24 DEPARTURES TRAVEL 24 DEPARTURES TRAVEL KEYS, PLEASE! Clockwise from left: the tranquil terrace of a Garden Pool villa at Maia Resort Quy Nhon; LUX* Phú Quoc’s overwater villas, perched atop the aquamarine waters of the Gulf of Thailand; the opulent dining room of a Capella suite at the new Capella Hanoi Asia’s hottest hotel designer Bill Bensley. The 47 rooms and suites are resplendent in red velvets, tangerine silks and black woods, with hand-painted murals on the walls and black and white marble bathrooms. Later this year two new luxury resorts will land in Phú Quoc: the Regent Phú Quoc (regenthotels.com), with 538 minimalist rooms, six restaurants and a host of local experiences; and LUX* Phú Quoc Resort and Villas (luxresorts.com), which has 147 rooms – including treehouses, overwater villas and beach pavilions – spilling onto a seemingly endless stretch of white-gold sand. Then there’s the Mandarin Oriental Saigon (mandarinoriental.com): opening in early 2022, it will have 227 guest rooms with unbeatable views of the Beaux-Arts Saigon Opera House and the wedding-cake architecture of the People’s Committee, as well as six restaurants, an outdoor swimming pool and a signature spa. There have been very few winners of this past year – but Vietnam seems to be one of them. “We feel optimistic,” says Arnaud Zannier “that once the restrictions lift we will see a surge in demand.” It’s a sentiment common across this Southeast Asian nation, and one that may, with time, turn it into a tourist-filled destination. But for now, it remains a relative secret, and it’s ripe for exploration. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © MAIA RESORT QUY NHON, © LUX* PHU QUOC RESORT AND VILLAS, NGO NHAT HOANG PLEASE CHECK THE LATEST GOVERNMENT ADVICE BEFORE BOOKING TRAVEL OR DEPARTING ON ANY TRIP
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