Strategically situated in one of the most beautiful areas of Vietnam's south central coast, the heritage luxury resort, Ana Mandara Cam Ranh, lies along the magnificent coastline of Bai Dai Beach in Cam Ranh Bay.

The resort is only 10 kilometres from Cam Ranh International Airport and a 30-minute drive from the coastal city of Nha Trang. Ana Mandara Cam Ranh will organise transfers to and from the airport, which is served by numerous Asian international airlines and domestic flights within Vietnam. 

Vietnam is one of my favourite destinations and with a flight time of only eight hours between Sydney and Ho Chi Minh City, the country is very popular with Australians generally. However, the resort featured here is off the well-beaten track between the country's largest cities.

There's a certain hush that falls the moment you slip off the main roads and find yourself on Bai Dai's sun-baked sand, palms tilting towards a long, quiet sea. At Ana Mandara Cam Ranh, that hush is intentional — not the silence of isolation but the thoughtfully created stillness of design that lets in only natural sounds. It's a place that has quietly been collecting accolades for that very balance: last year Ana Mandara Cam Ranh was crowned Vietnam's Leading Green Resort at the World Travel Awards.

Walking the property is like wandering through a living postcard of Vietnamese coastal life. Low, thatched roofs and open-air corridors thread between lush lawns. The architecture favours local materials and cross-ventilation so rooms breathe-in the sea air. The resort's footprint is deliberate — more than 85 per cent of the land is preserved as green space and planted with native species, part of a sustainability vision that was embedded into the resort from day one and is much more than just a green checklist. 

Ana Mandara's story isn't just about Instagram-ready pools and rustic-chic huts, it's about how hospitality can be regenerative. On-site water filtration and composting, a reduction in single-use plastics, and farm-to-table programs in the restaurants are just some of the resort's daily operations designed to reduce waste and nurture local ecosystems. There are also bicycles and electric buggies for guests, an emphasis on native landscaping and staff programs about conservation.

Dining here is a celebration of coastal ingredients and the region's herbs and citrus to produce street-market flavours. A typical meal is fresh seafood served under long, shaded terraces overlooking the bay. If you're after something more private, picnic hampers and beachfront dining setups turn the sand itself into a dining room at sunset. And before or after dinner, the spa — a calm wood-and-stone pavilion — invites a slow unwind with locally sourced oils and balms that borrow from traditional Vietnamese treatments. 

What you do between the hammock and the sunbed can be as languid or as active as you like. Snorkelling trips set out from the bay, sunrise yoga happens beneath palms, and cultural excursions will take you inland to fishing villages and markets where the hum of daily life is palpable. Alternatively, just relax around the resort. For families and couples, the private-villa layout gives everyone room to roam.

Early in the morning, when the resort is still, staff move like the caretakers of a large private garden, tidying everything up, and the sea flattens itself into a sheet of pale glass. For travellers who don't want to feel guilty about succumbing to luxury, this is the kind of resort that allows conscience and indulgence to coexist without compromise. 

Rooms and villas are the kind of spaces that travel writers fall in love with at first sight: generous private terraces, lagoon-shaped pools, and interiors that mix warm timbers with woven textures. Whether you're in a one-bedroom beachfront villa or a multi-bedroom family compound, the emphasis is the same — privacy without isolation, luxury without fuss. The resort's layout deliberately staggers accommodation so every arrival feels like a small discovery, and the sea is an ever-present companion.  

I've read articles critical of this sort of development in Vietnam, claiming that they are a blight on the traditional Vietnamese landscape. But surely there is room for both tradition and progress if balance is maintained. According to travel media platform Travel and Tour World, Vietnam is rapidly establishing itself as one of South-East Asia's most dynamic tourism and hospitality markets. Driven by a strong rebound in international arrivals and sustained domestic travel, the country is witnessing unprecedented demand for high-end accommodation.

With 25 million international visitors annually at the last count, the country now offers more than 192,000 midscale-to-luxury hotel rooms, achieving a compound annual growth rate of 10.9 per cent over the last decade—among the fastest in South-East Asia, TTW says. Coastal destinations remain the backbone of the tourism sector, with approximately 60 per cent of rooms located in resort areas. These figures reflect Vietnam's strategic focus on beach tourism and its success in establishing world-class resort experiences.

Leading coastal cities continue to demonstrate strong hotel performance, with Nha Trang regularly recording occupancy rates of 70–75 per cent. These numbers illustrate sustained demand for premium accommodation and the growing popularity of Vietnam's coastal resorts among international and domestic travellers.

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A timeless blend of Vietnamese heritage and luxury

Original text © Breaking Travel News

Images: Ana Mandara Cam Ranh