Travel+Leisure | Vietnam Guide

SOUTHEAST ASIA / JULY 2014

Digital Destination Guide CAPITAL NIGHTS BOOMTOWN DANANG SAIGON OR HANOI?

The Best of

vietnam

Editor’s Note

July 2014

WHERE TO FIND ME

chrisk@mediatransasia.com @CKucway on Twitter

V

ietnam, that long, narrow country that comes with so much history, has been the next big thing for two decades now. Visits to Hanoi, Saigon or any number of coastal towns are still the highlight of many a travel itinerary, no matter how often you’ve visited. The trick here is that this country, a place where being weighed down with history could be so easy a path on your trip, is never reinventing itself; it’s not necessarily into branding. Instead, Vietnam is simply moving ahead. Where bicycles once glided by along Hanoi’s streets, they’ve been replaced by scooters and, in some cases, private cars. What stays the same, no matter how often you visit, is the excitement of that next great local meal, whether it’s on a sidewalk or in a restored colonial villa.

That’s what’s apparent in this collection of our latest articles about Vietnam. The profound differences between Hanoi and Saigon come through loud and clear in a feature-length look at the country’s two urban rivals—thing is, the two have always been at odds on so many levels. Both make for a perfect weekend getaway, a great stop for a family or an eating itinerary that will have you planning a return visit before you head home.

There’s more than the cities to Vietnam, an idea that is anchored in our look at Danang, which has embraced luxury resorts like few other places in Asia yet still retains that flair that only Vietnam can pull off.

Take another step beyond and you’ll come across stops like Hoi An and Phu Quoc, again, places where the time-honored sits next to the luxury of the 21st-century. That, in a nutshell, is Vietnam today.

—c h r i s t o p h e r k u c way

The T+L Code Travel + Leisure editors, writers and photographers are the industry’s most reliable sources.

While on assignment, they travel incognito whenever possible and do not take press trips or accept free travel of any kind.

VIETNAM* * BEST OF

By Lien Hoang

STAY Amanoi For its first property in Vietnam, Aman went entirely its own way, to an unspoiled rural haven an hour south of Nha Trang. The 36 guest pavilions and villas sprawl across a jungle peninsula in Nui Chua National Park, surrounded by the East Sea and dotted with impossibly free-standing giant boulders. Do not miss the gorgeous 4

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Acrobatics at AO Show.

Heady talk at Imagine Café.

The firey and fabulous Dragon Bridge.

Sophisticated fresh tapas at Vesper.

Pilates studio or sunrise yoga in the lakeside sala. Vinh Hy Village, Ninh Hai District, Ninh Thuan Province; amanresorts.com; doubles from US$900.

Pullman Saigon Centre Purple legs protruding from a wall, mesh bunnies and birds dangling from the ceiling—the eclectic new Pullman fuses these funky elements with a classic ambience, while the floorto-ceiling windows brighten up the joint. 148 Tran Hung Do, Q1, Saigon; 84-8/3914-1489; pullmanhotels.com; doubles from US$109.

SEE AO Show Cirque de Saigon? A great way into the city’s iconic Opera House is buying a ticket to AO, an acrobatic mix of modern dance, traditional music, and gravity-challenging stunts using such instruments as bamboo rods and tightropes. 7 Cong Truong Lam Son, Q1, Saigon; 84-12/4518-1188; aoshowsaigon. com; tickets from VND630,000.

Dragon Bridge In Vietnam, dragons are perennially lucky. Rarely, though, are they so large, lifelike, and, well, useful.

To celebrate the 38th anniversary of the Communist capture of the Central Coast, the Da Nang River was spanned by a six-lane bridge in the shape of a giant, brightly lit dragon.

The structure, which breathes real fire on the weekends, was built by an American firm. Talk about scorching irony. Cau Rong, Danang.

SHOP Vincom Mega Mall Royal City The biggest underground shopping center in Asia has luxury brands and hundreds of restaurants, of course, but the defining features are the indoor water park, and Vietnam’s first international standard ice rink. No wonder the owner, Pham Nhat Vuong, was the first Vietnamese to make Forbes’ list of billionaires. 72A Nguyen Trai. Thanh Xuan Dist. Hanoi; 844/6276-7799; royalcity.com.vn. ✚

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF AO SHOW; COURTESY OF IMAGINE CAFE; COURTESY OF GE T T Y IMAGES; COURTESY OF VESPER

EAT & DRINK The Hungry Pig Mmmm… bacon. This too-cute café serves up pork in droves: on bagels and baguettes, in salads and sausages, and of course in your full English breakfast. 144 Cong Quynh, Q1, Saigon; 84-8/3836-4533; lunch for two VND200,000.

Vesper This sophisticated cocktail bar along the Saigon River is one of the few places in the city to serve tapas.

Pop by on a weekend afternoon and you might get drafted into a competitive game of corn-hole.

5B Ton Duc Thang, Q1, Saigon; 84-8/3822-9698; drinks for two VND300,000.

Imagine Café Intellectuals gather at Imagine Café for its range of books and its intimate discussions with writers and scholars. On the main road to the airport, it’s an easy stop on your way into town. 58 Ho Bieu Chanh, Phu Nhuan Dist., Saigon; 84-90/9560105; drinks for two VND44,000.

Song Xanh Café Don’t let this coffee shop’s location adjacent to the backpacker district turn you off; the vibe is decidedly less hedonistic, and more heady.

Social entrepreneurs and activists gather in the free meeting room, immersing themselves in the funky, recycled seating and ornaments.

64 Ho Hao Hon St., Q1, Saigon; 84-8/3838-9900; cafe.songxanh.vn; drinks for two VND60,000.

Deals

T+L RE A D E R S PECI A LS

THIS MONTH’S BEST DEALS From a honeymoon-worthy beach to a UNESCO World Heritage town, here are a few of Vietnam’s most precious gems.

A Grand Luxury room at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.

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HANOI So Gourmet from Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi (sofitel. com), an award-winning French colonial-style hotel in the city’s French Quarter. The Deal A stay in a Historical Wing’s Grand Luxury room. The Highlight Daily 60-dollar-credit for food and beverages. Cost From US$310, double, ongoing.

Savings 19 percent.

SAIGON Stay Cool with Summer Deal from Caravelle Hotel (caravellehotel.com), a prestigious hotel, home to foreign embassies and news bureaux in the past but now a modern address. The Deal Three nights in a Deluxe room. The

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Highlights Thirty-three percent discounts on Best Available Rates, plus unlimited in-room Internet access. Cost From US$416 (US$139 per night), double, through September 8.

Savings 33 percent.

HOI AN Stay Longer, Save More from Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa (victoriahotels.asia), a fishing village-like stay with small streets, water ponds and village houses with clay-tiled roofs 5 kilometers away from the UNESCO World Heritage town.

The Deal Four nights in a River View room. The Highlight Twenty-five percent discount for a stay of four nights and more.

Cost From US$640 (US$160 per night), double, through December 22. Savings 25 percent.

DANANG Summer package from Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa (hyatt.com), with 27 private-pool villas, 95 residences and a quiet stretch of white, sandy beach. The Deal Two nights in a Twin room. The Highlights VND1,000,000 food and beverage credits per stay, an hour access to Camp Hyatt for two children and 20 percent savings at VIE Spa. Cost From VND7,740,314 (VND3,870,157 per night), double, through September 14.

Savings More than 30 percent.

COURTESY OF SOFITEL LEGEND METROPOLE HANOI

NHA TRANG Honeymoon Indulgence from Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel & Spa (sunrisenhatrang.com.vn), a colonial-style hotel with 120 Nha Trang Bay-facing rooms. The Deal Two nights in a Seaview Superior room. The Highlights A complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe room, an hour of body treatment for two, a candle-lit dinner by the pool, 10 percent discount at all food and beverage outlets, 10 percent discount on all tour services and 10 percent discount on spa services. Cost From VND6,900,000 (VND3,450,000 per night), double, through December 20.

Savings 28 percent.

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weekends

CON DAO

From Saigon

Traditional fishing on Con Dao island.

Beach style at The Sanctuary.

