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In less than a decade, Vietnam's hotels have gone from dreary hovels to dreams come true. Elka Ray enjoys unexpected levels of luxury at the country's best resort hotels.
In 1992, on my first visit to Hanoi, I toured Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum three times. It wasn't Communist fervour or some sort of death fetish that drew me back. Quite simply, the place was cool-and I don't mean hip. In the whole country, it was the first place I'd found that was graced with air-conditioning. Seven years on, I look back on that trip with a kind of confused awe. How I travelled the length of Vietnam in July with no air-conditioning is a mystery. And for what? Did sharing my room with rats and cockroaches really make me a better person? Since the answer is probably no, when approached to write a story about Vietnam's top tourist sites, my response was lukewarm to say the least. "After it opened, everyone came to Vietnam," said Paul Stoll, General Manager of the Furama Resort in Danang. "All the big tour operators started bringing groups here and, in '94-'95 they all gave up. Fifty percent of the guests said, 'Never again.' Vietnam just wasn't ready for all those people." But, added Mr. Stoll, times have changed. "In the meantime the infrastructure has improved. And it's the most 'Asian' country at the moment. In Thailand and Bali the character is fading." "Now is a great time for people to come to Vietnam," echoed Vu Ngan Chi of Exotissimo Travel Vietnam. "It's not so developed, it's still authentic, but you can already find international standard hotels." Most of the foreign tourists who come to Vietnam have been to Asia before. Many work in the region and are looking for somewhere different, somewhere exciting, but - and this is crucial - also somewhere relaxing. Price, while important, is not key. Vietnam is a specialty market and, as such, does not offer the same value for money as some nearby, mass-market destinations. This said, the regional economic slowdown has hit Vietnam hard and printed room rates would appear to be flexible. While the hotels I contacted quoted much higher prices, the Furama Resort Danang claimed to have achieved the highest average room rate in Vietnam in 1998 with an average room rate of US$102. En Route My first stop was to be Can Tho, a small, riverside city in Vietnam's southern Mekong Delta. Why anyone besides my previous backpacking self would want to visit Can Tho, let alone build an international-standard hotel there, was a mystery I intended to solve. Having barely made it aboard the 8am hydrofoil from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), I spent the first half of the five-hour trip in a daze through which the scenery unfurled like a scene from Apocalypse Now or Platoon. The hydrofoil, while not luxurious, was clean and air-conditioned, and following a few cups of thick, sweet Vietnamese coffee, I was lucid enough to appreciate the palm-lined riverbanks and the passing boats, full of waving kids and fruit from the delta's orchards. The further into the delta we went, the more stunning the views of rice paddies and orchards became. My 1992 flashbacks dissipated as the hydrofoil slid past the hotel - a gorgeous tableau of green lawns, red flamboyan trees, blue swimming pool and bright yellow walls. Designed by French architects in an airy, colonial style, the Victoria Can Tho achieves the relaxed elegance of an old riverside plantation house. At US$100 per night it's not high-end luxury, but it's got a down-to-earth elegance that suits the sleepy locale. My room, which looked out over the pool to the river beyond, was comfortable, quiet and tastefully furnished with lots of wood. If you're not tempted to tour Can Tho's famed floating market or take a boat trip through the area's maze of tiny canals and fruit orchards, then an afternoon by the pool watching passing river traffic should erase any lingering big-city tension. And the hotel's sunny dining room and French chef make meals a pleasure. It's also decent value, with a full dinner costing a reasonable US$10 to US$15. But why did Victoria Hotel choose Can Tho? "From the start we planned a chain with different products - mountains, rice fields and seaside," explained Virginie Meyniac, Victoria Hotel's Marketing Manager. As of September, guests can take the hydrofoil from Can Tho to Chau Doc, near the Cambodian border, and stay at another newly-opened Victoria venture. Eventually, Victoria Hotel plans to operate a network of hotels throughout the Mekong Delta and Cambodia, all linked by comfortable boats, which will carry guests from Ho Chi Minh City to the Cambodian town of Siem Reap (near Angkor Wat). Vive La France Rather than venture further into the delta myself, I headed for the highland town of Dalat. Daily flights link this former French hill station with Ho Chi Minh City, although cancellations aren't uncommon. I opted to drive - a five-hour trip past vast rubber plantations, followed by gently rolling, jungle-covered hills, vineyards and coffee fields.  Views of pine trees and vegetable gardens, plus a cool, temperate climate, made Dalat a favourite with homesick French colonialists in the past. The illusion of Europe is complete at the five-star Sofitel Dalat Palace. Built in 1922, this imposing hotel was renovated in 1993 and reopened under Accor Asia Pacific management in 1995.
