DUNCAN FORGAN chills out on a city and beach getaway beside the South China Sea, in Vietnam

MY POWERBOAT  transfer is waiting so I drain my welcome drink of ginger and lemongrass-infused mineral water and wipe my face with a fragrant wet towel. We set
off from the jetty 30 minutes’ drive north of Nha Trang, Vietnam’s biggest beach resort, powering across the shimmering waters of the South China Sea. We pass deserted tropical islands where stretches of chalk-white sand reveal themselves around practically every rocky outcrop. In my boat another glass is being fi lled with champagne.

The 20-minute boat ride is the only way to reach the Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay off Vietnam’s south-central coast.

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The resort is a prime example of how a once ravaged nation is shedding its war-torn image to emerge as an upmarket destination to rival its near neighbour Thailand. No detail is spared here. There’s the divine setting for a start.

The resort’s 58 villas may be the ultimate in style-mag chic but the limelight is reserved for the surrounding scenery with the accommodation tucked away behind beachside palm trees, hidden in hillside crevices and nestled among the giant boulders that mark the beginning and end of a laughably perfect crescent of sand.

Such extras as private butler service, an amply stocked wine cave where regular tastings are held and a private beach where candlelit barbecues for two can be set up nudge the experience from prime luxury to supreme decadence. If you are feeling energetic, the resort can organise anything from kayaking and scuba diving expeditions to Vietnamese cookery classes in the herb garden.

For those who aspire to the life of a lotus eater, however, it’s hard to think of a better place to submit to sheer indolence. I spend my time fl oating in the sea and lazing by our villa’s private infi nity pool.

Occasionally I retire to revel in its plush interior, all cool stone fl oors, rattan blinds and high-tech gizmos. My partner is a little more energetic, rousing herself to make the short walk to the resort’s excellent if pricey spa, next to a calming pond studded with lily pads, for a Swedish massage.

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Evenings are spent nursing sundowners in the resort’s main bar with its romantic low lighting and colonial-style whirring wooden roof fans. Next door is the open-air restaurant where an eclectic menu offering a wide range of Vietnamese, Asian Fusion and international dishes is served to a soundtrack of waves stroking the shoreline.

Here, the stunningly fresh sashimi and rare seared beef basted in a chilli, lemongrass and fish sauce-infused marinade proves a favourite.

After a few days living the sybaritic lifestyle, we’re ready for something a little livelier. Nha Trang is about 280 miles north of Ho Chi Minh City, the hub of the country’s south. I fi rst became aware of it while doing a tour of duty in South-East Asia 10 years ago when travellers talked about the place in reverential tones. At that time, rooms cost a dollar a night and fi ve-dollar boat trips offered unlimited alcohol. The backpackers are still here but Nha Trang too has gone upscale.

The road backing the gorgeous municipal beach may be lined with red fl ags embossed with the hammer and sickle but there is nothing retro about the seafront’s phalanx of slick new international hotels. The real Vietnam lurks just a few blocks back. Young couples on motorbikes weave their way past other bikes laden down with everything from huge suitcases to entire families.

The pavements are crammed with food vendors serving such Vietnamese classics as pho bo (beef noodle soup) and spring rolls to customers perched at metal tables on Lilliputian plastic chairs.

I find the buzz seductive. After checking into the flawless Evason Ana Mandara hotel where Balinese- style villas are set back from the beach amid verdant flower-filled gardens, we squeeze in a short swim off the hotel’s fine private stretch of sand and head in to the thick of the action to get some lunch.

As something of an Asian street-food bore, I can vouch for the fact that some of the best meals in the world can be obtained here for the price of a can of Coke. This time however we act on a tip from a waiter at the hotel and head to a barbecue restaurant called Lac Canh where we grab raw strips of marinated beef from a heaped plate with our chopsticks and grill them at our table on a contraption that looks like a broken chimney pot.

The meal is delicious and comes in at about £4 including drinks. Similarly authentic (but significantly more pricey) is lunch next day at the hotel. The team here wants to promote local fl avours and it’s doing a fi ne job judging by the extensive five-course set lunch we work through which includes delicately battered giant shrimps and some of the best spring rolls I have ever tasted.

You could easily divide your time in Nha Trang between the beach and the restaurants and bars but there’s plenty to keep more inquisitive souls interested. We hire motorbikes and follow the coastal road north to the Ba Ho waterfalls where we swap our berth on the beach for a spot on the rocks overlooking a series of deep shady pools set in a jungle ravine.

Returning at dusk, the distant bright lights of the city flicker into life heralding another frenetic night. Closer to hand, the light of the descending sun casts an ethereal glow over an ocean dotted with just a few fishing boats.
Alluring chaos and unimaginable bliss. It’s a balancing act Vietnam is doing increasingly well.

● GETTING THERE:

Trailfinders (0845 050 5871/ www.trailfinders.com) offers four nights in a Hilltop Pool Villa at the Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay and three nights in a Garden View Villa at the Evason Ana Mandara & Six Senses Spa from £1,699pp (two sharing), B&B.

Price includes return flights from Heathrow to Nha Trang via Ho Chi Minh City, including transfers. Valid for selected May and June departures if booked by March 31.

Royal Air Brunei (0207 584 6660/www.bruneiair.com) offers return flights from Heathrow to Ho Chi Minh City from £655.

Vietnam Airlines (0203 263 2062/ www.vietnamairlines.com) offers return flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang from £26.

Vietnam Tourism: www.vietnamtourism.com