The Quintessential Collection Vietnam

27/03/2017

Michelin-starred chef Christophe Lerouy flexes his culinary skills at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi's annual Les Arômes Festival in April.

HANOI — This spring, Hanoi’s food-lovers have good reason to rejoice as French Michelin-starred chef, Christophe Lerouy, makes an unprecedented cameo appearance at Vietnam’s most storied hotel. The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi is set to welcome the celebrity guest chef for two unique culinary exp...

13/03/2017

The most luxurious cruise ship to ever ply the waters of Halong Bay set sail early this month. What did Paradise Elegance's first passengers think? Read on.

HALONG BAY, Vietnam — Leave it to a company called Paradise to launch the most heavenly boat Halong Bay has ever seen. Last week, one of the leading providers of luxury hospitality services in Vietnam put the first of two Paradise Elegance cruise ships on the water. The 200-ton steel craft measures…

02/03/2017

If you’re a big fan of King Kong and would like to follow his steps in Vietnam, check out Exotic Voyages' latest tour in the story below.

HANOI, Vietnam — If King Kong were not a figment of some moviemaker’s imagination, there’s a very good chance he’d have climbed up out of the wilds of Vietnam, where producers of Kong: Skull Island filmed much of the soon-to-debut movie. That’s why Exotic Voyages is leading a discovery tour of oth...

08/12/2016

Climate change is a double-edged sword. While it causes drought and flood elsewhere, the weather in Hue seems to be brightening as a result. Nonetheless, La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa - MGallery by Sofitel is doing its best to lessen our footprint on earth as the hotel’s GM, Phan Trong Minh, writes in the story below.

When I was growing up in Hue, we weathered the winter under umbrellas and ponchos, indoors at games, and generally bundled up against the chill. That was then, and though I still live in the same city, the winter weather in Hue is the most unfamiliar thing about this place. In fact, if you blindfold...

25/10/2016

The results of this year's Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards have been announced. Find out which hotels in Vietnam made the gold list.

26/09/2016

What a beautiful thing to say about , Anthony! Look out for your talk over dinner with President Obama in Hanoi tonight at 9pm (UTC/GMT -4) on CNN.

The history, the culture… and of course the cuisine! Let Anthony Bourdain be your guide tonight in Hanoi on .

19/09/2016

Top chefs from Italy, France, Vietnam, Thailand and China will gather at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi for the 10th Les Arômes Festival 2016. Learn more about this exciting food festival in the story below.

HANOI, Vietnam – While the odd wine dinner and guest chef is a staple culinary development on any luxury hotel’s calendar, the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi no longer cares for staples. This year, after launching one of Southeast Asia’s premier culinary events, the hotel is consolidating myriad din...

18/08/2016

No matter how great a hotel is, it needs to improve itself to become greater. That’s why Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi's Le Club went in for a two-month renovation. It’s back now, fresher and more awesome. More details on the changes can be found in the news below.

HANOI, Vietnam — One of Indochina’s most storied bars emerges this week from a two-month renovation that’s increased its seating capacity by one-third, introduced a new live-cooking station and doubled-down on its commitment to cocktails and fine wines. Le Club at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hano...

18/07/2016

Congrats to QCV member The Nam Hai Hoi An, the only hotel in Vietnam to make Travel + Leisure's list of ‘The 100 Best Hotels in the World.’ Said the GM: “This achievement speaks volumes to the kind of team we have here."

HOI AN, Vietnam – As The Nam Hai gets set to toast its 10th anniversary in December, Vietnam’s premier beach resort is celebrating a first: inclusion on Travel + Leisure magazine’s list of ‘The 100 Best Hotels in the World.’ The sole Vietnamese property to make the list came in at No. 51 while als...

11/07/2016

The Vietnamese *ao dai* is one of the most talked-about national costumes in the world. Why? Check out these 5 interesting facts about the ao dai in the list below.

The Vietnamese ao dai is the country’s national costume. Although ao dai literally translates as ‘long shirt’, it is actually a long-sleeve, long-flap, tunic top worn over blousy high-waisted pants. It is to Vietnam what the kimono is to Japan and the hanbok to Korea.

05/07/2016

La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa - MGallery by Sofitel's General Manager Phan Trong Minh thinks Hanoi is great but Hue is even greater. How so? Check out his latest blog post below for the answer:

I love Hanoi. I do. I really do. It’s the ancient cradle of Vietnamese civilization, and I would recommend that every international traveler to Vietnam visit this city. But if you are asking me which city is a more profound cultural experience, which city provides the more fundamental experience of…

30/06/2016

Vietnam is an incredibly photogenic country, so get your camera at the ready!

