Putting Vietnam on global luxury tourism map

The InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, which opened in 2012, was the first project involving cooperation between Sun Group and renowned architect Bill Bensley.

Its design was first and foremost lauded for showing respect for the natural environment and preserving the precious ecosystem of the Son Tra Peninsula.

The resort, which quickly became a destination for world leaders, celebrities and elite travelers, certainly makes the most of its heavenly setting, ensuring guests staying at any one of the 201 luxurious rooms, suites, penthouses, and villas will enjoy glorious ocean views from the lush, tropical setting of Son Tra Peninsula.

InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort in Son Tra Peninsula.

From the day it first opened the resort has contributed to raising the global status of Vietnam as a destination for luxury tourism, thanks to its stunning design, world-class services and breathtaking setting.

Tucked away on its own private bay on the Son Tra Peninsula, the property was named "World’s Leading Luxury Resort" for four straight years from 2014 to 2017 by World Travel Awards (WTA).

The InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort also surpassed numerous other heavyweight competitors to become the World’s Leading Green Resort in 2018, which in this era of sustainable travel is considered one of the most important of the hundreds of prizes awarded at the World Travel Awards (WTA).

Developed by Sun Group and managed by InterContinental Hotel Group, the resort won three more prizes at last year’s WTA, including World's Leading Luxury MICE Resort, World’s Leading Luxury Wedding Resort and World's Leading Resort Architecture Design.

This resort was designed by architect and landscape designer Bill Bensley.

In 2018 it had also featured in the list of 50 best resorts in the world announced by the US-based luxury and lifestyle travel magazine, Condé Nast Traveler. Many industry insiders agree the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort was the first resort to truly put Vietnam on the global luxury tourism map.

A jewel in the crown of Pearl Island

Featuring 234 rooms, suites and villas on Kem Beach on the southern cape of Phu Quoc Island, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay has further transformed one of Vietnam’s most beguiling destinations. Since opening in 2016 the resort has garnered several prestigious international andregional awards for its design and service, making it a destination for billionaires and beach-loving jetsetters around the world.

The second architectural masterpiece developed by Sun Groupand Bill Bensley scooped two top awards in its second year of operation, the 2017 World’s Best New Resort and the 2017 World’s Best New Resort Spa for Chanterelle-Spa by JW.

JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay.

At the 2017 World Luxury Hotel Awards, the five-star resort was also named Asia’s Luxury New Hotel and Vietnam’s Luxury Design Hotel.

Furthermore, at the 2018 World Travel Awards held on December 1, 2018, in Lisbon (Portugal), JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay won awards for World’s Leading Luxury Island Resort Villas, World’s Leading Luxury Themed Resort, World’s Leading Resort Swimming Pool, and World’s Leading Themed Hotel Bar.

With so many prestigious awards in just two years, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay has played a leading role in awakening the tourism potential of Phu Quoc or "Pearl Island", helping turn the island into one of the world’s leading luxury travel destinations, and in turn also bolstering Vietnam’s reputation for luxury travel.

A new icon of Vietnam

In Vietnam, no modern architectural work has received more adulation than the Golden Bridge, which quickly became a sensation on social media after opening in June 2018.

The latest tourism product of the Sun World Ba Na Hills complex, Golden Bridge triggered a tourism frenzy not just among Vietnamese, but right across Asia, thanks to its otherworldly appearance - a colossal pair of moss-covered hands lifting a golden walkway high above the cliff tops of Ba Na Hills in central Vietnam.

Pictures of the bridge were immediately being shared on every social media platform as it had become the country’s ultimate check-in destination. Tourists from all across Southeast Asia and beyond were soon flying into Da Nang to see this manmade wonder for themselves before discovering the rest of central Vietnam. It is no exaggeration to say that this new icon of Vietnam had an unprecedented and historical impact on the country’s tourism.

Golden Bridge in Sun World Ba Na Hills.

Some of the world’s leading English language newspapers, such as the New York Times, Huffington Post, The Guardian, The Independent, Bored Panda, AFP, Reuters, BBC, and CNN carried news and photo essays heaping praise on the Golden Bridge, and declaring it one of the world’s most unique bridges. Time, the most influential magazine in the U.S., even listed the bridge as one of the World’s 100 Greatest Places for 2018.

Besides the Golden Bridge, Sun Group has also built several unique cable car systems in Ba Na, Phu Quoc and Sa Pa, where tourists can go all the way to the top of Mount Fansipan, the roof of Indochina, in a cable car.

After many years of relative obscurity, it’s clear that Vietnam now offers a number of manmade marvels, architectural masterpieces and award-winning resorts, all of which have spurred extraordinary growth for the tourism industry and sealed the country’s reputation as an exciting and dynamic destination for luxury travel.