HO TRAM

Now usurping kite-surfing capital Mui Ne’s grip on the hearts of Saigon-dwellers needing a road-trippable beach, Ho Tram (a three-hour drive away) has so far managed to stay rustic and under-the-radar—no small feat considering the opening last year of The Grand (thegrandhotramstrip.com; VND3,579,000), the country’s first Vegas-style casino and resort. After a bit of glitz and gambling—and, with a Greg Norman-designed course set to open in January, golfing—overload, head back to the stunning Southern Californiastyle four-bedroom manse you and 10 pals rented for the weekend. Never has Vietnam seen a more aptly named private community than The Sanctuary (sanctuaryresidences. com.vn; villas from VND11,865,000 per night), which sits on a long, clean, hawker-free beach. The front walls of all the villas accordion open onto their private pools, so everyone can do their thing and still stay together: rock out or relax to the sea breezes, jetski or banana boat out on the ocean, grill up steaks you brought from Saigon and seafood you bought in the village market. What better way to bond with your besties?

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DALAT

This beyond-green, chill (in both senses of the word) mountain town 1,500 meters above sea level and a 60-minute flight from Saigon is the quintessential colonial hill station: centered on a lake and surrounded by mountains of fir trees, vineyards, orchards and farms, all of which you can admire from above in the lengthy cable-car gondolas.

Check-in old school to Ana Mandara Villas (anamandara-resort.com; VND1,864,351), a smattering of turreted mini-chateaux with claw-foot tubs and fireplaces for those cool nights. The grande dame Dalat Palace (dalatresorts.com; VND2,500,000) serves spot-on high-tea and is smack in the center of town, giving you easy access to the eccentric Gaudi-esque Crazy House tree house/ jungle gym, the adorable lake-top swan pedal-boats, and the Dalat Palace Golf Club, Vietnam’s oldest and loveliest 18 holes.

—j e n i n n e l e e - s t . j o h n

Dalat Palace.

C LOC K WISE FROM TOP: A A RON JOEL SA N TOS (2); COURTESY OF SA NCTUA RY RESORT COMMUNIT Y HO TR A M

A ghost town, this wee islet in the South China Sea once housed a notorious French-colonial then Vietnamese-Communist penal colony; the spirit of Nguyen Thi Sau, a teenage girl martyred on the altar of national liberation is said to still roam the rural lands. Jittery fliers might get a different kind of fright landing on the super-short oceanbounded runway after the quick prop-plane flight from Saigon (vietnamairlines.com)—but it’s worth it for the somber look at this powerful history, as well as the more uplifting activities of snorkeling, Hobie Cat sailing and fresh-seafood gorging. The knockout, rustic-chic, all-pool villa Six Senses Con Dao (sixesenses.com; US$670) sprawls a seemingly interminable flat beach and, at low-tide, you can wade into the crazy-clear, bathwater-warm ocean calf-deep for half a kilometer.

Hanoi’s Old Quarter traffic as seen from Avalon Sky Garden.

a f t e r da r k

Night Views

The streets of Hanoi are filled with makeshift beer gardens, but a handful of upscale bars is enticing patrons upstairs to the rooftops and terraces. By Karryn Miller

5:00 P.M. Sit six floors above Hanoi’s

6:30 P.M. Head to Hanoi’s largest lake, West

West Lake panorama at Summit Lounge.

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Lake, to shuck some oysters at don’s Tay Ho (16/27 Xuan Dieu St., Tay Ho; 84-4/3719-2828; donsbistro.com; dinner and drinks for two VND1,000,000).

The four-story restaurant/bakery/bar has an open-air veranda up top where you can order the imported seafood—though at a premium. »

Photographed by Aaron Joel Santos

B OT TO M : K A R RY N M I L L E R

iconic Hoan Kiem lake, at Avalon’s Sky Garden (73 Cau Go St., Hoan Kiem; 84-4/3926-0801; avaloncafelounge.com; drinks for two VND240,000), and look down on the tangle of mopeds and taxis that make up the after-work rush. Sip a Wild Grass cocktail of vodka, lime, finely sliced lemongrass and lemon leaf. The garden-like setting includes a central gazebo sheltering rocking chairs. A white trellis wrapped in vines acts as a makeshift dividing wall from neighboring rooftops, which pale in aesthetic comparison to Avalon’s handsome wood and wicker patio furniture.

Oysters on the rooftop at don’s Tay Ho in the West Lake district of Hanoi.

A mojito with passion fruit foam at Summit Lounge.

The Canadian- and French-grown oysters start at VND110,000 each. For something more filling, the varied menu includes excellent wood-fired pizzas and some local specialties like pho noodles.

8:30 P.M. Get even higher views of West Lake and beyond at Summit Lounge (1 Thanh Nien Rd., Ba Dinh; 84-4/3823-8888; drinks for two VND400,000). The Sofitel Plaza’s 20th-floor bar was set to be a penthouse before it became a lounge. The place has kept the high-end abode theme with entry by a cozy private elevator, waitresses dressed as French maids with pink wigs and retro red plastic egg chairs. The view, though, is the main attraction—with a near 360-degree outlook from the floor to ceiling windows, or from the outdoor terrace. Order a mojito with passionfruit foam, and embrace your inner 80’s child as the weekend DJ spins tunes from the era for a crowd of expats and hip young Vietnamese.

11:00 P.M. A five-minute cab ride away is the ultra-modern and aptly named Rooftop (Pacific Place, 19th floor, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet St., Hoan Kiem; 84-4/3946-1901; therooftop.vn; drinks for two VND600,000) which offers patrons a clear view of the city's rapidly changing skyline. It’s a magnet for Hanoi’s nouveau riche who crowd the small dance floor on weekends. There are seating options for those who are not there to dance: crimson-colored booths, wicker chairs or the dimly lit VIP room with its cigar lounge vibe. Service can be a bit hitor-miss, and two Russian Standards can set you back VND300,000, but you’re here for the view, which is priceless. ✚

Rooftop bar at Pacific Place.

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food

Six Dishes: Saigon

Our meal-by-meal guide to where and what to eat now. By Monique Truong

breakfast Hu tieu Nam Vang kho at Hu Tieu Quynh

snack Sinh to mang cau xiem at Juicy

lunch Thit kho to and thit ba rol xao mam ruoc at Cuc Gach Quan

Why is a bowl of noodles the breakfast of choice in this rambunctious, nightlife-loving metropolis? It’s the best hangover cure, of course. In this Cambodia-influenced staple, rice noodles are graced with shrimp, pork, crispy shallots and pickled lotus stems. A65 Nguyen Trai St., Q1; 84-83/836-9145; VND65,000 per bowl.

Mang cau xiem (soursop) is proof that sometimes Mother Nature can’t make up her mind. Pineapple, green mango, lychee, banana and lime? She said yes to all. Whirled into a sinh to (smoothie), this is a great reminder that ice makes everything better in the tropics. 18A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai St., Q1; 8483/910-0262; VND18,000 per glass.

Conceived by a local architect in homage to his grandmother, this rustic oasis offers authentic countryside dishes. Order a clay pot of slow-braised or caramelized pork, seasoned with mam ruoc (fermented shrimp paste) and lemongrass. 10 Dang Tat St., Q1; 84-83/848-0144; cucgachquan.com.vn/ en; meal for two VND200,000.

dinner Com tam at Com Tam 577

dessert Chuoi nep nuong at Chuoi Nuong Dakao

for the flight home Dac Biet blend coffee beans at Quynh Café

Follow the aroma of pork fat dripping over hot coals to find this Saigon specialty and workingman’s feast: com tam (broken rice) is tucked under a fire-licked pork chop, slices of cha trung (steamed frittata of ground pork), bi (julienned pork skin fragrant with roasted rice powder) and slices of tomato. 577 Nguyen Dinh Chieu St., Q3; VND40,000 per plate.

Dakao Market’s main entrance bustles with people waiting for street-food magic. Wrapped in sticky rice and grilled over coals, the humble banana is transformed into a diva of a dessert, singing honeyed notes with an alluring contrast between its crisp shell and its tender heart. Intersection of Truong Han Sieu and Dinh Tien Hoang Sts., Q1; VND18,000 per piece.

