Two very different 5★ bases for Hoi An · map not to scale
At a glance
- The Nam Hai
- 100 villas on a kilometre of Ha My beach, 30 minutes from Da Nang airport
- NHAAN
- 174 rooms by the Co Co River in Cam Thanh village; craft workshops on site
- Nights
- Three or four in Hoi An
- Best for
- The Nam Hai: beach and three generations · NHAAN: teens and craft lovers
- Budget
- From 140 USD per person per day at 4★ (2 travellers sharing); 5★ resorts quoted individually from 350
The short answer
I choose Four Seasons The Nam Hai for couples and three-generation families who want beach days: 100 villas on a kilometre of Ha My beach, three pools and family villas. I choose NHAAN, opened in 2026 by the Co Co River, for families with teenagers and design lovers: 174 rooms, connecting rooms and on-site pottery, lantern and woodcarving workshops.
Hoi An is the stop where I most often give guests a real choice of base, because the town works well from very different kinds of hotel. Two of the 5★ resorts we book there could hardly be less alike. Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai is an all-villa resort on the beach north of town. NHAAN Resort & Spa Hoi An, which opened in 2026, sits by a river in a village outside Hoi An and is built around craft. Neither is better in general. Each is better for someone.
Four Seasons The Nam Hai vs NHAAN: the comparison
| Four Seasons The Nam Hai | NHAAN Resort & Spa Hoi An | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | A kilometre of Ha My beach, between Da Nang airport and Hoi An | Cam Thanh village, by the Co Co River outside Hoi An |
| Size | 100 villas | 174 rooms |
| Rooms for families | 8 family villas; pool villas of one to five bedrooms | 19 pairs of connecting rooms |
| Pools and spa | Family pool, lap pool and an adults-only quiet pool; Heart of the Earth Spa with eight lotus-pond treatment villas | Infinity pool and a rooftop spa |
| On site | Beach; Chuon Chuon kids’ club | Workshops in pottery, lantern-making and woodcarving |
| Design | Reda Amalou, inspired by the Tu Duc royal tombs of Hue | Architect Vo Trong Nghia |
| Who I choose it for | Couples, three-generation families, anyone who wants beach days between sightseeing | Families with teenagers, craft and design lovers, guests who prefer a village to a beach |
Four Seasons The Nam Hai: beach, space and villas
The Nam Hai is an all-villa Four Seasons resort on a kilometre of Ha My beach, about 30 minutes from Da Nang airport. Its 100 villas range from 60 one-bedroom villas, including eight family villas, to 40 pool villas of one to five bedrooms, the largest with their own staff. Three pools run in a line towards the sea: a family pool, a lap pool and an adults-only quiet pool. The Heart of the Earth Spa has eight treatment villas on a lotus pond.
In our experience it is the easiest luxury base in Vietnam for mixing beach days with Hoi An, My Son and Hue. I place it in the middle of a north-to-south route, usually for three or four nights, after Hanoi and the bay. Hue can be a day trip by private car with a stop at the Hai Van Pass. Families often stay longer and use it as the beach break between the two cultural halves of the journey.
NHAAN: river, village and craft
NHAAN Resort & Spa Hoi An opened in Cam Thanh village, by the Co Co River outside Hoi An; Hilton announced it open on 6 August 2026, as its first hotel of that collection in Vietnam. It has 174 rooms designed by the architect Vo Trong Nghia, a rooftop spa and an infinity pool. What sets it apart is on site: workshops in pottery, lantern-making and woodcarving. Nineteen pairs of connecting rooms make it practical for families.
For families with teenagers who are tired of temples, the workshops are the point. Lantern-making is usually the favourite. A bicycle ride through the rice fields and water-coconut palms around Hoi An fits naturally into a stay here. Because NHAAN is new, our team checks the current details with the hotel before we confirm rooms.
Four Seasons The Nam Hai or NHAAN: who I choose each one for
- Couple who wants to swim every day: The Nam Hai. The beach and the adults-only pool decide it.
- Three generations: The Nam Hai, where a multi-bedroom pool villa keeps everyone together, or family villas side by side.
- Family with two teenagers: NHAAN for connecting rooms and the workshops; The Nam Hai if the teenagers mostly want the beach.
- Guests who love design and making things: NHAAN.
