Spa Magazine

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For those traveling to Southeast Asia, Vietnam is fast becoming a sought-out destination. With many luxe accommodations dotting a dramatic 2,000-mile coastline and an exchange rate favoring the U.S. dollar (Read: 60-minute massages for less than $100), there’s never been a better time to visit Vietnam.

Affordable Wellness

Tucked away on a secluded beach, the 63-room Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon (pictured right) is arguably Vietnam’s best-value wellness option. At the property’s Life Spa, treatments take place in one of three indoor suites or five open-air bungalows with ocean views. While there, detox with the Dry Sand & Salt Sauna Therapy (15 minutes, $10), during which you’ll be buried up to your neck in warm sand and sea salt to improve circulation. 

Colonial Retreat

Sweeping views of sand dunes, the ocean, and a 19th-century lighthouse are just a few highlights of the all-villa Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa. Located 100 miles west of Ho Chi Minh City and designed by acclaimed Singaporean architect Tan Hock Beng, much of this 45-acre property melds Asian decor with clean-lined structures that echo the country’s French colonial past. The resort’s latest addition is a luxury spa that sits on a pristine stretch of beach. For pure bliss, open the shutters in one of the 10 treatment rooms and take in floor-to-ceiling views of Ke Ga Bay before unwinding with a Customized Marmalade Spa Package (120 minutes, $105), which features a facial treatment and body scrub made with mango, raspberry, or guava jam.

Capital Idea

Since its 1901 debut, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has been the preferred address for well-heeled travelers to the capital, boasting a guest list that has included Charlie Chaplin, Fidel Castro, and Catherine Deneuve. Its 364 rooms are equipped with all the modern conveniences you’d expect from a five-star hotel, but quarters in the original Metropole Wing ramp up the romance with hardwood floors, ceiling fans, and clawfoot tubs. After a day of sightseeing or shopping, retreat from hectic Hanoi to the new Le Spa du Metropole, an eight-room oasis where you can sample restorative treatments like the Oriental Wrap Soufflé (45 minutes, $55), a body wrap featuring white clay, rice bran, and bamboo extracts.

Beach Chic

Commanding a stretch of famed China Beach, the 100 zenlike bungalows of The Nam Hai are exquisite examples of Vietnamese architecture. But perhaps the best part of a stay here is the resort’s proximity to charming Hoi An town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its tailors. At the spa, eight free-standing treatment rooms look out onto a tranquil, lotus-filled pond—the perfect setting for signature Asian therapies, including Ayurveda-based treatments. Select the Nam Hai Jade Massage ($160, 60 minutes) to sample a fusion of massage styles—including shiatsu and Thai—performed by a pair of therapists.

Hideaway Heaven

The clocks at Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay are set an hour ahead of the rest of the country to maximize sunlight and accentuate the property’s other-worldliness. Accessible only by boat, the 58-villa resort outside Nha Trang has a plethora of amenities, from a dive boat and library to a sand-bottomed wine cave and, of course, a Six Senses Spa. This hushed tropical space features six private treatment rooms flanked by a quintet of spa villas. To experience the local culture, try the Vietnamese Massage (from $90, 60 minutes), a traditional pressure-point rubdown incorporating small, warm suction cups.

Next Page: How to get to Vietnam.