Vietnam gains global recognition with new of iconic resorts and sights

Discovering heaven on earth – InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

Officially opening its doors in 2012, InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort was the first project to mark the successful co-operation between Sun Group and renowned architect Bill Bensley. The stunning design, first and foremost, was lauded for how it showed great respect for the natural environment and preserved the precious ecosystem of Son Tra Peninsula.

The resort, which quickly became a destination for world leaders, celebrities, and elite travellers, certainly makes the most of its heavenly setting, ensuring guests staying at any one of the 201 luxurious rooms, suites, penthouses, and villas will enjoy glorious ocean views of Danang’s coastline from the lush, tropical setting of Son Tra Peninsula.

From the day it first opened, the resort has contributed to raising the global status of Vietnam as a destination for luxury tourism, thanks to its stunning design, world-class services, and breath-taking setting.

Tucked away on its own private bay on Son Tra Peninsula, the property was named World’s Leading Luxury Resort for four consecutive years from 2014 to 2017. InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort also surpassed numerous other heavyweight competitors to become the World’s Leading Green Resort in 2018, which in today’s era of sustainable travel is considered to be one of the most important of the hundreds of prizes awarded at the World Travel Awards (WTA).

Developed by Sun Group Corporation and managed by InterContinental Hotel Group, the resort has also received three other prizes at last year’s WTA, including World's Leading Luxury MICE Resort, World’s Leading Luxury Wedding Resort, and World's Leading Resort Architecture Design.

Previously, the resort had also been featured on the list of the 50 best resorts in the world for 2018 compiled by US-based luxury and lifestyle travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler. Many industry insiders agree InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort was the first resort to truly put Vietnam on the global luxury tourism map.

JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay – the jewel in the crown of Pearl Island

Featuring 234 rooms, suites, and villas on Kem Beach by the southern cape of Phu Quoc Island, this fantastical resort has further transformed one of Vietnam’s most beguiling destinations. Since opening in 2016, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay has garnered several reputable international and regional awards for its sumptuous design and superlative services, making it a destination for billionaires and beach-loving jet-setters around the world.

The second architectural masterpiece developed and designed in the collaboration between Sun Group Corporation and Bill Bensley, the resort scooped up two highly prestigious awards in its second year of operation, namely the World’s Best New Resort 2017 and the World’s Best New Resort Spa 2017 for Chanterelle-Spa by JW. At the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2017, the five-star resort was also named Asia’s Luxury New Hotel and Vietnam’s Luxury Design Hotel.

Furthermore, at the ceremony of the World Travel Awards 2018 held on December 1, 2018 in Lisbon (Portugal), JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay was honoured across four categories, landing the titles of the World’s Leading Luxury Island Resort Villas 2018, World’s Leading Luxury Themed Resort 2018, World’s Leading Resort Swimming Pool 2018, and World’s Leading Themed Hotel Bar 2018.

Having earned so many prestigious awards in just two years, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay has played a leading role in awakening the tourism potential of Phu Quoc, helping to turn the island into one of the world’s leading luxury travel destinations, and in turn, has also bolstered Vietnam’s reputation for luxury travel.

Golden Bridge – A new icon of Vietnam

There has been no modern architectural work in Vietnam that has received so much adulation as the Golden Bridge, which quickly became a sensation on social media upon opening in June 2018. As the latest tourist product of Sun World Ba Na Hills complex, Golden Bridge triggered a “tourist fever” not just among Vietnamese, but right across Asia, thanks to its otherworldly appearance – a colossal pair of moss-covered hands lifting a golden thread of walkway high above the cliff tops on Ba Na Hills in Central Vietnam.

Pictures of the bridge were immediately shared on every social media platform as the bridge became the country’s ultimate check-in destination. International tourists from all across the ASEAN and beyond were soon flying to Danang to see this man-made wonder for themselves before discovering the rest of Central Vietnam. It is no exaggeration that this new icon of Vietnam had an unprecedented and historical impact on the country’s tourism.

Some of the world’s leading newspapers, such as the New York Times, Huffington Post, The Guardian, Independent, Bored Panda, AFP, Reuters, BBC, and CNN, all posted news and photo essays, heaping praise on Golden Bridge and declaring it to be one of the world’s most unique bridges. Time Magazine, the most influential magazine in the US, even listed the bridge as one of the World’s 100 Greatest Places for 2018.

Besides Golden Bridge, Sun Group has also developed a number of unique cable car systems in Ba Na, Phu Quoc, and Sapa, where tourists can go all the way to the top of Mount Fansipan, the so-called “The Roof of Indochina”, in a cable car.

After many years of relative obscurity, it is clear that Vietnam now offers a series of man-made marvels, architectural masterpieces, and award-winning resorts, all of which have spurred extraordinary growth for the tourism industry and strengthened the country’s reputation in the world as an exciting, dynamic destination for luxury travel.