These Central Vietnam luxury beach resorts and boutique hotels are some of the best in Southeast Asia, each possessing a distinctive design and architecture, dreamy beach and riverside locations, alluring swimming pools, and immersive activities and excursions, especially of the culinary kind.
I have to say that Central Vietnam is our favourite part of Vietnam. Home to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites of Hoi An old town, the citadel and imperial city of Hue, and the Cham ruins of My Son, Central Vietnam has fantastic food, fabulous beaches, and a fascinating history, which at times has been terribly tragic.
The region is also home to some of the most beautiful beach resorts and boutique hotels in the country, in Hoi An and Hue, and dotted along the coast that stretches between the two, near Danang and Lang Co.
These are our picks of the best Central Vietnam luxury beach resorts and boutique hotels – the properties that stand out for their atmosphere, architecture, facilities, excursions, and activities, from stunning swimming pools to outstanding cooking classes.
Best Central Vietnam Luxury Beach Resorts and Boutique Hotels
Anantara Hoi An
Our pick of Central Vietnam luxury hotels if your priority is staying in Hoi An, the Anantara must have the best address in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed town. Located on the banks of the tranquil Thu Bon River, in tropical gardens filled with palms and frangipani trees, the Anantara has one of the most peaceful settings in Hoi An. While situated on the edge of the old town, it’s just a five-minute stroll along a pretty street to the riverside fish markets (liveliest at dawn) and fifteen more pleasant minutes walk through the heart of town to the Japanese Bridge, one of Hoi An’s main attractions. The hotel offers boat rides on the river and you can borrow bicycles. Handsome French colonial-style buildings house a waterfront café with black and white tiles and restaurant with wraparound balconies offering river vistas. The 94 spacious rooms and suites are decorated in a pared-back Eastern style with Vietnamese touches. Book one of the first floor River View Suites with patios that are perfect for sunset drinks. The beach is a short drive away, but you should be satisfied with the swimming pool set amidst shady palms overlooking the river.
1 Pham Hong Thai Street, Hoi An Old Town, Central Vietnam
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Four Seasons The Nam Hai
The Nam Hai, set on heavenly Ha My Beach, is the most exclusive of the Central Vietnam luxury beach resorts near Hoi An. A sprawling village of discreet Zen villas designed on feng shui principles, the property’s architecture tips a conical hat to the imperial city of Hue to the north. Two enormous, palm lined infinity pools – one Olympic-sized – lure visitors here, along with the spa, which skirts a sizeable lotus pond. However, for us, The Nam Hai’s food is also a big draw with an impressive breakfast spread (don’t miss the cao lầu noodles) and outstanding restaurants. Some 35 ingredients are grown in the hotel’s organic farm, which we visited soon after it was established. The Nam Hai Cooking Academy, which offers themed cooking classes ranging from a single day to a weeklong course, includes the farm on programmes, along with immersive culinary activities, such as excursions to Tra Que organic vegetable gardens and Phuoc Hai fishing village to learn how to make fresh rice noodles. Shuttles run four times a day to Danang and Hoi An.
Ha My Beach, Dien Ban Town, Central Vietnam
Book the Four Seasons The Nam Hai online with our booking partner Booking.com.
InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort
That legendary French chef Pierre Gagnaire drives the menu at fine diner La Maison 1888 is reason enough for us to check in to the jaw-dropping InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, pictured above. Michel Roux Senior oversaw the restaurant when we stayed just after its opening. For food lovers, it’s a bonus that one of the most breathtaking of Central Vietnam luxury beach resorts is the work of acclaimed Asian-based architect and interior designer Bill Bensley, who was also responsible for Siem Reap’s Shinta Mani, The Siam in Bangkok and many other lavish hotels in the region. With 200 rooms, including 16 penthouses and villas, it’s a lot larger than we normally like our hotels, however, the spectacular location on Monkey Mountain on Son Tra Peninsula, the 700 metre-long stretch of sandy beach, the design themed around Heaven, Sky, Earth, and Sea, the wonderful rooms with balconies with sea views, and whimsical touches such as overhanging restaurant booths, make this a special place to spend a holiday. Most of all, we loved dining with our toes in the sand at the beachside restaurant and the opportunity to watch the rare red-shanked douc monkeys play in the surrounding forest. Danang’s international airport is around 20km or a half-hour drive away and there’s a free daily shuttle to Hoi An.
Bai Bac, Son Tra Peninsula, Danang, Central Vietnam
Book the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort online with our booking partner Booking.com.
Banyan Tree Lang Co
At the foot of the Truong Son Mountain Range, overlooking a crescent-shaped stretch of the three kilometre long Lang Co beach and the still East Sea, the Banyan Tree Lang Co is our pick of Central Vietnam luxury beach resorts for those who want to relax. While the resort is almost equidistant from Central Vietnam’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the imperial city of Hue, atmospheric Hoi An, and the Cham ruins of My Son – there’s so much at the property to tempt you just to stay put. The lovely villas have private terraces with sun-loungers and pools; book one on the ocean-side so you can stroll straight down to the sand. Activities include cooking classes to learn how to make Vietnamese spring rolls and Bun Bo Hue and the chance to discover Lang Co’s lagoons and mangroves in a traditional basket boat. There’s an award-winning spa, for which Banyan Tree resorts are famous and a Sir Nick Faldo-designed 18-hole championship golf course that meanders through rice paddies and streams. The chic beachside Italian restaurant, Azura, is one of the best spots on the coast for sundowners, while the brand’s signature restaurant Saffron will satisfy any Thai food cravings. The only quibble we have is that there isn’t a dedicated Vietnamese restaurant (the all-day diner, the Water Court, serves Vietnamese dishes) but that’s a good excuse to get to Hue. There are two shuttle buses a day to Hoi An and one to Hue. Hue airport is 44kms away and Danang’s is 60kms and the hotel offers complimentary airport shuttles.
Cu Du Village, Loc Vinh Commune, Phu Loc District, Central Vietnam
Book the Banyan Tree Lang Co online with our booking partner Booking.com.
La Residence Hotel and Spa, Hue
Easily the most elegant of our picks of Central Vietnam luxury boutique hotels, the splendid La Residence Hotel and Spa in Hue is an Art Deco gem on the banks of the Perfume River, overlooking Hue’s UNESCO World Heritage listed Citadel and Imperial City. Built as the residence of the French Colonial Governor in 1930, the heyday of the Art Deco movement, the hotel exhibits the hallmarks of the 1920s Streamline Moderne style, including strong horizontal lines, nautical touches and a handsome bowed façade. The meticulous 2005 restoration is evident in the period details, particularly the handrails and balconies, intricate iron doors, retro furniture, vintage lamps, and terrazzo floors. While the 122 rooms and suites are spacious and comfortable, the beautiful public spaces beckon you to swim the stunning 30 metre saltwater swimming pool, play tennis pétanque or billiards, pull up a stool at Le Gouverneur Bar, and dine on the outdoor terrace at Le Parfum restaurant. The hotel offers a range of tours and activities, including a picnic lunch in the pine forest of Thien An Hill, a sunset champagne cruise on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, and a Taste of Hue Cooking Class, where guests go by cyclo to Ben Ngu market to buy local produce before returning to learn to cook traditional family dishes from Hue.
5 Le Loi Street, Hue, Central Vietnam
Book the La Residence Hotel and Spa online with our booking partner Booking.com.
Have you stayed at any of these Central Vietnam luxury beach resorts and hotels? We’d love to hear about your experience. Do let us know if there are other beach resorts or boutique hotels in Central Vietnam you recommend that we can test out on our next trip.
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