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AS development dollars pour in and muscle highways streak through the verdant rice fields, Vietnam these days can be summed up in a single word – SPEED. There’s not much of it. Highways in Vietnam are showpieces for belching trucks idling in long snaking lines, their unusual horns the only sign of contrapuntal remonstrance. Stray buffalos, wayward chickens and ducks sunning themselves on the asphalt all do their bit to slow things down. Ubiquitous speed limit signs are set at 40kph when approaching a town, 50kph within the urban zone, and then mischievously at 80kph, even on switchback roads climbing up into vertiginous hills. I pushed my eyeballs back into their sockets as we began our dizzying ascent from Lang Co, crossing the hump from Hue to Danang. Fact is, speed kills, and the hard-working men in uniform are painfully aware of this. Every once in a while an improvised speed limit – say 30kph – scrawled on a strip of cardboard will appear propped against a tree to trip unwary motorists. Fail to spot it and camouflaged constabulary around the corner will pounce on you with glee demanding “tea money”, and thus are lives saved and wealth redistributed.
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It took a while then to get to Danang’s fabled China Beach, which comes with the usual Baywatch accessories – professional lifeguards on certain stretches but not, alas, women with bodies like ripening corn. Next morning I slipped onto the beach unnoticed at dawn, painfully aware of my neck, which looks like, well… a neck. Men with heads attached to tree-trunks fell to the ground to do fifty push-ups if any damsel so much as glanced in their general direction. I pressed my camera shutter vigorously, demonstrating I am no slouch when it comes to testosterone.
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| Everyone knows China Beach |
By 7am the local population had departed en masse leaving a few solitary bathers and some frolicking salty sea dogs. Danang's idyllic stretch of sand runs uninterrupted along a long, long coast, with a gentle drop-off and some decent surf. With the morning mist hanging over the water and low hills providing a backdrop to the curve of the bay, it is an alluring postcard setting. It was perhaps a moment like this that enthralled Australian prime minister Harold Holt who waded out to sea and was never seen again. And while people around the world continue to misplace car keys, mobile phones, and even prime ministers, Vietnam chugs on serenely, at 30kph.
Vietnam beaches run north-south along the Pacific Ocean from Hue, Danang and the old port city of Hoi An to Nha Trang (which has gained a reputation as a dive centre though it is more of a beach town). The coast runs on past Quy Nhon and down to Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, the playground of Saigon's nouveau riche and frantically holidaying expatriate community. Just south of Phan Thiet is the emerging area of Ke Ga. From here head on to Long Hai and the three-star offerings of Vung Tau. On Phu Quoc island, in the Gulf of Thailand there’s more white sand beach and a smattering of resorts. Take a look at our Vietnam Map.
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Ha Long Bay villa resorts
Up north in scenic Ha Long Bay, the 240-room four-star Tuan Chau Island Holiday Villa Halong Bay is set on a private island. Villa accommodation is stylish and lavish running down the hillside to the seaside. The island has been developed an all-in entertainment getaway with dolphin and crocodile shows, theme parks, golf, and more hotel rooms. There are water and laser shows to keep families occupied, and the more energetic can pursue a broad range of water sports and beach activity – or a hard-hitting game of tennis.
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| Celadon Palace Hue |
Pick a Deluxe Pine Hill Villa or go up to an Executive Seaside Villa Beachfront, all with mini-bar, WiFi and satellite TV. The ballroom can hold 350 persons. At a pinch this dramatic coast can be squeezed in as a day trip from Hanoi but it is best enjoyed over a couple of days with a Halong Bay cruise through the limestone outcroppings that lend the area its unique 20-megapixel charm.
Hue hotels and resorts guide
Flying to Hue or Danang on Vietnam Airlines is the easiest option. The carrier uses Airbus A-321 and A320 aircraft with a single-aisle 3-3 seat configuration on the short hop from Hanoi. If you're on one of these aircraft, pick middle seats B and E for about two to four inches of extra seat width. Another option to Da Nang is SilkAir (from Singapore). Hue airport is small and unhurried. Grab a taxi and head off. The exchange rate is roughly US$1=D20,838.
Once the flourishing capital of the Nguyen Dynasty and later severely pummelled during the 1968 Tet Offensive, Hue has lost much of its imperial accoutrement but retains a certain historical cachet. The area is littered with small private pagodas and village homes in the classical Oriental style mixing Chinese architectural forms with Vietnamese styles. It is a low-rise community with the occasional high-rise hotel or office block. The Perfume River (Huong River) runs a lazy course through the town, passing by the Citadel and its Forbidden City.
Hue hotel and resort options are laid-back and unpretentious in keeping with the style of this ancient town. A distinct departure, and pleasurably so, is the Celadon Palace Hotel, which opened early 2010 in a white high-rise mimicking a fashionable Paris block with an Indochine “Noble House” theme carried through the interiors. This modern dedication to the last Nguyen emperor, Queen Nam Phuong, offers 222 spacious rooms and suites in peach blush pastel with huge inviting plump beds, 42-inch flat-screen TVs, free WiFi throughout, a work desk, classical round-dial clock, and high end toiletries.
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| Pilgrimage Village Hue brick room |
The safe can house a laptop and a wooden latticework sliding door separates the bedroom from the open-plan bathing area and washbasin. The grand lobby with its de rigueur staircase is in gold hues with ornate chandeliers and beige marble.
A large attractive open-air pool rolls out at the back lined by Roman columns and palm trees. Le Spa offers wellness distractions with steam, sauna, massage and manicure. Shopping galleries beckon big spenders, while the roomy 400-person ballroom aims squarely at the MICE market comfortably positioning Celadon Palace as one of the best central Vietnam conference hotels and a top choice for corporate meetings in Hue.
The test of the pudding of course is in the eating. Yet, despite all this muscle and razzamatazz, the hotel manages to pull it off with understatement and class Not surprisingly, the designers of the Park Hyatt Saigon were at work here and the room product displays startling similarities.
The 194-room Imperial Hotel Hue is another high-rise that prides itself on sweeping views from the Panorama Bar and lounge on the 16th floor. Expect Cinemascope river and city views from the lounge or head out to the alfresco wrought-iron chairs vertiginously perched at the edge of the roof. This area doubles as a meetings and events space.
The hotel itself is traditional in style with a pagoda entrance and hugely ornate lobby crowned by an eye-popping gilt dragon-motif lift lobby that will push your gold tolerance to the limit. The rooms are pleasant enough with wood parquet flooring, a boxy TV, carved dark-wood chairs and free WiFi and Broadband.
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| La Residence Hue by the Perfume River |
Expect a laptop-size safe, a carved wooden cupboard and a bathroom with separate bathtub and shower cubicle. There is an outdoor pool on the third floor with some fitness equipment for workouts.
Nearby is the four-star pink-hued low-rise 183-room Hotel Saigon Morin. This place was built by the French in 1901 and serves up WiFi in the lobby, free Internet in the rooms, city and river views, fitness facilities, a beauty salon and a colonial feel. Rooms are simple and classical with wooden floors, ornate runners and bed covers, and box TVs. Opt for more stretch room in the 50sq m Junior Deluxe or 60sq m Junior Suite (with airport pick-up and send off).
