In additional with Part 1, let us take you to the most admirable beach resorts in Vietnam to bring you a memorable Summer Holiday in 2015

2. Hue hotels and resorts guide

Flying to Hue or Danang on Vietnam Airlines is the easiest option. The carrier uses Airbus A-321 and A320 aircraft with a single-aisle 3-3 seat configuration on the short hop from Hanoi. If you're on one of these aircraft, pick middle seats B and E for about two to four inches of extra seat width.

Pilgrimage Village Hue brick room/ photo: Vijay Verghese

Another option to Da Nang is SilkAir (from Singapore). Hue airport is small and unhurried (and closed till 20 November, 2013 for an upgrade). An alternative entry point is via Danang Airport. Grab a taxi and head off. The exchange rate is roughly US$1=21,000 dong.

Once the flourishing capital of the Nguyen Dynasty and later severely pummelled during the 1968 Tet Offensive, Hue has lost much of its imperial accoutrement but retains a certain historical cachet. The area is littered with small private pagodas and village homes in the classical Oriental style mixing Chinese architectural forms with Vietnamese styles. It is a low-rise community with the occasional high-rise hotel or office block. The Perfume River (Huong River) runs a lazy course through the town, passing by the Citadel and its Forbidden City.

Hue hotel and resort options are laid-back and unpretentious in keeping with the style of this ancient town. A distinct departure, and pleasurably so, is the Best Western Premier Indochine Palace (formerly Celadon Palace Hotel), a white high-rise mimicking a fashionable Paris block with an Indochine “Noble House” theme carried through the interiors. This modern dedication to the last Nguyen emperor, Queen Nam Phuong, offers spacious rooms and suites, starting from 35sqm, in peach blush pastel with huge inviting plump beds, 42-inch flat-screen TVs, free WiFi throughout, a work desk, and signature toiletries.

The safe can house a laptop and a wooden latticework sliding door separates the bedroom from the open-plan bathing area and washbasin. The grand lobby with its de rigueur staircase is in gold hues with ornate chandeliers and beige marble.

Ana Mandara Hue beach/ photo: hotel

A large attractive open-air pool rolls out at the back lined by Roman columns and palm trees. Le Spa offers wellness distractions with steam, sauna, massage and manicure. Shopping galleries beckon big spenders, while the roomy 400-person ballroom aims squarely at the MICE market comfortably positioning Indochine Palace as one of the best central Vietnam conference hotels and a top choice for corporate meetings in Hue.

The test of the pudding of course is in the eating. Yet, despite all this muscle and razzamatazz, the hotel manages to pull it off with understatement and class. Not surprisingly, the designers of the Park Hyatt Saigon were at work here and the room product displays startling similarities.

A newer arrival is Ana Mandara Hue with cottages set in three hectares of green fronting the beach where a large blue freeform pool catches the rays. The 400m beach offers good powder underfoot. This resort serves up 78 rooms from deluxe to beach and pool villas. The 275sq m Pool Villas offer a 48sq m pool and a luxurious 106sq m of indoor living space with two bedrooms.

This is smart lux getaway with the added bonus of good restaurants and 1,320sq m of conference space should you be in search of an offbeat small corporate meetings venue in Vietnam. Also find a spa and a gym.

The 194-room Imperial Hotel Hue is another high-rise that prides itself on sweeping views from the Panorama Bar and lounge on the 16th floor. Expect Cinemascope river and city views from the lounge or head out to the alfresco wrought-iron chairs vertiginously perched at the edge of the roof. This area doubles as a meetings and events space.

La Residence Hue by the Perfume River/ photo: Vijay Verghese

The hotel itself is traditional in style with a pagoda entrance and hugely ornate lobby crowned by an eye-popping gilt dragon-motif lift lobby that will push your gold tolerance to the limit. The rooms are pleasant enough with wood parquet flooring, a boxy TV, carved dark-wood chairs and free WiFi and Broadband. Expect a laptop-size safe, a carved wooden cupboard and a bathroom with separate bathtub and shower cubicle. There is an outdoor pool on the third floor with some fitness equipment for workouts.

Nearby is the four-star pink-hued low-rise 180-room Hotel Saigon Morin. This place was built by the French in 1901 and serves up free WiFi, city and river views, fitness facilities, a beauty salon and a colonial feel. Rooms are simple and classical with wooden floors, ornate runners and bed covers, and box TVs. Opt for more stretch room in the 50sq m Premium City Deluxe or 60sq m Colonial Suite.

Pilgrimage Village, Hue, is a soothing respite with a bucolic theme and thatch-roof brick bungalows set in refreshingly green manicured gardens. It is not on the river, or on a hill with a commanding view, but it offers a quiet escape with the aid of a nice swimming pool and the secluded Vedana Spa. Expect grass underfoot and birdsong.

The 72 Deluxe Villas serve up balconies, cheery furnishings, box TVs, a notebook-size safe, minibar, a clock, cosy lampshades, silk bathrobes and a larger bath with tub. The style is rustic but mod. The Honeymoon Bungalow is a bigger standalone affair with spacious balcony, twin beds or king-size bed, brass ceiling fan, and a box TV in 55sq m of stretch space. Higher room categories include one-way airport and train station transfers, late check-out, free shoe shine service and complimentary cocktails. WiFi throughout the resort is free and at the Candle Bar there’s access to free Internet on a hotel computer. At the top end there are 130sq m villas with private pools. Guests can enjoy complimentary yoga and tai chi among other activities. This is a nice self-contained retreat and a comfortable staging point but lacks a compelling location.

Rice fields between Hue and Danang/ photo: Vijay Verghese

The 122-room art deco and crisply modern La Résidence Hôtel & Spa is a deluxe boutique hotel franchise associated with French chain Accor. It was a former residence of the French governor of Central Vietnam and it graces the banks of the Perfume River with commanding views of the water and the imperial citadel on the opposite shore. The low-rise buildings are in starched white with compact bright green gardens and a river-edge pool in sky blue. It is a tranquil escape with a library and business centre, plus free WiFi throughout. Pale yellow walls and corridors lead to the rooming wings.

The Superior River View has ceramic tiles underfoot mixed with wooden parquet flooring and a balcony (not terribly private) with views of the Perfume River. Rooms are smart with flat-screen TV, small safe that will hold jewellery and a camera but not much more, free WiFi (no plug-in Internet), work desk, clock, coffee-making facilities, classical furniture and the omnipresent yellow walls. It is an elegant ensemble nonetheless and a breezy riverside retreat. Mark this down on your top Hue resorts list.

The road trip from Hue to Danang takes you down a scenic two-and-a-half-hour stretch of road past verdant paddy fields, lagoons, and rolling hills (but allow a half hour extra at least for jams and cattle chaos).