Sourced directly from two small grower-roasters in the Central Highlands, the coffee beans from this light-filled café are an excellent way to keep the buzz of Saigon with you (and to share it with family and friends).

The Dac Biet blend will keep you going with its notes of smoke and chocolate.

197 Nguyen Trai St., Q1; VND30,000 for 100 grams. ✚

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Photographed by Morgan Ommer

SHINY TOWERS AND SOFT PROPAGANDA, CAPITALISM AND COMMUNISM, SHARE THE SKYLINE IN SAIGON. OPPOSITE: UNCLE HO’S MAUSOLEUM STILL DRAWS HANOI’S DEVOTED.

SAIGON/HANOI Vietnam reunified in 1975, but the two sides never quite stopped bickering. lien hoang jumps into the fray, making the cases for both major cities. pho t o g r a p h e d by mo rga n om m e r T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A .C O M

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My family hails from the former imperial capital of Hue (my last name means royal), a city that lies right in the center of this elongated country. Which is all just to say, I would seem to be an impartial judge in this north-south divide.

Southerners call Hanoians snobs who

f Americans want to make peace, Ho Chi Minh said in 1966, “we shall make peace and invite them to tea afterwards.” Judging by the relations between Vietnam and the U.S.—as well as the lack of reservations with which the Vietnamese embrace most foreigners—Uncle Ho’s sentiment has been borne out.

Friends are one thing, though. Family another.

As in any family, rivalry simmers beneath the surface in Vietnam—and manifests itself in strange ways. When Saigon’s population grew larger than Hanoi’s, the capital just annexed more land to grow its own numbers. Politically, Vietnam is one big, communist clan. Socially, a quiet battle still rages on across the 17th parallel.

In one corner: the conservative capital, where Hanoians see themselves as elegant, shrewd with money and close-knit.

Northerners have post-war bragging rights, a political system that’s triumphed throughout the land, and a glorious leader exalted in every gilded bust and red-and-gold street banner—as well as the official name of their southern rival city.

But not all the spoils went to the victor. In the other corner is Saigon, a more-liberal bastion that welcomes newcomers.

Southerners aren’t exactly nursing an inferiority complex. They’re driving the economy.

Saigonese wake up early and stay out late. Rush hour was once only a weekday concern. Now, Saturday and Sunday evenings offer no respite as people hit the town. Young Vietnamese may not have refrigerators or hot water in their shared rentals, but they can decorate their motorbikes and color their hair in this fashionconscious city—which has also emerged as the nation’s undisputed LGBT capital. Skyscrapers are going up at a vertiginous rate; the Bitexco Financial Tower, the most iconic building downtown, with an optimistic helipad disk jutting out near the top, didn’t exist when I first returned to Vietnam in 2008.

Travelers seeking out remnants of French empire, though, would do better to visit Hanoi, the cultural and conceptual heart of the country with no shortage of lakes and ponds, artists and philosophers. Under colonial rulers, “Hanoi was to be a stately, orderly, and controlled urban space,” historian Michael Vann writes.

Besides wide boulevards and graceful villas—best exemplified by the celebrated grande dame, the Sofitel Legend Metropole—the sense of order was passed onto communist leaders. Unlike in Saigon, officials in the capital still blare out public service announcements on speakers throughout the city. Perhaps counterintuitively, Hanoi also has a creative tradition stretching back a millennium, which manifests today in funky, concept cafes and shocking, censorshipflaunting artists like Dao Anh Khanh.

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look down on anyone not born in their city. Any truth to this is easily explained by migration patterns. Northerners retained much of their Han heritage, derived from the neighboring Chinese. They were traditionally a more closed society. Southerners, on the other hand, picked up Cham and Khmer influences—and bloodlines—as Vietnam pushed into those ancient kingdoms. Historically the French and the Americans had far more interaction with southerners than northerners, contributing to a legacy in Saigon of accepting strangers. In Hanoi, outsiders stand out no matter how long they’ve lived in their adopted home.

Foreigners of the past promoted another convention that southerners received well: economic liberalization. Traders from China sailed to the south during its 1,000-year occupation of the Vietnamese territory and began exporting things back home, says Nguyen Thi Anh Nguyet, a history professor in Saigon, which is why “when the French and Americans came, it was easy to accept capitalism.” With all the different peoples and goods passing through the Mekong Delta, south Vietnamese were already amenable to the free market, whereas in the north, traditionally, “people made enough to give to the government and to feed themselves,” Nguyet says.

The southern economic bustle paused in 1975, but after devastating food shortages and ration lines, northerners eventually caught on. In the 1980’s, China had Deng Xiaoping and Vietnam had its Doi Moi market reforms. A retired journalist who worked for AP’s Saigon bureau in the 1960’s and ’70s recently told me southerners must be chuckling to themselves now, despite their military defeat: “In a perverse way, they won.”

But the old system left another stamp on Hanoi. It retains a reputation of languid bureaucracy, while Saigon is known for its innovation and entrepreneurship. In terms of foreigners, NGOs go north, corporations go south. A friend from Hanoi, who took a job at a western consulate in Saigon, says he believes that back in the capital, state salaries and reliable hours offer no incentive to experiment or even exert much energy. It extends from the public sector to everyday businesses. As a tourist, you’ll notice it most in customer service: Sales people in the south will attend to you to the

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: HUONG KHAN, A STUDENT, STROLLS THE PAVILION OF DOWNTOWN SAIGON’S NEWEST MALL, VINCOM CENTER 2; NEM WITH ALL THE FIXINGS IN HANOI; IN HANOI’S OLD QUARTER; AEROBICS NEAR HOAN KIEM LAKE, HANOI; GRAHAM GREENE LIVED IN THE 1880-BUILT HOTEL CONTINENTAL SAIGON WHILE WRITING THE QUIET AMERICAN, AND IT WAS A FAVORITE OF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS DURING THE WAR ERA; GUERILLA MARKETING AT THE BITEXCO TOWER, SAIGON; CANH CHUA (SOUR SOUP) AT CUCH GACH QUAN IN SAIGON; THOUGH THERE ARE 35 MILLION MOTORBIKES IN VIETNAM, SOME, LIKE THIS HANOIAN, STILL PEDAL.

THE REFINERY, ONCE AN OPIUM PLANT, SERVES CONTINENTAL CUISINE IN SAIGON’S HEART. OPPOSITE: ANTIQUE CYCLOS ACCENT THE FAÇADE OF HANOI’S SOFITEL LEGEND METROPOLE.

Hanoi is less congested, more peaceful and less polluted. There’s a pervading sense of history, beauty and calm point of badgering. In the north, the good news is that they leave you alone. The bad news is also that they leave you alone.

Some attribute this less to indifference than to a culture of rudeness (Saigonese friends warned me before my first visit to Hanoi that everyone would try to cheat me, though I found the northerners decidedly less nefarious). While I was helping an acquaintance pick out clothes in Hanoi as a gift for his girlfriend back in Saigon, he asked a sales girl for help and got a tepid response. “See?” he said.

“This is why I hate northerners.” If he had spoken to her in English like a westerner instead of in the southern dialect, he says she would have reacted with better manners.

One Hanoi dweller, a French graphic designer named

Steven Moreau, suggested to me that southerners’ perception of bigotry actually makes them bigger perpetuators of the north-south spat. But it is undeniable that the language really does divide people.

Northerners speak giong Bac and southerners speak giong Nam. Unsurprisingly, the northern dialect dominates official decrees and discourse, but also the evening news, lessons in proper Vietnamese, translations, dubbings and subtitles. Even when I go out to karaoke with southerners, they change their accents for a higher score.

The nuances matter particularly to Hanoians who, like certain George Bernard Shaw characters, write off outsiders who speak with a lesser accent. A woman I met in Hanoi told me her parents can’t help it—they just can’t endure hearing giong Nam. Central Vietnamese have their own regionalisms, too, which blend traits of giong Bac and giong Nam. As someone who speaks giong Hue, I miss a lot from both poles of the country. No matter. I confess a bias in saying that I don’t like either dominant dialect. Giong Bac is arrogantly austere, and giong Nam is as pleasant to listen to as Eliza Doolittle. By contrast, giong Hue is unpretentious, simple and easy on the ears.

