The skies were heavy with grey clouds the day I arrived in Danang, the Vietnam seaside city mid-way between Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. “So sorry about the weather,” Tranh, my driver said apologetically. “It was very sunny and dry the last few weeks, until today.”

But coming from Singapore where the weather had been blazing hot this early part of the year, I felt a little relieved that a stiff breeze of cool air and a thermometer struggling to break above 23 degrees Celcius greeted my arrival.

I had little expectation of Hoi An, the actual destination of my trip (Danang is the closest international airport to the renowned UNESCO World Heritage town). Friends who have been there mentioned that it was an absolutely fabulous place, and that I should see it before globalisation set in. As fate would have it, the opening of two new golf courses here had instigated my visit. If golf is the precursor to commercialism, then it was a good thing I got here sooner than later.

Apart from seeing Hoi An, and the golf, one of the main reasons for my visit was The Nam Hai. Travel destinations are only as good as the accommodations they offer, and the reputation of this GHM-managed property preceded my first-hand experience. If the service and attention I got from Tranh, was any indication, I was in for a treat.

The 30km-drive from Danang to The Nam Hai took me along Ha My Beach, what is probably better known as China Beach (from the popular television series some two decades ago). Then we saw Dana Delaney, wet behind the ears as a budding actress, heal and break hearts as she re-enacted the trials and tribulations of a U.S. Army nurse during the Vietnam War.

Along the way, I could see that the property lining China Beach had been bought up and construction was underway to build multi-star resorts and high-end villas. (A couple of days later, I read in the Vietnam News, that a property development named Ocean Villas had already sold 80 per cent of its villas.) It dawned on me that I was on the cusp of watching the future of a hot travel destination unfold.

As I reached the southern end of Ha My Beach, the stretch of barren beach and endless hoarding hiding the construction stopped at a stone grey wall. On it were the words “The Nam Hai” in plain black type.

The road leading up to the lobby at The Nam Hai helps build the anticipation for first-time guests. Neat landscaping lined both sides of the tarmac, and the fully equipped fitness centre and yoga pavilion could just be made out beyond the trimmed hedge. I’ve always believed that a wellappointed gym spoke volumes about a resort, and The Nam Hai’s raised my expectations for the place as a whole.

The main driveway fronting the reception building is an innocuous one, with not a shroud of pretense. Wide marble steps in stately grey led up to a small building with the silhouette of a Chinese temple. The sense was serene, the air calming. We had architect Reda Amalou to thank for this sensation.

Word is that Amalou had never designed a resort prior to his work at The Nam Hai, and that this was because the owners never intended for the property to be like any other resort. As reported by website ARTINFO, the Paris-based Amalou was known to have said, “You know when you’re in the polluted, crazy hustle and bustle of an overcrowded city, and suddenly you push a door and walk into a temple, and everything is quiet?” Well, that is the first feeling you get when you step into The Nam Hai.

Amalou’s design here takes elements from throughout Asia. Hints of Chinese courtyards are evident from the arrangement of the main buildings housing the offices, reception, resort shop, library and main dining spaces. In the exquisite rooms, there is the open feel of a Balinese home. And the way the 100 or so villas (all with some view of the sea) are arranged evokes memories of a Malay kampung, all juxtaposed around a sandy, communal space where guests can mingle and share stories.

The Nam Hai sits on 35 hectares of land, stretched out along Ha My Beach. Although I was told that the place was nearly full during my visit, I hardly noticed anyone around. It was either the clever way the public spaces were positioned, or the fact that the villas were so self-contained, so comfortably apportioned with every modern-day, luxury amenity available, that few guests bothered venturing too far from their home away from home.

I, for one, found it hard to do so. Amalou, with interior designer Jaya Ibrahim, laid out interiors that are at once romantic, sensible, and spacious. The regular villas had large bathrooms with outdoor and indoor showers, two sitting areas, and beds and pillows so lush that I thought lying in and savouring the view of 3m waves crashing into the beach was enough to keep me from venturing out the door. (And yes, there is wireless and wired Internet access in the villas.)

If you’re traveling with family or friends, and are in the mood to splurge a little, then the pool villas are definitely worth considering. They range from one-bedroom pool villas to the fivebedroom version that can house 15 adults. At over 660 sq m in size, the latter may be the ideal location for a luxury offsite meeting, especially since the resort can send in a troupe to prepare barbecue meals on the lawn.

The combination of Amalou and Ibrahim’s work, together with GHM’s management has not evaded the attention of global media. Since it opened in 2007, the property has earned awards like Conde Nast Traveler’s “Hot List 2007 One of the Top New Hotels and Spas in the World”, Travel + Leisure USA’s “World’s Best Designed Resorts 2008”, and also won the “Best Destination Spa” in Asia Spa & Wellness Festival 2009 Gold Awards. Construction continues night and day not far up the road as multi-storey five-star resorts look to bank on this idyllic part of Vietnam. Property funds and hotel management companies have identified this area as the next Bali, and are putting their money where their hopes are. Quietly, The Nam Hai continues to build on its legend. In its exoticism and uniqueness, I believe that it has set the bar so high, few of the aspiring properties in the area will be able to match.