Blue horizon; Set on a private peninsula, Vietnam's newest resort offers bungalows by the sea.

Byline: Richard Alleman

Once entry restrictions eased, Vietnam became one of the biggest travel stories of the nineties. At first the offerings were limited. Happily, things perked up toward the end of the decade with luxury hotels debuting in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), in Hanoi, and on China Beach. Best of all, however, was the 1997 opening of the country's first boutique hotel, the Ana Mandara, with 68 sleek rooms clustered in traditional Vietnamese villas at the edge of the laid-back beach town of Nha Trang. A 45-minute flight north of Ho Chi Minh City, the property-with its infinity pool, two fine restaurants, and world-class diving-became the place to relax in the new Vietnam. Last year Ana Mandara unveiled its Six Senses Spa, an impressive holistic facility set among coconut groves and lotus ponds.

To make a good thing even better, this month comes the highly anticipated launch of Ana Mandara's Evason Hideaway. A compound of 54 individual Vietnamese villas, this entirely separate resort is set on a private peninsula (accessible only by sea) in Ninh Van Bay, some 30 speedboat-minutes from the main Ana Mandara property. Designed in the spirit of Asia's ultra-stylish Amanresorts, these ...