First published March 2025 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
Tom Divers is the founder and creator of Vietnam Coracle. He’s lived, travelled and worked in Vietnam since 2005. Born in London, he travelled from an early age, visiting over 40 countries (he first visited Vietnam in 1999). Now, whenever he has the opportunity to make a trip, he rarely looks beyond Vietnam’s borders and his trusty motorbike, Stavros. Read more about Tom on the About Page, Vietnam Times and ASE Podcast.
A contemporary, low-rise, small-scale boutique resort on Mũi Né beach, Villa Aria offers excellent mid-range standards with tastefully appointed rooms, a classy open-sided restaurant and deck, and a beautiful infinity pool. With only a handful of guest rooms available, Villa Aria never feels crowded, even when it’s full. Occupying a relatively small plot of beachside land, Villa Aria makes the most of its space, with tropical fruit trees and flowers growing up between two rows of two-storey structures. Rates, including a good breakfast, hover between $70-$100 per night depending on the season. The resort’s beachfront, like the rest of Mũi Né, has recently been laid with Geotubes (enormous sandbags) in an attempt to stop erosion, but is in a pretty good state compared to other parts of the bay. After a post-pandemic slump, tourism in Mũi Né is booming again, helped by the opening of the new expressway (CT01), which has reduced travel time from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to just 2 hours. What’s more, the new airport is set to open within the next year or so. [BOOK HERE]
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REVIEW: VILLA ARIA MUI NE
Address: 60A Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Phan Thiết, Bình Thuận Province, Vietnam [MAP]
Average Rates: $70-$100/night
CONTENTS:
MAP:
Villa Aria Mũi Né
The Location: Situated on the south side of Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Street as it passes along the length of Mũi Né bay, Villa Aria is nicely positioned between the local life of Hàm Tiến village (to the east) and the tourist restaurants, bars and shops to the west. If you get bored of drinking or dining at the resort, there’s no shortage of alternatives within walking distance of Villa Aria. You’ll find French patisseries, Mediterranean taverns, live music bars, pubs, cool cafes, seafood shacks and street food. Mũi Né beach has suffered dreadfully over the last decade from erosion. To try to stop this, Geotubes have been laid along the entire stretch of coastline. It has been a long and disruptive process, but it’s now very nearly finished. The result may be a little unsightly at first, but within a few years it is hoped that Mũi Né beach will be saved from erosion. At the time of writing, the beach in front of Villa Aria was in decent condition, in between two large Geotubes.
Resort Grounds & Layout: Villa Aria consists of two parallel rows of two-storey structures divided by a leafy pathway leading to the beachfront, where there’s an attractive open-sided restaurant, deck and swimming pool. The resort grounds and structures are very neat and immaculately maintained. Villa Aria is flanked by a large resort (Sunny Beach) and, unusually for Mũi Né, a vacant plot of land. Considering how small the resort grounds are – the entire property can’t be much more than 20m wide and 100m long – Villa Aria has made the most of their location and available land. There’s a satisfying sense of order and proportion without feeling too cramped or too controlled. Because it is so small, there’s a comforting sense of intimacy about the resort, but not so much that guests would ever feel a lack privacy.
Beach, Pools & Activities: As mentioned, Mũi Né beach has undergone considerable ‘improvements’ over the last decade, mostly in the form of giant Geotubes to stop beach erosion. The beach directly in front of Villa Aria has already been laid with Geotubes and is now stable. It is fine for lounging on the sand under a coconut palm, playing on the beach, or swimming when sea conditions are good. However, the Geotubes themselves can be a bit of an eyesore: the tops are still exposed and look like enormous beached whales. Even if the beach doesn’t appeal to you, Villa Aria’s very pretty infinity pool certainly will: it’s good for cooling dips, children and (just about) OK for short laps. There’s a small spa for massages in a thatched hut by the pool. In addition, the resort provides bicycles for guests to explore the area, as well as organizing various tours to local sights, such as the White Sand Dunes (Bàu Trắng).
Guest Rooms & Décor: As there are only 22 rooms altogether at Villa Aria, it’s advisable to book in advance, especially if you want to try and grab the sea-view or pool-view suites, of which there are only a couple. Apart from the aforementioned suites, all other rooms are garden-view, either on the ground floor opening onto the garden, or on the first floor with a terrace overlooking the trees. Despite being listed as only 30m2, the rooms feel very spacious and uncluttered. For the most part, room interiors are tastefully appointed, although occasionally some of the embellishments threaten to verge on the kitsch, such as the faux regal chairs. Muted pastel tones, tasteful furniture and a vague French provincial style run throughout. The beds are comfortable and firm – Villa Aria has avoided the mistake that many resorts in Vietnam make: thinking that the softer the bed, the more luxurious it is, but this is certainly not the case in a hot and humid tropical climate. All rooms have big terraces with good outdoor seats.
Breakfast, Dining & Drinking: In many ways, Villa Aria’s showpiece is its fabulous open-sided restaurant with a deck overlooking the beach and ocean. An elegant, low-rise, contemporary-looking structure, the restaurant is a great setting in which to enjoy the resort’s buffet breakfast, included in the room rate. Breakfast, while good, is not perhaps as good as you might expect from a property such as this. Tropical fruits, croissant, eggs, juice and cereal are all fresh and tasty, but I’d expect a wider spread for the rates and certainly the choice of espresso coffee: instead only Vietnamese-style coffee or tea is available. There is an emphasis on healthy dining and local ingredients. One example of this are the cashew yogurts served at breakfast, which have become a trend in Vietnam over the last decade. The lunch and dinner menu is limited but fine. However, with so much choice along the road outside the resort, there’s not much reason to dine in. It’s better to enjoy a sunset cocktail or two on the deck at Villa Aria before heading out for dinner.
Summary: Overall, Villa Aria is a very good mid-range resort for Mũi Né. It is particularly well-suited for couples, solo travellers, or even people working remotely. For families with small children, perhaps there isn’t quite enough to engage the kids. Villa Aria’s main strengths are its small scale, exceptional maintenance, good swimming pool, tasteful and understated style and decor, and its beautifully designed beachside restaurant. On the downside, Wi-Fi was very patchy during my stay, and breakfast could be better.
*To check rates & make a booking for Villa Aria Mui Ne please BOOK HERE
*Disclosure: I never receive payment for anything I write: my content is always free & independent. I’ve written this review because I want to: I like this resort & I want my readers to know about it. For more details, see my Disclosure & Disclaimer statements & my About Page
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