02 May 2024

Vietnam

We offer a wide choice of cheap flights to Vietnam together with Vietnam hotels, tours and self-drive itineraries.

Other Asia Reviews

Our Ho Chin honeymooon

War's a distant memory as Vietnam becomes a luxury holiday destination full of rustic chic - and a perfect romantic choice for newly-wed ITN man Chris Rogers, who says he'll miss Saigon

Vietnam - Romantic table setting on the beach

Vietnam - Beach villa at Six Senses Hideaway

Vietnam - Fresh catch: A Saigon market trader

1 Romantic table setting on the beach 2 Beach villa at Six Senses Hideaway 3 Fresh catch: A Saigon market trader

HONEYMOON IN THE MALDIVES? Definitely. On a beach in Barbados? For sure. But a fortnight for the newlyweds in Vietnam? ‘Hmmm,’ said our wedding guests. For many, the very mention of Vietnam conjures up grainy images of war and devastation.

But that was 30 years ago. These days, Vietnam offers unspoilt beaches and exclusive resorts, a fascinating history and magical culture. For me and my now wife, Alexis, the kind of tourists who hate being tourists, it sounded the perfect destination.

Our first glimpse was out the plane window when we marvelled at an exotic landscape of jungle and winding yellow rivers. Smoke from village huts swayed across the sunset-streaked sky.

As we descended, the rolling landscape flattened to reveal thousands of bright green rice fields and then ended abruptly at the banks of the Saigon River.

On the other side of this vast watercourse, a very different world revealed itself. Hundreds of modern apartment blocks, painted in pastel colours, jostled for space between French-built palaces and Chinese temples.

We had arrived in Ho Chi Minh City. The locals still prefer to call this buzzy city by its old name, Saigon. It was the capital of the French colony of Cochin China and, later, of the state of South Vietnam, before North and South were merged at the end of the war.

Looking for paradise

Our driver explained how the North’s communist government wanted to put their stamp on the conquered South by calling the city after their leader, Ho Chi Minh.

‘I asked my wife to marry me here,’ he says. ‘And I much prefer to say we were engaged in Saigon. It sounds more romantic. Just imagine renaming London Tony Blair City!’ As we drove through the streets, we were surrounded by a swarm of motorbikes. Some drivers had loaded their children on their shoulders; one bike had four dead pigs attached to it.

We spent the night at the newest hotel. The Park Hyatt Saigon epitomises the city’s changing fortunes, offering luxury to the growing numbers of business travellers and holidaymakers.

It has a nostalgic feel, with a colonial-era facade, antique furniture, high ceilings and louvered French windows. It also offers spectacular vistas of the Opera House and passing Saigon life. It was a fascinating scene, but I wondered how long this city will hold on to its quaint charm.

A neon-lit metropolis is emerging, dazzling what remains of the historic, romantic city.

On the upside, it has become a magnet for foreign business and locals are starting to enjoy the benefits. Before retiring to our fourposter bed, we sat on the balcony, sipped red wine and drank in views of Vietnam, old and new.

It takes just 40 minutes to fly to Nha Trang on Vietnam’s Gold Coast. But our flight was delayed. Thankfully, the airport was peppered with therapy rooms and for a few pounds we enjoyed an amazing head, shoulder and back massage, followed by zingy ginger tea.

Nha Trang reveals yet another side to Vietnam. It is a city surrounded by beautiful green mountains and golden sandy beaches. The seafront boulevard is fringed with palm trees and swanky hotels are springing up.

But this was not our stop; we were looking for Paradise.

The coastline curves dramatically and dozens of peninsulas and islands provide sanctuary from the city hubbub. We were heading into their midst. The Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay is accessible only via the hotel’s speed boat, which adds to the sense of escape.

Blends into a nature reserve

The beauty of the resort revealed itself on the horizon: a white beach, towering mountains and dramatic rock formations.

The resort blends into the nature reserve surrounding it and we couldn’t believe this was to be home for the next ten days. Staff, immaculate in pressed white uniforms, welcomed us ashore and our butler for the stay, Son, asked us to follow her by bike.

As we wobbled along tiny dirt tracks, with trees arching overhead, butterflies swarmed in the warm air while lizards scattered into the scented undergrowth.

Out of breath and overwhelmed, we reached our beach villa. The bedroom overlooked our private pool, the his and hers bathroom featured a spectacular wooden tub and upstairs we found an open-air lounge, bar and huge day-bed, offering spectacular views of the tranquil bay.

The villa had been built using local materials. It had coconutshell door handles, bamboo walls and a straw roof but came with all the modern accessories you would expect from a five-star resort.

We spent the next few days as Mr and Mrs Crusoe, enjoying the privacy. We’d wake to the sound of waves splashing on the sand yards from the bedroom, then watch jumping fish and colonies of crabs while we had a breakfast of fruits.

After a lazy day of not very much, we’d watch the sun go down from a swing bench on the beach. The sea splashed around our feet as orange shades filled the sky and tinted the mist from the mountains.

God's cathedral

Doing very little gives you an appetite. You can dine in the cool wine cellar or, as we did, take a romantic barbecue dinner on the beach. Oil-burning candles provided light to take in the peaceful waters and misty mountains.

Once, Son asked us for a list of our favourite food. We thought this was to give them an idea of what we liked. But they produced it all and we had politely to pig our way through 11 courses.

Afterwards, we lay on the sand staring up at a blaze of night sky. It looked like the roof of God’s cathedral; I’ve never seen so many stars.

Feeling guilty, we headed to the gym the next day and afterwards our aching muscles needed therapy. The Six Senses spa is built into the rocks, beside a waterfall – providing not only pampering treatments but a romantic setting, perfect for honeymooners.

I had a traditional Vietnamese massage while Alexis went for a gentler Swedish treatment.

We were now ready to sample more of the real Vietnam. You can create your own excursions from the hotel for around £50 a head.

The centre of nearby Nha Trang is run-down but charming, with an impressive 30ft Buddha. A cluster of Cham dynasty towers, built in the 13th century, give a commanding view of the emerald-green Truong Son Mountains and the surrounding countryside is a patchwork of rice fields.

The life-blood is the teeming market. You can pick up a tailor-made silk suit here for next to nothing, or have a go at making a traditional straw mat. If you are prepared to haggle, there are plenty of bargains and the experience is enlivened by the cooking smells.

On the way back to the resort, we wanted to see one of the fishing villages on the surrounding islands. Two young locals offered us a ride in their traditional bamboo basket boat for a small price; it was like sailing out to sea in a salad bowl. Ho Chi Minh City may be booming but much of the country remains desperately poor.

Six Senses Resorts donates a percentage of revenue to projects that sustain the local community.

Those Vietnam-sceptics from our wedding ate their words when they saw us post-honeymoon rejuvenated, bronzed and raving about this magical country.

0330·100·2220i 0330 calls are included within inclusive minutes package on mobiles, otherwise standard rates apply. X 0330 calls are included within inclusive minutes package on mobiles, otherwise standard rates apply. X