Rak Thai is only about 44 km from Mae Hong Son. People here still communicate with each other in Chinese, some young people speak very little Thai. The Chinese mainly live by growing and processing tea, especially famous for the image of the vast green tea hills, Ban Rak Thai village has an intact, ancient beauty.
Located close to the border of Thailand and Myanmar, Ban Rak Thai village is not known to many international tourists because it is quite far away, but for Thai tourism in general and Thai people in particular, it is one of the ideal resorts. To get here, you can choose to fly to Chiang Mai and then continue by bus (about 5-6 hours) to Mae Hong Son province. Or if you depart from Chiang Mai, you can fly directly, it only takes 30 minutes to Mae Hong Son.
Cua Van, Ha Long, Vietnam
Nestled amidst majestic limestone mountains, Cua Van floating village is truly a quaint charm, preserving the traditional culture of the country through its moored boats and colorful raft houses. It is clear that the lives of the people have not been disturbed by modernization.
More than 200 families have made the fishing village their home, with many settlements lining the edges of the rocks. Visitors can take a boat trip from Ha Long Bay into the middle of the sea to enjoy the view of limestone cliffs rising above the shimmering water.