Pilgrimage Village, Hue, is a soothing respite with a bucolic theme and thatch-roof brick bungalows set in refreshingly green manicured gardens. It is not on the river, or on a hill with a commanding view, but it offers a quiet escape with the aid of a nice swimming pool and the secluded Vedana Spa. Expect grass underfoot and birdsong. Two-floor cottages offer balconies with loungers, 45sq m rooms with brick walls, cheery and bright furnishings, cushions, throws, and small box TV.
The Villa Deluxe serves up a notebook-size safe, minibar, a clock, cosy lampshades, purple and white silk bathrobes and a larger bath with tub, The style is rustic but mod. The Honeymoon Bungalow is a bigger standalone affair with spacious balcony, twin beds or king-size bed, brass ceiling fan, and a box TV in 55sq m of stretch space. WiFi throughout the resort is free and at the Candle Bar there’s access to free Internet on a hotel PC. At the top end there are 130sq m villas with private pools.
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| Rice fields between Hue and Danang |
Guests can enjoy complimentary yoga and tai chi among other activities. This is a nice self-contained retreat and a comfortable staging point but lacks a compelling location.
The art deco and crisply modernLa Résidence Hôtel & Spa is a deluxe boutique hotel franchise associated with French chain Accor. It was a former residence of the French governor of Central Vietnam and it graces the banks of the Perfume River with commanding views of the water and the imperial citadel on the opposite shore. The low-rise buildings are in starched white with compact bright green gardens and a river-edge pool in sky blue. It is a tranquil escape with a library and business centre with free Internet on hotel PCs. Pale yellow walls and corridors lead to the rooming wings.
The Superior River View has ceramic tiles underfoot mixed with wooden parquet flooring and a balcony with views of the Perfume River, albeit with no screening between neighbouring balconies with the result you look onto everyone else, and at close proximity. Rooms are smart with flat-screen TV, small safe that will hold jewellery and a camera but not much more, free WiFi (no plug-in Internet), work desk, clock, coffee-making facilities, classical furniture and the omnipresent yellow walls. It is an elegant ensemble nonetheless and a breezy riverside retreat. Mark this down on your top Hue resorts list.
Another option in this area is the oddly-named four-star Abalone Resort & Spa on the Tam Giang Lagoon about 50km from Hue. The road trip from Hue to Danang takes you down a scenic two-and-a-half-hour stretch of road past verdant paddy fields, lagoons, and rolling hills (but allow a half hour extra at least for jams and cattle chaos).
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| Vedana Lagoon Pool Family/ photo: hotel |
Just 25 minutes from Hue airport and overlooking a large expanse of water is the Vedana Lagoon Resort & Spa (from the Pilgrimage family). Launched early 2011, this is a stylish retreat with everything from overwater bungalows to the top-range two-bedroom Pool Family House with kitchenette, sauna, pool, timber-floor sundeck, and breezy views over the lagoon.
Expect satellite TV, DVD, coffee and tea facilities and outdoor showers. Need a houseboat? Vedana has two. Or unwind with a range of massages and scrubs at the Vedana Wellness centre. There's even an alluring "Cleopatra Milk Bath". The resort's 27 villas are spread around 27 hectares of landscaped hillside on the road from Hue to Lang Co and Hoi An.
Stop off midway at Lang Co for some noodle and tea and perhaps get your toes into the sand at the twee and happily rundown Thanh Tam Seaside Resort. Restaurants and toilets are basic. From here you can take the twisting road up through the hills or opt for the faster tunnel. See our Vietnam Map.
Best Vietnam resorts in the Danang area
The epicentre of Vietnam beach getaways is along the fast-developing Danang-Hoi An corridor where names like Le Meridien, Hyatt Regency and Raffles appear on billboards promising new and vast sybaritic escapes. Private villas are sprouting everywhere and a bypass road has made access to the airport quicker.
Newcomer Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa (October 2011) boasts 200 rooms, each featuring balconies, separate rain showers and complimentary WiFi. The 27 Ocean Villas have a spacious three-bedroom setup, replete with floor-to-ceiling windows, private pool, full kitchen, three separate bathrooms and Regency Club access. Additionally, there are 172 one, two and three-bedroom condominium “residences” attached to the property.
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| Banyan Tree Lang Co villa/ photo: hotel |
Expect plenty of dining options, spa, fitness centre, tennis and badminton courts, and two nearby golf courses. Camp Hyatt offers plenty of fun activities daily for kids making this a very child-friendly resort. Pinstripers might take note of the different event and meeting spaces on offer.
Located on the central coast of Vietnam, roughly 60 minutes from Danang International Airport, lies Banyan Tree Group's first property in Vietnam. While rice paddy fields and mountains spread out on all sides, the Banyan Tree Laguna Lang Co (tel: [84-54] 3695-888, opened late 2012) overlooks a three-kilometre stretch of sand. The resort offers the brand's staple spa facilities, an 18-hole golf course, several beachfront eateries, 32 sprawling lagoon pool villas and 17 beach pool villas. Earth-toned guest rooms, royal purple accents, antique pottery, wooden rafters and lotus motifs pay homage to traditional Vietnamese aesthetics without sacrificing modern amenities.
The Crowne Plaza Danang (formerly Silver Shores International Resort) beckons high rollers. Crowne Plaza Danang is a modern resort construct, sprawling and spread out over 200,000sq m, with two extended sloping ship-bridge arms enfolding the free-form pools that front the wide expanse of beach.
There are 535 Deluxe Rooms and Suites with the usual mod-cons with the 120sq m Ocean Suites providing top-line accommodation with LCD TVs, living room, sofas, Internet and sea-view balconies. Bear in mind that this is a big, busy resort, and not a hideaway. Also expect a spa, dance club and 800sq m banquet area for MICE events and conventions. The tots might enjoy the outdoor recreation and sports courts, as well as the large water park and a dedicated kiddy pool.
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| Furama Danang's sunny pool |
The elegant Furama Resort Danang has helped keep China Beach firmly on the travel map and, open since1997, displays nary a wrinkle. China Beach is called Bac My An in Vietnamese to avoid offending local potentates.
The Furama was the first to open this area to well-heeled travellers and shows little sign of wear. A modern five-star resort with most imaginable amenities including high speed Internet and a business centre, the Furama is a comfortable and dependable choice. It is also sited on one of the best Vietnam beaches.
This resort is set in manicured grounds with two pools, plenty of green and a broad ocean frontage leading through casuarina groves and volleyball courts to the beach chairs and umbrellas along the tide line. Trained lifeguards (6am-6pm) and shallow waters make this a good spot for a family dip. There are acres and acres of beach and you can always find a quiet spot for navel gazing. Let me know what the belly-button fluff portends. Play tennis, billiards, badminton, drive some golf balls or just go fly a kite. Really.
If that's not enough, there's archery, yoga, tai-chi and a children's play area. This is a pretty child-friendly resort that works well for the family as well as for the corporate meeting crowd. The adjoining International Convention Palace (with the 774sq m Da Nang Ballroom that holds 700 persons theatre style) makes this a useful choice among Vietnam conference hotels.
Internet and WiFi is available in-room at US$10 per day. Opt for a split-level Ocean Deluxe to find a split-level room with gleaming timber floors and balcony, a sofa, bright cushions, a clock, notebook-size safe and rain-shower (no tub). Prop up on the pillows to see the sea from your bed. The decor is contemporary, functional and neat. It won’t set you on fire but the rooms are more than comfortable. There is a dive centre and spa. The resort runs regular shuttles to the Cham Museum, Marble Mountains and Hoi An. The Furama is 12km and about 15 minutes from the airport.
