Vietnam's revival
04-Jul-07
Vietnam has come far since the south fell to northern communist forces in 1975. The Hilton Hanoi Opera hotel (www.hanoi.hilton.com), for example, sits in the architecturally-rich French Quarter and features all the luxuries a well-heeled traveller could want, including rooms with marble bathrooms and boutique shops in the lobby.
Growing economically, as Vietnam did last year, meant it was second only to China in Southeast Asia. The result is a place where high-end development is emerging and tourism is booming.
"The word is out," says Barry Israel, owner of two of the country's leading resort hotels, Sofitel Dalat Palace (www.sofitel.com) and Novotel Ocean Dunes and Golf Resort (www.novotel.com). "Vietnam is a country, not a war or a state of mind."
In fact, the threat of danger is so low nowadays that Aon, the world's second largest insurance firm, recently described it as one of the six safest travel destinations on the planet. No wonder access is increasing. In April, United Airlines (www.united.com) added three flights a week to its Ho Chi Minh City/San Francisco route; Qatar Airways linked the capital with Doha with four flights a week in late March. While there are no non-stop flights from the UK to Vietnam by any carrier at the moment, this should soon change; Vietnam Airlines (www.vietnamair.com.vn) has plans to start the service by the end of 2007.
Richard Craik, director of marketing for Exotissimo UK (www.exotissimo.com), Vietnam's premier inbound tour operator, believes the timing couldn't be better.
"High-end UK travellers are a well-travelled lot," says Craik. "Now that Vietnam has luxury properties to compete with other destinations in the region, those travellers are keen to visit. There are lots of properties to attract the wealthy, famous and even royalty from the UK."
Vietnam's appeal is vast. As well as comfort and security, it offers warm weather, stunning scenery, inspiring cuisine and the finest shops. At Thu Thuy in Hoi An (www.hoianthuthuysilk.com), clients can get a tailor-made suit of the highest quality for less than $150 (£76) and perhaps bump into the Queen of Spain.
Even the world's top golfers and course designers are taking notice; Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino attached their names to layouts at Ocean Dunes and Vietnam Golf & Country Club (www.vietnamgolfcc.com), while Ronald Fream is at work on a course called Sea Links.
WHERE TO STAY
Among the most anticipated hotel openings in 2007 is the Princess d'Annam Resort and Spa (www.princessannam.com). In the south-central coastal town of Ke Ga, just three hours northeast of Ho Chi Minh City by car, the property is being compared to those of the Aman Resorts and Four Seasons. Some of the credit goes to Singaporean architect Tan Hock Beng, who designed the 58 private villas that overlook the South China Sea. The rest belongs to its five-star offerings, including a spa that recalls a lavish-but-refined Moroccan sanctuary, with courtyards, columns and alcoves. It will welcome guests from April.
A few miles down the beach, Ocean Dunes Resort and Golf Club (www.novotel.com) has unveiled The Bungalows, a pair of two-storey structures that house six suites, to complement its 123-room luxury hotel. They are also steps from both the Nick Faldo-designed golf course and the resort's private beach. Plans call for 18 more bungalows by August 2007.
The 100-villa resort Nam Hai Hoi An was recently awarded top spa status in the US (www.ghmhotels.com).
Another move is coming from Life Resorts Management Group, which plans to add to its five-property portfolio in October with Life Heritage Resort Halong Bay. Guests will receive luxury treatment aboard one of 22 deluxe "junks" slated to include spacious accommodations and a five-man crew (captain, chef, spa therapist, tour guide and maid). It will also allow for extensive trips in Ha Long Bay; currently, few outfits offer more than a one-night stay (www.life-resorts.com). Its resort at Phan Thiet will open in 2008.
In Ho Chi Minh City, InterContinental Hotels Group has started construction on a huge luxury property that will be part of District One's Kumho Asiana Plaza. Set to open in 2009, InterContinental Asiana Saigon will reflect the culture of Vietnam and include 270 residences for long-stay guests (www.ichotelsgroup.com).
