Positioned (unfairly by many) behind Thailand’s shadow for decades, Vietnam might finally be emerging as Southeast Asia’s headlining act.
The destination boasts all the staggering natural beauty, standout cuisine and thrumming city life one could want from the region, and a growing portfolio of world-class hotels, cocktail bars and five-star excursions offers much for the upscale traveller.
The Vietnam luxury hit list
Stay: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Transport yourself into French Colonial-era Vietnam inside Hanoi’s grand dame hotel. The Old Quarter-based icon has hosted dignitaries and celebrities since 1901, from Charlie Chaplin (he honeymooned here) to Angelina Jolie and Bill Clinton.
There are 364 elegant rooms and suites spread in two distinct wings—one comprises the original building, the other newer with neoclassical leanings—stitched together by a manicured courtyard garden, spa and outdoor pool.
Take your pick from six upscale bars and restaurants showcasing the best of French and Vietnamese flavours. Be sure to visit the gorgeous, newly-revamped Angelina bar and lounge.
Set sail: Paradise Luxury Cruise
The 1,600-island Halong Bay should be on every Vietnam visitor’s wish list, and Paradise Cruises’ overnight journeys is a fine way to explore its enchanting, emerald-coloured waters.
The cruise line has three small ship types—Luxury and Peak are classic-style wooden boats, whereas Elegance is steel-built and modern—each with well-appointed cabins/suites and spa treatment rooms.
Don’t miss the complimentary excursions to see the Hang Sung Sot cave’s mind-blowingly enormous chambers, or a hike to the peak of Ti Top Island, which boasts some of the best views of the UNESCO World Heritage seascape.
Stay: Legacy Yen Tu, MGallery by Sofitel
This special monastery-themed hotel is helping to usher a new era of tourism in Yen Tu: a northern, sacred mountainside area popular with Vietnam’s Zen Buddhists, which remained unknown to the Western world... until now.
Opened in 2018 and designed by venerable hospitality maestro Bill Bensley, it’s the first five-star hotel in the region, an upscale base from which to explore the forested mountain’s many cultural and religious treasures.
The hotel’s 133 rooms emulate a 13th-century local village. Think hallway walls made of rice husk, terracotta ceilings, headboard ‘sacks’ and formidable wooden doors.
Fun fact: it’s Vietnam’s only five-star hotel without in-room televisions, but with the Yen Tu’s soul-stirring surroundings as the main distraction, you won’t miss them.
Eat: angelina
Even if you don’t stay at the Sofitel Legend Metropole, you’d definitely want to while away an evening at the brand-new angelina, the hotel’s re-imagined two-story cocktail bar, whiskey lounge and restaurant concept.
Boasting a warren of sumptuous rooms decked in velvet, leather and white marble, this glamorous hangout takes cues from the Scottish Highlands for the design and ultra-premium whiskey selection. The show-stopping feature is an eight-metre high bar shelf, fronted by two drop earring-like chandeliers.
It’s hands-down the hottest and most stylish bar/lounge in Hanoi.
Fly: Hai Au Aviation
If you want a more thrilling way to explore Halong Bay’s lush limestone formations, flying above them in an amphibian Cessna Caravan could fit the bill.
Hai Au Aviation (the only seaplane service in Vietnam) operates 25-minute scenic flights, which take off on the sea and fly hundreds of metres above Halong Bay’s horizon-filling islets and grottoes —providing an unforgettable way to witness one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
Stay: The Reverie Saigon
If extravagant living is your thing, Ho Chi Minh-based The Reverie Saigon might—pardon the pun—be your ‘dream’ hotel.
The ultra-luxe city palace occupies the top floors of an iconic skyscraper, yielding commanding views of Ho Chi Minh’s skyline and Saigon River from the 286 marble-lined rooms and suites.
The hotel’s phantasmic looks is a sight to behold, too: lavish, Liberace-like Italian design with every inch covered in exotic leather, upholstered walls, mosaics, gold and eye-catching art works.
Amenities include a outdoor pool with hot tub, two restaurants, gym and a 10-room spa.
Drift: Aqua Mekong
Navigate the mighty Mekong River in an all-suite luxury boat, exploring some of the best riverside destinations of Vietnam and neighbouring Cambodia.
With just 20 spacious and contemporary suites, Aqua Mekong is an exclusive ‘river safari’ vessel, replete with a gym, outdoor pool, cinema room and an exquisite Southeast Asian dining program led by Michelin star-winning chef David Thompson.
Local experts lead the way for enriching small group shore excursions, from the Chau Doc floating market to picturesque plantation-filled villages.
Relax: Amanoi
Arguably Vietnam’s most exclusive resort, Amanoi hosts a handful of minimalist-chic ‘pavilions’, villas and residences scattered along Vihn Hy Bay’s rugged coastline-hugging hills.
Whereas other luxury resorts are clustered in one area, Amanoi is in world of its own inside the vast Nui Chua National Park, about two hours away from Nha Trang.
There is a beach club flanked by granite cliffs, two restaurants, a lakeside spa retreat and two infinity pools with sweeping views of the South China Sea.
Eat: Pink Pearl Restaurant (JW Marriott Phu Quoc)
Not your ordinary upscale French restaurant, the Pink Pearl—newly opened at JW Marriott Phu Quoc—is all about theatre, flair and 1920s dining decadence.
Plain front-of-house receptionists are replaced by exuberant flapper girls, ushering guests through French doors and into the whimsical, pink-clad mansion space.
Courses of local-caught sea urchin, spiny lobster and Charolaise Beef Pithivier are complemented by sounds of live violinists, pianists and opera singers. It’s an eccentric ‘soiree’ to indulge all the senses.
Party: Chill Skybar
You’ll find Ho Chi Minh’s young, trendsetting society letting their hair down at this rooftop favourite in District 1.
The fully open-air cocktail bar is based 25 floors up the glassy A/B Tower, and evolves from a chilled sunset drinks spot to a pulsating nightlife destination as the evening turns.
The signature cocktails, Champagnes and top-shelf spirits all come at quite a premium by Vietnam’s standards (nearly £11/$14 for a classic cocktail), but the stupendous urban skyline views afforded from the venue might prove them justifiable.
Vietnam Airlines (vietnamairlines.com) operates the UK's only nonstop scheduled flights to Vietnam, flying from Heathrow Airport to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (returns from £464 per person in Economy; £938 in Premium Economy; and £1,818 in Business Class).
Experience Travel Group (020 33557873; experiencetravelgroup.com) offers bespoke Vietnam itineraries; a four-night package including stays at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Legacy Yen Tu - MGallery by Sofitel, and the Paradise Luxury Halong Bay Cruise and return Vietnam Airlines flights from £1746 per person.
