Aussies are flocking to Vietnam in droves - here's our verdict on four top stays

Bali remains Australia's favourite getaway, but Vietnam is racing up the list of the top 10 most popular Aussie holiday spots, luring travellers with affordable luxury, fragrant cuisine and its credentials as an emerging wellness destination. But where to stay? Here are four places to book now.

AZERAI LA RESIDENCE, HUE

On the south bank of the Perfume River in central Vietnam, this art-deco beauty was the residence of French governors during the 1930s, and oozes colonial movie-set appeal. Uniformed staff welcome you in from the grand circular driveway, with an elegant cocktail bar, high-end boutique and spa among its temptations.

The real trump card of La Residence is its address. It's located a few minutes' drive from the main attraction here, the Imperial Citadel; but so much can also be seen on foot or two wheels with the city centre a short walk or cycle along the river. The Citadel complex of palaces is a World Heritage site and stands as an imposing reminder of the city's time as the nation's capital. A ride there on one of the hotel's free bikes will reward you with plenty of tasty distractions, from banh mi stalls to French pastry shops.

The hotel offers an impressive array of tours with one of the most fascinating being the chance to have tea and conversation with a Buddhist monk. Hue is the country's centre of Buddhism and has more than 300 pagodas. These spiritual hubs are typically set in beautiful gardens with many locals donning traditional dress and conical non la hats during their visits.

Our guide Lan touches on the city's complex history under the Chinese, French and Japanese; regales us with stories of kings and queens, translates poetry on pagoda walls and takes us to Bo's Tailor, where Bo herself whipped up a silk shirt for this writer and delivered it to the hotel on the same day. Hue is overflowing with interesting things to see and do and La Residence is hard to beat as the perfect base.

ONE MORE THING: Dine on contemporary local cuisine at the hotel's gloriously restored 1930s-era Streamline Moderne restaurant, Le Cercle Sportif.

ROOMS FROM: $260, check website for specials. azerai.com/azerai-la-residence-hue

ALMA RESORT, CAM RANH

More like a town than a resort, Alma is so big it has bus stops. Comparisons with Disneyland come to mind, and the astonishing variety of entertainment and activities on offer seems inspired by cruise ship-style fun.

On top of kids' clubs for toddlers and youth clubs for tweens, you can spend hours at the water park with lazy river, wave pool and twisty slides. Add to that a 75-seat movie theatre, an arena for cultural shows, a baby animal farm, 18-hole mini golf, a science museum, basketball courts, craft workshops, 14 dining venues and 12 pools!

There are so many ways to have fun as a family, yet plenty of chances for adults to also nab some me-time: think cooking classes, yoga and that all-important addition to any mega-resort, the adults-only pool.

Set on pristine Bai Dai beach 10 minutes from the international airport, Alma is one of the newest resorts on a strip which has seen a boom in new four- and five-star resorts over the past decade.

It's best to know before you go that this is a stay-put family resort experience with no nightlife, local restaurants or shopping nearby. (The holiday town of Nha Trang is 40 minutes away). But if a fly-and-flop family break is the ticket, a holiday at this tropical compound will live long in the memory.

ONE MORE THING: A Tibetan Singing Bowl sound-bath at Le Spa is a quirky and supremely relaxing experience.

ROOMS FROM: One-bedroom suites $306, one-bedroom villas $463, all rates include breakfast. alma-resort.com

TIA WELLNESS RESORT, DA NANG

Find nourishment in every sense of the word at this top-end wonderland of seaside wellness. Set in gardens bursting with tropical colour, this all-pool villa escape has a program that is a fast train to bliss town with wellness guides, plant-based menus, art therapy and yoga to keep you on a restorative track. Surrender to one of the spa's exotically-named treatments such as crystal wand foot reflexology, and circulation-boosting bamboo roll-outs. Facials, manicures and pedicures are here too but not nearly as interesting as the long list of lotus root, salt stone and coconut-enhanced mind and body treats.

Dining here is an event - floating trays in your private pool, afternoon tea in a bloom-draped cabana, or dinner by a waterfall or under beach lights.

AZERAI, KE GA BAY

It's easy to see why influencers occasionally check in here to make their way to Azerai's magnificent oceanfront pool area, thanks to a photo-friendly pontoon set between pool and sea. Nothing short of breathtaking, this splendidly isolated retreat also boasts a glorious sunset with the orange twilight best viewed from the hotel's beachside sunken bar.

This property set on a five-kilometre beach is about slow, peaceful rest and recovery: sleep and sunshine, spa treatments, beach walks and dining outdoors in the warm sea breeze. Australian boss Julian Moore says guests come here after touring the big, hectic cities for reset and reflection.

Located 2.5 hours from Ho Chi Minh City on the south-east coast, you won't find a laundry list of daily activities here. No activity apps, no shows and no noise except the wind in the trees. If tides permit, early-rising guests can join local fisherman on the beach to see how it's done, and if golf is your jam, the hotel can arrange transfers to the Greg Norman-designed NovaWorld Phan Theit Golf Club, 21 kilometres away.

ONE MORE THING: In The Spa, book in for the unforgettably relaxing 60-minute, horizontal hair wash with a shine-giving ginger shampoo.

ROOMS FROM: $290, see website for special offers and packages. azerai.com

The writer was a guest of the hotels