Inspiration

The best hotels in Vietnam

Discover magical places to stay in the land of jade lagoons, secret coves and the mighty Mekong River
Zannier Bai San Ho
Frederik Wissink

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Hotels in Vietnam have long been overlooked in favour of nearby hospitality heavyweights such as Indonesia and Thailand. But over the past few years, the country has been playing catch-up with new arrivals pitching up no-expense-spared beach resorts and plugged-in city hotels that give many of their Southeast Asian competitors a run for their money. With mile after palm-frilled mile of beach hemming its eastern coast and a thrillingly rich culture to draw inspiration from, there's plenty of material to work with: both the time-tested mainstays and the smart new arrivals delve deep into Vietnam's intricate history with designs that riff on the country's French-tinged colonial past or the crafts and vernacular dwellings of the more than fifty Indigenous groups that call Vietnam home.

From a glitzy, Roaring Twenties-themed hideaway in Hanoi to a proudly local-owned boutique resort on the southeastern coast – these are the best hotels in Vietnam to book(mark) for your next trip.

  • Amanoi Vietnam

    Amanoi

    With its craggy cliffs and gnarled trees, the rugged beauty of Vinh Hy Bay provides a spectacular backdrop for off-the-grid Amanoi, whose serene villas jut out from a 100-hectare sea of evergreen draped over the hills fringing the Nui Chua National Park in south-central Vietnam. Designed by Belgian starchitect and Aman stalwart Jean-Michel Gathy, the resort's straight-lined and slate-roofed villas and pavilions feel like little Vietnamese temples of relaxation, thanks to their pared-back interiors from blonde wood and hushed grey textiles. Some open to private swimming pools and wooden lounge decks meticulously fitted around the mammoth-sized boulders punctuating the property. A large, pagoda-like lobby and restaurant looms up a hill overlooking the resort, where complimentary afternoon tea comes with banh can rice cakes prepared in clay steamers. Down at the honey-hued private beach, there are plenty of activities (glass-bottomed kayaking, beach picnics and snorkelling) to up your Zen factor, but for a proper reset, consider booking one of the two Wellness Villas that come with a private hammam, cold plunge pools and dedicated spa therapists throughout your stay.

    Address: Amanoi, Vĩnh Hy, Ninh Hải, Ninh Thuận, Vietnam

    Book your stay: Aman.com

  • Azerai Can Tho

    It's hard to believe that this hush-hush haven of scurrying squirrels, birdsong and vine-dripping banyan trees is just a five-minute boat transfer away from Can Tho's high-octane city centre. Taking over a jungle-fringed islet in the Hau River, Azerai Can Tho delivers island idyll in spades yet puts its guests within easy reach of the highlights of the Mekong Delta. The Aman-like architecture and pared-back interiors of its rooms (each set in two-room villas facing either the sprawling gardens or the river) and sprawling pool villas are no coincidence: Azerai's founder, Indonesian hospitality heavyweight Adrian Zecha, also founded the illustrious Aman group and infused the property with many of the same Zen-inducing hallmarks (a soothing spa, lush landscaping and plenty of open space). The main restaurant, where tables spill out onto wooden decks over a lotus-dotted lake, specialises in recipes from around the delta – think tangy canh chua fish soup or banh tam rice noodles in coconut sauce – but leave time to graze around Can Tho's cacophonous night market, which unfurls just a short walk west from the hotel's mainland jetty.

    Address: Azerai Can Tho, Cồn Ấu, Cái Răng, Cần Thơ 94912, Vietnam

    Book your stay: Booking.comBook your stay: Expedia.com
  • ngo nhat hoang

    Capella Hanoi

    In an age where straight-lined and beige hotel designs predominate, Hanoi's latest luxury dig waltzes to a refreshingly different beat. Hotel designer Bill Bensley drew inspiration from the neoclassical Hanoi Opera House down the street and ran with it. From the lobby lounge studded with stage props and murals of camera-flashing paparazzi to the 47 suites individually designed as tributes to actors, singers and play designers of yore – every element of Capella Hanoi nods to the golden age of opera. It's an Art Deco jumble of mirrors and marble, a mishmash of ornate hand-painted wallpapers, jewel-hued textiles, and rooms – each unique – with golden trimmings that'd turn Jay Gatsby green with envy. Just as much care has been put into the restaurant menus. Breakfasts at the theatrical Backstage include table-side banh mi carts, artisanal bubble tea and pho by one of Anthony Bourdain's favourite Vietnamese chefs, Anh Tuyet. Upstairs, rooftop restaurant Hudson Rooms nods to 1920s New York with caviar and oysters on ice, while Koki, a sleek, subterranean dining room one floor above the hotel's crystal-chandeliered pool and spa, delivers chi-chi Japanese. The hotel sits between the buzz of Hoan Kiem lake, the Old Town and the French Quarter, but you'll want to make sure to return to the lobby's Diva Lounge at sunset, where every day, a songstress in a sparkly dress opens the bar with fitting pzazz.