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| Pullman Danang/ photo: hotel |
Another laid back and simpler option is the Sandy Beach Resort. There's tennis, sauna, steam bath and Jacuzzi, and even a business centre with Internet access should you require it. Da Nang is a bit of a one-horse town and there's not a whole lot to do apart from lazing on the beach. There are sights – like the Marble Mountains – but you’ll need to hire a taxi and drive out to find them.
The 187-room Pullman Danang Beach Resort (formerly Lifestyle Resort) serves up hotel-style rooms with LCD TVs (and cable), balconies and separate showers and bathtubs, as well as cottages. Green lawns extend along the beach. Also find a fun Children's Club for all ages from toddler to 12-year-old and babysitting services. The Lotus Ballroom can hold up to 650 theatre-style in case you require a smart and breezy Danang conference hotel that is not overly large and impersonal.
Hoi An resorts
Some of the more charming Vietnam resorts are found in Hoi An. The drive to Hoi An passes rice fields and Marble Mountain where endless rows of giant marble temple lions await your fancy. Nice, but a bit large for carry-on. Hoi An is quaint with more than a hint of commerce. Silk shops and restaurants line its pedestrian lanes. Prices are a bargain but, if you like, you can bargain some more. Have your taxi wait in the car park and walk in, or hop onto a cycle rickshaw. This preserved heritage zone is a compact area with brightly-hued two-storey shophouses with tile roofs. The streets meander from nowhere to nowhere which adds to the charm.
At the western corner is the covered Japanese Bridge which was built in the 16th Century. There are tickets at modest prices for entry into some of the historic buildings and assembly halls. The local speciality is cao lau, a rice noodle. Much of the area has been restored and a fresh vitality is evident in the area as tourist dollars rev up artists and street musicians. There are several quaint restaurants – some serving international fare – and coffee shops.
 It is on a prime stretch of China Beach near historic Hoi An that The Nam Hai (from the Singapore-based GHM group) is sited, 30km south of Danang. The Nam Hai is no ordinary beachfront getaway. This is a benchmark setting for sybarites in search of real class. Sprawled elegantly across 35 hectares, this Vietnam luxury resort and spa offers 60 elegant Villas and 40 Pool Villas each within walled courtyards with landscaped gardens and unobstructed views across the South China Sea on to the misty Cham Islands.
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| Swish Nam Hai's tiered pools |
Three huge swimming pools cascade down the central tiered concourse from the lobby to the beach, flanked by soothing green gardens, the shimmering blue of the water and the sea beyond a stark contrast against the muted greys and blacks of the resort.
The Nam Hai is understated, almost disconcertingly so at night, as you pick your way along the meandering tiled paths following hidden foot lamps. This is a place for romance and reflection, not Disneyland jukebox and fairy lights like the ageing hotels along the strip that display altogether too much make-up and cleavage, straining with multi-hued lights to mutate into risible karaoke-bar confections. No such effort here.
The place is laid back and self assured. Service is friendly and attentive. Ask for food on or off the menu. The waiters are neither nonplussed nor unruly. At the restaurant, try spring roll, risotto, or tandoori prawn. Dine Indian, Vietnamese, Italian or International. There are chefs from Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, India and Vietnam. Do too many chefs spoil the broth? Not at all. They get the job done, in palate-zinging style.
The villas offer split-level accommodation with timber flooring, white linen, inviting plump beds on raised plinths and plantation-house window slats blocking or permitting light from all sides. The grey tile floor leads to an open-plan bath area. Indeed the sunken bathtub is right behind the bed and next to the Japanese-style work desk with sunken footrests so you sit floor level flush with the bathtub. This may not be to everyone’s liking and the split-level access from the bed to the toilet at night could trip some but there is much to distract those discerning of taste.
Take the Krups coffee maker for example, the high ceilings with fans, the iPod with dock, flat-screen TV, Bose sound system, gauze mosquito nets that drape the beds in a dreamy Arabian Nights haze, the outdoor shower, indoor rainshower, the hand-held rod shower and pressed-silk glass doors for toilet privacy.
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| Nam Hai Pool Villas at sunrise |
Pool Villa interiors are again set on three levels – the bathing area, the bed, and the living area with deep divans looking out at the views. You would never guess it but the sunken bathtub is lined with dark gold beaten egg shell as are the twin vanities. It is an eye-catching finish that successfully combines a sense of tradition with a contemporary twist. To unwind – or wind up – choose from the Spa Pavilion with eight treatment villas, tennis, badminton, basketball, and gym. There is even a villa with kids’ activities to keep tiny tykes entertained. And the Montgomerie Links Vietnam (www.montgomerielinks.com) offers the luxury of a quality golf course nearby. (The Nam Hai features in our exclusive by-invitation Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
The Hoi An Riverside Resort & Spa is exactly as its name suggests. It is spectacularly sited on a bend in the Do River with unsullied horizons and lush green paddy fields on the other side. It has 60 rooms divided, by décor and the odd quirk, into Japanese, Vietnamese and other styles. The Nippon rooms have low seating (though the Japanese have grown a fair bit in the last century) while the Vietnamese rooms feature wooden parquet flooring and tasteful furniture. There is an in-room safe.
All rooms come with balconies, some with excellent river views. The resort offers boat trips and a daily shuttle to the beach, one kilometre away. Deluxe rooms have CD players and flat-screen TV. There's a nice riverside pool too with an irregular pattern blue-tile finish. The owners of the Hoi An Riverside Resort run the popular Khai Silk stores and the celebrated Brother's Café in Hanoi. They have an atmospheric restaurant by the same name in Hoi An too. The Brother's Café Hoi An (tel: 914-150) is housed in a colonial style building right on the river. Massage service is available. This is a nice Vietnam boutique resort with local flavour.
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| Hoi An Riverside pool |
Another Vietnam resort option further downriver, closer to the beach, is the HoiAn Beach Resort. It is not entirely true to say the place is on the beach but it is close enough. Cross the road and head up the dunes. This place is more "resorty" and spread out. It is neat and modern with a large and brightly-tiled infinity pool but it lacks the greenery and cosy charm of the Hoi Ann Riverside Resort. The villa rooms are spacious and comfortable.
Just across the road (there is just one, quiet street here) is the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa, a small complex designed in the traditional shophouse style with lowrise rooms and bungalows. Climb up the steps to enter the resort through a Chinese gateway festooned with silk lanterns. There are 109 rooms in all and the signature accommodations to plump for are the beachfront bungalows (or Victoria Deluxe Beach Front Rooms as they are called). Again, there are the obligatory Japanese, French and Vietnamese-style rooms with pastel hues and varying décor including four-poster beds, timber floors, desks, almirahs, box TVs, notebook-size safes, and other amenities.
The resort loves red and has splashed it liberally on several walls to good effect. The restaurant bar is a good example. The vegetation is sparse but well cared for. At night the pool area is lit up in red and green hues, a bit Love Boat, but the guests seem to enjoy it.
The Swiss-Belhotel Golden Sand Resort & Spa Hoi An is comfy, posh, and big. If you need a Vietnam resort that is larger and more structured, this could be it. The lowrise development is on a prime stretch of Cua Dai Beach not far from the heart of Hoi An and around a 50-minute drive from Danang Airport.