Cuisine likewise has regional idioms, though I would stress that this is one category in which just about all of Vietnam excels equally.

Flavors aren’t as strong in the north, southerners love their sugar, and I prefer the spice and salt of central dishes. After growing up on the home-cooking of a Hue mother, I blanket everything in pepper. I’ve found that locals in Hanoi can’t take the mildest of seasonings.

But that doesn’t diminish the quality of food in the capital, the birthplace of pho (beef noodle soup), cha ca (fish patties) and bun oc (noodles with snails), among other delights. Tantalizing takes on most dishes are widely available in both cities, though I actually

prefer pho in California; for some reason, chefs in Vietnam overcook these noodles every time.

Some of my favorite southern entrees are canh chua (a sour tomato and pineapple soup), bun thit nuong (grilled pork with noodles) and all manner of hotpots. Thanks to Hue we have banh xeo (shrimp-pork crêpes), which go well with rice paper, a great wrap for everything from spring rolls to fish to bo la lot (betel leaf-wrapped beef).

Many eateries in both Saigon and Hanoi boast in their names that they serve fare from ba mien, meaning the three regions.

Hanoi does seem to have a monopoly when it comes to the tongue-in-cheek. In 1946, Vietnam was recovering from a famine that claimed millions of lives. Now, a Hanoi restaurant named after that year gives customers a taste of austerity, with basic fare, intentionally chipped dishware and peeling walls.

A similar eatery that has been generating a lot of buzz is Cua Hang An Uong Mau Dich So 37, or Food Trade Shop Number 37. The food is slightly better than at 1946, but you really go for the theme. Diners pay upfront, in exchange for ration slips, which disappear with each dish that arrives. Best of all are the nostalgic trappings of Vietnam’s subsidy era splashed across shelves and walls, from rotary phones and transistor radios, to lanterns, satchels and even a hanging bicycle. My dinner companion was, in the 1980’s, a young boy, but remembered lining up with his parents to claim their state-apportioned food.

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During dinner, he pointed out a decorative brick and explained that Vietnamese used to write their ration numbers on bricks and use them to hold their spots in line.

Vietnamese only can reminisce about those old days

because they’ve moved on. Much as foreigners tend to dwell on the war era, few Vietnamese cling to grudges. Einstein called nationalism an infantile disease, which probably can be said of municipal rivalries, too.

When you visit both cities, wander off the beaten path and among the alleys to see what locals like—in food, architecture, culture and daily life. Vietnamese really take advantage of public parks, to breakdance, rollerblade, play games, rehearse. In Hanoi, you’ll see laughing yoga in the morning and sexy dance aerobics at night; in Saigon, old women do hip-hop to burn calories, and mechanical treadmills turn the parks into outdoor gyms.

It’s tempting to give Saigon the edge when it comes to cost.

Consulting firm ECA International ranked it as the most affordable for expats in Southeast Asia last year. But in second place? Hanoi— whose locals insist that they save money, while southerners are materialistic, perhaps working hard but spending their earnings instantly on meals out, karaoke and mobile phones. The capital has advantages. It’s less congested, more peaceful and less polluted. There is a pervading sense of history and beauty and calm. Some like the relief of chilly winters after humid summers. It was during a crispweather walk through a Hanoi park anchored by a Lenin statue when I met Moreau, the designer, who told me he’s chosen to live in the

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Saigonese wake up early and stay out late. They aren’t nursing an inferiority complex; they’re driving the economy capital for the past five years, after two in Saigon. In truth, though, I think he’s a rarity.

People favor Saigon. Northerners abound there.

It’s not so easy to find a southerner who has migrated to Hanoi.

As a Vietnamese-American, I find it hard enough to fit in. The country tries to lure Viet Kieu like me back, but, once here, we face a loselose reality: We are not Vietnamese enough when speaking the language or knowing the customs and we are too Vietnamese in that we don’t have the white skin that parents want for their children’s English teachers.

Still, Saigon’s long tradition of welcoming everyone is what drew me here. This cosmopolitan place is lively and inviting.

Vietnamese generally are friendly people, it’s just that southern Vietnamese are friendlier.

They know it and can articulate it. “Southerners are more open-minded and tolerant,” a young friend tells me. I’ve found Hanoians, on the other hand, struggle to justify why they prefer their city, except out of childhood attachment.

When my family left Hue in the late 1980’s, we got on an unsafe boat and slipped into the UN refugee camp in Hong Kong just before the door closed. Recently I met a Vietnamese-Australian who happened to work at the camp at the time.

He told me they had to separate northerners and southerners into different housing units to head off skirmishes. I figured my family would have stayed above the fray, but he said, no, we most likely were lumped with the southerners. Maybe I’m not such an impartial judge after all. ✚

AN OUTDOOR BARBERSHOP WITH FLAIR, HANOI-STYLE. OPPOSITE: SKATEBOARDERS AND B-BOYS ROCK IT IN A SAIGON PARK.

THE FRENCH BEGAN BUILDING THE HANOI OPERA HOUSE IN 1901, BASED ON THE DESIGN OF PALAIS GARNIER IN PARIS.

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T L Guide HANOI STAY Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi 15 Ngo Quyen, Hoan Kiem Dist.; 84-4/3826-6919; sofitellegend.com/hanoi; doubles from US$230.

InterContinental Hanoi Westlake 1A Nghi Tam, Tay Ho Dist.; 84-4/6270-8888; ihg.com; doubles from US$101.

Hotel de l’Opera 29 Trang Tien St., Hoan Kiem Dist.; 84-4/62825555; hoteldelopera.com; doubles from US$185.

Church Boutique Hotel Hang Gai 95 Hang Gai, Hoan Kiem Dist.; 84-4/3823-6675; hanggai.church hotel.com.vn; doubles from US$71.

Movenpick 83A Ly Thuong Kiet St., Hoan Kiem Dist.; 84-4/38222800; movenpick-hotels.com; rooms from US$120.

EAT 1946 3 Yen Thanh Alley, 61 Cua Bac St., Ba Dinh, 84-4/6296-1946; and Villa 50 Mai Anh Tuan St., Hoang Cau Lakeside, Dong Da, 844/6326-1946; 1946.vn; dinner for two VND200,000.

Cua Hang An Uong Mau Dich So 37 37 Nam Trang, Ba Dinh Dist.; dinner for two VND400,000.

Banh Cuon, Miss An Thirdgeneration specialist in rice crêpes.

72 Hang Bo, tucked into a butcher shop, Hoan Kiem Dist.

Sen Nam Thanh Good for sensitive stomachs. 84B Nguyen Du, Hai Ba Trung District; 84-4/39410307; dinner for two VND700,000.

Quan An Ngon Central cuisine. 18 Phan Boi Chau, Hoan Kiem District; 84-4/3942-8162; ngonhanoi.com. vn; dinner for two VND200,000.

La Verticale High-end FrancoVietnamese fusion in a 1930’s villa. 19 Ngo Van So; 84-4/39446317; verticale-hanoi.com; set menus from VND756,000.

DRINK Cong Cafe Ironic communist paraphernalia. 32 Dien Bien Phu, Ba Dinh Dist.; 84-4/6686-0344; congcaphe.com.

Hoa Vien Czech-influenced brewery. 1A Tang Bat Ho, Hai Ba Trung Dist.; 84-4/3972-5088; hoavien.vn.

SAIGON STAY Park Hyatt 2 Lam Son Square, Q1;

84-8/3824-1234; parkhyatt saigon.com; doubles from US$313.

InterContinental Asiana Saigon Corner of Hai Ba Trung and Le Duan, Q1; 84-8/3520-9999; ihg. com; doubles from US$160.

Caravelle 19-23 Lam Son Square, Q1; 84-8/3823-4999; caravelle hotel.com; doubles from US$208.

Rex 141 Nguyen Hue, Q1; 848/3829-2185; rexhotelvietnam. com; doubles from US$145.

Hotel Majestic 1 Dong Khoi, Q1; 84-8/3829-5517; majesticsaigon. com.vn; doubles from US$140.

Hotel Continental 132 Dong Khoi, Q1; 84-8/3829-9201; continentalhotel.com.vn; doubles from US$117.

