Vietnam's Nam Hai Resort Maps Walking Tour of … Itself

Design traits focal point of unprecedented resort experience

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. February 17, 2010

HOI AN, Vietnam - February 17, 2010 - Hotels and resorts around the world steer guests toward prescribed walking tours of nearby historic districts, to laud the local architecture and divert the inquisitive guest.

But one hotel, the three-year-old Nam Hai in the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Hoi An, has prepared a walking tour of itself.

The self-referential tour leads guests on a survey of Vietnam's profound architectural heritage and underscores the resort's attempts to serve not only its guests' leisurely inclinations but its cultural aspirations, as well.

“For many travelers, Vietnam requires a substantial jaunt around the world,” said Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, general manager of The Nam Hai. “And so many of them, when they get here, they're sufficiently seduced by the resort itself that they spend the bulk of their time on site. This Design Tour is an opportunity for these folks to plumb the depths of the culture without ever leaving the site.”

From conception, The Nam Hai's villa complex aimed for development as an exquisite, modern interpretation of the Vietnamese nha ruong, which translates literally as “house of panels” and figuratively as garden house. The result so impressed the judges of Travel + Leisure's 2008 annual design competition that they hailed The Nam Hai as the Best Resort in the world.

“Beyond all other arts, the Vietnamese esteem the legacy of their architectural heritage,” said Peter Ryder, long-time resident of Vietnam and CEO of Indochina Capital, the resort's developer. “At The Nam Hai, we've mined that very rich tradition for a resort that is, in and of itself, a wonderful evocation of Vietnamese culture.”

Now, the resort wants its guests to see what the judging panels have seen, and moreover, the continuity of design elements and aesthetics that are borne of Vietnamese culture. The timber frames of the villa interiors. The phan, or platform beds. The binh phong, or screens, that figure so prominently into indigenous beliefs and design.

The Tour, narrated by the resort's architect — Reda Amalou of Paris-based AW2 — and downloaded to all 100 of the hotel's in-room iPods, embarks from two locations. The first is within the garden villa itself, where Amalou details the cultural significance of the timber framework, the spatial dimensions of the structure, the furnishings and other elements.

From the reception pavilion, Amalou leads the curious up and down the resort's main axis, calling out influences from the imperial capital of Hue and the heart and soul of Vietnam's agrarian culture.

“All architects derive their influences from myriad sources,” said Amalou. “But here in Vietnam, we're dealing with a fresh suite of ideas — fresh because Vietnam was walled off from the rest of the world for so many years. I'm still fascinated by the coupling of culture and architecture in the Vietnamese tradition, and it's my feeling that the resorts' guests will be, too.”

Situated on 35 hectares of landscaped tropical gardens overlooking the East Sea, The Nam Hai is an exclusive, all-villa property featuring 60 one-bedroom villas and 40 pool villas ranging from one to five bedrooms, each with its own infinity pool.

Signature features of The Nam Hai include two gourmet restaurants; a tropical spa beside a lagoon; three beachfront swimming pools; and an 18-hole, Colin Montgomerie-designed golf course (The Montgomerie Links Vietnam).

Since opening in December 2006, The Nam Hai has established a reputation as one of the best resorts anywhere. In addition to the Travel + Leisure accolade, the hotel has claimed the following:

• 2009 Asia Spa & Wellness Festival: 'Best Destination Spa'
• TTG (Asia-Pacific): 'Asia's Best Beach Resort,' 2008 TTG Travel Awards
• Gourmet Traveller: One of the 'Best New Hotels 2008'
• Conde Nast Traveller (UK): Inclusion in the 'Hot List' 2007
• Conde Nast Traveler (US): Inclusion in the 'Hot List' 2007
• Conde Nast Traveler (US): 'One of the World's Hottest New Hotels' & 'One of the World's Top New Spas'
• Conde Nast Traveller (UK): 'One of the World's Top 75 Hotels'
• Gourmet Traveller: One of the 'Best of the Best' new hotels
• Travel + Leisure (US): Inclusion in the 'It List' 2007
• Travel + Leisure (Australia): Inclusion in the 'It List' 2007
• Cigar Aficionado (US): 'Best New International Beach Resort 2007'

For more information about The Nam Hai, visit www.ghmhotels.com.

ABOUT INDOCHINA CAPITAL AND INDOCHINA LAND Founded in 1999, Indochina Capital is one of Vietnam's leading financial services groups with diversified fund management and financial advisory businesses. The group is amongst the most established investment firms in Vietnam, managing a portfolio of independent funds focused on separate real estate and capital markets strategies.

Indochina Land, the real estate division of Indochina Capital, is Vietnam's premier real estate development and fund management firm, developing and financing real estate projects covering the full range of property types from multi-family residential and mixed-use commercial (retail and office) developments to hotels, resorts and leisure facilities.

Indochina Land, the sponsor of Vietnam's first real estate fund, currently manages three private, closed-ended funds with US$460 million of committed institutional capital, which translates into over US$2 billion of projects currently under management and development in Vietnam. In 2009, Indochina Land was recognized in Euromoney magazine's annual real estate poll as the Best Developer in Vietnam and one of the Top 10 throughout Asia.

ABOUT GHM Established in 1992, General Hotel Management Ltd (GHM) is a market leader in conceptualizing, developing and operating an exclusive group of hotels and resorts worldwide. With a total of eight properties in its portfolio and 11 more in the pipeline, GHM prides itself in providing guests with a distinctive lifestyle experience that is unrivalled. Every GHM resort and hotel is one of a kind, possessing distinctive concepts and design elements.