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| Colonial colour at Victoria Hoi An |
Well appointed rooms offer international comforts like TV, individually controlled air-conditioning and complimentary coffee and tea-making facilities. Deluxe rooms are a generous 45sq m and Ocean View Suites go up to 90sq m.
Expect roomy interiors, light-wood parquet flooring, dark-wood cupboards and cabinets, a large box TV, lounging sofa, armchair, and work desk. In addition to a broad range of cuisines on offer, the Golden Sand Resort has extensive sports and recreation distractions – including a vast array of swimming pools along the sea shore – to keep the most eager fitness enthusiast occupied. Try the 150m seafront pool, outdoor whirlpools, tennis, cycling, beach volleyball or just laze on the beach. The spa offers single and two double treatment rooms. Those keen on staying in touch can avail of WiFi. The resort hosts ample meetings facilities and the Grand Banquet Hall can handle up to 350 persons.
Also on Cua Dai Beach is the Palm Garden Beach Resort & Spa set in five hectares of garden with semi-detached bungalows set around a central free-form pool. There is a kiddie pool and slides along with a children’s play areas. This is a convivial child-friendly Vietnam resort with family friendly features and space for rough and tumble. The resort is neat with a low-rise format, the bungalows spread out so accommodation is not check by jowl.
There are 166 rooms in all starting at 32sq m and going up to the 48sq m Beachfront Bungalows with red ceramic tile floors, queen beds, small work tables, flat-screen TV, small garden patio with rocking chairs, a semi-alfresco bathtub near the entrance, and an electronic safe. Friendly and neat but unspectacular.
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| Hoi An old quarter shophouse |
Very much in period is the 94-room colonial-style Life Heritage Resort Hoi An. The two-floor colonnaded buildings run in separate wings touched up in salmon-blush tones, the upper verandah balustrades catch the sunlight and make for excellent viewing platforms if you wish to peruse river life chugging by. Rooms are split-level with a sitting area below and a queen bed or twin arrangement above. There is a divan for lounging, a work table, flat-screen TV, and colourful distraction in the form of orange cushions but the rooms are otherwise plain and unassuming. Starting category toilets feature a shower without tub. The 42sq m Junior Suites offer a river view with a generous balcony, and toilets with sunken bathtubs or a rainshower. Expect a notebook-size safe and beige ceramic tile floors. Again, this resort is run by the owners of Khai Silk and Brother’s Cafe. Needless to add, the restaurants and bars are attractive and friendly with casual chic touches like complimentary Internet PC stations. There is free Wifi throughout the resort and Broadband as well in-room. Pick up complimentary cycles and pedal off to explore the Hoi An old quarter, learn how to mix cocktails, learn cooking or lantern making, or slow down with yoga. The Life Spa offers wellness treatments galore with massage, facials and scrubs. Try a “Green Tea and Sea Salt Scrub” or an “Oriental Ginger Body Glow” exfoliation. Ouch. But what a change. The same group also has attractive resorts at Quy Nhon and Phan Thiet.
Top Vietnam resorts around Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a short flight south of Danang on a Vietnam Airlines A320. The airport is tight with carry-on baggage so be careful with your art purchases and hand-carry items. Foreigners are usually left alone, airport staff venting their ire instead on hapless Vietnamese travellers. The town actually looks like a seaside resort with a long breezy marine drive dotted with palm trees. There are public beach areas with nice thatch-palm umbrellas and endless views.
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| Nha Trang coastline |
There are few high-rises and these are well spread out. Flights land at Cam Ranh Bay International Airport, 35km away and connected by a scenic highway that runs along the hilly coast. It is a 30-minute drive in and will cost around US$15 by taxi.
En route to Nha Trang is the spread out Diamond Bay Resort & Spa, a collection of bungalows and low-rise blocks with hotel-style rooms and free Wi-Fi. The semi-detached bungalows are neat but not upscale. The Miss Universe contestants have passed through and, capitalising on this, the bungalows are each named after a world beauty. I got to meet Miss Mauritius who turned out to be something of a plain Jane.
There are two to four bungalows per unit with a shared porch. Inside 61aq m rooms find red ceramic tile floors, a TV, a notebook-size safe, a sunken bathtub and shower set below a skylight. The 44sq m hotel rooms are contemporary with multi-pin electric sockets, a work desk, bathtub with shower, safe, and a balcony looking onto trees and hills.
It’s neat but underwhelming, especially as there is no great reason to stop here. The resort lacks a natural beach though it offers a blazing artificial white sand stretch with kayaks and a huge sunny pool. Its main claim to fame is the developing golf course, the first in this area. There is a driving range too.
Nha Trang is a bit like the Pattaya of yore, minus the sleaze, the drug-laced transvestite nipples, the sanitation problems, the crime, the bars, the neon and badgering trinket vendors. Diving is popular, if unexceptional, in Nha Trang and, spa treatment. There is some amount of commerce in town though much of this bustle is around the big shipyards near Cam Ranh Bay.
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| The sprawling Vinpearl Resort |
One of the biggest and flashiest hotels on the Vietnam beach scene is the 485-room Vinpearl Resort & Spa megaresort. Cable-cars dangling from high wires cross to the private island with its amusement park and rides while the resort runs fast boat ferries at regular intervals from a dedicated pier. It takes 10 minutes to cross. This humongous all-in-one playground boasts a 1,000-guest Grand Ballroom, bars, nightclub, vast swimming pools, spa, marina, tennis and diving. The resort complex is on a grand scale. The place may not appeal to all tastes but as an all-inclusive, private, Club-Med-meets-Universal-Studios sort of escape, it will find its fans.
From the Vinpearl jetty on the island, a trolley bus carts you up a low hill and down the other side to the resort itself, set in two wings – the Deluxe Building and the Executive Building (with larger rooms and more classic upscale facilities). Both five-storey wings look onto what is described as the largest free-form swimming pool in Southeast Asia at 5,700sq m. On the far side is a bar and cafe area with chairs on a timber deck below which is an arcing beach within a small bay.
The Deluxe Suite is spacious enough with wooden floors, a sitting area with sofa and two chairs, a writing desk, WiFi and Broadband, a white-linen bed with cream runner, and a black-wood strip patterned head wall. In the bathroom is a tub, a separate shower cubicle and a separate spare toilet. Expect coffee and tea-making facilities and a HUGE safe. There is the Viet Spa on site to take care of any muscle distress, a kids’ club for smaller guests, luxury shopping, and water sports and beach games from archery and billiards to cycling, diving, aerobics, gym, snorkelling and parasailing. This is a popular MICE venue and Vietnam conference hotel given its secluded location and range of facilities but it is also a family-friendly resort with lots of fun activities for children.
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| Evason Ana Mandara seafront dining |
Heightening senses as well as buoying prices is the wonderful Evason Ana Mandara & Six Senses Spa. As would be expected, this beautiful garden property features a Six Senses Spa set in its own private enclave at one end of the property. There are treatment rooms for couples with sunken Jacuzzis. Choose a package or go a la carte.
If you're not warm enough by the beach, head for the sauna and herbal steam, then ponder the spelling and pronunciation of words like kinesiology. The spa is airy and bright with pleasing garden features.
