The Anam journey had started with an infectious smile as wide as Cam Ranh Bay. She said her name was Pinky, and she was at the airport with a welcoming smile, a sign bearing my name, and a luggage trolley. She walked me over to a sleek black Merc for the 15-minute drive to The Anam Cam Ranh, one of the first five-star resorts in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh area.

The imposing grounds and buildings are on a 12-hectare parcel of land that slopes down to the East Sea. The resort blends colonial-era charm with warm-hearted Vietnamese hospitality.

The 12 hectares of the property have 3,000 coconut trees, and 80 gardeners undertake the mammoth task of keeping everything pristine. Bougainvillea saturates the property, along with lush, manicured lawns. Every room has a window box of bougainvillea.

Building The Anam commenced in 2014 and was completed in 2017. Mr Norbert Meyer has been the Resort Manager since its opening; he is a stalwart manager with an affable nature who inspires employees through his teaching and leadership.

The hotel’s original motto when it opened was “No stress, no news, no shoes.” It has now changed to “Indochine charm—modern luxury.”

All the pathways around the resort can be accessed barefoot, hence the initial no-shoes slogan.

The name Anam refers to “An Nam,” the name of Central Vietnam during the French Indochina era. The Anam Cam Ranh overlooks 300 metres of beachfront on Vietnam’s scenic Cam Ranh peninsula, which averages more than 300 sunny days yearly.

A shuttle bus runs daily from the resort to Nha Trang city, which has a population of nearly a million; a scenic trip of about 30 minutes. Its highlights are the beaches and shopping malls.

The bus takes a picturesque route along the sea with sandy and rocky mountains on the left side and scenic views of the ocean on the right. There are some sizeable islands in the ocean, many of them uninhabited.

Closer to Nha Trang, many small vessels are preparing for a night of fishing. The shuttle bus leaves the resort at 9:30 am and returns at 4:00 pm. I recommend this excursion, and if guests don’t want to stay until 4:00 pm, a taxi return is about $20 AUD.

From beachfront villas with private pools to three-bedroom Hilltop Pool Villas, there are 77 villas and 136 rooms and suites across 12 accommodation categories. The resort features three outdoor pools. The centre pool is adults-only, the beach pool is salt water, and there is a lagoon pool. A number of the villas have private swimming pools.

My Villa 331 was spacious and close to all the facilities. A resort buggy service is available for guests and luggage by dialing zero.

Sustainability is a crucial management objective, and the resort has a water-filtering plant. It grows its own vegetables and flowers and has a strict no-plastic rule.

Some of the popular features of The Anam are the spa, gift shop, eco farm, bicycles, tennis court, and mini golf services. There is a kids’ club open daily with various activities, a laundry service, a fitness centre and gym, stone painting, and morning yoga classes. A 60-seater indoor movie theatre shows regular movies for adults and children, and on a Saturday night, it’s open-air movies on the beachfront.

“We are trying to provide extras for the guests at no cost,” said Nguyen Bao Trung, the resort’s Marketing Manager. Many of our recent initiatives, like the extended mini golf course, are free, as we hope to give our guests more value during their stay.”

He said The Anam is different to the other resorts in the area. “We strive to give guests the feeling of Vietnamese culture, starting from The Anam name, which goes back hundreds of years. We also invest time and energy in the magical landscape which is distinctive in the area.”

On April 25, The Anam Group formally opened a multipurpose convention centre with a design inspired by the country’s ubiquitous coracle boat. Situated next door to The Anam Cam Ranh, Axi Plaza overlooks Long Beach and hosts a vast state-of-the-art conference hall, a 360-degree rooftop venue, a stunning outdoor beachfront event space, and about 10,000 sqm dedicated shopping and dining outlets. It is the largest multipurpose convention centre in the region.

The resort is 300 km northeast of HCMC, and it is a 40-minute flight with Vietnam Airlines or Vietjet. Cam Ranh shares the new international airport and current domestic building with Nha Trang. The international airport also has regular direct flights from Hong Kong, South Korea, China, and Russia.

Check the website for regular specials: www.theanam.com.

Written by: John Savage