EAT Nam Giao Authentic Hue food.

136/15 Le Thanh Ton, Q1; 848/3825-0261; namgiao.com; dinner for two VND250,000.

Monsoon Southeast Asian. 1 Cao Ba Nha, Q1; 84-8/6290-8899; dinner for two VND300,000.

Halo Best vegetarian in town.

18A1/4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Q1; dinner for two VND150,000.

L’Usine Stark-chic boutique-café.

151/1 Dong Khoi, Q1; 84-8/39140631; lusinespace.com; lunch for two VND450,000.

Le Banh Mi Upscale Vietnamese sandwiches, plus good coffee and late beers. 12 Le Thanh Ton, Q1; dinner for two VND150,000.

Hoa Tuc Classed-up classic Vietnamese; runs a cooking school.

74/7 Hai Ba Trung, Q1; 84-8/38251676; hoatuc.com; dinner for two VND800,000.

The Refinery Ambient interior, lovely patio. 74 Hai Ba Trung, Q1; 84-8/3823-0509; therefinerysaigo n.com; dinner for two VND800,000.

Cuc Gach Quan Eclectic treehouse. 10 Dang Tat, Q1; 84-8/ 3848-0144; cucgachquan.com.vn; dinner for two VND800,000.

DRINK Chill Bar Best view of the city.

Rooftop, AB Tower, 76 Le Lai, Q1; 84-8/3827-2372; chillsaigon.com.

Pacharan Sangria and tapas. 97 Hai Ba Trung, Q1; 84-8/38256924; pacharansaigon.com.

La Fenetre Soleil Ask about the group dance lessons. 44 Ly Tu Trong, Q1; 84-8/3824-5994.

Hien and Bob’s Place Resident expats’ favorite dive. 43 Hai Ba Trung, Q1; 84-8/3823-0661.

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Roast meats hang in the window of an eatery in the heart of Saigon’s Chinatown.

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From as far back as its 17th-century origins as a Chinese refugee settlement, Cholon—Saigon’s Chinatown—retains the ornate pagodas, shops and restaurants bearing Chinese characters that betray the area’s long link with the Middle Kingdom. Its culinary identity, meanwhile, also remains highly Sinicized with a profusion of roasted meat stores, stalls and restaurants proffering classic Chinese dishes. The catch: a whopping lack of infrastructure makes it a challenge to explore. But anyone seeking a comprehensive overview of food in Vietnam’s southern hub will want to check out its bustling street life and array of dining options.

Here we offer guidance to navigating the mayhem and finding the best spots.

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Duncan Forgan tours the culinary labyrinth of Saigon’s famous Chinatown.

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Where: 138 Châu Văn Liêm, District 5.

Specialty: Chè hô.t gà (chicken egg sweet soup), VND16,000 for one bowl.

Why go: The hideous traffic outside on Châu Văn Liêm makes this one of Saigon’s more unlikely spots for a romantic tryst. But, the reputation the outlet has for serving up some of the city’s best chè (sweet soup) means it is

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perennially packed with sweet-toothed couples (or, perhaps more accurately, sweet-toothed girls and their accommodating consorts). From an initial six varieties, the restaurant now serves nearly 40, and the owner prides herself on her use of rock sugar rather than (more unhealthy) syrup. Intriguing options include a Guangzhou-style soup made with phu.c linh, a species of mushroom that grows on pine roots, and a delicious tofu and almond brew. For many love-struck Saigonese, however, the version of choice features egg as the highlight ingredient, boiled and then poached in tea mixed with sugar and Chinese medicinal herbs. The egg whites

Photographed by Quinn Ryan Mattingly

Chinese dumpling soup, prepared at Mì Thiê.u Ký.

turn brown and become stiffer as they absorb the tea—resulting in a concoction whose devotees believe promotes liver and lung health, as well as vitality.

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Mì Thiê.u Ký

Where: Alley 66 Lê Đa.i Hành St, District 11 (street-stall near the junction of Thâ.n Ki`êu, Tr`ân Quý and Hòa H o).

Speciality: M`y hoành thánh (dumpling noodle soup), VND30,000 for one bowl.

Why go: Known colloquially as Tu K`y, this alleyway institution that’s been dishing up dumplings for more than 70 years is a legend among Vietnamese yet virtually unknown to Westerners. Tucked away near the gigantic Cho Ray Hospital, the stall is an oasis compared to the maelstrom of honking horns and suicidal traffic maneuvers that surround it.

Songbirds in cages swing next to the flower-bedecked doors of shophouses as the proprietors expertly shape hoành thánh (wonton dumplings) from mounds of minced shrimp and pork. These are dunked in a peppery broth drawn from a cauldron and served up with freshly made thin, yellow noodles and crunchy bok choy, and garnished with scallions.

The noodles are the star attraction but the stall also does a mean crispy wonton and tender siu mai (pork dumplings).

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Hai Ký Mì Gia

~ Trãi, District 5.

Where: 349-351 Nguyên Specialty: Mì vi.t ti`êm (braised duck with egg noodles), VND65,000 for one bowl.

Why go: If there’s one dish that perfectly encapsulates the Hoa (Chinese/ Vietnamese) culinary style it is mì vi.t ti`êm.

Deceptively simple—in essence it involves a large duck leg braised in Chinese spices, some yellow egg noodles, mustard greens and a rich, dark broth flavored with the medicinal herbs and spices from the duck—the best versions of the dish easily transcend the sum of its parts. That’s certainly the case at this family-run institution. Outside in the alley portion of the restaurant, one of the two portly brothers who preside over the proceedings lovingly tends to the noodles and, when satisfied of their perfection, transfers them into the bowl along with the broth and the mustard greens. The coup de grâce, however, is the duck leg: a meaty miracle that delights all the way from the first bite of its darkly glazed skin to the last morsel to fall off the bone. ✚

The steamy kitchen at H i Ký Mì Gia serves up tender braised duck.

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1 GET HIGH The sandy beach at Mui Ne, near Phan Thiet, is the launch pad for Southeast Asia’s kitesurfing enthusiasts.

With steady onshore winds and Vietnam’s lowest rainfall, the fishing town offers some of the best kite and windsurfing in the region. Along the waterfront are dozens of watersport schools with an eclectic crew of teachers from around the world. Try KNS (84-1267/194-923; kite-n-surf.com; US$140 for a two-hour taster) for lessons with knowledgeable International Kiteboarding Organization (IKO) certified instructors.

A kitesurferi set for liftoff.i At Sea Links Golf and Country Club.

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Phan Thiet, Four Ways

Karryn Miller takes a look at the best ways to enjoy the sun, sand and surf in Vietnam’s southern coastal town of Phan Thiet.

3 BUG OUT Cascading mountains of sand aren’t limited to the desert.

Phan Thiet’s Saharan-like White Sand Dunes (a 45-minute drive from the city) feature peaks and troughs of powdery sand surrounding a deep blue lagoon. Four-wheeled dune buggies are available for rent at the entrance and visitors have free reign on the hills. If you’re after a perfect photo op, visit early before traffic destroys the artistic sand ripples. The dunes are in Hong Lam village, Hoa Thang Commune, Bac Binh District (62 kilometers from Phan Thiet).

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2 HIT THE LINKS The views at Vietnamese golf courses don’t disappoint. From Sea Links Golf and Country Club’s cliff-top tee box, golfers hit towards the South China Sea’s crisp blue waters.

With its rolling landscape, this 18-hole links-style course not only has impressive views, but is also said to be one of Asia’s most challenging. Choose to play during Phan Thiet’s windiest seasons (May to November and December to April) and you’ll add even more excitement to the game (84-62/374-1666; golfthebeachvn.com/sea-links; US$75 weekday 18-hole green fee).

4 COOK LIKE A LOCAL The honking scooters transporting the morning’s catch and locals scouring the produce stalls at Phan Thiet’s central market provide a starkly different experience than supermarket shopping in the West. Anantara Resort and Spa runs market tours as part of their cooking lessons, which include whipping up typical Vietnamese dishes such as shrimp spring rolls Shop like the locals and banh chung (savory rice cakes). at a morning market.

