Mui Ne, a fishing village some 120 miles, and two and a half hours by car, north of Ho Chi Minh City’s Saigon Airport, is famous as Vietnam’s kitesurfing hotspot and for its red and white sand dunes. Now, it can proudly add that is has the country’s first Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SHL) affiliate: The Anam Mui Ne.
Arriving after midnight at The Anam, it was a real treat to find a bottle of iced champagne and a plate of tropical fruit with a welcome note from Executive Assistant Manager Victor Joyeux ([email protected]; +84-252-628-4868) in our Grand Premium Room. The next morning all was revealed. From our balcony, we found ourselves on the first level in the heart of the resort, looking one way up to the lobby area and the fresh-water pool and, down a swathe of green lawn and tropical greenery, towards the salt-water pool, the beach and the sea.
Opened in January 2023, The Anam Mui Ne is the younger sister of the larger The Anam Cam Ranh, which is a further three hours by car up the coast; both are independently owned and operated. Describing itself as having “Indochine charm and modern luxury,” this aesthetic is lavishly apparent in the 127 rooms and suites, seven of which are Private Pool Suites.
The lobby with its classical wooden furniture and ceiling fans sets the scene for this blend of colonial-era and Vietnamese architecture. We loved the traditional mosaic floor tiles, which are a leitmotiv in the corridors, rooms and suites, and the 250 paintings throughout the property, with scenes of Vietnamese life and landscapes, each one a bespoke piece by a local artist.
With a ban on single-use plastics, we were given a wooden key card, the drinking straws and the bathroom amenities (including dynamo-powered weighing scales) are biodegradable, and most of the heating is solar-powered. We were impressed by the army of gardeners, wearing traditional conical Vietnamese hats, who discreetly moved through the gardens leaving the tropical vegetation as neat as a new pin.
Good to know: Room No. 8307 has a handicapped-equipped bathroom and no bathtub. We particularly liked No. 8219, which has a claw-foot bathtub beside the bed and a corner balcony with a pool view, while the Premium Ocean View rooms have the best sunset views. All rooms and suites have bathrooms with double sinks, rainfall showers and free-standing claw-foot bathtubs. The Presidential Suite, No. 8669, has a bed with a full ocean view, a table seating eight, a kitchenette, powder room and large terrace with seating. There are 12 pairs of connecting rooms, and Joyeux says it is best to book one month ahead in the busy high season, which is December through June.
The 14 Grand Premium Rooms have a private check-in, measure a very comfortable 592 square feet and have super-comfortable beds with Irish bed linen and goose-down pillows. Ours was No. 101, just opposite the Spa, and below us there was one of the seven Pool Suites. These are hidden from public view behind leafy greenery with pools measuring 235 square feet, and they have small patios with sun loungers where BBQ and romantic dinners can be served.
The Spa ([email protected]), with steam rooms and saunas, has five treatment rooms, three of which are double with their own bathtubs. From the extensive menu, we had the signature Anam Deep Tissue massage and there is also a range of scrubs and wraps. For concierge assistance, transfers and local bookings contact the front-desk staff at [email protected]. And for VIP requests contact Joyeux or Peter Ye ([email protected]), resort manager.
Joyeux told us the hottest months are June and July, and that Mui Ne’s is the best beach in Vietnam (many say in Southeast Asia) for kitesurfing. Windsurfing, sailing, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding are also popular, and the season lasts most of the year, with the winds changing direction from May to October and October to March. The Anam’s seafront water sports center has kayaks and other equipment. There is also a fitness center, a kid’s club and a yoga studio with early morning classes, and while pets are not catered for, trained guide dogs are welcome.
Breakfast in the Indochine Restaurant, and on its shaded terrace, offers a buffet choice of western and Asian evergreens including sushi and Hanoi’s famous Pho beef noodle soup. The lunch and dinner menus by Chef Nghia in the Lang Viet Restaurant and Bar on the beachfront include specialties like roast sucking pig and Peking duck, and are in fact three menus in one, featuring the most iconic dishes of the three different regions of Vietnam: North, Central and South.
The best part, we found, is that we could mix and match the specialties from the three different food and cooking styles all in one meal. The cocktail menu in the bar was just as tempting, with local products like red dragon fruit featuring in The Anam Margherita and in the gin-based Enter the Dragon, and a choice of smoothies, milk shakes and fruit juices.
The three must-sees in the area are the bay, the sand dunes and the Cham Towers. The large bay is a sight to behold when the fleet comes in after night fishing, and is packed to bursting with all kinds of craft, from trawlers to the tiny circular woven “basket” fishing boats that are as iconic to Vietnam as its conical straw hats.
The red dunes are not as high or extensive as the white, but both offer the possibility of dune buggy and sand board rides, and close to the red dunes there is the Fairy Stream, which has interesting colored limestone formations. The nearby Cham Towers, dating back to the 8th century, were once part of the ancient Cham Kingdom and are noteworthy.
The town of Mui Ne is basically one long seafront strip with shops, travel agencies, bars and small restaurants. Many of these have tanks with live fish that are cooked in a variety of styles, or simply grilled. Joyeux said guests like the Swiss House for fondues, Modjo for classic French cuisine, and he also recommended the Pit Stop Food Court, which is hawker-stall style with Vietnamese, Italian and Mexican choices. There are many sports apparel shops, and stores selling gems and pearls. The farmed variety of pearl, in a range of shades and sizes which the storekeepers quickly string to any length, is one of Vietnam’s best buys.
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