Vietnam is known for its diverse cultural offerings, a blend of French colonialism and its own rich cultural roots. What’s not as well known is the abundance of beach resorts in Vietnam, located on some of the most pristine beaches in the world.
With a stay at one of these four Vietnam beach resorts, you’ll be signing up for world-class snorkeling and diving, tantalizing cuisine. To top it off, you’ll still get to experience that attentive hospitality the Vietnamese are so well-known for.
Four miles of white sand stretched out along the Central South coast of Vietnam, giving way to the sprawling city of Nha Trang. The central hub of the Khanh Hoa province, it’s known for its scuba diving, glittering beach re, orts and fresh seafood.
The best time to visit Nha Trang is between February and May when the weather is at its mildest – around 80 degrees. If you’re wanting to dive, aim to visit between April and August during low rainfall so water is at its clearest.
Escape the hustle and bustle of Nha Trang’s center, and take a 25 minutes drive south, to Mia Resort. If you’re concerned about being too far out of Nha Trang, keep in mind that taxi prices in Vietnam are extremely cheap, So a taxi from Mia Resort to Nha Trang’s center should only cost you around $15.
Your room choice at Mia Resort is going to be dependent on the type of holiday you’re planning. Couples on a romantic escape should go for the very private cliffside villas, complete with their own pool and sweeping views of the East Sea. Families have a number of choices – condos are available in a family sized configuration, or there is a five-bedroom villa, which sleeps up to 10 guests, and functions as a home-away-from-home.
The resort’s layout is spacious and tasteful. Modern European-inspired furnishings in playful colors adorn the rooms and public areas. Mia Resort is home to two restaurants – the Vietnamese focused Sandals Restaurant and Bar, and the European influenced La Baia. Both serve impeccable cuisine that will leave you wanting more.
Adding to the standout features of Mia Resort is its large number of varied activities on offer. These include cooking classes with local chefs, boat trips, motorbike excursions, watersports, gym facilities, yoga, and spa treatments.
All rooms at Evason Ana Mandara offer varying views of the sea, garden or beachfront, and all come with a private terrace. The pick of these rooms is the beachfront option, which has an outdoor tub, rain shower and direct access to your own slice of the beach.
If you don’t fancy the stroll into Nha Trang to try some of the local delicacies, each Friday a Vietnamese food market is set up in the hotel’s Pavilion Restaurant. Here you can taste some of Nha Trang’s freshest seafood, accompanied by traditional Vietnamese song and dance. On any other day, The Pavilion plates up locally sourced Vietnamese produce and is known as one of the city’s premium beachside dining locations.
Evason is well known in the region for its watersports centre so you don’t want to miss your chance at jet skiing, water skiing, parasailing as well as PADI-certified scuba diving. If adrenaline isn’t really your thing, the resort’s spa should have you covered. Try the cellulite busting ‘Green Coffee Body Treatment’ or an ‘Asian Wave Massage,’ which mimics the motions of the ocean.
The best-known beaches in Da Nang are arguably My Khe and Non-Nuoc, due to their clean sands and clear waters. Even better is that they’re relatively close to Da Nang’s center – about 10 minutes by taxi.
Much like Nha Trang, Da Nang’s resorts are best visited between February and May. The Summer months of June to August see the city swell with domestic tourists and a hike in resort prices.
Room interiors at the Hyatt Regency Da Nang are a blend of European and Asian accents. No matter which room you’re in, you’re guaranteed to have ocean views. Touches like Vietnamese timbers and ceramic tea settings do well to portray a sense of authenticity. Dining choices include three restaurants and an on-site bakery, making it easy to never leave.
Not one, but five pools are dotted around the resort. The biggest and main pool has its own waterslide and all poolside refreshments are free during pool bar opening hours. If you’re traveling as a family, you’ll be pleased to know that you can drop the kids off at Camp Hyatt to keep them entertained with games and swimming lessons, while you enjoy some ‘me’ time.
