Good Morning, Vietnam!

By Sandra Scott

When I think of Asia, I think of tea.  But like all generalizations there are exceptions. “Good Morning, Vietnam!” now has more to do with a cup of coffee than with the historical past.  In fact most people’s concept of Vietnam is probably anchored in the past.  John and I were in Vietnam ten years ago and the changes over the last ten years are dramatic.

Once quiet and laid-back, Hanoi is booming. Cars and motor bikes have replaced the sea of bicycles, but the Temple of Literature and the water puppet theater have remained unchanged.  New buildings are sprouting up everywhere. Hanoi’s newest hotel, The InterContinental Westlake, shatters most people’s image of a city hotel.  Instead of being surrounded by busy streets and high-rise buildings, the hotel has several pavilions built on stilts at the edge of tranquil West Lake and every room has a lake view.  The hotel is the epitome of Asian modern but breakfast still remains true to its Vietnam heritage. Breakfast is a bowl of pho – the soup that built a nation – and coffee, and, not a dainty cup but a huge cup suitable for the excellent press pot coffee.

Coffee has been part of the Vietnamese culture since French colonists introduced it in the late Nineteenth century.  And just as surprising as the changes in tourist facilities is the fact that by the late 1990s Vietnam became the world’s second largest coffee producer, after Brazil.  But, unlike coffee drinking in the United States, where Americans grab a cup of coffee on the run, coffee for the Vietnamese is a time to relax and chat with friends.  Each morning in Hanoi, John and I had a Vietnamese-style breakfast of pho, leisurely sipped our coffee, and gazed out over beautiful West Lake.

Vietnamese favor the press pot coffee. I tried making coffee with press pot years ago without much success but now new ones like those made by Bodum serve up an excellent ground-free cup of coffee.

If the InterContinental Westlake raises the bar for hotels in Hanoi, Nam Hai pole-vaults over the bar when it comes to luxury beach hotels.  Located close to Hoi An on the South China Sea, Nam Hai, is the cutting edge of luxury tourism in Vietnam.  John says, “Technically, Nam Hai has 43 swimming pools.”  Yes, John, but we will never use 40 of them – and there is no need!  The three public pools include a heated pool, a wide lap pool, and a huge family pool, all with a palm-lined view to the South China Sea.  The 40 other pools belong to the 40 Pool Villas perfect for those who are escaping the paparazzi.  However, all the villas are of celebrity-quality with a terraced room graced with a dais bed swathed with sheer curtains, a lacquer ware tub plus an alfresco garden pool, and two lounging banquettes on the patio that face the sea.  The state-of-the-art room included an iPod  and a Krup Expresso Coffee Maker. Each morning we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of pho and press pot coffee in the dining room then set off to explore historic Hoi An.  Each afternoon we ambled along the beach and returned to our room for a cup of espresso. It became a highlight of the day – once we mastered the expresso machine. The biggest decision was, “John, which do you prefer today? Espresso made from Brazilian coffee? Or, Colombia? Or, Guatemala? Or, India?” All were available in the room.

The changes in the tourist facilities in Vietnam are impressive but Vietnam is still a beautiful, safe country where visitors are greeted with a friendly wave and a welcoming, “Good Morning! Where you from?”

For more information check www.intercontinental.com/hanoi, www.ghmhotels.com.

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Copley News Service and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.
Photos by J. J. Scott.

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