Echoes of Indochine in Hue
This Vietnamese hotel retains the opulent splendour that befitted French colonial governors of yesteryear.
From the terrace of an immaculately restored art deco building, I am looking out to the Perfume River, over a saltwater pool and sprawl of clipped lawns. This is Hue, once the imperial capital of Vietnam and still a city of enormous heritage importance. Before me is a manicured version of the same view the resident French colonial governors would have enjoyed from this very spot, perhaps with feet up on planters’ chairs, aperitifs in hand, give or take 90 years. A tangerine sunset lends the scene a romantic, almost unearthly, glow.
The colonial French departed Hue in 1954 and the grand mansion that had housed its governor served as a guesthouse for provincial authorities from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Two faux-deco east and west annexes were added in 2005 when a hotel, simply branded La Residence, a partnership between local tourism authorities and a French entrepreneur, brought the property to international attention.
Now the one-time French stronghold has been reborn again, this time as Azerai La Residence, a boutique hotel that opened in February and it, too, has a history.
The name is an adaptation of caravanserai, or resting place, but the letters AZ refer to Adrian Zecha, legendary founder of Amanresorts (now rebranded as Aman), who resigned from its board in 2014 after protracted legal battles between the two new owners.
Indonesian-born and US-educated Zecha is credited with redefining the concept of residential-style villa accommodation, especially at Amanpuri in Phuket, southern Thailand, and Amandari, in Ubud, Bali. His landmark openings in the late 80s and early 90s heralded the dawn of a new era of small-scale luxury accommodation for both holiday islands, and the hospitality industry was forced to take notice.
Singapore-based Zecha, now in his mid-80s, is hardly slowing down; he’s also recently opened the 60-room Azerai Can Tho on a small isle in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.
Azerai La Residence is small, too, with 122 guestrooms, the most lavish and costly of which are Indochine-themed suites, some with beautiful bay windows, housed in the original wings of the bow-fronted mansion, built in 1930.
It’s been described as one of the finest French art deco houses outside Europe, and it’s clear no extravagance was spared in its building nor its empathetic restoration.
Interiors honour the original era and have been retrofitted with bulky, curved 30s furniture, polished teak flooring, ceiling fans, glazed ceramic tiles, bright silks and, in some categories, four-poster beds. The 73 contemporary deluxe guestrooms are across the matching annexes, styled with square lines and terraces featuring nautical-looking railings. These lack the character-filled sense of history and spaciousness of the original suites, but are well equipped and feature framed historic prints, art deco-style lighting and balconies facing the river or gardens.
The hotel is set on a little less than 3ha with a 200m frontage on the Perfume River’s south bank, and it feels a bit like a country club. The high-ceilinged and columned Le Parfum restaurant seats 178 and is big enough to serve as a ballroom; it’s a bit lacking in atmosphere, even though the decor is true to times past and the French and Vietnamese food is excellent.
Hue is home to about 2000 of Vietnam’s “official” national dishes, as determined by the Nguyen dynasty emperors, who ruled from 1802 to 1945, and here you’ll find what could be called the edited highlights, offered a la carte or as a degustation menu.
Pomelo, green mango, banana flowers and crushed peanuts are core ingredients in dishes, many of which are made richer by adding sour and salty nuoc mam sauce. Le Parfum serves a comprehensive breakfast buffet too; take a seat on the terrace and expect tropical fruit and juice, pho noodle soup made to order, Western-style eggs and good coffee.
More intimate is Le Gouverneur cocktail lounge with deep deco-style chairs upholstered in rosy pink and a backlit bar; french doors open to a terrace overlooking the frangipani-scented gardens, which are softly illuminated at night.
Staying at Azerai La Residence feels a bit like being an extra in scenes of the 1993 movie Indochine, as if at any minute Catherine Deneuve could waft by. If you’re a fan of such colonial glamour, as realised in grand style at, say, Raffles Singapore or The Eastern & Oriental Penang, then this smaller iteration will be just your G&T.
Jo Makito was a guest of Azerai La Residence.
CHECKLIST
5 Le Loi Street, Hue, Vietnam; +84 234 383 7475; azerai.com/la-residence-hue.
Tariff From $300-$350 a night. Until October 31, “minor renovation works will take place” and the main restaurant will be temporarily relocated. All guests will receive food and beverage credits and 25 per cent discount on spa treatments.
Getting there At least 15 minutes by car from Phu Bai international airport, which has connections from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Bedtime reading The Quiet American by Graham Greene; Le Colonial by
Kien Nguyen.
Stepping out It’s a flat walk along the riverbank into the city proper; not to be missed is the remarkable UNESCO World Heritage-listed citadel of the Nguyen dynasty emperors. Take the hotel’s Perfume River Dinner Cruise upstream to Thien Mu Pagoda for sunset champagne and an onboard dinner.
Brickbats Not all staff have good English, including in the attractive wellness spa, but all are exceptionally polite; the cavernous Le Parfum restaurant is forbidding when few diners are present.
Bouquets There’s the feel of an oasis but the hotel is within easy reach of the principal attractions of Hue; breakfast is included in all rates, Wi-Fi is fast and free and complimentary bikes are offered to cycle the riverbank promenade.
Also try The Langham Yangtze Boutique Shanghai Hotel; Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.