VIE Spa is nestled between the sea and mountains and, in addition to providing first-class spa treatments, has been designed to immerse the guest in the local environment. Go for the two-hour refresh package – a 45-minute body scrub and a 75-minute massage.
Furama Resort’s furnishings are distinctly more Vietnamese than many other resorts of this caliber in the area. Polished timber floors give way to Asian furnishings, which fill out spacious suites. Even the most modest of Furama’s rooms, the Garden or Lagoon Superior, are home to large wooden sliding doors, that open out onto a generous sized balcony.
Furama has earned its name as the culinary resort of Vietnam, and for good reason. The resort’s signature restaurant, Cafe Indochine starts the morning with an international buffet breakfast and then switches to a seafood market buffet. If you’re looking for a culinary experience closer to home, you can’t go past The Fan Steakhouse. Sitting by the beach, the restaurant plates up high-quality steaks, imported from Japan and the United States. Dine on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday to witness a traditional Cham dance performance with your meal.
The Furama Resort Dive Centre offers diving and snorkeling tours to the nearby Son Tra Peninsula and Cham Island. Other water sports on offer include catamaran sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, wakeboarding, aqua biking and parasailing (just to name a few).
Phu Quoc is a tear-shaped island, located just off the coast of Cambodia, and is one of Vietnam’s best-kept secrets. In the past few years, the number of resorts here has multiplied and guests are now spoilt for choice. The average temperature in Phu Quoc is a delightful 80 degrees year-round and dry season runs from November through to March.
Intercontinental’s foray into Phu Quoc is luxurious and large-scale, to say the least. The 459 rooms wrap around the pool, looking out to the blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Maintaining a green space has been at the forefront of planning this resort, with vibrant green grasses and plants almost everywhere – including the rooftops.
The resort is home to the island’s highest sky bar, Ink 360. Spending an evening enjoying the sunset from here is a must. Also calling the resort home are five restaurants and bars, each specializing in their own offering. The most relaxed of these is ‘Sea Shack,’ a beachfront seafood restaurant.
Located on the eastern side of the island, The Shells is a sprawling resort that takes relaxation very seriously. Each of the villas here has been designed in a minimalist style, taking on their influence from the shape of a shell, opening out into the surrounding gardens and beach.
The centerpiece of the resort is the large pool and pod-like day beds. Wrapping around the pool is Flow Restaurant – home to a fusion of Asian and Western-inspired dishes. Make sure to stop in at the resort’s bar, the aptly named ‘Liquid Lounge’, where free cocktails and juices are handed out most nights of the week around 7 p.m.
Hoi An is one of the better preserved ancient towns in Vietnam. Its charm is amplified by the canals that run throughout its French colonial style architecture. This region is the perfect place to explore by bike or motorbike – only a couple of miles out of town will allow you to see traditional Vietnamese life.
Sunrise Premium Resort prides itself on providing intimacy, luxury and the conveniences of home. This means that rooms have been designed with comfort in mind. Many of the activities at the resort are free of charge, as well as food and drinks bordering on the cheaper side for a resort of this caliber.
Happy hour take place from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at The Pool House and The Lounge. Spend an evening in the Spice Garden, a restaurant that dishes up traditional Vietnamese meals like Cao Lau (pork with noodles and fresh herbs) and Stir-fried prawns with Tây ninh salt (prawns with shrimp salt).
The Vinpearl resort chain is well known in Vietnam for its authentic, luxurious take on five-star Vietnamese resorts. The hotel chain’s recent foray into Hoi An is no different.
Modern architecture intersects with the sprawling landscape in an almost seamless fashion. Rooms are airy and spacious, with added extras like free WiFi and free minibars. Outside, visit the swim-up bar and infinity pool that looks out to the white sands of Cua Dai Beach.
Although located 20-minutes outside of Hoi An, the resort offers a complimentary daily shuttle into town. Make sure you venture into Hoi An to take advantage of some of the best clothing tailoring services in the country.
This story originally appeared in trivago Magazine AU