PRESIDENTIAL VILLA
EVASON HIDEAWAY & Six Senses Spa, Ana Mandara, Nha Trang
Client fit: Celebs and/or privacy seekers.
Why: Seclusion and style don't blend together any better than this. Set on dramatic Nin Vanh Bay, the space features everything from a floating terrace to a personal butler, and can only be accessed - via a series of wooden walkways set into the mountainside - by the key holders themselves.
Price: From US $1,800 (£913).
Contact: www.sixsenses.com
RESIDENT SUITE
La Residence Hotel & Spa by Accor, Hue
Client fit: Power-hungry businessmen and history buffs.
Why: It's where the last emperor of Vietnam slept, and where, in 1968, the Viet Cong captured the highest-ranking South Vietnamese official. Its view across the Perfume River to the imposing flagstaff of the Citadel is fit for a king, too.
Price: From US $325 (£165).
Contact: www.la-residence-hue.com
SUITE EMERAUDE
Emeraude, Halong Bay
Client fit: Adventure-seeking couples.
Why: It's the only queen-bed room on the exquisitely restored paddle wheeler, which is also the perfect launch point from which to explore the bay's myriad limestone karsts.
Price: From US $515 (£261).
Contact: www.emeraude-cruises.com
THE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE
Caravelle Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City
Client fit: Expats and CEOs.
Why: Many US journalists were based here during the war, and its proximity to the city's most notable landmarks is second to none. It's also where parts of The Quiet American, which earned Michael Caine an Academy Award nomination in 2003, was filmed. Its flagship restaurant Reflections was also revamped this year.
Price: From US $1,200 (£609).
Contact: www.caravellehotel.com
THE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE
Park Hyatt Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City
Client fit: Presidents and prime ministers.
Why: It's the ultimate five-star experience in Ho Chi Minh City, right down to the marble-tiled bathroom with oversized whirlpool bath and built-in LCD TV panel. Naturally, it's on the 10-storey building's highest floor.
Price: From US $2,180 (£1,106).
Contact: saigon.park.hyatt.com
GOING OUT
- Explore the countryside by sidecar The opening of Princess d'Annam Resort and Spa won't just mark another level in Vietnamese luxury accommodation, it will provide guests the opportunity of a lifetime. Owner Gilles Poggi has accumulated a fleet of 11 motorcycles with sidecars, from which travellers can gain a new perspective of Vietnam. "In a sidecar, you have a 360-degree view," Poggi says. "You don't get that on a motorbike." Destinations are various. www.princessannam.com
- Go on a customised bike tour For the exercise-conscious, Phat Tire Ventures offers an alternative way to take in the lush sights and lovely sounds of Vietnam. The company was started five years ago by an American husband-and-wife team and continues to thrive on Asian soil, thanks to their new two-day ride from the mountain town of Dalat to the coastal village of Mui Ne - a haul that links up the plush Sofitel Dalat Palace Hotel and Ocean Dunes Resort and Golf Club. The trip is customisable to ability and aided by a support vehicle. www.phattireventures.com
- Meditate in solitude The Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon inaugurated a series of wellness seminars last July that sync perfectly with the property's pristine and private location. Led by instructors in tai chi, yoga and pilates, the workshops take place in the resort's 3,000 sq m landscaped garden, overlooking a curvaceous coastline and an exquisite beach. www.life-resorts.com
- Tee it up on new turf Chi Linh Star Golf & Country Club has been receiving such rave reviews for its first course that it decided to build another. Located between Hanoi and Halong Bay, the site of the 2004 Carlsberg Asian Masters will soon have a second 18 to go with Australian Ray Lobb's challenging parkland design. The new layout, scheduled to open July 2007, is being constructed out of a rock quarry and will feature panoramic views of rolling forest hills. The club is also in the process of building 15 four- to six-bedroom villas. www.chilinhstargolf.com.vn
FOCUS ON CRUISING
A World Heritage Site since 1994, Ha Long Bay offers plenty of opportunities for cruising in style, with 3,000 or more islands rising from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. These tiny islands are dotted with beautiful beaches and dramatic grottoes, created by the natural forces of the wind and waves.
