AS development dollars pour in and muscle highways streak through the verdant rice fields, Vietnam these days can be summed up in a single word – SPEED. There’s not much of it. Highways in Vietnam are showpieces for belching trucks idling in long snaking lines, their unusual horns the only sign of contrapuntal remonstrance. Stray buffalos, wayward chickens and ducks sunning themselves on the asphalt all do their bit to slow things down.

Ubiquitous speed limit signs are set at 40kph when approaching a town, 50kph within the urban zone, and then mischievously at 80kph, even on switchback roads climbing up into vertiginous hills. I pushed my eyeballs back into their sockets as we began our dizzying ascent from Lang Co, crossing the hump from Hue to Danang. Fact is, speed kills, and the hard-working men in uniform are painfully aware of this. Every once in a while an improvised speed limit – say 30kph – scrawled on a strip of cardboard will appear propped against a tree to trip unwary motorists. Fail to spot it and camouflaged constabulary around the corner will pounce on you with glee demanding “tea money”, and thus are lives saved and wealth redistributed.

It took a while then to get to Danang’s fabled China Beach, which comes with the usualBaywatch accessories – professional lifeguards on certain stretches but not, alas, women with bodies like ripening corn. Next morning I slipped onto the beach unnoticed at dawn, painfully aware of my neck, which looks like, well… a neck.

Everyone knows China Beach/ photo: Vijay Verghese

Men with heads attached to tree-trunks fell to the ground to do fifty push-ups if any damsel so much as glanced in their general direction. I pressed my camera shutter vigorously, demonstrating I am no slouch when it comes to testosterone.

By 7am the local population had departed en masse leaving a few solitary bathers and some frolicking salty sea dogs. Danang's idyllic stretch of sand runs uninterrupted along a long, long coast, with a gentle drop-off and some decent surf. With the morning mist hanging over the water and low hills providing a backdrop to the curve of the bay, it is an alluring postcard setting. It was perhaps a moment like this that enthralled Australian prime minister Harold Holt who waded out to sea and was never seen again. And while people around the world continue to misplace car keys, mobile phones, and even prime ministers, Vietnam chugs on serenely, at 30kph.

Vietnam beaches run north-south along the Pacific Ocean from Hue, Danang and the old port city of Hoi An to Nha Trang (which has gained a reputation as a dive centre though it is more of a beach town). The coast runs on past Quy Nhon and down to Phan Thiet and Mui Ne, the playground of Saigon's nouveau riche and frantically holidaying expatriate community. Just south of Phan Thiet is the emerging area of Ke Ga. From here head on to Long Hai and the three-star offerings of Vung Tau. On Phu Quoc island, in the Gulf of Thailand there’s more white sand beach and a smattering of hotels. Take a look at our Vietnam Map before diving further into our review of the best Vietnam resorts.

1. Ha Long Bay villa resorts

Pick a Deluxe Pine Hill Villa or go up to an Executive Seaside Villa Beachfront, all with mini-bar, WiFi and satellite TV. The ballroom can hold 350 persons. At a pinch this dramatic coast can be squeezed in as a day trip from Hanoi but it is best enjoyed over a couple of days with a Halong Bay cruise through the limestone outcroppings that lend the area its unique 20-megapixel charm.Up north in scenic Ha Long Bay, the 247-room four-star Tuan Chau Island Holiday Villa Halong Bay is set on a private island. Villa accommodation is stylish and lavish running down the hillside to the seaside. The island has been developed an all-in entertainment getaway with dolphin and crocodile shows, theme parks, golf, and more hotel rooms. There are water and laser shows to keep families occupied, and the more energetic can pursue a broad range of water sports and beach activity – or a hard-hitting game of tennis.

Another of the many options in this area is the Royal Lotus Hotel Halong, a hotel rather than resort-style set-up with space for meetings and conferences, an indoor pool, varied cuisine including Japanese, and contemporary rooms with bright colours and wooden floors. Also a city-style highrise is the Saigon Halong Hotel.

Pick a Deluxe Pine Hill Villa or go up to an Executive Seaside Villa Beachfront, all with mini-bar, WiFi and satellite TV. The ballroom can hold 350 persons. At a pinch this dramatic coast can be squeezed in as a day trip from Hanoi but it is best enjoyed over a couple of days with a Halong Bay cruise through the limestone outcroppings that lend the area its unique 20-megapixel charm.Up north in scenic Ha Long Bay, the 247-room four-star Tuan Chau Island Holiday Villa Halong Bay is set on a private island. Villa accommodation is stylish and lavish running down the hillside to the seaside. The island has been developed an all-in entertainment getaway with dolphin and crocodile shows, theme parks, golf, and more hotel rooms. There are water and laser shows to keep families occupied, and the more energetic can pursue a broad range of water sports and beach activity – or a hard-hitting game of tennis.

Another of the many options in this area is the Royal Lotus Hotel Halong, a hotel rather than resort-style set-up with space for meetings and conferences, an indoor pool, varied cuisine including Japanese, and contemporary rooms with bright colours and wooden floors. Also a city-style highrise is the Saigon Halong Hotel.

To be continued...