One of the best Nha Trang resorts by a mile, Evason occupies a prime stretch of beach. Unlike its competitors, it is set on the beach side of the road with a tall hedgerow “curtain” to shield guests from prying eyes. Ana Mandara runs long rather than deep, along the promenade drive – with a hilly backdrop – making it a brief skip from villa to beach. The cottages are roomy, the largest being the 45sq m Deluxe Seaview with tile floors and four-poster bed.
Expect a flat-screen TV, DVD player, gauzy mosquito net, wooden furniture, almirah, work desk with two multi-pin electric sockets, a bathtub with a window looking onto garden and an incredibly small safe. Villa bathrooms have been extended to include sunken bathtubs with rain showers and twin vanities featuring beaten silver metal wash bowls.
Broadband and Wi-Fi are available but must be paid for. There is however free Internet access at the business centre. The complex has two swimming pools (one deep enough for diving lessons), tennis courts and a super romantic dining spot on a wooden jetty, right above the sea. Sort out your "I dos" here under a full moon.
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| Six Senses Hideaway/ photo: hotel |
Its top-drawer sibling Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay is on a neighbouring island, a 15-minute boat ride from a jetty up the coast. This resort features just 58 pool villas looking onto an arcing bay and pristine sand. This is rustic chic at its best with good use of natural wood to create villa designs in harmony with nature.
Expect lots of hand-tooled wood displaying various shades and grain, thatch roofs, timber floors, bamboo four posters and white netting, extensive latticework screens to keep out excessive sun but let in the sea breezes, wooden bathtubs, open-view verandahs, driftwood tables and sensuously sculpted swimming pools perched on promontories. This is a honeymoon idyll with service, style and a great spa. Mark this down. It is indeed one of the best Vietnam luxury resorts. And it will humble your wallet with a US$600-plus price tag.
Opened mid-March 2010, the 284-room Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa is a modern high-rise construct with some attractive features not least of all the stunning sixth floor infinity pool that sails off into the blue horizon with its sunken loungers catching the best of the midday sun. This is a breezy and panoramic setting for tanning or reading a good book. You’ll be blown away. Literally. Hold on for dear life if the wind is up. A kids’ club caters for typhoon tykes leaving adults unencumbered to enjoy Shine Spa and its nine treatment rooms guilt-free.
For meeting planners and business travellers there is 1,600sq m of function space while the Sheraton Club floors offer access to the Club Lounge. The 33sq m Club Ocean View Rooms with pale mustard-yellow walls are minimalist, spacious, bright and welcoming in an understated way. A cheeky glass partition looks onto the bathtub while at the other end of the room light spills in from a triangular balcony where spectacular views can be had. There is a long working desk with multi-pin sockets, a 37-inch flat-screen television, and a laptop-size safe.
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| Sheraton Nha Trang: big views |
Expect an iron and ironing board too in the sliding-door cabinet. Unlike at most resorts on the block, WiFi or Broadband here will set you back US$15 per day but as partial compensation, the high-ceiling beige marble lobby offers Link@Sheraton work stations with complimentary Internet access.
And to get that grey matter working, the Connexion Bar (leading to the beach street) serves up martinis by the litre. This is a contemporary address, not out of the ordinary, but it succeeds at making a bright statement without unduly contorting its hotel chassis to do the hula. This high-rise works.
The five-star Sunrise Beach Nha Trang Beach Hotel & Spa on the tree-lined esplanade overlooking Nha Trang Bay has 123 guestrooms and suites. Close to the beach and in the heart of the city, the resort is conveniently located a 40-minute drive from Cam Ranh Airport. Done up in faux-colonial style, the hotel is surprisingly pleasant with service to match. There is an annexe as well.
Deluxe Rooms offer carpet underfoot for a change, a balcony with massive sea views and a Jacuzzi for some configurations, hair dryer, boxy TV alas, a compact bathing area with just a glass shower cubicle, classical silk lampshades, a small desk with mirror and free Wi-Fi and Broadband. This is perhaps a Nha Trang specialty but the in-room safe is of micro proportions.
No getting large electronic equipment into this box. Wraparound views from the 10th floor Sky Lounge are terrific and you can sit in deep chairs by the breezy balcony perusing the circular pool below – ringed by Roman columns for some reason. There is a beauty salon and spa and the hotel can rustle up meetings for up to 370 guests. An interesting choice if you prefer a functional modern beach hotel to a villa.
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| Sunrise Resort Nha Trang |
The four-star Novotel Nha Trang takes a stab at contemporary chic but doesn’t entirely succeed. It is housed in a compact high-rise along the marine drive, set away from the beach like the rest. It is neat nevertheless and the rooms are smart with purple cushions and sea-facing balconies with flat-screen TVs and complimentary Internet. There are iMac stations in the lobby should you have forgotten your laptop.
For those on a tighter budget, the 201-room Yasaka Saigon Nhatrang Resort Hotel & Spa is a stone's throw away, also on the marine drive. Here hotel-style rooms with overly ornate interiors run at around US$60 a night with huge discounts off season. If it's raining, bargain, bargain, bargain. Another good value and fairly cheap Nha Trang hotel is the Nha Trang Lodge Hotel with standard and superior rooms in twin or queen configurations. Plain but clean and uncluttered and with floral bedspreads and large box TV sets to make you feel at home. For some food action try the stylish Sailing Club Nha Trang (Tel: [84-58] 352-4628, www.sailingclubvietnam.com) that transforms from restaurant to beach bar to nightclub depending on the time of day.
A fifty minute drive north from Nha Trang on the beach at Ninh Phuoc Village are the lowrise tile roofs and brick-wall rooms of the Wild Beach resort & Spa. The style is rustic, if not blotto wet and wild, and there is ample stretch space over 70 acres of garden. The resort is sited on a long strip of white sand. This is an informal hangout with beach volleyball, biking, snorkelling, jogging and kayaking.
The four-hour drive from Nha Trang to Phan Thiet is on an excellent two-lane highway with little traffic, hard shoulders and smooth black-top all the way. The countryside erupts in unbelievable shades of green during the rains.
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| Evason Ana Mandara Beach Nha Trang |
The road passes paddy fields, quaint farm houses, cows, dogs, chickens, geese and the ubiquitous policemen who specialise in setting sudden speed traps for unwary motorists. This makes progress unpredictable, if adventurous. At many places there is not a road sign to be seen for miles yet "tea money" is being earned by the bushel by hard-working men in uniform.
About a half hour south of Cam Ranh, the hills recede, yielding views of vast golden fields and patchwork green. This really is a lovely drive. You won't be behind the wheel as foreigners aren't really encouraged to wander the roads so sit back and take it all in. Make sure the driving is during daylight hours as nightfall significantly increases your chances of meeting chickens (and a procession of beasts, humans and vehicles) that suddenly decide to cross the road. The Nha Trang area has some of the better beaches of Vietnam though the sand is sometimes a touch more coarse than at Phan Thiet and Mui Ne.
Mui Ne beach resorts and Phan Thiet
For some of the best Vietnam resorts head to Mui Ne and Phan Thiet. The Phan Thiet (pronounced "fun-theet") area includes the popular Mui Ne and Ham Tien beach strip along some fine stretches of white-sand beach that compare favourably with the best in Phuket and the Philippines. The air is laid-back and unhurried to the extreme. And the food, as everywhere in Vietnam, is cheap and teeth-grindingly good. This is where the fabled round wicker-basket boats originate. How fishermen manage to get to sea - and back - in these contraptions with a single paddle, God alone knows. Equally strange are the soaring sand dunes that threaten to overwhelm hutments, barely constrained by ubiquitous retaining walls.
