For many Hongkongers, Hoi An appeared on our collective travel radar when Cathay Pacific first started offering direct flights to neighbouring Da Nang three years ago.
Since then, we can’t help but return to the charming coastal town in central Vietnam, drawn in by its irresistible cuisine and powder-sand beaches. Many stay close to the Ancient Town – a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site – so they can peruse its winding lanes and French row houses, which have been adapted into charming cafes, restaurants and boutiques selling local fashions and homewares, all sitting along a picturesque canal. Others make their holiday base where they can savour the best of both worlds: steps from a sandy beach and a short car ride away from the best regional tourist attractions.
The Nam Hai certainly meets the needs of the latter by providing every creature comfort of an all-villa luxury resort. Aside from easy transfers to nearby Hoi An and Da Nang, the resort’s facilities and activities are extensive, including a well-stocked library, daily yoga classes, a professional gym, tennis and basketball courts, two restaurants offering fresh Vietnamese and Western cuisines, and three expansive infinity pools overlooking the exclusive Ha My beach and beyond.
To satiate every qualm, there’s a butler assigned to each villa, ensuring that everything goes off without a hitch. Those who can afford it have also bought into the prized property by purchasing their very own villas, which offers a wealth of added privileges including a profit-sharing scheme whenever private villas are rented out and preferential choices over the dates that owners wish to stay.
The resort was designed a decade ago by the late Jaya Ibrahim and infuses many elements native to Vietnam, which shine through in the contemporary villas. Seen from the front entrance, the three-bedroom villa’s demure design is restrained with simple whitewashed walls and multiple buildings with pitched roofs clad in terracotta tiles, an architectural element inspired by the Tu Duc royal tomb. Past the enclosed walls lies a calming, private enclave defined by its palm-fringed courtyard with a bubbling fountain at its centre, and adorned on one side with stone-carved relief sculptures alluding to those found at the My Son ruins. Through the double doors of the main structure is an airy living and dining room with pared-back teak furnishings, complemented by regal Vietnamese silk cushions in muted bronze and navy tones, along with a well-stocked bar beside a fully-equipped entertainment system and flatscreen TV.
The trio of intimate en-suite bedrooms are interconnected via a pathway, facing the beach and off to alternating sides of the sparkling pool, allowing for the utmost privacy. Rest and relaxation remain at the core of the bedroom, evident in the platform canopy bed positioned as the centrepiece of the room. Built into a graduating teak wood platform resembling a multilevel stage, it’s a design that’s reminiscent of Vietnamese phan beds in traditional garden houses. The bed is surrounded on all sides by flowing white drapes that set the mood for romance, as does a deep sunken tub made of traditional Vietnamese duck egg lacquer, and an open-air shower outside the cavernous his and hers en-suite bathroom.
These unique features and more are what persuade guests to return year after year, and even consider claiming a stake in the resort. The uncompromised level of luxury in an unspoiled setting, as well as the timeless aesthetics, are what continue to make The Nam Hai a crowning jewel in central Vietnam.