- A trip with no other beach stop: The Nam Hai, so the route has its rest days by the sea.
If you would rather walk into the old town from your door, remember that neither resort is in the old town. For those guests we use Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery, on the Thu Bon River a short walk from the old town. Some guests split the stay: two nights in town, then two at the beach or by the river. I explain why I give Hoi An four nights in this note on Hoi An’s length of stay.
Mistakes I see most often
- Choosing a resort by its pool alone. The real question is beach or village, and how you want to spend the afternoons.
- Two nights only. With a resort base outside town, two nights leaves almost no time to use the resort. I plan three or four.
- Booking two separate rooms on different floors for a family. Ask for connecting rooms at NHAAN or a family villa at The Nam Hai.
- Ignoring the season. Tropical storms hit Central Vietnam from September, and Hoi An sees heavy rain and some flooding into November. In those months I keep the central section shorter and choose hotels with good indoor space.
- Trying to see Hoi An, My Son and Hue on consecutive days. Our guides space the long days out with a rest day between them.
Where to stay on the rest of the central coast
Many guests combine a Hoi An base with a few nights in Da Nang. There we use InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, on a private cove of the Son Tra Peninsula, or TIA Wellness Resort, where every villa has a private pool; I compare them in InterContinental or TIA in Da Nang. For Hue we choose a central 4–5★ hotel and name it in your quote. Our notes on family rooms and villas and how I choose 4–5★ hotels cover the whole country.
What it costs
We don’t publish hotel prices; each resort is priced in your private quote. A private trip with 4★ hotels, your own guide and driver is from 140 USD per person per day, based on two travellers sharing, confirmed in your private quote; ten days at that level is from 1,400 USD per person. A group of four pays from 133 USD per person per day and a group of six from 128.8. A stay at The Nam Hai or NHAAN moves that stop up: trips built around 5★ resorts sit in our top tier, from 350 USD per person per day, always quoted individually. We recommend upgrading the one stop where you will spend most time at the hotel; Hoi An is often that stop.
Domestic flights are quoted separately. We take a 30% deposit, with the balance due 45 days before arrival, and a non-refundable 100 USD per traveller holding fee (kept even if you cancel early), separate from the 30% deposit; your quote shows how it is applied to the final invoice. Card payments carry a 3.5% fee.
To see Hoi An inside a full journey, see Metta Voyage’s 10-day central Vietnam resort tour or the 14-day north-to-south tour for the current from-price. Our guide to choosing the month explains the central-coast seasons.
Sample itinerary, price from and a quote
If you want to see this advice turned into a bookable plan, start with a private trip with a Hoi An resort base: Vietnam Honeymoon Package: A Private 12-Day Route for Couples. It has a day-by-day sample itinerary, the hotels I would use and the price logic.
As a guide, a private trip of 12 days starts from 1,680 USD per person (12 days × 140 USD, 2 travellers sharing, 4★ hotels, private guide and driver), about 1,596 USD per person for a group of four and 1,546 USD for a group of six, confirmed in your written quote. Domestic flights are not included and are quoted separately; 5★ and luxury stays are quoted individually.
Request a quote for this route
Sources
Metta Voyage: Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai · Hilton press release: NHAAN Resort & Spa Hoi An · Vietnam National Authority of Tourism: weather and climate · CDC: travel health advice for Vietnam
Questions we are often asked
Is The Nam Hai or NHAAN better for families?
Both work. The Nam Hai has eight family villas and multi-bedroom pool villas, which suit three generations. NHAAN has 19 pairs of connecting rooms and craft workshops that teenagers usually enjoy.
Which resort is on the beach?
The Nam Hai, on a kilometre of Ha My beach north of Hoi An. NHAAN is by the Co Co River in Cam Thanh village, outside Hoi An.
Can I walk to Hoi An old town from either resort?
No, both are outside the old town and our driver takes you in. Guests who want to walk out of the door stay at Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery on the Thu Bon River.
How many nights should I spend in Hoi An?
We recommend three or four nights, especially at a resort base, so there is time for the old town, a craft workshop or bicycle ride, and time at the hotel.
When is NHAAN open?
Hilton announced NHAAN Resort & Spa Hoi An open on 6 August 2026. We check current details with the hotel before confirming rooms.
David — for The Metta Voyage team. Checked against our itineraries and the sources above on 11 November 2026.
