The Best Hotels to Book in Vietnam for Every Traveller

On the warm tropical coastline of southern Vietnam, this sleek luxury hideaway facilitates supremely comfortable beachfront stays. Most rooms – with modern decor and subtle Vietnamese accents – occupy the principal multistorey wing. One- and two-bedroom pool villas dot lush tranquil gardens astride a quaint village-like pond and a notably large infinity pool with its own seafood restaurant. Dining by Design, where guests devise their own menu, is the resort’s ultimate dining experience. If you tire of the resort bubble or its yoga and bicycles, there are several established excursions to experience the real Vietnam.

Perched on a low bluff overlooking a pretty arc of straw-coloured beach, Avani makes up in simple allure what it might lack in size. While its rooms offer modern design with soft, almost organic accents, its open lobby embraces a more ethnic-chic look with woven bamboo shades and furniture, all beneath a large thatched roof. Elevated sea views from the restaurant’s terrace affirm the feel of a boutique resort – and might whet the appetite for a faintly Robinson Crusoe-esque excursion by tiny boat for snorkelling at its nearby small private island.

Vietnamese fantasy village meets uber-stylish design by Bill Bensley, the king of exotic luxury resorts, in this expansive property beautifully positioned in its own bay on a thickly forested peninsula. Inspired by local crafts, temples, palaces and imperial tombs, its four terrace-like levels – symbolising heaven, sky, earth and sea – showcase striking opulence, whimsy and functionality fused with exhilarating verve. The verdant hillside even has a small guest funicular along with rope ladders to help free-roaming monkeys swinging in from the trees; properties rarely come more accommodating.

In the heart of Hanoi’s lively Old Quarter, the historic Metropole boasts a colonial-era pedigree and atmosphere imbued with retro glamour and sophisticated elegance. Augmented by two further wings in the 1990s and 2000s, the original French-built property of 1901 still feels like the jewel in the hotel’s crown and its distinguished clientele encompasses heads of state, authors and actors. Facilities, including a spa/wellness centre and heated swimming pool, are second to none. Its restaurants, too, showcase some of the region’s best Indochinese and French cuisine.

Strung like emeralds in the South China Sea around 200km (124mi) due south of Ho Chi Minh City, the lush Con Dao archipelago is Vietnam’s ultimate escapist retreat. The hilly, cove-studded islands are part of a protected marine reserve complete with nesting turtles. Overlooking the main island’s finest beach, this sublime all-villa resort with private pools melds barefoot luxury and boho-chic akin to a fantasy village comprising millionaire local fisherfolk. It’s A-list celebrity territory, too, with a range of excursions such as hiking and snorkelling embracing even further-flung neighbouring islets.

Elegant neo-Colonial style joins sleek sophistication at this handsome mansion in the heart of the upscale District 1. Its appearance belies the fact that today’s modern Hyatt replaces a hotel used by American forces and their radio station in the war and immortalised in Good Morning Vietnam (1987). Chandeliers, louvred windows, Vietnamese artwork and antiques evoke a pleasing east-meets-west French-tinged charm, a fact reflected in its restaurants, cafés, bars and gourmet patisserie. The pool stands in landscaped gardens and its spa is probably the city’s best.

Standing sentinel over one of the finest stretches of beach, this palatial resort in Vietnam lies in the heart of the country’s cultural centre near Hoi An, a Unesco World Heritage Site. A trio of magnificent palm-fringed pools heralds the limpid sea while a hundred villas, many with their own pools, channel a distinct blend of minimalist, almost monochrome, styling with subtle Vietnamese aesthetics including lanterns, water features, bamboo panelling and lacquer. The spa’s eight villa-treatment rooms cluster around their own lake, each with an island pavilion.