- For a one-night cruise, the Halong Ginger, a wooden junk, combines "classic beauty with modern comfort".
- The Bai Thos luxury junk does two day-cruises which visit Thien Cung cave, Dau Go cave, tours of Tuan Chau island, Dinh Huong island, Dog island, Ga Choi island and Titop Beach.
- The Bien Ngoc charter boat is available for private hire for groups or couples.
- The celebrated, vintage paddle-wheel vessel Emeraude celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.
Fitted with a new sun deck family suite in 2006, the diesel-powered replica of the 1906 original offers special excursions in Ha Long Bay. www.emeraude-cruises.com
EATING OUT
Ba Mien
Hanoi
Setting: On the mezzanine level of the Hilton Hanoi Opera hotel, and sprawling over what used to be a sun deck, this contemporary, "open-sky" restaurant offers the perfect mix of Vietnamese culture and cuisine.
Chef: Pham Xuan Cuong.
Best dish: Try the poached lobster in lotus essence with lemongrass sabayon.
Best table: A spot on the aromatic, candlelit terrace.
Contact: www.hanoi.hilton.com
THE HANOI PRESS CLUB
Hanoi
Setting: Modern decor with Indochine touches combine to create a hip interior reminiscent of Hanoi in the prospering 1920s.
Chef: Marcel Isaak.
Best dish: The fillet of Australian beef tenderloin with cabernet sauvignon sauce is a can't-miss.
Best table: Dining in the cosy, private wine room.
Contact: www.hanoi-pressclub.com
LE RABELAIS
Dalat
Setting: French, French and more French. Situated in the lobby level of the landmark Sofitel Dalat Palace Hotel, this alluring restaurant evokes colonial indolence, right down to the massive period paintings that adorn its elegant interior.
Chefs: Didier Corlou (consulting) and Nguyen Huu Huong (executive).
Best dish: Anything out of a kitchen run by Corlou is masterful; the Brittany native's 2004 book, Vietnamese Cuisine, was voted "Best Asian Cuisine Book in the World" by Gourmand.
Contact: www.sofitel.com
SENSES RESTAURANT
Hoi An
Setting: Situated above both the Sienna Cafe and Amsterdam Bar at Life Heritage Resort Hoi An, this open-air restoration project - it was damaged by an October typhoon - strives for, and achieves, the ultimate in freshness.
Chef: Dang Ba Cuong.
Best dish: It's all an ethereal experience, but for aesthetics alone, nothing beats Chef Cuong's homemade coconut ice cream, served in an ice bowl shaped like a water drop.
Best table: Along the far railing, overlooking the Thu Bon River.
Contact: www.life-resorts.com
SAIGON SAIGON BAR
Ho Chi Minh City
Setting: On the 10th floor of the historic Caravelle Hotel, cover bands rock out, jet-lagged tourists converge with smartly-clad locals and views from the expansive patio stretch for miles.
Best drink: The Slammer, a potent mix of amaretto, sambuca, cognac, lime and triple sec.
Best table: The outside corner - it offers the broadest vistas.
Contact: www.caravellehotel.com
INSIDER'S GUIDE - Jeff Puchalski, director of Golf,Danao International Holdings, & vice-chairman,AmCham Vietnam (American Chamber of Commerce)
After nearly 10 years in Vietnam, I've watched it emerge from the ruins of the Southeast Asia financial crisis of the 1990s to become one of the hottest travel destinations in the world.
Starting in Ho Chi Minh City, the rooftop bar of the five-star Caravelle Hotel enables you to have a leisure-time cocktail, while taking a panorama of a city still known as Saigon. From here, the views take in the fabled French opera house, the twin towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral and myriad colonial-era palaces and villas that testify to the city's one-time reputation as the Pearl of the Orient.
A 25-minute plane ride north, the mile-high resort city of Dalat offers year-round relief from the tropical torpor of Saigon. I frequently rummage among the tens of thousands of singularly inspired paintings of Zen Buddhist monk Vien Thuc at Lam Ty Ni Pagoda. This City of Eternal Spring is highly regarded all over Southeast Asia for its cornucopia of garden vegetables.
