First published March 2017 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
This post was last updated 7 years ago. Please check the comments section for possible updates, or read more on my Updates & Accuracy page.
INTRODUCTION | REVIEW | MAP | RELATED POSTS
Built on a rocky escarpment near the summit of a scared mountain, Victoria Nui Sam Lodge offers tasteful, well-appointed rooms with views over acres of rice paddies, canals, and hills. A stone’s throw from the Cambodian border, in the southwestern corner of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, the Nui Sam Lodge is the sister property of Victoria Chau Doc Hotel, located a few kilometres northeast, on the banks of the Mekong River. Room rates at the Nui Sam Mountain Lodge are very reasonable for the standard of accommodation, making it a great place to rejuvenate after several days travelling through the Delta, or before crossing over to Cambodia. I first treated myself to a night here after completing the Mountains in the Mekong Loop. [Average rates are between $50-$100 a night. To check current rates, availability & make a reservation for Victoria Nui Sam Lodge please BOOK HERE]
*Please support Vietnam Coracle: I never write a review for money: all my content is free & my reviews are independent. You can support the work I do by booking your hotels via the Agoda links & search boxes on my site, like the ones on this page. If you make a booking, I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Any money I make goes straight back into this site. Thank you.
The Victoria Nui Sam Mountain Lodge boasts superb views and good rooms at reasonable prices
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REVIEW: VICTORIA MOUNTAIN LODGE
Address: Nui Sam Mountain, Chau Doc City, An Giang Province, Vietnam [MAP]
Price: $50-$100 | Phone: (+84) 76 3575 888 | www.victoriahotels.asia
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MAP:
A narrow road winds up the eastern edge of Sam Mountain. Victoria Lodge is located about halfway up, on the southern slopes. The lobby, concierge and restaurant is an open, circular ‘bird’s nest’ with French doors onto a large terrace and raised viewing platform. From here, there are fantastic vistas across the fertile delta plains and into Cambodia. It’s a great first impression.
The lobby, restaurant and viewing terrace all open onto fantastic views over the rice fields
The buffet breakfast (included in the room price, but lacking the variety and quality you might expect from a hotel such as this) is served in the ‘bird’s nest’ restaurant, and there’s also a good selection of Asian and Western dishes available for lunch and dinner. The food is good, and dining out on the terrace in the mornings or evenings, when the low light picks out every detail in the vast landscape, is wonderful.
The breezy restaurant serves good Asian & Western fare (although the breakfasts could be better)
Below the restaurant, steep stone staircases lead down to the guest rooms and a swimming pool. (There’s no elevator, which might be something to consider if you have limited mobility or small children). Stone and brick rooms are arranged in rows, descending down the hillside in several terraces. Each room has a large, tiled, private patio with a bench, plants, and stupendous views over the rice fields. There are three rice harvests every year in this part of Vietnam: if you’re lucky, the rice will be ripening in the fields when you visit and the landscape will be a sea of green; if you’re not so lucky, the rice will have already been harvested and the landscape will be a patchwork of beige streaked by smoke from the burning of the stubble.
Steep stone steps lead down from the restaurant to the rooms and the swimming pool (there’s no elevator)
Superior and deluxe rooms are set on the hillside, overlooking the pool. Simply but elegantly furnished with wooden tables, chairs, desks, wardrobes, and beds raised on plinths above the red-tiled floors, all rooms are comfortable and cool. The white bedding, terracotta-coloured walls, and dark wood create a colour scheme that feels very Mediterranean but is also in keeping with the natural environment here – perhaps it’s the rocky, dry mountainside that reminds me of Greece or southern Spain.
Rooms are tastefully furnished with red tiled floors, beds raised on plinths and wooden furniture
At the bottom of the staircase leading down through the rooms, the swimming pool occupies a fantastic position on a platform high above the rice fields. Although I wish the pool was just a little bit longer, it’s still good for a cooling dip and a few laps. There’s a poolside bar, showers, tables, chairs, and loungers to catch some sun and soak up the excellent views in the late afternoon.
The swimming pool is in a marvellous position overlooking the landscape across to Cambodia
Up and to the left of the pool, a cluster of large, adjoining rooms are perfect for families. The interiors are tastefully decorated, there’s plenty of space, bathrooms have bathtubs, and the balconies have perhaps the best views of all: hence these rooms are know as Sky Villas. The dawn is a particularly impressive sight from here, when the orange orb of the sun rises over the flat and fertile plains.
Family rooms, known as ‘Sky Villas’, are very spacious & boast perhaps the best views of all the rooms
The entire property is nicely landscaped, including lotus ponds, brilliantly coloured bougainvillea, and a herb garden which provides ingredients for the kitchen. Staff are friendly and keen, mostly from local towns and villages in the Mekong Delta. The manager, Mr Tuan, is engaging company and has worked for Victoria hotels in this area for over 10 years.
Set on the side of Nui Sam Mountain, Victoria Lodge makes the most of its great position
Staff can arrange all number of excursions in the local area and beyond. Sam Mountain is riddled with temples, tombs, shrines and pagodas which make for an interesting (if a little hot and strenuous) walk from the hotel. South of the mountain, Tra Su Bird Sanctuary is well worth a visit for the ethereal boat ride through a flooded forest of cajeput trees.
Stone and brick rooms are arranged in rows descending down the hillside in several terraces
In general, this is my favourite corner of the Mekong Delta, and Nui Sam Lodge is a comfortable place from which to view and explore the surrounding area. I’ve enjoyed several stays at Victoria Nui Sam, most often as a rest stop on my way through the western Delta: either on the Saigon to Phu Quoc Loop, or the Mountains in the Mekong Loop. It’s also an ideal stop on the way to Cambodia, either by river via Chau Doc, or overland via Ha Tien. [Average rates are between $50-$100 a night. To check current rates, availability & make a reservation for Victoria Nui Sam Lodge please BOOK HERE]
*Please support Vietnam Coracle: I never write a review for money: all my content is free & my reviews are independent. You can support the work I do by booking your hotels via the Agoda links & search boxes on my site, like the ones on this page. If you make a booking, I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Any money I make goes straight back into this site. Thank you.
Dawn from Victoria Nui Sam Mountain Lodge: a great stopover if travelling through the western Delta
Disclosure: I never receive payment for anything I write: my content is always free and independent. I’ve written this review because I want to: I like this hotel and I want my readers to know about it. For more details, see my Disclosure & Disclaimer statements here
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