The interior - painstakingly recreated from old photographs - is stunning. Cross the glistening mosaic floor of the lobby and you enter another era. From the long wooden hallways strewn with Persian rugs to the walls hung with copies of European masters, every detail is perfect. And the rooms, with front views over the town's central lake and back views of Dalat's wooded hills, are straight out of a fairy-tale: Fireplaces to ward off the evening chill; deep, claw-foot bathtubs; old-fashioned armoires. This is the antithesis of a business hotel - no speed-dial on the replica antique phones, and old, brass skeleton keys instead of keycards. With just 43 rooms ranging from US$169 to US$414 per night, the Sofitel Dalat Palace has the intimate feel of a private club. There's nothing to remind you of work deadlines and nothing to annoy - the staff achieves that rare balance of being both attentive and unobtrusive. Whether you choose to eat in your room in front of a roaring fire, or dine in Le Rabelais, the hotel's elegant French dining room, the food and service are top-notch. If only the flights were more reliable. As it is, most of the guests are committed golfers, there to take advantage of the rolling Dalat Palace Golf Club. If the Sofitel Dalat Palace blows your budget, head next door to the Novotel Dalat, where quoted room rates range from US$119 to US$189. Under the same management as the Dalat Palace, this restored, colonial-era hotel lacks the charming detail of its pricier sibling, but provides a comfortable, modern alternative. If you do choose to stay here, you can always console yourself by dining across the street. Sea Change From Dalat I descended towards the ocean, then followed the coast to the little fishing village of Phan Thiet. Once famous for its fish sauce (the occasional whiff suggests that this industry still thrives), Phan Thiet's long, palm-fringed beach made it a natural choice for resort developers. The beach now has three resorts in the realm of international-standard. My first stop was at the biggest of the three, the Novotel Ocean Dunes Resort Phan Thiet.  Also managed by Accor, the Novotel Phan Thiet is set between the beach and the gorgeous 18-hole Ocean Dunes golf course. Once through the golf course's front gates, it's hard to tell you're in Vietnam. The hotel itself - a large, concrete block of limited architectural merit - feels like an updated version of The Love Boat. It's comfortable, modern and full of smiling, and efficient staff, all of whom are eager to include you in various activities. As well as golf, Ocean Dunes features two swimming pools, two tennis courts, a fully-equipped fitness centre, sailing, windsurfing, jet skis, and mountain bikes. At just a three-hour drive from Saigon, this is the place to come and swing, swim or sweat off some of that work frustration.
For those who can't leave the office, consider bringing it along to one of the hotel's four conference rooms. The French chef can host large parties, either on the rooftop terrace, by the pool or beside an ancient pagoda in the middle of the golf course. The Novotel Ocean Dunes is the best deal in Phan Thiet: quoted room rates are US$62 for a golf view, US$72 for a sea view, and US$92 for a 95-square metre suite. Until December 1st, 1999, a special deal offers one night's stay and a round of golf for just US$82.50 per golfer (add US$32.50 if a non-golfer is sharing the room.) Next stop was the bungalow-style Victoria Phan Thiet Resort. Opened in April 1997 and managed by the French Victoria Hotel group since April 1998, this is a much smaller, more low-key operation than the Novotel. If you're sick of city-style hotels, Victoria Phan Thiet's sprawling grounds and US$100 a night seaside bungalows make a nice change. You can hear the waves from your thatched-roof cottage and from the breezy restaurant terrace. While the beach is a bit rocky, it is entirely private and the area is blessedly undeveloped. Best of all, the large, free-form pool has a great swim-up bar.  Compared to the glaring newness of the Novotel, this resort looks a little run-down - a state which is set to change since Victoria Hotel has bought out its local partner and plans to embark on million-dollar renovations. In addition to redecorating the rooms, they plan to add a discotheque, a 200-person conference room, tennis courts, mini-golf course, and a golf driving range. Construction will start in the spring of 2000 and take about one year to complete. Until then, it's worth asking for a discount.
