Vietnam Cultivates Countryside Hotels

Vietnam has long had five-star hotels in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), but the growth of its tourist industry has been hampered by shoddy accommodations in top tourist attractions off the beaten path. Now a French company with Vietnamese partners is changing that and opening up the countryside to international travelers.

In the last 18 months, Victoria Hotels and Resorts has opened four excellent, medium-sized hotels in areas that previously had little more than backpacker guest houses: Sa Pa, in the mountains near the Chinese border; Phan Thiet, on the coast 80 miles east of Ho Chi Minh City; and Chau Doc and Can Tho, in the Mekong Delta. Two more will open this year, including one in Hoi An, a picturesque town near Da Nang.

The hotels have 50 to 93 rooms each. Rates average $80 but are frequently negotiable when booked through a travel agent in Vietnam. The contacts for Victoria’s main office in Ho Chi Minh City are tel. 011-84-8-990-1350, fax 011-84-8-990-0229, e-mail eem-vic toria@hcm.vnn.vn.