Head chef Alain Nguyen’s past makes for interesting discussion during each session. He trained under Alain Ducasse in Paris and has travelled all over Vietnam to learn more about his nation’s cuisine (84-62/374-1888; mui-ne.anantara.com; US$72 per person). ✚

C LO C KW I S E F R O M TO P : ST E V E H E R M A N N ; CO U RT E SY O F S E A L I N KS ; KARRYN MILLER; © AGNESMARCELLINA/DREAMSTIME.COM

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Phu Quoc

F R O M TO P R I G H T: © F I S F R A / D R E A M ST I M E .CO M ; CO U RT E SY O F CO L I N R O O H A N / F L I C K R .CO M

It’s great for beating the crowds.

The inevitable arrival of throngs of tourists has hovered like a dark cloud over Phu Quoc for years. Thankfully, for now, it’s all blue skies and sunshine. The triangular island, less than an hour’s hop from Saigon, still offers secluded white sand beaches fringed with palm trees and dusty red dirt roads. Head south by moped from the semideveloped main town of Duong Dong to experience the island’s bucolic charms. With a map and a bit of luck you will eventually find Bai Sao Beach along the southeastern coast. The isolated spot has postcard-quality scenes of ivory sand under a gradually deepening sea of translucent turquoise water. To venture further offshore book a dive or snorkel trip at Rainbow Divers (11 Tran Hung Dao; 84913/400-964; divevietnam.com) among the coral playground off

the northwest tip or the cluster of An Thoi islands down south.

If you prefer a personal touch in your accommodation opt for Cassia Cottage (Ba Keo beach; 84-773/848-395; cassiacottage.com; sea view rooms from US$95), a beachside boutique resort offering a friendly, intimate atmosphere with just 18 brick cottages.

Cassia’s American owner first came to the island to get into the peppercorn business in the late ’90s, and his passion is apparent at the hotel’s Spice House restaurant, which seasons dishes with heady black pepper and vanilla from their farm. T+L TIP Get there soon. Phu Quoc International Airport has just opened in 2012, and the government is planning an all-out push to increase yearly arrivals from the current level of around 280,000 to 2 million by 2020.— Karryn Miller ✚

Exploring this boat-dotted stretch of Vietnamese coast.

Top: Tethered canoes float at a quiet Phu Quoc beach.

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DESTINATION

Boomtown Vietnam is found along its central coast, in a sweet spot between pretty Hoi An and proud Hue. Jeninne Lee-St. John explains why you’ll soon be headed to the beaches of Danang. Photographed by Morgan Ommer

MY KHE BEACH. OPPOSITE PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: BANYAN TREE'S THU QUAN BAR; LUNCH IN DANANG; LOCAL TAILORS; HOI AN WET MARKET; MR. VAN, GUIDE; HEAVEN VILLA, INTERCONTINENTAL; SELLING FRUIT IN HOI AN; A POOL AT THE HYATT REGENCY. MIDDLE: A WELCOME TO THE SPA, BANYAN TREE.

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hey’re building luxury resorts and housing developments. We’ll be coming to China Beach all the time...” The spiel went on, but he lost me at “China Beach.” The guy I was about to marry had phoned me six years ago from central Vietnam with one of his then-regular pitches to get me excited about my impending move from New York to Saigon. But to my American ears, the notion of vacationing in China Beach seemed anything but regular. We had grown up envisioning the China Beach of the acclaimed TV show and of our parents’ recollections of Walter Cronkite news reports: a field hospital and R&R spot for American soldiers during the Vietnam War. The big military airfield at Danang was the last place to which you’d want a plane ticket.

But three decades after the American withdrawal, China Beach was now My Khe and Danang was making news for happier reasons. The Nam Hai opened in 2006 to global laud,

jump-starting the interest in the region of developers and the highest-end international hotels. “When I arrived in early 2005, the 30-kilometer stretch of road—the Danang corridor—was primarily used as a transfer road to get people from the airport to Hoi An ancient town and its close hotels,” says Phil Jordan, cofounder of Golf Life Tours, which runs golf and cultural charter holidays in Indochina. “Danang, like most other cities in Vietnam, developed swiftly. Unlike some others, they did a very good job of providing infrastructure for tourism.”

Eight years and a global market meltdown later, Danang is fulfilling its promise. In 2012, the region saw 2.7 million visitor arrivals, a 130 percent increase since 2007. The integrated resort complex Laguna Lang Co and the bigger-than-life InterContinental Danang Sun had their grand openings in 2013, the hotels taking their places among seven other five- and fourstars and the Laguna Golf Course upping the number of championship courses in the area to three. Dragonair (“after years of pleading and groveling” by hoteliers, says Peter Ryder, CEO of Indochina Capital, which developed the Nam Hai and the newer Hyatt Regency Danang) launched, also in 2013, direct

flights from Hong Kong, joining regular connections from Seoul, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to Danang—and at its new international terminal, which opened at the end of 2011.

My husband was beyond right. Over the three and a half years I lived in Saigon, I visited Danang nearly 20 times. I’ve mostly stayed on the beach, but also in Hoi An town and over the mountains just outside of Danang, in boutique properties, the big names and one rental villa. And I recently returned to see the new blockbuster hotels. As the buildings have risen, so too have the hopes. “We’re very confident that the destination is going to become the next Phuket,” Ryder says, “the next Bali, the next East Asian It spot.”

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ietnam is one long, skinny coastline. Why the boom in Danang? First, because of the city’s port and proximity to the DMZ during the U.S.-Vietnam War, the American military located a major base at the airfield there, building two long runways that today can handle large international flights. The quick drive from the airport to many resorts makes transfer-time negligible.

A second factor has been the impressive level of publicprivate cooperation. Vietnam is not exactly known for the ease of doing business, but developers, travel agents and hoteliers repeatedly credit the party leaders in and around Danang and Hoi An with fast-tracking projects, making sure the new airport terminal was built and promising the swift processing of foreign visas. “They’ve been encouraging transparent, decisive leadership,” Ryder says. Not something you hear in a communist country every day.

Of course, none of this matters if the destination is a dud.

The third and most important reason is the wealth of cultural and leisure options available in central Vietnam. There are activities for the laid-back (cooking schools, sea-kayaking) and the more athletic (scuba diving off the Cham Islands, motorbike tours through rural villages). And there’s a historical site for nearly every era of Vietnam’s evolution.

The most obvious place to start is Hoi An, one of the country’s prettiest towns. Eons ago the largest harbor in Southeast Asia, it was a major trade post until the end of the 1700’s. Abandoned in favor of the deep-water port at Danang,

THE JAPANESE BRIDGE, IN HOI AN. CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE: LANG CO BEACH AT BANYAN TREE; CYCLO DRIVERS; VILLAS AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL.

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Hoi An is the town of lanterns and moon festivals, of bougainvillea and secret alleyways and 24-hour tailors and cobblers (hotel delivery included)

A PRIVATE CABANA POD AT THE HYATT REGENCY. OPPOSITE: MORNING MANGOES IN DANANG.

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Hoi An was completely ignored even through the country’s wars with the French and Americans so that today it contains immaculately preserved centuries-old Japanese and Chinese architecture left by traders. This is the town of lanterns and moon festivals, of bougainvillea and secret alleyways and 24hour tailors and cobblers (hotel delivery included).

This unesco World Heritage site is no secret, so expect tourist hoards, especially in the morning and at dinner. The best time to hang in Hoi An is in the sleepy afternoon. Cars are banned in the central part of the old city, and motorbikes are only allowed during rush hours and late at night. Get a bánh mì at Tiê.m Bánh Mì Phuong (OK, yes, Anthony Bourdain went there, but my Vietnamese friends swear they found it first), browse the shops and galleries, then reward yourself with a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc at White Marble Wine Bar, through whose open windows and doors you can watch the day wind down and the evening gear up. Dinner at MangoRooms (book a river-view table there or at its sister restaurant Mango Mango on the opposite bank) is a kaleidoscopic delight of Vietnamese-globalfusion-food meets Mexican restaurant. Order the Exotic Dance

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and wash it down with a Passion Rumba (trust me). For a nightcap, head to the sleek Q Bar or the rowdy Before and Now. Surrounding Hoi An town are rice farms and fishing villages, any number of which you can visit by hiring a boat at the dock in the center of town. One weekend at the Victoria, a stately hotel on the beach side of Hoi An, the guys arranged an hour-long sunset sail for 10 of us from the hotel into old town via the mouth of the river. The price? One live chicken.

