Hoiana Shores
Author

Old Town, Modern Luxury: The Glam Juxtaposition of a Stay at Hoiana

Dan Q. Dao
Travel + Leisure Asia

UPON ARRIVING at Hoiana, the first thing you notice is the sheer vastness of it all. The central lobby—bright and airy with floor-to-ceiling windows—acts as a sort-of grand crossroads. To the left: New World Hoiana Beach Resort, sleek and streamlined. To the right: Hoiana Hotel & Suites, flanked by decorative lagoons and trimmed in a subtly elegant style. And also: the bright, gilded gates of the casino. Despite this initial razzle-dazzle, the resort has an easy-going ambience that draws you in from the get-go.

It takes a full day to soak it all in. Vietnam’s first fully integrated resort, Hoiana Resort & Golf, as the complex is officially known, stretches along four kilometres of Central Vietnam’s coastline, encompassing more than 1,200 rooms, four distinct hotels, a world-ranked championship golf course (Hoiana Shores Golf Club), a scattering of infinity-edge swimming pools, and more than 20 restaurants and bars. While adults can test their luck at a poker table, kids can dive into cooking classes and outdoor games at kids’ club PLAY—or one of those multiple pools.

Yet, for all its novelty and sprawl, Hoiana fosters a sense of place, delivering the comforts of a tropical escape—palm-fringed beaches, sunny terraces, the scent of the sea breeze, the sound of waves at dawn— plus the history behind this stretch of coast. You’re within close reach of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Sanctuary, with its Champa ruins dating back to the 4th century. So, while you could spend your entire vacation within Hoiana, it’s also a perfectly placed gateway to the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam.

Of course, if you’re into golf, no visit is complete without teeing off at Hoiana Shores Golf Club, a par-71, 18-hole championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Ranked among the Top 100 Golf Courses in the world, it’s Vietnam’s first authentic links course open to the public—and easily one of the most scenic fairways in this part of the world.