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| Coconut sunrise at Mui Ne Beach |
The main street has a fair selection of large and clean thatch-roof restaurants. There are Internet cafes, spas, massage parlours, tour agencies and even a disco, the Hollywood Night Club run by the Oriental Pearl Resort. Nightlife is not particularly bawdy, the roadside bars more relaxed and welcoming of families than elsewhere in Asia. The offerings are spread out and not cheek-by-jowl so drive around, or pedal, till you find the right spot for a chow down. And for golf there’s the new Sea Links Golf & Country Club (weekday US$50 green fee for visitors, US$70 weekends, www.sealinkscity.com).
At one end of of this Muine strip, not far from the dunes, is the four-star Pandanus Resort, with low-rise blocks and red-brick bungalows scattered about well manicured gardens. There is free Wi-Fi throughout. This hotel covers 10 hectares and is set on a private 300m stretch of beach. Walk out from the lobby lotus ponds to a bungalow offering twin and king-size beds, neat tile floors, large sunning patio, decent hairdryer, work desk, a notebook-size safe, clean bathroom with shower curtain (no tub) and plenty of light. There are hotel-style rooms housed in four low-rise buildings. The bungalows set closer to the beach.
Superior Rooms have all the amenities that you’d expect including satellite TV, mini-bar, aircon, IDD phone, and hairdryer. There is a large free-form pool, floodlit tennis court, a business centre, spa, gift shop, as well as a myriad activities to keep all ages busy. Bicycles are free for guests to explore the surrounding area. Babysitters will cost US$5 per hour of an evening but from 8am to 4pm the tots can be handled free at the kids’ club.
Nearby is the 40-room Malibu Resort, again a mix of red-tile-roof bungalows and gardens. Find a freeform pool, motorbikes for rent, free bicycles, and water sports. Wi-Fi is complimentary. The units here are on a smaller scale but clean and well finished. Prices will be in the US$40 range.
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| Saigon Mui Ne bungalow |
Little Mui Ne Cottages offers even more dinky yellow-plaster thatch-roof bungalows set in gardens with tall coconut trees, two-floor room units, and WiFi in the rustic wooden raised lobby where you’ll also find a couple of laptops free for hotel guest use. Log on. Friendly and uncomplicated, choose from 39 rooms.
The large and manicured 87-room Saigon Mui Ne Resort has much to recommend it. The extensive lawns are welcoming, signage is crisp, there's a nice infinity pool and accommodation ranges from rooms to bungalows. This is officially a three-star resort (like many of the others in Phan Thiet) but the product is good. Rooms have tile floors, smart blue-tile toilets with mirrors at wacky angles and a shower cubicle (no tub), a hair-drier, small TV, a laptop-size safe, balcony, ample wardrobes, a work desk and two-pin square plug sockets. In-room Wi-Fi is free and there is a business centre with a computer should you require it. There is lots of garden and the nice cottages, bordered by flashes of bougainvillea, are well spaced out. This resort’s stretch of beach is fine and soft underfoot.
Look out for the stylish bungalows and landscaped gardens of the 31-room Sailing Club Mui Ne. Interiors are cosy and well thought out. Expect satellite TV, aircon (with fans), phones that work, a free-form pool, a beach bar, and fusion food. Bungalows offer spacious balconies with sun loungers and rough-hewn balustrades that meld with the land. Long mosquito nets drape the beds with their soft pillows and silk cushions. Pick a spoiling Deluxe Beachfront Bungalow.
Those in search of good Vietnam spas for authentic pampering can make for the Lotus Day Spa that offers a range of wellness treatments and massages using locally produced oils. Water sports options are varied and catching on with the hip set is kite-surfing and of course diving. Play chess, or a read a book. A business centre is available. There is a Sailing Club Nha Trang (beachside bar and restaurant) as well and a Hoi An addition is planned in 2011. The Sailing Club Mui Ne is a smart and happening Vietnam resort choice.
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| Sailing Club Mui Ne/ photo: hotel |
The Blue Ocean Resort (managed by Life resorts) features rooms and bungalows and perhaps the largest infinity pool in the area. The grounds are pleasant and grassy. Standard rooms offer a balcony, work desk, small notebook-size safe, and a bathroom with shower. Wi-Fi and Internet is free throughout the resort. Some bungalows have plunge pools. Neat and friendly.
Not far from here are the stilted wooden bungalows of the Coco Beach Resort. The resort starts rather abruptly with just an Alamo-style wall facing the main road and not much signage, but once past the defences, the ambience is appealing and friendly. There are bush-lined walkways, a modest pool, gardens with crab grass, plenty of flowers and gleaming freshly-varnished cottages next to a terrific stretch of soft creamy white sand lined by the resort's hallmark yellow-cone umbrellas. The sand beats China Beach and Nha Trang hands down but the gradient is steeper. This is a lovely Vietnam beach.
There's a restaurant by the sea. This is one of the older resorts here and is run by the hands-on owners - Jutta and Daniel Arnaud - who set the ball rolling in 1995. The small wooden rooms and furniture were upgraded late 2010, and renovations are planned on an annual basis.
Bungalows offer mosquito net drapes, a dolls-house raised verandah, and bathrooms with small shower cubicles. Lighting at night can be a bit dark so get your bearings during the day. There is no distraction of a TV and, to protect your small kids, the owners will arrange safety nets around the raised verandah. Internet is available at the resort office and Wi-Fi is now beamed to rooms. Coco Beach is a quaint, unpretentious and charmingly rustic resort.
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| Coco Beach bungalow/ photo: hotel |
There is much happening along Mui Ne nowadays with resorts springing up everywhere. Every home with a chair and a coconut tree has billboards at the entrance proudly advertising a resort and spa. Most of the offerings are nice though it can get terribly basic as the price drops below the US$30 range.
At the upper end, look out for the serene Cham Villas that run along a narrow plot from the road to the sea. The gardens are lush, the foliage reassuringly dense, with four-poster-bed bungalows lining the tiled walk leading past an outdoor thatch-roof massage pavilion and a striking green-tile pool to the crashing surf. Statues of Hindu and Buddhist deities litter the lawns. Champa was, in fact, a Buddhist and highly Indianised kingdom. On a more contemporary note, there’s a billiards table for a beer-swilling afternoon. There are just 20 villas and Wi-Fi is free.
The Anantara Mui Ne Resort &Spa (formerly the L’AnMien Beach Resort that opened late 2009) is a stylish grey-tile construct on a grander scale than its peers. Walk up the steps to a contemporary lobby. Hotel room wings adjoin the lobby while two-level and single-level bungalows are set in the gardens leading to the free-form pool, beach bar and beach. The villa walls are in yellow mud-finish plaster. Inside find gleaming timber floors, large work desks and flat-screen TVs.
Furniture and cabinets are in stained black wood. There is a HUGE flat safe. The two-bedroom Pool Villa offers a master bedroom with a four-poster king arrangement along with a garden courtyard, plunge pool, and standalone tub in a semi-alfresco black-tile bathroom. Unfortunately privacy is an issue and in certain areas you are overlooked by first-floor rooms. Well, it’s a beach. Don't be shy.
