16 best Vietnamese hotels listed by The Times

Four Seasons Resort Hoi An, Zannier Hotels Bai San Ho, Capella Hanoi, Amanoi, and Tam Coc Garden Resort are five of 16 best hotels in Vietnam honored by The Times.

"Dazzling mountains, a spectacular coastline, long white-gold beaches, enigmatic cities, rich cultural traditions and incredible food - Vietnam has a lifetime of sights and sensations," the U.K. daily commented.

Four Seasons Resort Hoi An

Four Seasons Resort Hoi An won the "Best for romance" title.

"This world-class resort has a prime location on a beach halfway between the dynamic young Danang and the delightful heritage town of Hoi An," The Times wrote.

"There’s a luxurious amount of space, with fragrant tropical gardens to wander, three tiers of infinity pool to lounge by and big swathes of white beach - look for fishermen bobbing along the coast in perfectly circular bamboo boats," it added.

The resort, located in the central province of Quang Nam, is a 30-minute drive from the Danang International Airport.

With an idyllic location on Vietnam’s culturally rich central coast, the resort offers a portal to three extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely the ancient town of Hoi An (Quang Nam province), My Son Sanctuary (Quang Nam) and the Citadel City of Hue (Thua Thien-Hue province), and a breezy respite on the country’s most celebrated beach.

Zannier Hotels Bai San Ho

Zannier Hotels Bai San Ho received the "Best for a secret retreat" title.

The Times commented that Zannier Hotels Bai San Ho, located in the relatively undiscovered province of Phu Yen on the country’s south-central coast, is one of the hottest addresses in Vietnam.

"Bai San Ho has been designed to echo the culture and architecture of rural Vietnamese people, with sustainable wooden buildings, thatched roofs and secret courtyards."

The resort is on a 97 hectare estate of jungle-clad hills and rice paddies with a private beach that sets the stage for fishing, diving and superlative snorkelling amid the reef’s technicolour corals.

"Villa interiors are all supremely stylish and decked out in smoky hues, with textured walls, hand-made rattan furniture and Vietnamese artefacts," the newspaper added.

Capella Hanoi

Capella Hanoi scored the "Best for drama" title.

"Situated in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a few steps from the French neoclassical Hanoi Opera House, this historic French building has had more costume changes than Maria Callas, transforming over the century from an actors’ residence to a brothel and an army depot, and then its latest incarnation as a high-end boutique hotel with a swimming pool and spa," The Times noted.

The hotel has 47 plush rooms and suites (some with French balconies, others with terraces) decorated with operatic memorabilia.

In October, Capella Hanoi was named among the top 10 new standout hotels in Asia by The New York Times. In July, it was second on the list of 15 best city stays in Asia as voted by Travel + Leisure readers.

Last year, the 47-room hotel was one of the best new accommodations in Asia-Pacific according to travel megazine DestinAsian’s The Luxe List 2021.

Amanoi

Amanoi, located in Ninh Thuan province, was awarded the "Best for one-percenters" title.

"One of Asia’s top luxury hotels brings A-list exclusivity in the emerald mountains of Nui Chua National Park in south central Vietnam," The Times described.

"Everything has been designed to astound and stupefy even the very rich, from the awesome ocean views of Vinh Hy Bay to temple-like Jean-Michel Gathy architecture to the rambling pool villas and hypnotic spa. A 10-minute buggy ride will take you to the Beach Club where you can snorkel, eat crispy seafood pancakes and lounge by the infinity pool," it added.

The hotel wrote on its website: "Nestled between a national park and a marine reserve, Amanoi - on Vietnam’s south-east coast - has a spectacular setting and sleek, shrine-like design."

It is a 70-minute car transfer from the Cam Ranh International Airport in Khanh Hoa province, home to Nha Trang Bay.

Tam Coc Garden Resort

Tam Coc Garden Resort, located in Ninh Hai commune, the northern province of Ninh Binh, received the "Best for country living" title.

Situated five kilometers from Tam Coc Cave, the resort is within 15 kilometers to the popular Trang An Cave and Bai Dinh Pagoda. The capital city of Hanoi and its Noi Bai International Airport are 100 kilometers and approximately 140 kilometers away, respectively.

"Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty, surrounded by rippling limestone mountains, a patchwork of green and gold rice fields, silvery rivers and a network of shimmering caves, Tam Coc Garden has a location many a five-star hotel would envy," The Times commented.

"It’s also one of the most charming boutique hotels in Vietnam, with rooms housed in little stone cottages with tiled floors, Tonkinese art and private gardens," the newspaper added.

Villagers in the Red River Delta traditionally had gardens around their homes. The owners of Tam Coc Garden were inspired by this ancestral way of life to create this Tonkinese garden.

Nested between lumbering limestone peaks and rice paddies, Tam Coc Garden is a charming oasis that is endowed with rich natural and cultural heritage. The resort is designed according to the original construction of an authentic Tonkinese village with stone houses and tile roofs in the middle of a lush garden.

Ninh Binh is home to the UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage site Trang An Landscape Complex.

The remaining hotels in the list are: An Lam Retreat - "Best for nature" (Ninh Van Bay, Nha Trang town, Khanh Hoa province), Six Senses Con Dao - "Best for beaches" (Dat Doc Beach, Con Dao island, Ba Ria-Vung Tau province), The Reverie Saigon - "Best for glitz" (District 1, HCMC), Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi - "Best for history" (Ngo Quyen street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi), JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa - "Best for style" (An Thoi town, Phu Quoc island, Kien Giang province), Azerai La Residence - "Best for boutique vibes" (Le Loi street, Hue city), Anantara Quy Nhon - "Best for getting off the beaten track" (Ghenh Rang ward, Quy Nhon town, Binh Dinh province), InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort - "Best for monkeying around" (Son Tra district, Danang city), Six Senses Ninh Van Bay - "Best for barefoot luxury" (Ninh Van Bay, Khanh Hoa province), Regent Phu Quoc (Bai Truong beach, Phu Quoc island, Kien Giang province) and Topas Ecolodge (Sapa town, Lao Cai province).

According to The Times, compared to its neighbours Thailand and Indonesia, Vietnam’s tourism industry is relatively new so you won’t find the same enormous array of places to stay".

"What you will get, however, is a hospitality industry on the rise, bursting with new ideas and keen to attract international travellers. New hotels are shooting up quicker than bamboo - in Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc and Cham An in particular - while older properties are upping their game," it wrote.