Farther afield are Vietnam’s forbidden city of Hue—the royal palace, citadel and capital of the last Nguyen dynasty— and the ruins at My Son, old Hindu temples built between the 4th and 14th centuries when the Champa ruled the region. We visited this Angkor Wat-lite two years ago with my in-laws and local guide Mr. Van Pham, a warm, fluent-English-speaking sixtysomething whose own harrowing tales of intrigue and loss during the war sounded like a weeper of a movie script and provided powerful context for My Son’s own battle scars: the Viet Cong hid at the site, forcing the Americans to bomb the ancient structures. The crater holes are still there, undermining the scaffolding erected to restore the ruins.

TO P R I G H T: © R A FA Ł C I C H AWA / D R E A M S T I M E .C O M

Old Viet Cong hidey holes can also be found in the cave- and Buddhist sanctuary-filled Marble Mountains, which, as it happens, loom over the intimidating 10th hole of Danang Golf Club’s Dunes course, designed by Greg Norman. The Dunes and nearby Montgomerie (as in Colin Montgomerie) Links have both received high praise from the likes of Golf Magazine and Forbes Travel. Tee-off next at Laguna Lang Co’s brand-new Nick Faldo course bounded by the ocean and tucked into the shadow of a lush mountain. “Each of the three courses have been personally designed by some of the greatest players in the modern era,” says golf pro Patrick Kelly, co-founder of Golf Life Tours. “You won’t find that anywhere else in the world.”

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he first time I went to the Nam Hai in 2009, five girlfriends from Saigon and I paid US$1,000 total for a long weekend in a three-bedroom pool villa.

Visitors to the area have doubled since that year (and accommodation prices have stabilized with them). There are now 278 hotels on Vietnam’s central coast—robust development since Danang’s first upscale hotel, the Furama, opened in 1997.

People are now staying for longer and coming from farther away, says Michelle Ford, general manager of Fusion Maia Danang, an all-pool villa boutique five-star. International arrivals in 2012 were double the number in 2007.

As if to underscore central Vietnam’s contention for Phuket’s spotlight, Laguna—one of the godmothers of “Destination Phuket”—has staked a claim and built their second integrated resort here, starting with a gorgeous Banyan Tree, a Miami Beach-ified Angsana and its aforementioned golf course. Not technically in Danang, the Laguna Lang Co is in the same province as Vietnam’s former imperial city, but much closer—a 45-minute drive through the Hai Van Tunnel—to Danang’s airport than Hue’s.

The Banyan Tree is the understated star of this property, with 49 smartly designed stand-alone villas, 17 of which are on the beach, and into any of which you might just want to call it a day, give up your place back home and move. If you tire of alternating dips between your private pool and whirlpool, and of lazing about your landscaped garden, stroll on over to the main building where the public spaces, including the central

LUNCH BREAK, HOI AN. CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: KEY RINGS; MY KHE; RIVER BOATS DOCKED IN HOI AN; CITRON RESTAURANT, INTERCONTINENTAL; HOI AN’S SIGNATURE SILK LANTERNS; DOORS TO THE PAST, HOI AN; CHAM RUINS AT MY SON.

MAIN POOL AND BEACH, BANYAN TREE LANG CO.

‘We’re very confident that this is going to become the next Phuket, the next Bali, the next East Asian It spot.’—Peter Ryder pool, are low-key enough to have a private feel about them as well. They built this place for romance, from the 10 private villas that make up the spa, to the custom wedding chapel on a wee perch just above the property.

A lot of places say they train their staff to anticipate your needs, but here they really do get creative in order to accommodate (one morning the breakfast chef whipped me up some delicious “Belgian pancakes” because he had the waffle batter but couldn’t find the waffle iron)—and the talented spa therapists are the insightful sore-muscle whisperers that put Banyan Tree on the massage map.

From Saffron, an elegant Thai restaurant on high, you get commanding views of the fishing village across the strait and the entire resort including Angsana, Banyan Tree’s flashier younger sister next door. The more compact and seemingly standard hotel is actually its own cruise-ship of a party. Five of Angsana’s six room types come with private pools, all angled toward the serpentine lazy river on the beach.

The other resort that has essentially created its own destination is the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula, which cascades down a cliffside on Son Tra, a mountainous protrusion jutting out into Danang Bay. The see/hear/speak-no evil monkey statues lining the approach to the resort are the first clues that the place has mischief in mind. (They also pay playful tribute to the hill’s 600-odd douc langur monkeys.) The InterContinental is Vegas-in-Vietnam, oversized and over-thetop. It has the country’s first restaurant run by a Michelin-star chef—La Maison 1888 from three-star Michel Roux—and on the docket a couple of years down will be a casino and a cabaret.

The steep tiers of the property mean that every room has an ocean view, that booths in the main restaurant (Citron) and

daybeds scattered throughout the property are built suspended in mid-air, that you feel like you’re in the center ring of the world’s most upscale circus, whether you’re lunching on a boatshaped booth on the beach or swinging from a giant basketchair at the Long Bar. Bill Bensley left no element off-theme: the funiculars that ferry you up and down the resort are shaped like a traditional fishing boats.

As the development in the region has grown more sophisticated, so too has the staff. It wasn’t too long ago that five-star hospitality in Vietnam meant following—and never deviating from—a pre-approved list of instructions and a prewritten script of interactions. With the pleasantries mastered, a new generation of staff is getting creative, and sometimes downright chummy. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the Hyatt Regency Danang. Resembling a traditional hotel more than the area’s other newcomers, its main buildings form a wide, low-rise U-shape around a series of pools and restaurants. As a result, from 90 percent of the 220 rooms, suites and villas, you can spy the ocean—and the rest of the resort as well, so guests can keep an eye on their friends or kids from their balconies.

Perhaps it’s this sociable atmosphere that has rubbed off on the Hyatt staff. Returning from the Italian buffet with a plate overflowing with all manner of pastas, flatbreads and cheeses, I was met at my table by a waitress. “Miss,” she deadpanned, “maybe you should take some more.” I started to wonder if the folks at Hyatt were giving stand-up lessons when the buggy driver who shuttled us from lunch one drizzly afternoon told us to brace ourselves for the upcoming hairpin turn in the path, which he had dubbed “the Hai Van Pass” in homage to the famous winding mountain road nearby. Then, an

uncooperative rainflap unleashed a casade of water as he tried to unfasten it to let us out. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s made in China.”

O

ne thing not made in China: the ocean. The South China Sea is known here as the East Sea, and its usually clear water crashes on a long, pretty parabola of sand still dotted by traditional (and nouveau-traditional) Vietnamese architecture and still supporting distinctly Vietnamese livelihoods.

No, Danang hasn’t been Disneyfied. Hoteliers may covet Phuket’s fame but managed growth, with an eye toward fairness, is the plan, they say. With all spa treatments included in its room rate, Fusion Maia, for example, needs a veritable army of employees. “In 2010, it was almost impossible to find the number of therapists we required. There are no spa schools with experienced graduates,” says Michelle Ford. “Massage in Vietnam still sometimes has a stigma attached to it.” But after years of recruiting in the region, the resort has more than 50 skilled therapists and they’re continually hiring more staff. For the most part, it seems locals haven’t been left behind in this

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T L Guide Getting There International routes direct into Danang include five flights a week from Hong Kong on Dragonair. SilkAir flies four times a week from Singapore and three times a week from Siem Reap; from Macau, five flights a week on Air Macau; from Seoul, four flights a week on Korean Air and two flights a week on Asiana. Vietnam Airlines runs charter flights from various cities in China.

There are numerous domestic flights every day to and from Saigon and Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines, JetStar and VietJet.

STAY Banyan Tree Lang Co Cu Du Village, Loc Vinh Commune; Phu Loc Dist., Thua Thien Hue; 8454/369-5888; banyantree.com; doubles from US$653.

