Vietnam has two major advantages as a leisure destination: a continuous 2,100-mile coastline and Chinese, Cham, Khmer, and French influences that yielded three UNESCO World Heritage sites. In 2019, Vietnam counted 18 million tourists—with its National Administration of Tourism invested in the industry’s diversification—and now there are 68 hotels adding up to some 28,655 rooms planned for 2022, according to data benchmarking company STR. Its strategy includes developing rural counties, as well as a wider range of hotel choices in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Danang. Although the range of hotels varies, the goal remains the same: to connect the design to the fabric of the city. “This choice and variation of projects creates more opportunities for guests to experience Vietnam in different ways and encourages local tourism,” explains Studio Noor cofounding partner David Hodkinson, “which is a key development direction post-pandemic.”
A rendering of the Park Hyatt Phu Quoc, which will mix lacquer, rattan, and bronze
The Athens- and Ho Chi Minh City-based firm has a handful of projects opening that reflect Vietnam’s changing landscape. Among them are the 250-key Mövenpick Phan Thiet (launching this year as part of the NovaWorld Phan Thiet complex, which also includes the Kume Design Asia-crafted Novotel Phan Thiet, coming in 2024) and the refresh of Furama Danang, the property’s first renovation since it opened more than a quarter century ago. The firm will retain features like carved doors, plantation shutters, and solid wood flooring. “Returning guests will feel like they have arrived in a refreshed Furama rather than a new property,” says Hodkinson.
2021 also saw a handful of openings, including the 308-room Crowne Plaza Phu Quoc Starbay by Singapore’s eco-id architects and Saigon’s Zoo Studio; the New World Phu Quoc Resort, developed by Sun Group, which offers 375 villas along Khem Beach; and the brand’s debut in Ho Chi Minh City with the 533-room New World Saigon.
When it opens in 2023, the sprawling New World Nha Trang Hotel will boast villas that open onto Bai Tien Beach
Looking ahead, Singapore-based Blink Design will be responsible for Regent Phu Quoc’s 302 keys, including 126 villas along Long Beach in Phu Quoc Marina, opening this April. In 2023, Vietnam will welcome the Park Hyatt in Phu Quoc, the New World Nha Trang, and the Rosewood Hoi An. The beach town of Ho Tram is also adding a few hotels to its roster, including the Mövenpick Ho Tram (led by Kume Design Asia) and the 2024 launch of the Hyatt Regency, designed by Singapore-based AR+D and LTW Designworks. Joining the Patricia Urquiola-crafted Mandarin Oriental Saigon (scheduled to open next year) will be the brand’s Danang debut, a 69-villa resort with 18 private residences set for 2024.
Here, we highlight three properties propelling the country into a new era.
Capella Hanoi
The exterior of the Capella Hanoi is covered in marble, glass, and gold details
When thinking about Vietnam’s evolution, look no further than Bangkok-based designer Bill Bensley, whose narrative-driven approach has helped revive a 12th-century monastery into Yen Tu MGallery, transform an abandoned university into the JW Marriott Phu Quoc, and recently, remake a new build into the opulent Capella Hanoi. Because of its location near the Hanoi Opera House, Bensley envisioned guests staying in the private apartment of an opera star for the hotel’s 47 guestrooms, which are “designed to emulate French apartments at the turn of the century, with balconies on every outside wall looking out on the very charming neighborhood,” he says. “We curated all the artwork and included hundreds of original antique objects, books, prints, and letters.” As the courtyard spans the entire hotel, guests can view a handcrafted mural depicting Vietnam’s history from the lobby and corridors of every floor. “I adore the four carotids at the elevator lobby, which look as though they hold up the ceiling,” Bensley adds. “They were common turn-of-the-century stage props and ended up being the perfect scale for our hotel. I like to think they would have been on stage at the first productions at the opera house.”
Azerai Ke Ga Bay
The pool suites look onto the lush garden at Azerai Ke Ga Bay
In 2019, Adrian Zecha unveiled his latest hotel brand Azerai, centered on affordable luxury and simple elegance. Today, the brand operates three hotels in Vietnam, including its latest the Azerai Ke Ga Bay, a Studio Noor renovation of the Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa that opened in 2021. Situated along Vietnam’s southern coastline, the boutique beach resort is imbued with a restrained style across its 46 guestrooms. “The object was to create a contemporary and clean line aesthetic using natural materials, which connect to the local environment and have a Vietnamese vernacular,” says Studio Noor’s Hodkinson. Woven rattan, sea grass matting, pebble wash floors, a palette inspired by rock formations, and pots by local artisans anchor the resort in its location. Further, Studio Noor opened the pool suites to a view of the gardens, changing the previously insular guestrooms. One of Hodkinson’s favorite features is “the connection of the beachfront pool and terraces with the landscape, beach, and sea beyond,” he says. “The open stepped sea wall gives an unobstructed view, creating a theatrical feeling with the sea and sky as the stage. This is quite special at sunrise and sunset.”
Mandarin Oriental Saigon
The entrance to the Mandarin Oriental Saigon’s Chinese restaurant celebrates the culture of Vietnam’s Hoa people
Residing within the mixed-use building Union Square Saigon, the 223-room Mandarin Oriental Saigon will feature a design by Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola that is inspired by local architecture: the color palette of the Independence Palace, the archways of the Saigon Central Post Office, and the polychrome marble used in the Pasteur Institute. “When entering the hotel, guests will instantly feel the international urban identity of the location,” says Urquiola. In addition to the central courtyard and lobby (a ceiling will imitate an undulating body of water) are six restaurants and bars, including one by Hong Kong’s Steve Leung Designers, which will boast a pond and garden that nods to heritage Chinese homes. “It is now more common to see ultra-luxury hospitality in Vietnam,” says Mai Chongchaiyo, director of design at Steve Leung Designers, “raising the bar of global expectations for the country as the next ‘it’ destination.”
This article originally appeared in HD’s February/March 2022 issue.