Iconic imagery is never very far from the camera lens in Vietnam. Lithe women in conical hats. Electric green paddies of young rice. The soaring stupas of Buddhist pagodas. And boys on water buffalo. In this lovely image, photographer Hai Trinh explores a philosopher’s contention that children are t...

28/06/2016

With world-class chefs, its very own herb/vegetable garden, and easy access to some of the best seafood in Southeast Asia, The Nam Hai Hoi An offers a culinary experience unlike any other.

Warning: If you’re not hungry right now, you probably will be by the time this 63-second video ends. At The Nam Hai, food is an integral part of the guest experience, exemplified by unforgettable culinary journeys that incorporate everything from the resort’s proximity to the sea to its exotic herb…

27/06/2016

If you are a foodie and planning a 36-hour layover in vibrant Saigon, be sure to check out this video to make the most of your short time:

Overnight is a travel and food show for today’s traveler and we’ve been working on this web series for 4 months now. In today’s time hungry world, people wan...

24/06/2016

We’re giving you the business here on a business class trip from Boston to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific Airways's new route. Is sliding into a business berth like checking into a luxury hotel? Sometimes it is.

It still seems so improbable. For years, I’ve flown long-haul to Asia from Chicago and New York, with a preliminary jump from my home in New England to one of those hubs. But in the spring of last year (2015), Cathay-Pacific launched a non-stop between Boston and Hong Kong, and this year Cathay expa...

22/06/2016

Summer is the best time to go caving on the Central Coast of Vietnam. Put on your trekking boots and discover one of the newly-discovered caves in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park:

Images by Sunny Quang

20/06/2016

Traveling to big cities has never been as much fun now that The Reverie Saigon has launched its "Haute Ho Chi Minh" package combining stay, spa and shop.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Eat, pray, love? No, stay, spa, shop. This is the mantra driving a new experience offered by one of the world’s hottest new hotels, The Reverie Saigon.

02/06/2016

You have too long a list of what to do in Hoi An? Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dang, the front office manager and one-time chief concierge at the luxurious Nam Hai resort, will narrow it down for you:

The ancient town of Hoi An is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam. The UNESCO World Heritage site used to be a bustling trading port between 15th and 19th centuries. And thanks to the preservation efforts of the Hoi An people and local officials, the charming Central Coast city has remai...

01/06/2016

Many travelers to Vietnam make sure to see Halong Bay. But most do not see it from above. And that’s a shame. Because as this 35-second video attests, the aerial view from a Hai Au Seaplanes S15 (Hai Au Aviation) is simply awesome.

For as long as travelers have been going to Halong Bay, Vietnam, they have been wowed by the wondrous UNESCO World Heritage site. The further you sail out into the bay, the more scenic limestone islands reveal themselves to you. Kayak. Climb. Explore caves. Stay overnight. There is much to do on the...

24/05/2016

We knew Bourdain loved the low plastic stool. Looks like Obama does, too.

Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.

23/05/2016

Why did people use to call Hue's imperial tombs a place where "death smiles and joy sighs”? Maybe you can find the answer in this photo essay by Hieu Truong:

Once the capital of Vietnam, Hue City was for years, home to 13 emperors of the last Vietnamese dynasty. From 1802 to 1945, the powerful Nguyen Dynasty made waves not only in politics but also culturally and religiously. Many used to call the tombs of Old Hue a place where “death smiles and joy sigh...

13/05/2016

What keeps a British native so long in the Central Coast of ? “There’s so much going on here, you forget just how naturally beautiful this place is,” explains Anthony Gill, GM of The Nam Hai Hoi An. Read more below.

At the teebox on the spectacular 16th hole at Danang Golf Club, Anthony Gill watched yet another silver bird swoop in from the north, bound for the nearby Danang International Airport. Then he took aim at a flag set against the sparkling East Sea, lofted one into a cerulean sky, and grinned as the b...

12/05/2016

Who says a resort can’t get better with age? The Nam Hai Hoi An has certainly managed. Just ask the readers of Luxury Travel Magazine in Australia.

HOI AN, Vietnam — Almost a decade after bringing a new level of luxury to Vietnam’s central coast, The Nam Hai has now become a shining example of how to age gracefully.