Angsana Lang Co Cu Du Village, Loc Vinh Commune; Phu Loc Dist., Thua Thien Hue; 8454/369-5800; angsana.com; doubles from US$260.

InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Bai Bac, Son Tra Peninsula, Danang; 84511/393-8888; danang. intercontinental.com; doubles from US$279.

Hyatt Regency Danang Trưong Sa, Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son Dist., Danang; 84-511/3981234; danang.regency.hyatt.com; doubles from US$210.

The Nam Hai Đien Dương, Đien Bàn, Quang Nam; 84-510/9400000; thenamhai.com; doubles from US$650.

Fusion Maia Danang Trưong Sa, Khuê My, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Danang; 84-511/396-7999; fusionmaiadanang.com; doubles from US$429.

Victoria Hoi An Cua Đai Beach, Hoi An, Quang Nam; 84510/392-7040; doubles from VND3,392,000.

Anantara Hoi An Resort In the heart of Hoi An old town. 1 Pham Hong Thai St., Hoi An; 84-510/391-4555; life-resorts. com; doubles from VND3,836,218.

The Ocean Villas Rental homes, some beachfront. Son Tra, Dien Ngoc Coastal St., Danang; 84-511/396-7094; theoceanvillas.com.vn; pool villas from VND10,210,000 for one bedroom.

EAT & DRINK Mango Rooms 111 Nguyen Thái Hoc, Hoi An; 84-510/3910839; mangorooms.com; dinner for two from VND400,000.

Tiêm Bánh MÌ Phuong Hoàng Dieu, near the corner of Tran Hưng Đao, Hoi An; bánh mì from VND15,000.

White Marble Wine Bar 98 Le

boom. The economy is chugging, and GDP growth in Danang has been double the national rate for the past two years.

Lest you fear masses of sun-seekers, just take a boat a couple of kilometers out and look back: the beaches of Danang are hardly overrun. “Now, everyone’s waiting for the people to come,” says Mr. Van, whose clientele has grown since 2008 from mostly returning American war veterans to include Australian, Japanese and Chinese travelers. “I think they need four or five more years.” In fact, there’s loads of virgin oceanfront property.

Indochina Land, for one, owns the rights to a single 40-hectare plot as well as a few others that remain undeveloped.

That’s good news if you’re looking for a gem of a destination that’s on-the-map but undercrowded, offering unfettered R&R and glimpses of My Khe that evoke the era when it was China Beach and Saigon was the Pearl of the Far East. “Danang,” as Ryder cryptically told me, “is the diamond stud in the navel of the East Asian universe.”

He might be referring to the shoreline—ahem—pierced by ever-more hotels (next up, a Hilton and a Novotel). But I think the best translation has more sting: Watch your back, Phuket. ✚ Loi St., Hoi An; visithoian.com/ whitemarble; whitemarble@ visithoian.com; set menu for two from VND370,000.

Cargo Club Bustling French café. 107-109 Nguyen Thai Hoc St., Hoi An; 84-510/391-1227; restaurant-hoian.com; dinner for two from VND630,000.

Q Bar 94 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hoi An; 84-510/391-964; drinks for two from VND250,000.

Before And Now 51 Le Loi St., Hoi An; drinks for two from VND100,000.

Citron Taittinger Sunday brunch; book an outdoor booth in the clouds. InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort; 84-511/393-8888; danang. intercontinental.com/citron; freeflow brunch VND1,198,000.

La Maison 1888 InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort; 84-511/3938888; danang.intercontinental. com/la-maison-1888; set dinner for two from VND4,116,000.

Seafood shacks Sandy, casual restaurant-row. Cua Đai Beach near Lac Long Quan, Hoi An; dinner for two from VND400,000.

DO Mr. Van Pham Private guide can organize tours to anywhere in the region. 84-9/8428-7706; halfday tours from US$20.

Reaching Out Arts, crafts and jewelry handmade by disabled artisans for fair wages. 103 Nguyen Thai Hoc St., Hoi An;

84-510/391-0168; reachingoutvietnam.com; tours of the workshop are free.

Red Bridge Cooking School 98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An; 84-510/386-3210; visithoian.com/redbridge; classic half-day food tour and cooking class US$30 per person.

Motorbike tours Danang Easy Riders: Mr. Tham; 84-9/13473820; danangeasyriders.com.

Danang Motorbike Tour: Mr. Tien; 84-9/0359-5989; danangmotorbiketour.com.

Reunification Express Train Ocean views from the mountain route between Hue and Danang.

84-9/0461-9926; vietnamrailway.com; seats from US$11.

Laguna Lang Co Golf Club Cu Du Village, Loc Vinh Commune; Phu Loc Dist., Thua Thien Hue; 84-54/369-5880; lagunalangco. com/golf; visitor 18 holes from VND1,470,000 per person, weekdays, including caddy.

The Dunes Danang Golf Club, My Khe Beach, Danang; 84511/395-8111; dananggolfclub. com; guest 18 holes from VND2,200,000 including caddy.

Montgomerie Links Dien Ngoc Commune, Dien Ban Dist., Quang Nam; 84-510/394-1942; montgomerielinks.com; guest 18 holes from VND1,600,000.

Golf Life Tours Travel and golf with a private pro. 61/422-578162; golflifetours.com; threenight, three-course Coastal Golf package from A$500 per person.

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For the Kids

Between eating, shuffling everyone around, and finding some relaxing beach time, here are five things you’ll want to do in Vietnam. By Collin Crowell 1. RELIVE HISTORY There’s more to Vietnam than the “American War,” but before you can shake off the dusty notion of a conflict-torn country, you’ll be amazed by the minute Viet Cong hideaways, while you and your kids crawl through now-widened tunnels and explore rusty tanks. Saigon River Express; 84-12/85920018; saigonriverexpress.com; tours VND1,697,000 for adults, VND1,132,000 for children.

2. SCOOT THROUGH THE CAPITAL After you finish staring at the sea of motorbikes that clog Vietnam’s roads, and muster the courage to cross the street, you won’t be able to escape the desire to take your own ride on Vietnam’s favorite form of transportation. Vietnam Vespa Adventures offers a great tour of Saigon on an antique Vespa. There are kid-size helmets and sturdy backseat rests to make sure the family has a safe time out. 169a De Tham St., District 1, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, Saigon; 84-12/2299-3585; vietnamvespaadventures.com; The Insider’s Saigon Tour from VND1,373,450 per person including Vespas, drivers, guide, lunch and all entry fees.

3. GET DIRTY Nha Trang is Vietnam’s family-friendly beach city.

Take a break from the diving to roll around in the mud, treating yourself to a spa-like session at Thap Ba Hot Springs. The photos of everyone covered head to toe in mud alone will be worth the

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trip. 15 Ngoc Son, Ngoc Hiep, Nha Trang; 84-58/383-5345; thapbahotspring.com.vn/hotspring; doubles from VND3,800,000.

4. CATCH SOME AIR Put down the Piña Colada and take up kiteboarding. This adrenalin-fueled sport is not for the faint of heart, which makes watching professionals fly through the air in Mui Ne all the more delightful. This once sleepy beach town now prides itself on being one of the biggest water sports destinations in Southeast Asia, with places like Jibe’s Beach Club offering a wide variety of activities. Plus, there’s mini-golf. 84-90 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Mui Ne; 84-62/384-7405; windsurf-vietnam.com; kiteboarding from US$60 per person per hour.

5. GET TOO CLOSE TO WILD ANIMALS For a one-of-akind encounter, try feeding crocodiles in the Mekong Delta.

Phoenix Island is crisscrossed with bamboo bridges that suspend above giant crocodiles basking in the hot sun. For a croc-feeding experience a little closer to Saigon, try the kitschy and bizarre Suoi Tien Buddhist Theme Park (VND80,000 for adults, VND40,000 for children) outside of Saigon. Locals also say that lion-feeding time—4:45 p.m. daily—at the Saigon Zoo, is worth a visit. Without any rail guard, just mind the gap. 2B Nguyen Binh Khiem St., Ward Ben Nghe, District 1, Saigon; 84-8/3829-3728; saigonzoo.net; admission US$2. ✚

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