This result was based on a survey completed by 186,000 Travel + Leisure readers with more than 700,000 votes cast across over 8,700 properties (hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

The ancient town of Hoi An - photo: VNA

Cities are specifically evaluated according to the following criteria: attractions/landscapes, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, value...

This year, Hoi An ancient town ranked 3rd on the list with 90.67 points, only behind Udaipur of India and Kyoto of Japan. The Travel + Leisure introduces Hoi An as an ancient city of Vietnam, with cultural beauty loved by tourists.

Other destinations in the list include Chiang Mai and Bangkok (Thailand), Tokyo (Japan), Ubud (Bali, Indonesia), Kolkata and Jaipur (India), Seoul (Republic of Korea), Siem Reap (Cambodia), and Shanghai (China).