My next stop was more rustic still. Coco Beach Hai Duong Resort also offers thatched-roof, bamboo beach bungalows, which ring in at US$65 a night from June 1st to November 14th and US$80 for the rest of the year. The rooms are comfortable but not luxurious and the free-form pool is smaller and shallower than the Victoria's. When Coco Beach opened in July 1995, its 19-rooms represented the only foreign-operated venture in Phan Thiet. While many expats from Ho Chi Minh City have switched to plusher lodgings, Coco Beach still draws its fair share of tourists and regional expats, who enjoy the informal, family-style atmosphere provided by the French-German couple which runs the place. Good, cheap Vietnamese and international cuisine is another plus and Coco Beach's French chef draws diners from the other resorts whose menus are pricier. Like the Victoria, Coco Beach is expanding. A second restaurant - this one on the beach - is being built, as is an 85 square metre conference room. Paradise City  Conference facilities seem to be all the rage in Vietnam. Pulling up at the four-star Ana Mandara in the central city of Nha Trang, I was met by the sight of scaffolding - last minute touch-ups on the new 80-seat conference room.
Nha Trang, linked by air with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, has long been a favourite with foreign tourists. The city wraps around the beach, which curves for six kilometres in a gorgeous, golden arc, offset by stunning, postcard-blue water and steep, green hills. This is tropical paradise, only slightly marred by the number of vendors and masseuses plying the sands. Luckily, just two kilometres from the city centre, on the Ana Mandara's private strip of beach, there's not a vendor to be seen. Opened in 1997, this 68-room resort offers the best of both worlds - a private, world-class oasis just a short walk from a bustling, Vietnamese market. During my stay, over half of the guests were Japanese and it's easy to see what keeps these finicky guests coming back. Set in a lush garden, the Ana Mandara's airy guest bungalows reveal an incredible attention to detail: Fresh flowers sprinkled on the beds; carved wooden furniture; clay jars of body lotion. A garden view costs US$137, while a sea view is US$158 - but look for discounts, especially outside the peak winter season. The Ana Mandara's attention to detail is also evident when it comes to food. The breakfast buffet was the most luscious I'd yet enjoyed, with such exotic touches as tamarind and passion fruit jam. And for dinner, the Dutch chef serves excellent, if somewhat pricey, seafood. Sit back on the restaurant's pool-side terrace, sip some tropical cocktail concoction and watch the lights of the fishing boats bob on the horizon. Now this is a vacation! China Beach The Furama Resort Danang's claim to be "Vietnam's first and only international luxury resort' could be challenged by the Ana Mandara. Choosing a favourite is largely a matter of personal taste. While daily Vietnamese life swirls around the Ana Mandara, the Furama is a 20-minute drive out of Danang, on an empty expanse of China Beach. On the one hand, this ensures peace and quiet and China Beach has some of the finest, whitest sand in Vietnam. On the other, the isolation makes it harder to eat out, away from the resort. This said, there are plenty of benefits to the Furama's location. Danang is within a two-hour drive of three World Heritage sites: Hoi An, a town famous for its quaint 19th century architecture; My Son, the ruins of a 4th-13th century Cham temple complex; and Hue, the site of the Vietnamese royal court during the 19th and 20th centuries.  The 200-room Furama is a much less intimate experience than the Ana Mandara or the Dalat Palace, but it does rival these hotels in terms of facilities, services and layout. The main pool provides a stunning view of the ocean and is by far the most impressive and pleasant swimming pool in Vietnam. The hotel itself is built around a large courtyard, which contains the "lagoon pool" and a beautiful flower garden. Complete with swim-up bar, fake waterfalls and soccer-team-sized Jacuzzi, the "lagoon" feels almost like the set of "Fantasy Island".
Which leads to my final point about the Furama: Danang recently joined Hanoi and Saigon as one of the chosen Vietnamese cities to handle international flights. To date, Hong Kong's Dragonair has brought in charter groups and, starting on October 31st 1999, Thai International will run three flights a week between Danang and Bangkok. Vietnam Airlines, in cooperation with Cathay Pacific, also plans to offer a regular service between Danang and Hong Kong, starting next year (see box below). The Furama quoted room rates at US$140 for a "Garden Superior"(these actually look over a lawn), US$170 for a "Lagoon Superior" (they look over the pools and garden) and US$190 for an "Ocean Deluxe" (sea view). Return Policy Do I ever get nostalgic about those long ago backpacking days, when adventure and misadventure went hand-in-hand? Sometimes. Would I trade in my room service and Pina Coladas by the pool? No thanks, I'll take the new, luxurious Vietnam. But for old time's sake, I went back to see Uncle Ho. He hasn't changed a bit.
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