If you are visiting Vietnam and looking for a stand-out experience, stay at the Four Seasons Resort, The Nam Hai. Situated on the stunning Ha My beach on the cobalt-blue South China Sea, also known as the East Sea, this exquisite Resort is easily one of the most luxurious beachfront properties in the world.
In early July this year, I flew from rainy Singapore to Danang Airport in central Vietnam to experience the Four Seasons Resort, The Nam Hai, for three nights and four days. After an almost three-hour bumpy flight, we touched down to clear blue skies and hot summer weather. The Resort thoughtfully sent a luxurious minibus with a hamper of chilled water and cold towels to help us cope with the sudden, unexpected heat.
Da Nang, about 30 minutes from the Resort, is a popular coastal city in central Vietnam. It is famous for its fire-breathing Dragon Bridge and the Giant Golden Hands Bridge at Ba Na, among other tourist attractions.
Soon after we left the city limits, we found ourselves racing along the picturesque Vietnamese countryside dotted with paddy fields, karst outcrops and quaint one- and two-storey houses, many of them fronted with signboards advertising spa treatments, Vietnamese coffee, "chicken rice," or all three.
We passed the famous Marble Mountains, a collection of five limestone mountains, and scores of workshops and studios specialising in traditional marble sculptures of Buddha, bodhisattvas, and other deities.
Before I arrived, I had heard good things about the Four Seasons Resort, The Nam Hai, but I was astounded by its sheer size. The 27-hectare property, taken over by the Four Seasons group in 2016, has 100 keys—60 newly renovated resort villas, including eight family villas, and 40 pool villas. The resort, nestled amidst 4,500 coconut palms, is so expansive that the easiest way to explore it is on a bicycle or the electric buggies that escort guests from one part of the property to another.
By the time we arrived, it was almost evening, but the air was still hot, and I gratefully hopped onto a golf cart to get to my assigned three-bedroom ocean-view pool villa. I found a "butler," a lovely, smiling Vietnamese lady, waiting at the entrance to receive me. I wasn't sure what her duties were, but over the next few days, I was thankful for the mangoes and dragonfruit she cut into neat little pieces for me, the clothes she returned from the laundry in a wicker basket, and the in-villa meal she laid out with finesse when I was too tired to venture out. Of course, her lovely "turn-down" rituals of drawing the blinds, plumping up my bed, tidying my disarray, and lighting the candles that cast a soothing glow over my temporary home were what I looked forward to after a long day.
My 5,597 sq. ft. "villa" was a complex of three mini villas plus a pitched-roof living and dining pavilion fronted by an infinity pool overlooking the ocean. My bedroom was like an individual dwelling unit with four sections. The main door opened into a dining area with an eight-seater dining table. Next to it was a minibar packed with local beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and plenty of delicious Vietnamese snacks like jackfruit chips, spicy peanuts, and chewy fruit candy rolls—all of which, to my delight, were on the house and free to devour.
The dining space was flanked by a spacious bath area with twin wash basins, two dressing cubicles, a WC, a shower stall, and an eggshell lacquer tub. A door led to an outdoor bathing area where only a curious garden lizard or two might have disturbed your privacy!
A few steps below the dining area was a roomy king bed veiled in gossamer nets. As I lay down for a bit to savour the spacious comfort, the ceiling fan on the pitched roof whirred slowly, lulling me into a sleep I could ill afford—the itinerary mentioned a tempting dinner on the beach that I would not miss for anything!
A level below the bed was a sitting space with a comfy couch that opened onto the lawn, where coconut trees stood tall, silhouetted against the sky. It wasn't a beachfront villa, and I could only see a glimmer of the ocean in the distance, but it was enough for me. The cool breeze blowing in from the sea, the susurration of the waves, and the salt in the air reminded me that the big blue was just a few steps away.
One of the most arresting aspects of the Four Seasons Resort, The Nam Hai is how it seamlessly blends into its surroundings with impeccable design aesthetics.
Designed by award-winning architect Reda Amalou of the Paris-based AW² architecture and interior design studio, the Resort draws upon traditional Vietnamese architecture for inspiration. Like the old houses of the former Imperial capital, Hue, each villa is built on a large timber frame with decorative panels rising to a pitched roof of Vietnamese tiles.
The central area, which houses the grand lobby, is stunning. As I looked out, all I could see were different shades of blue, from the gradients of turquoise of the three pools (a family pool, a lap pool, and a quiet pool for adults only) fringed by palm trees and sunbeds to the dark aquamarine of the ocean in the distance.
The water displays, stairs, pavilions, and pools also provided the perfect backdrop for Christian Dior's DIORIVIERA summer pop-up, which ran from June to August at the Resort. There were "Dior" accents everywhere, from the pathways lined with wildlife sculptures to sun motifs crafted from seashells to the pools embellished with Dior mosaics.
The two-month event, which started on June 15, showcased the luxury fashion brand's ready-to-wear couture and fashion accessories at Dior Cafe. At the fragrance and beauty boutique, Jessie Nguyen from Parfums Christian Dior Vietnam showed us how to blend signature scents to create a fragrance that's uniquely one's own.
My first meal at the Four Seasons Resort, The Nam Hai, was a surreal dining experience on the sands curated by the Resort's beachside La Sen restaurant, specialising in Vietnamese-French gastronomy. The sun had set by the time I made my way down to the beach from our villa, my feet sinking into the soft sand. In the distance, I could see the glow of a barbecue on one side and a table for eight lit up with hanging Vietnamese lanterns on the other. It was a spread to remember, from rice paper rolls, jumbo lobsters, succulent lamb chops, and a delicious coconut-mango dessert.
Breakfast at the Resort was at the Café Nam Hai at the poolside, which offers a lavish repast of Continental staples and Vietnamese specials. Interestingly, the Cafe turns into a fine-dining Indian restaurant by night, serving up desi fare like Hara Bhara Murgh Tikka, Paneer Lababdar, and the silken Dal Khaas Nam Hai.
However, the star of the Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai's F&B offerings is NAYUU, the refined omakase restaurant helmed by Chef Alex Moranda, the talented Spanish-born, Japanese-trained chef. We sipped on refreshing Kawatsuru Olive Junmai Kimoto draft Sake as we were served Sashimi made from seasonal fish, Kagoshima Wagyu Beef Hand Roll, and juicy Japanese Kagoshima Wagyu Brisket, among other delights. Dessert was a light-as-air Yuzu Soufflé.
Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen master, inspires the Heart of the Earth Spa at the Resort, and a copy of his seminal work, "Love Letter To The Earth," is in every villa.
Beautifully set on a lotus pond framed with coconut trees, each treatment room is designed like a floating villa on the water body. An ideal place for some R&R, the spa offers sessions on mindfulness, yoga and meditation in addition to the treatments.
The spa menu is vast, and there are many therapies, from massages to scrubs to bathing rituals to sound therapies. I took the Nam Hai Vietnamese therapy, which released all the stress and tension in my body through medium-pressure massage and ancient healing techniques that balanced the body and mind.
The spa also offers guests a unique ritual called "A Goodnight Kiss to the Earth" every evening around sunset. Guests are asked to reflect on their day and write a letter of gratitude to the universe or make a wish. This note is placed inside a lantern and allowed to float away. I made a wish for my loved ones and sent out a prayer to Mother Earth in silence as the tiny lantern floated away and the bright Vietnam sun set behind the coconut trees.
Address: Block Ha My, Dong B, Điện Bàn, Quảng Nam 52000, Vietnam
Contact: +84 235 3940 000
Website: fourseasons.com/hoian/