issue 49 - AsiaLIFE Magazine

Itching to get away from the hustle and bustle ofSaigon but short on time? Brett Davis discovers anoasis of calm on the city’s doorstep.I am a thousand miles away, orat least that is what it very muchfeels like. The wide, lazy treelinedriver meanders past whileI have a glass of wine and takein the gathering dusk. It is quietand so very peaceful as a gentlebreeze stirs the lush surroundsof my villa. The lights from thenearby bar and outdoor diningarea are pinpricks in the fabric ofthe night.What is most extraordinaryabout where I am is that I amnot on a distant coastline, aflight or endless drive throughcareening traffic from my homein Saigon. In fact, my journeyentailed little more than 15minutes by boat from the heartof the city.The An Lam Private Residences(though it is actually aboutique short-stay establishment)has only been operatinga few short months and has notyet really registered on the localgetaway market. Heading northalong the Saigon River past District2, the property is located onthe same branch of the SaigonRiver that ultimately takes youto Cu Chi.Formerly the private homeof a local lumber magnate, themain house and outbuildingshave been upgraded and adaptedto create four free-standingvillas and several rooms in theold main house. There are alsoseveral executive apartments, aformal dining area with specialchef’s table that fronts a modernopen-kitchen and a morerelaxed restaurant and loungebar perched on a deck by thewater’s edge.With only 15 rooms at mostwhen fully operational, AnLam will always be a haven oftranquility away from the city.The resort also has a spa andmain pool for those few whoseroom does not boast a privateplunge pool. An Lam is open today visitors wanting to dine oruse the spa facilities, althoughgeneral manager Richard Frotadvises that it is imperative tocall ahead to ensure there isspace available.He explains the numberof day visitors will be strictlylimited depending on howmany guests are in residence atany particular time. “We mustbe very careful that we do notoverload the property,” he says.This is in keeping with thephilosophy that when guests arriveat An Lam they do not feellike they are entering a resort. “Itis very important that [guests]feel like it is their place, wewant them to feel like they are athome,” Frot says.The sense of being at homeis emphasized, for me at least,by the journey taking about thesame time as it would to getto my real house in District 7.I begin to dream of relocatingto a life up river. All I need isone of the handy modern speedboats An Lam maintains to ferryguests about.The trip is something of aneye-opener, providing a seldomseen view of Saigon’s outerreaches. Roaring away from theprivate dock on Ton Duc Thangadjacent to the roundaboutfeaturing the large statue ofTran Hung Dao, the downtownskyscrapers quickly recede. Wesoon pass under the bridgesconnecting Binh Thanh Districtand District 2, and head out intoa broader channel of the river.Life is still bustling on thesereaches as the boat navigatesbetween long strings of floatingvegetation, and under yet morebridges, both old and new.36 asialife HCMC