First published November 2025 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle | Read time 10 minutes
Tom Divers is the founder and creator of Vietnam Coracle. In 2005 he moved from his native London to Vietnam, where he has been living, working and travelling ever since. He pays rent in Ho Chi Minh City but is more often on the road, riding his motorbike a quarter of a million kilometres across Vietnam to research guides to the farthest-flung corners of the nation. When he’s not in the saddle, you’ll find him on a beach with a margarita, in a tent on a mountainside or at a streetside noodle house: in other words, at the ‘office’. Read more about Tom: Q&A, About Page, Vietnam Tourism website.
Located at the western end of Mũi Né beach, Cham Villas is a small-scale, low-rise, luxury boutique resort set in verdant grounds. With fewer than 20 rooms, the one-storey villas are simple, elegant and tasteful structures of brick, wood, tile and thatch. The resort’s pool is engorged by tropical foliage and the beachfront is attractive and well-maintained. Staff are local, helpful and very friendly. The garden restaurant is cosy and low-key, and even the resort’s lighting is well-judged – ambient, soft and low. In terms of aesthetics and atmosphere, Cham Villas is an outstanding tropical beach resort: romantic, lush, serene, intimate, understated and quite simply a lovely place to be. It’s also one of the oldest resorts on the beach, founded by a Vietnamese-German couple in 2004. Perhaps that’s why Cham Villas still retains a bit of old-time Mũi Né charm. The only problem is that room rates are too high to be competitive with similarly priced resorts along the beach. [You can Check Rates & Book Here for Cham Villas Boutique Resort]
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REVIEW: CHAM VILLAS
Address: 32 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Mũi Né, Phan Thiết, Vietnam [MAP]
Average Rates: $100-$150/night| BOOK HERE
CONTENTS:
Search Box: Check Rates & Book
Vietnam Coracle reviews are 100% independent. I was not paid or sponsored in any way to stay at Cham Villas. I stayed at my own expense and have written this review on my own terms. If you value independent travel writing, support Vietnam Coracle with a donation or become a member of my Patreon community or purchase an Offline Guide & Map. Thank you, Tom
MAP:
Cham Villas Boutique Resort, Mũi Né
The Location:
Situated towards the western end of Mũi Né bay, Cham Villas enjoys a better slice of beachfront than resorts located at the eastern end, where the sand largely disappears and coastal erosion is a huge problem. Where Cham Villas is, the beach is wide, the sea is good, and geotubes have helped to preserve the shelf of the sand. Since the opening of the expressway (CT01) from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) a few years ago, Mũi Né is just over a couple of hours’ drive away, making it very accessible for a city break. As a result, Mũi Né’s popularity has soared and there’s clearly a lot of investment in the future of this beach resort area. However, such is the calm and tranquil nature of Cham Villas, it never feels busy, crowded or overdeveloped. Cham Villas has made this little patch of Mũi Né into a genuine oasis amid the glut of resorts, restaurants and developments surrounding it. Of course, there are potential excursions to all of the area’s attractions, such as the Cham-era Po Sha Nu tower (5 minutes due west), the red and white sand dunes (30-40 minutes due east), and the bustling fishing port of Phan Thiết (15 minutes due west).
Grounds & Layout:
Like most resorts on Mũi Né beach, Cham Villas occupies a narrow but deep plot of land fronting the sea. The resort’s 18 detached villas are dotted among extremely lush tropical foliage. Narrow stone pathways lead beneath swaying coconut palms and perfumed frangipani trees to each villa. Set behind the villas within a serene and green garden is the restaurant and swimming pool, both sheltered from the heat in dappled sunlight. Everything is low-rise: the trees tower over the resort and most man-made structures are hidden from view behind the plants and flowers. Little Cham-style sculptures are dotted here and there on the lawns and in the trees: altars to Vishnu, seated Buddhas, Samsara. These are, for the most part, tasteful and understated, rather than incongruous and over the top, which is so often the case in such Cham-themed resorts.
Pool, Beach & Activities:
The beach at Cham Villas is very well-kept and attractive. A handful of thatched parasols are set beneath a line of casuarina trees leading onto a broad beach with fine, golden sand. Much of Mũi Né beach is either suffering from erosion, questionable development or in the process of being maintained by the placement of enormous geotubes (industrial-scale sandbags). But the beach in front of Cham Villas has already been geotubed and the resort has been (sensibly) built a good distance from the seafront. There’s a small beach bar tucked away in the corner where you can order a cocktail and get free ice cream from 2-3pm. When the winds are up, hire surf equipment next door at Water Sky Kite School. Set back from the beach is Cham Villas’ wonderful swimming pool, surrounded by vibrant greenery. The foliage and the colour of the water are such that it feels like stumbling upon a natural pool in the middle of the jungle. Also in the gardens are a small spa and a games hut featuring pool and foosball. Bicycles are available for guests too.
Rooms & Decor:
Inside the rooms, the restrained and elegant theme continues. Tiled floors, wooden furniture, soft lamp lighting, four poster beds with mosquito net, and a generous, shaded outside patio overlooking the garden. Even the artwork on the walls is of superior quality compared to most Vietnam beach hotels. Cham Villas has 6 beachfront villas and 12 garden villas, plus a private compound featuring a family villa and pool. All guest rooms are spacious, cool, comfortable and well-appointed. The style veers more towards traditional than modern, and as such there’s a certain ‘homey’ feel to the rooms. The only problem, as mentioned in the Summary, is the price.
Breakfast, Dining & Drinking:
The resort has two restaurants. The main dining area for guests is the elegant Garden Restaurant, situated under a thatched roof within the lush grounds for cosy breakfasts (included in the room rates) and dinners or an evening drink. The second restaurant is Ratinger Lowe, featuring German cuisine and fronting the road. Breakfast is good. The focus is on quality rather than quantity, with fresh breads, fruit yogurts, muesli, eggs, juice, coffee and fresh fruit. I didn’t try the German restaurant, but I have heard positive reports of its quality. Ice cream is served at the beach bar from 2-3pm daily for guests. Drinks are pretty good. Cocktails are OK and prices are reasonable, although it would be nice if they made better use of the cute little beach bar with a sunset happy hour for guests. Unlike the majority of resorts in Vietnam, Cham Villas has judged the music in dining areas well, although, admittedly, no music would be preferable, leaving just the sounds of the birds, the ocean and the cicadas. Cham Villas plays classic jazzy standards at the restaurant at an acceptable volume which lends a pleasant, breezy atmosphere. Don’t, however, expect the surrounding resorts to follow suit – they pollute the evenings with awful music turned up to abnoxious levels
Summary:
As a romantic escape for a couple, or a few days by the beach with a small family, or a brief getaway for residents of Ho Chi Minh City, Cham Villas is close to being ideal, if you can afford it. Unfortunately, prices are too high. Rates hover around $150 per night which, on a beachfront with hundreds of resorts to choose from, is simply not competitive. The ‘right’ price would be around $100 per night. By comparison, resorts nearby such as The Anam are similarly priced but have far more amenities. Excellent mid-range beachfront resorts, such as Villa Aria, are nearly half the price of Cham Villas. This is an exceptional boutique resort and I highly recommend it, but for many travellers it will be difficult to justify the expense.
*To check rates & make a booking for Cham Villas 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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