The Anam Mui Ne, an Indochine-era-inspired resort in Vietnam’s popular beach town Mui Ne, has opened a quaint new bar that pays homage to the intimate Saigon bars of yesteryear.
The 1.2-hectare resort, the only Vietnamese property in the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) portfolio, this month unveiled the new watering hole, aptly dubbed Saigon Bar, on some of the resort’s most inspiring grounds overlooking Mui Ne beach.
Adjacent to the resort’s 266sqm saltwater infinity swimming pool and immaculate lawn, Saigon Bar is situated at the other end of the beach to Lang Viet Restaurant & Bar, bookending the resort’s best view over the waterfront.
Softly lit with caged lanterns and candles, the bar is fashioned from hardwood sourced from sustainably cultivated forests in Vietnam’s Nam Dinh province and bedecked with customized encaustic tiles, evoking an atmosphere of old-world elegance.
Fronted by a grey cobble-stone terrace with a handful of outdoor wooden bar tables flanked by rattan stools, Saigon Bar’s interior is home to cozy rattan chairs clustered in semi-circles and a bar featuring woodwork that took craftspeople months to complete. Greenery cascades down the bar’s exterior from wooden plant boxes fastened to a balcony above.
The bar’s shelves are lined with all sorts of boutique spirits from Vietnam and around the world, such as Ho Chi Minh City-based Lady Trieu’s craft gins including ‘Dalat Flowerbomb’, ‘Mekong Delta Dry’, ‘Hoi An Spice Road’ and ‘Sapa Citrus Tea’.
Saigon Bar’s extensive drinks menu includes an array of spirits, beers, wines, signature cocktails, large cocktails shared between four people and “choose your own” mojitos, daiquiris, and margaritas. Surprises include ‘The Anam Penicillin’, comprising Whisky Glenmorangie 10, whisky Famous Grouse, whisky Laphroaig 10, chamomile infused Quinta do Noval 10 Tawny Port, clarified lemon juice, honey and ginger syrup, and ‘Smokey Frangipani Blossom’ made up of Frangipani infused Haku vodka, Ricard, apple juice, celery juice, clarified lemon juice and maple syrup.
Vietnamese coffee, milkshakes, loose green and black leaf teas, freshly squeezed juices, homemade iced teas, and kombucha with all sorts of health benefits concocted on the resort’s grounds are also available.
In addition to ‘smoothie bowls’ packed with different fruits, the bar also serves tapas, including a cheese and charcuterie platter, a grilled prawn salad, beef satay skewers, and salted and spicy crispy pork skin. The selection of desserts ranges from ice cream and sorbet to chocolate raspberry cheesecake and bubble tea panna cotta.
“Our Saigon Bar may be new, but when you set foot inside, you feel like you’re stepping back in time to a charming bar in bygone Saigon’s labyrinthine alleyways, where the atmosphere is almost as palpable and the unique beverages and tapas we’ve concocted,” said the resort’s manager Ye Chang Sheng (Peter).