11/05/2016

Condé Nast Traveler has recently listed The Reverie Saigon on its 2016 ‘Hot List’. Here is what the magazine notes about the hotel: “Built like an Italian palazzo, the brand new Reverie Saigon brings in a level of luxury previously unseen in Ho Chi Minh City. Everything about the hotel is over-the-top opulent, from the palatial, marble-clad lobby to the lavish rooms, individually appointed by top Italian decorators.”

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — The Reverie Saigon, a 286-room hotel that opened nine months ago as the most unabashedly opulent accommodation in Vietnam ever, was recognised by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the most outstanding hotel debuts of last year.

10/05/2016

More than 30 people collaborated on a new photo book called "Danang: Coastal City" which was recently published to show off Danang and its neighborhoods now and then:

Herausforderungen einer nachhaltigen Stadtentwicklung. Fotoband von Michael Waibel, Universität Hamburg. Challenges of sustainable urban development. Photo b...

09/05/2016

If you love the comedy "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and are interested in luxury hotel life, don't miss this story about butlers by Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi's GM Franck Lafourcade.

I’ll never forget the day I was walking down a corridor of the Metropole Wing, past the Charlie Chaplin Suite, when I encountered something out of a storybook. One of the hotel butlers was standing outside the door to the suite, not quite at attention, but with a certain rigidity and a formality tha...

03/05/2016

If you're in Hue City now to attend the Hue Festival 2016, don't miss the surreal beauty of Hue in the photo exhibit by French photographer Sebastien Laval at La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa - MGallery by Sofitel.

A collection of 30 photographs that illuminate Hanoi and Hue at night will go on display at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi April 14 – 24 and at the MGallery La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa in Hue April 29 – May 4. Conceived, executed and produced by Sebastien Laval, a Poitiers, France-based photo…

29/04/2016

Hue Festival, one of Vietnam’s most popular art and culture festivals, is about to begin. Come join us for this big artistic feast!

BlouinArtInfo, one of Asia’s keenest arbiters of all things art, fancied a look at the upcoming Hue Festival April 29 - May 4. La Residence Hotel & Spa, one of Vietnam’s top luxury hotels, plays prominently in this story by Robert Michael Poole here.

25/04/2016

Since its opening in Sept. 2015, The Reverie Saigon has been showered with praises from international media. Now Condé Nast Traveler has added the hotel to its Hot List 2016.

For this 20th edition of the Hot List—our picks of the year's top hotel openings—editors and reporters crisscrossed six continents and 36 countries to review hundreds of new properties firsthand. We came back with 60 outstanding winners that represent not just the vanguard of the world but where tra…

22/04/2016

Have you tried these local and street-food dishes? You can now indulge them at Vietnam's top hotels.

Everybody gets their 15 minutes of fame, and so, too, does every food. Vietnamese food is in the midst of its 15 minutes at present, though some might argue that its 15 minutes is more like 15 hours, so highly regarded are these culinary arts by the world’s premier foodies. Just ask Anthony Bourdain…

21/04/2016

Are you in now? If so, check out the photo exhibit by French photographer Sebastien Laval at Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi for a different look on the capital.

A collection of 30 photographs that illuminate Hanoi and Hue at night will go on display at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi April 14 – 24 and at the MGallery La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa in Hue April 29 – May 4. Conceived, executed and produced by Sebastien Laval, a Poitiers, France-based photo…

20/04/2016

American citizens who visit will soon get 12-month visa with muptiple entries.

U.S. citizens will have to wait for about 1.5 months to be able to get a new, longer-duration visa, compared to the current three-month single-entry one, to enter Vietnam.

19/04/2016

Which destination in is nicknamed "Inland Halong Bay"? Hint: It's about 90km to the South of Hanoi.

19/04/2016

Is the area Vietnam’s golf capital? You could certainly make the case, especially now that the region has four world-class courses and a major commitment from . Read more:

DANANG, Vietnam — Vietnam's central coast is poised to make another move up the leaderboard of great golf destinations thanks to a calculated read by Bangkok Airways.

15/04/2016

Year after year it seems, The Nam Hai is hailed by Condé Nast Traveller India as one of the top overseas spa hotels. Why? See for yourself, by watching this short video of the spa experience at Vietnam’s most acclaimed luxury beach resort ...

When it comes to hotel spa experiences, few compare to The Nam Hai Hoi An. Year after year, Conde Nast Traveller readers rank Vietnam’s premier beach resort among the top overseas spa hotels. Here, carefully considered touches combine to cast a singular spell, as this video attests.