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| Spa pavilion at Cham Villas |
Expect free WiFi, a spa, a gym and classy dining with a grand piano to boot. This is a tasteful high-end retreat that sets the benchmark as a top Mui Ne resort.
The Sea Lion Beach Resort & Spa offers two large separate resort options (I and II, so there is no mistake). The similarly named Seahorse Resort & Spa offers pleasant grounds with mustard villas. The bungalows serve up ceramic floor tiles, flat-screen TV, a desk, and small safe. Neat and clean. The gardens are attractive with ponds and water features. The resort also offers low-rise hotel rooms, a gym, tennis court, free cycles, a spa, and complimentary Internet and WiFi in-room.
The Oriental Pearl Resort is another large, spread out affair with several swimming pools, a kids’ pool, a business centre with PCs, free Wi-Fi in public areas, and a narrowish beach when the tide rolls in.
The gardens are mature. There are simple rooms and cottages as well as two 60sq m grey-stone bungalows near the beach with classical Chinese furnishings and timber floors. These are quite nice. Walk over a small bridge, past the lotus pond to your villa on the sea, literally.
Expect a large flat-screen TV, eye-catching driftwood furniture, ornate carved Chinese chairs, ceiling fan, hairdryer, slippers, a small safe and a BIG bath with skylight and Jacuzzi. Oddities are littered around the lawns, from eccentric laughing-Buddha statues to horse carts. You’ll also get the Hollywood Night Club and disco.
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| Anantara Mui Ne |
A mixed bag of resorts includes Swiss Village Resort (Japanese-style pagoda design - no kidding - with orange tile roof in a garden setting), the four-star Bamboo Village Beach Resort & Spa (which, as the name suggests, is all bamboo with around 37 rooms with TV, IDD phones and a pool), and the offbeat blue-dome Palmira Beach Resort & Spa (in a coconut grove with simple villas, a pool and rather exuberant splashes of colour).
Look at the friendly Bon Bien Resort (by Four Oceans) favoured by Europeans with its free Wi-Fi, the Terracotta Resort & Spa with garden bungalows, the simple and compact Dynasty Resort with a nice oceanfront pool and free WiFi, and the family-run Paradise Huts - Chez Nina with its restaurant, spa and seaside cottages (the main wooden house dates back to 1867). Wrapping up the general selection is the curiously named but comfortable and well-equipped Allezboo Beach Resort & Spa with beachside villas and low-rise hotel roomsl, and the tiny 27-room Full Moon Beach for simple stays in a better class at around US$55 a night.
Farther along the strip is the Victoria Phan Thiet Beach Resort & Spa, a charming property, spilling down a gentle hillside. It is very much a Phuket or Bali-style resort with cottages and two swimming pools. The one fly in the ointment is the rocky beach which is less-than-inviting at low tide. There are connecting family duplexes here for those large family gatherings and the food is a notch above what you might expect elsewhere in the area. The sea view bungalows are the pick of the lodgings. Also find babysitting services, volleyball, horseback riding, table tennis, a fitness centre, billiard table, bicycles, and Petanque for the incurably French.
Ending the strip is the Phu Hai Resort, a large and bold melange of twee European statues, fountains, waterfalls, artificial rocks, pink stucco walls, and all manner of fantasy settings including a giant Angkor face looking out from one of the walls in the bar.
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| Victoria Phan Thiet bungalow |
The pool area is fun for children but all-in the resort is a rather muddled affair. At night things sober down and with the lights on things are rather more beckoning. Rooms are well fitted, if plain. WiFi is free. It’s a child-friendly resort if action is what you’re after. Next door and not to be outdone is the sprawling Romana Resort & Spa with Roman statuary, free WiFi, spa and well fitted bungalows. The resort runs down a hillside to a huge pool area. All rooms have ocean views, and villas have private pools. This place prides itself as a quality Vietnam spa resort. Expect a Russian invasion in season.
Set some distance away from the Mui Ne beach strip, the four-star Hotel Novotel Phan Thiet Ocean Dunes & Golf Resort is your average Joe-Blow concrete Asian resort with a ship-bridge building, a beachside setting, massage, sauna and a riot of water sports. But its ace up the sleeve is a golf course – on site – as well as quality service. Rooms, some with wooden parquet flooring, have colourful cushions and sea-view balconies. The hotel has its following but the food reviews are mixed.
Phan Thiet area tours
But before you leave, visit the dunes. That's right. Huge, red and ochre sand dunes straight out of the Sahara. Here, 20 minutes from Phan Thiet, you can boogie-board down the sands chased by urchins, or head further by four-wheel-drive to the heart of dune country. It's quite amazing. En route, stop by the fishing village with its bright red and blue boats and savour the sights if not the smells. The culturally inclined can visit the Cham ruins nearby. Pick up a four-hour tour to the dunes and White Lake with coffee break and lunch. Slightly farther is the giant sleeping Sakiyamuni Buddha.
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| Fishing boats, Mui Ne, near Phan Thiet |
The drive from Phan Thiet to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is a reasonably untaxing three hours but evening traffic and the unyielding press of heavy trucks can add an extra sixty minutes. Stop at one of the wall-to-wall roadside stalls selling dragon fruit - the local speciality.
Ke Ga Bay hideaway
About 150km from Ho Chi Minh City in Bin Thuan province is Ke Ga Bay, a 40-minute drive south of Phan Thiet. The road winds along a blustery coast pounded by breakers. It is a rough, rocky coastline with scrub grass and soaring humps of sand with occasional stretches of beach hosting small local resorts seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
If you need a reason to visit Ke Ga, it is the Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa. In the shadow of a lighthouse (built by the French in 1899) with a fishing village at the far end of the bay, the resort is sited on a broad, undisturbed swathe of sand that slopes gently into the sea. Given the mayhem en route it is surprising to see the waters becalmed and learn that this is actually a very safe swimming area. The shallow incline affords easy wading which perhaps makes it easier for families with kids in tow. This is however an upscale sanctuary for the well-heeled and much in love, starched white with straight clean lines, none of that irksome tropical resort fuss, and dollops of splendid understatement.
A ginger garden lends its aromatic scents to the breeze. Lush eye-soothing foliage and brilliant blue pools offer a dramatic counterpoint to the dazzling white low-rise villa structures. The piece de resistance is surely the unadorned deep-blue rectangular swimming pool that runs along the shoreline, ringed by flaming magenta bougainvillea. In front is the beach, and at its back is the colonnaded lobby and a timber-deck restaurant.
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| Quietly elegant Princess d'Annam |
This is a modern construct that blends well into the surrounds with 57 colonial-style villas, four swimming pools and a spacious 1,800sq m spa with 10 treatment rooms. Service is brisk, welcoming and attentive. Vincent Koh, the interior designer of the Park Hyatt Saigon, has fused French colonial with Oriental chic laying down a style that is easy on the eye yet distinct.
The Mandarin Villas offer 75sq m of stretch room with the usual mod-cons like flat-screen TV and Internet. Expect light pastel hues, big divans, cane chairs, large working desk, cream tile flooring and free Wi-Fi throughout the resort. The hotel can loan guests a laptop if required. The lounge has an Internet station as well. The bathing area is well lit and spacious with a sunken tub and separate shower area. There’s a laptop-size safe and a decent hairdryer.