In Hue, one of Vietnam's five UNESCO World Heritage sites, the court musicians in the Royal Theatre evoke the soundscape of imperial Vietnam with high fidelity. At the nearby Museum of Royal Fine Arts, 128 ironwood pillars complement an exquisite collection of Nguyen Dynasty artefacts.
In Hanoi, one of Vietnam's best shopping destinations is on Nha Tho Street, in the shadow of the gothic cathedral of St. Joseph's. The street is choc-a-block with home furnishing shops, clothing boutiques, cafes, trattorias and Ipa-Nima, the source of the sleek handbags on display at Harvey Nichols, Liberty's, Selfridges and Harrods.
CLIENT Q&A - AMY SHIELDS, UK-BASED JOURNALIST
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE VIETNAM?
We wanted a holiday that combined exploration and adventure with luxury. I was visiting my family in Singapore, and Hanoi, in north Vietnam, is only a three-hour flight from there. It is the perfect entry point for exploring Southeast Asia. Vietnam's borders include China, Cambodia and Laos, and its influences are vast - from Buddhism to French colonialism to communism.
WHERE DID YOU STAY?
The Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi, The Victoria Sapa Resort in Sapa and a night on a junk in Halong Bay. The Metropole is the epitome of colonial chic. High tea or the handmade chocolate buffet on the terrace is a must. The Victoria Sapa Resort is nestled in the former French colonial hill station of Sapa on the Chinese border. It is accessible by the hotel's overnight train from Hanoi, which has retained a whiff of old-fashioned glamour, but only when the dining car is available. Ha Long Bay has stunning rock formations and is popular, with day-tripper boats galore. An overnight stay on a deluxe junk is superb, if only for the food. If you don't like seafood, though, you might go hungry.
WHO WERE YOUR FELLOW GUESTS?
French families, retired Aussies and honeymooners.
WHAT MADE THIS A LUXURY HOLIDAY?
The service at the hotels was first rate. The rooms were comfortable and the food a delicious fusion of French and traditional Vietnamese. Hanoi has superb restaurants, including the Green Tangerine, which is hidden away in a courtyard in the Old Quarter.
WHAT DID YOU MOST ENJOY?
Sapa is a must for a glimpse into rural life among Vietnam's hill tribes. The Victoria Sapa Resort hotel has stunning views of Mount Fansipan and the terraced landscape of the paddy fields. A visit is not complete without a trek to the H'Mong tribe villages of Cat Cat and La Chai and the Day tribe at Ta Van. Expect to be accompanied by smiling tribespeople in traditional clothes selling handmade crafts.
WHERE NEXT?
We went on to Cambodia to visit the awe-inspiring temples at Angkor Wat. But we only experienced the tip of the iceberg, so I plan to return to explore more of Southeast Asia.
INSIDER'S GUIDE - Lee Marona, president, Exotissimo North America
Vietnam is currently one of the world's most talked-about travel destinations. After opening its doors to tourism in 1989, The Land of the Ascending Dragon has established its reputation as a unique and genuine Southeast Asian experience. And now, there is ample opportunity to explore it in style and luxury.
In the north, wander the charming colonial boulevards of Hanoi. The Sofitel Metropole rivals the finest hotels you'll find anywhere, and the restaurants and eateries will delight your senses. My favourites are The Hanoi Press Club (across the street from the Metropole), Wild Rice and the elegant Emperor.
The sensuous, serene scenery of Halong Bay is an absolute must-see in the north.
And a trip to central Vietnam would not be complete without exploring the majesty of Hue, the former imperial capital.
Farther south, entertain the senses in Ho Chi Minh City. Exploring the Mekong Delta region is also essential. Start in Cai Be on private junk Cai Be Princess. Lunch is served at a family estate along the delta, with a stop at Vinh Long before returning to Saigon.
Throughout Vietnam you will savour fresh and exotic cuisine, experience the warmth and openness of the Vietnamese people and enjoy abundant shopping.
