A ‘village’ with more than city comforts

If you are looking for space or a place to unwind, to treat our family to a getaway weekend or celebrate your honeymoon, there is a quite area on the Saigon River bank that is just the ticket.

Six kilometers from downtown, the Thao Dien Village offers guests the space they need in a luxurious, colonial setting. The newly opened “village” is a 13,000 square meter complex on Nguyen Van Huong Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s plush District 2. The complex comprises a 22 room colonial-style hotel called An Phu, an event hall, a water puppet theater and other facilities. Active sorts can make use of the fitness club with a variety of workout programs on offer, a sumptuous spa welcomes those in need of deep relaxation and its riverside pool is a good place to cool off. The greenery that surrounds the complex and the spacious lawn overlooking the river are ideal for children to “burn” their energy. Thao Dien Village has four restaurants with different styles that seem to have something for everyone. Well-known Vietnamese fine dining establishment Ngon Restaurant has opened its second location here with a beautifully decorated, dark wood traditional dining room. Ngon is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with main courses ranging from VND 120,000 to VND340,000 (US$6.84-19.40). Next door is a slightly funkier and less formal Japanese restaurant where the staff are all smiles, the sashimi is fresh and the menu is extensive and well priced. Only a handful of items on the twelve-page menu run over VND100,000 ($5.7). Of the Asian options, however, it’s the Chaba Thai Restaurant that has people talking. The soups, curries, vegetables and desserts are purported to be the best in town. The Villa Romain Restaurant beneath the hotel offers fine Italian dining with views across the lawn to the river. Upstairs, the hotel rooms are spacious with wooden floors, there are terraced areas and yet another lovely pool. The traditional water puppetry show, held three times per week, is well worth a visit by itself. Thao Dien Village is an antidote to the hectic city life and if you’re in need of a getaway, but short on time, schedule a day of two at the An Phu Hotel. Reported by Thuy Nhien