The 100sq m Princess Villas offer a plunge pool, four-poster beds, open bathing area with alfresco bathtub, a separate rainshower cubicle, twin vanities and lots of light. There’s the flat-screen TV, multi-pin electric sockets near the work desk, a DVD player, and gleaming timber floors. The top-line Empress Villas (there are just three) serve up a more-than-generous 185sq m in a two-storey configuration with a private pool, a huge bed in the upstairs master bedroom on a raised wooden plinth, rich wood parquet, long glass work desk, lots of windows to let in light, a divan, large flat-screen TV with DVD player and funky transparent “Soundstick” speakers with sub-woofer.
The bedroom leads onto a sun-drenched verandah with ocean views and sun loungers. The bathroom is huge with twin vanities and separate rainshower. The living room downstairs features an eight-seater dining table, plenty of seating and a spare bedroom. The entire ensemble is enclosed by a boundary wall so there’s privacy galore.
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| Ke Ga beach, Princess d'Annam |
Despite the detailed top-drawer finish and not a leaf out of place, Princess d’Annam is a surprisingly child-friendly Vietnam resort with a dedicated Kids Club in a roomy villa. It’s posh yet homey, far from the madding crowd, and the ballroom will handle 250 guests theatre-style should you have a corporate meeting in mind.
Long Hai, Con Dao, Vung Tau beach resorts
A little farther south, before the three-star melee of Vung Tau is the Anoasis Beach Resort in Long Hai. Its cottages and villas occupy 13 hectares on a lush green hillside with a private beach. Accommodation ranges from Pavilion Rooms and 60sq m Cottage Bungalows to slightly larger Family Bungalows and more spacious Ocean View Villas (with two bedrooms, lounge, living area, terrace and Jacuzzi).
Find a range of decor and furniture from bamboo-frame beds to wrought iron chairs and deep, comfy sofas. The rooms offer cool tile underfoot and free Wi-Fi. There's a swimming pool, tennis and billiards as well.
On a nice stretch of beach on the Ba Ria coast road in Vung Tau is the Ho Tram Beach Resort & Spa. This is a Vietnamese-style low-rise construct where all rooms have a balcony looking onto garden or sea, air-conditioning along with ceiling fans, electronic safe, satellite TV, hair dryer and free Internet access.
Seaview Bungalows fronting the beach offer a king or twin-bed arrangement, a walled garden with outdoor shower, a bathtub, and a four-poster bed with gauzy mosquito net drapes. The Arora Spa is on hand for treatments and massage. Expect the usual raft of activities from kayaking and fishing to billiards and kite-flying. A neat and clean escape.
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| Six Senses Con Dao/ photo: hotel |
In the sun-dappled Con Dao archipelago a 45-minute hop by air from Saigon (broadly, offshore from Phan Thiet and Mui Ne in Vung Tau province), you’ll find the Six Senses Con Dao, a luxurious retreat with timber boardwalks and clean zen lines that opened December, 2010. This is modern, low-rise construct, creatively imitative of a fishing village, and mightily welcoming of breeze and light. Expect 50 villas with private pools, running up to four bedrooms if elbowroom is your thing. Set on a bay amid mangroves with low hills providing a backdrop, the resort fronts a kilometre of powder sand. Also expect the usual spoiling distractions of a Six Senses Spa.
Phu Quoc Island resorts
In the Gulf of Thailand, off Vietnam’s south coast sits the island of Phu Quoc. White sand beaches, diving, and an abundance of green make the island an inviting proposition, as well as the fact that it hasn’t yet been overrun by a mass of huge resorts. Be quick though – the island is set for heavy development. Vietnam Airlines has direct flights to Phu Quoc from Ho Chi Minh City and the southern port town of Rach Gia. The flight from Ho Chi Minh City takes about an hour, and it’s about 30 minutes from Rach Gia. There’s also a three-hour-long ferry ride from Rach Gia. Accommodation ranges from back-to-basics bungalows on the beach to a couple of resort-style options. The airport is close to the main town of Duong Dong.
La Veranda Resort (by Accor hotels’ M Gallery) is on the luxury side of the scale compared with other accommodation on the island. Set on the southern end of Duong Dong beach, the resort offers 43 rooms and villas with private balconies. Six villas have direct beach access. Rooms come with air-conditioning, satellite TV, DVD player, Wi-Fi Internet access, mini-bar, and private bathroom. The resort has a tiled pool amid tropical gardens and a spa offering a range of treatments. The colonial-style main building has a bar and restaurant overlooking the sea.
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| Four poster at Princess d'Annam |
Saigon-Phu QuocResort & Spa is a large resort about ten minutes drive from the airport set on its own private section of Duong Dong beach. All 100 rooms and bungalows have balconies with a garden or sea view. In-room amenities include satellite TV, DVD player, aircon, and WiFi. There’s a pool, tennis court, driving range and plenty of other activities on offer from snorkelling to kayaking as well as three restaurants. A high-speed boat is available for transport to and from Rach Gia – the trip takes about two hours.
The simpler and less expensive Kim Hoa offers 72 rooms including the main low-rise pink-blush building as well as a few bungalows. All rooms have aircon, TV, minibar, and private bathroom with a hot shower. There is a swimming pool, and a small restaurant serving Vietnamese and western fare. Get started as low as US$25.
SASCO Blue Lagoon Resort is a family-friendly hotel on a 100m stretch of Duong Dong beach. It has around 75 rooms spread between one high-rise tower, nine bungalows and ten chalets. Each room has a private balcony, aircon, TV, hairdryer, safe, mini-bar and coffee-making facilities. There are five food and drink outlets, a large pool, spa, two karaoke rooms, and an array of activities for kids and adults alike. Along the same beach is the three-star Tropicana Resort, another very simple offering with 30 rooms and bungalows. Larger beachside bungalows come with private patio, aircon, minibar, hot shower and private bathroom. There’s a restaurant on the beach serving Vietnamese and western fare, and a tour desk to arrange activities that range from sightseeing to fishing and snorkelling.
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| Colonial La Veranda Phu Quoc/ photo: hotel |
Cassia Cottage Hotel and Inn on Ba Keo beach, has 18 large rooms spread throughout one main house, two beach houses and five garden cottages. The main house has four sea front rooms with private bathrooms, and there are two rooms (with bathrooms) in each of the beach houses and cottages. Guests can rent out entire beach houses or cottages for extra privacy. There are no TVs here, but there is Internet if you need it. Really though, a computer may be the last thing on your mind when you have a pool, palm trees, beach, hammocks, sun-loungers, and a seaside restaurant serving (among other things) “cassia” ice-cream. The inn says it serves fresh local food without MSG.
At the basic Mango Bay it is back to nature. Here bathrooms are alfresco and water is solar heated. Set on Ong Lang beach with a backdrop of native forest, the resort has 31 rooms and bungalows. There is no air-conditioning, but bungalows come with sea views, big sunsets, rammed-earth walls, thatch roofs, four-poster beds with mosquito nets and overhead fans. The restaurant is open-air on the beach and offers a seafood-based menu.
That's the bumf, beach to beach. If you've got time, wait till a local lovely catches your eye. Then fall to the ground and do fifty push-ups. Or hop on your bike and do wheelies to impress. Remember the speed limit is 40kmh.
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