    Address: Capella Hanoi, 11 P. Lê Phụng Hiểu, French Quarter, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam

    Book your stay: Booking.comBook your stay: Expedia.com

  • InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

    Draped over the coastal hills of the Son Tra peninsula some 30 minutes east of Da Nang Airport, InterContinental's Vietnamese flagship was hotel designer Bill Bensley's breakout project when it opened in 2012. As his largest hotel project to date at the time, he and his team pulled out all the stops to turn this sprawling beachfront estate into a whimsical wonderland of temple-like villas, flower-frothing gardens and a handful of restaurants with eye-popping ocean views. Like the communal areas, the resort's suites, penthouses and villas (ranging from one to four bedrooms) sport boldly monochrome palettes brightened up with pops of citrusy yellow and colourful Chinoiserie. A 130-metre-long funicular shaped like a Vietnamese basket boats whisks guests to the resort's caramel-coloured beach (keep an eye out for monkeys and Douc langurs on your ride down), where a family-friendly pool has recently been enlarged as part of a resort-wide upgrade and renovation in 2023. And while it's easy to fill your days with cinnamon body scrubs at the lakeside spa and martinis at the daybed-dotted L_O_N_G Bar, a visit to the UNESCO-listed Hoi An Ancient Town is a must – the concierge can help you book a seat on the free shuttle leaving from the resort lobby.

    Address: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Thọ Quang, Sơn Trà, Da Nang, Vietnam

    Book your stay: Booking.comBook your stay: Expedia.com
  • Frederik Wissink

    Zannier Bai San Ho

    It's easy to see why Arnaud Zannier, the French hotelier behind the eponymous family-owned Zannier hotel group, fell for this kilometre-long swoop of white sand in south-central Vietnam's little-visited Phu Yen province. From the highest point of his 240-acre estate, you can watch endless hills roll into the hazy distance, while from the ancient rice paddies at its heart, it's as if you've stumbled into a remote corner of rural Vietnam. Zannier Bai San Ho's villas – most with private pools – further hammer down the away-from-it-all feel. Each one is carefully positioned to make the most of its setting either high up in the hills or ensconced in a patch of jungle along the beach, while their designs pay tribute to the vernacular building styles of nearby fisherfolk and tribal communities around the country. Inside, they deliver a richly textured melange of creamy muslin textiles, wooden floors, thatched ceilings and cob walls, accentuated by local clay pottery and hundreds of antiques collected from around the globe. The antique-studded lobby lounge, cavernous spa and panoramic all-day Nha O restaurant follow a similar theme, while at the beach, the rattan-clad Lang Chai restaurant and bar double down on the toes-in-the-sand vibe. Phu Yen is short on bucket-list sights. Other than a guided tour around the surrounding seafood markets and fishing communities, this is prime beach-lazing and pool-lolling territory.

    Address: Zannier Hotels Bãi San Hô, Hòa Thạnh, Sông Cầu, Phú Yên, Vietnam

    Book your stay: Booking.comBook your stay: Expedia.com

  • Regent Phu Quoc

    Hugging the silvery sands of Long Beach on Phu Quoc, southern Vietnam's resort-dotted answer to Phuket or Koh Samui, Regent Phu Quoc spared no expense in turning the brand's first Southeast Asian outpost into one of the swankiest stays in all of Vietnam. Most of its 126 villas, done up in creamy marble and laid out like a Rorschach test around two lotus-speckled lagoons, come decked out with private pools and fully equipped kitchens and feature perks such as 10-option pillow menus, round-the-clock butler service, and multiple minibars stocked with complimentary Belgian beers, craft sodas and chocolate by Vietnamese bean-to-bar maker Marou. You'll want to spend most of your time around the cabana-lined pool at the heart of the resort, occasionally dipping into the adjoining Ocean Club to top up your glass of chilled rosé or lunch on seafood platters heaving with local lobster, king prawns and oysters with yuzu gel and tabasco foam. Around sunset, the views from the infinity pool-lined Fu Bar on the rooftop are hard to beat, after which Oku, the resort's Japanese-French omakase restaurant, is a choice spot for top-grade beef and sushi by Nobu-alum Andy Huynh.

    Address: Regent Phu Quoc, Bai Truong, Dương Tơ, Phú Quốc, Kiên Giang 92509, Vietnam

    Book your stay: Booking.comBook your stay: Expedia.com

  • The Anam Mui Ne

    After the success of its first resort in Cam Ranh, the Vietnamese-owned Anam group opened a second outpost in Mui Ne, a palm-studded resort town some two hours east of Ho Chi Minh City. The theme is Indochine-chic, nodding to Vietnam's grand French villas with kaleidoscopically tiled floors, sculpted corniches and classic teak wood furnishing. The beachfront resort is also a celebration of local arts and crafts: each of the 127 rooms and suites features oil paintings by Vietnamese artists, and more than 120 ceramic works by artisans from the indigenous Cham community are spread around the premises. Guests can fill multiple days with jaunts around Mui Ne's famed white- and red-sand dunes or the 8th-century Champa ruins in nearby Phan Thiet, but The Anam offers plenty of reasons to stay put: there's a holistic spa offering Hawaiian lomi-lomi massages and Balinese rubdowns, a dreamy pool shaded by towering palms, and a handful of wine- and dine options that include pan-Vietnamese classics at the beachfront Lang Viet restaurants, or private seafood BBQ feasts set up in the resort's pool suites.

    Address: The Anam Mui Ne, 18 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Phường Hàm Tiến, Thành phố Phan Thiết, Bình Thuận 77000, Vietnam

    Book your stay: Booking.com
TopicsRomantic BreaksCoast & CountrysideHotelsVietnamAsia