InterContinental Halong Bay Resort Opens In Vietnam
Key points
- InterContinental Halong Bay Resort has opened within the UNESCO listed Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province
- The resort offers 275 rooms suites and villas six dining venues a signature spa and generous event spaces
- Design by WATG and P49Design draws on Ha Long Bays seascape and Vietnamese craft traditions
- Family amenities include the Planet Trekkers kids club a teen focused game room and three swimming pools
- Roku and Star Bar will open on the rooftop later in 2025 with Japanese dining and a curated sake library
Impact
- Who It Helps
- Travelers who want a full service luxury base on Ha Long Bay now have a resort option instead of relying only on cruises or city hotels
- Booking And Rates
- Early booking through IHG channels can secure opening offers and loyalty benefits at the new property
- Families And Groups
- Multiroom villas kids programming and teen friendly spaces make the resort a practical choice for family trips and small groups
- Meetings And Events
- Ballrooms and meeting rooms create a new incentive and meeting option in Ha Long for regional conferences and celebrations
- Access And Transfers
- Travelers should compare routes via Van Don Cat Bi and Noi Bai airports when planning arrivals and onward bay excursions
InterContinental has added a new flagship to its Vietnam portfolio with the opening of InterContinental Halong Bay Resort in Ha Long, Vietnam, bringing a large scale luxury resort directly into the UNESCO listed seascape of Ha Long Bay. The waterfront property introduces 275 rooms, suites, and villas, six dining venues, a signature spa, and sizable event spaces that give travelers an upscale base for cruises, sightseeing, and meetings in northern Vietnam.
InterContinental Halong Bay Resort
The resort sits on the Ha Long Marina waterfront in Bai Chay Ward, looking out to the limestone islands and inlets that define Ha Long Bay. InterContinental positions the property as the first international luxury resort located within the heritage bay itself rather than in nearby Hanoi or coastal cities further south, which shifts some higher end demand closer to the cruise piers and local attractions.
Architecture firm WATG leads the overall design, using stepped blocks and low rise villas to frame views of the bay, while interior studio P49Design references traditional bamboo basket boats in the lobby and uses sea inspired colors and textures in guest rooms. Public spaces emphasize pale stone, timber, and turquoise accents, with brass details and soft lighting meant to echo the colors of Ha Longs water and marine life. Many rooms and suites include balconies with direct sea views, and villa categories aim at multigenerational families or small groups that want more privacy and outdoor space.
On the facilities side, the resort combines three swimming pools with a small private beach strip, beach volleyball, outdoor archery, and a fitness center. Hidden Lagoon, the signature spa, partners with British brand Margaret Dabbs London and Australian clean beauty label Sodashi to offer facial treatments, body rituals, and nail and foot therapies built around sea minerals and botanicals, a move that aligns the wellness offer with the bays natural positioning.
Latest developments
InterContinental Halong Bay Resort soft opened in late October 2025, adding another Vietnamese location to a network that now includes more than 230 InterContinental properties worldwide, seven of them in Vietnam. The brand is using the launch as part of a wider refresh of InterContinental guest experiences ahead of its eightieth anniversary in 2026, with updated room designs, public spaces, and service rituals appearing across new builds and renovations.
At opening, five of the six planned dining venues are already trading. Marina Kitchen focuses on seafood and broader coastal dishes, La Baguette blends French and Vietnamese bistro style menus, Del Mar operates as a poolside lounge that nods to the traditional floating village of Cua Van, and Vue serves as the lobby lounge for coffee, afternoon tea, and cocktails with bay views. The final venue, Roku and Star Bar on the tenth floor, is due to open later in 2025 with Japanese cuisine structured around six classic techniques and a sake library, positioned as a rooftop draw for both in house guests and local diners.
Family and youth amenities are a core part of the launch story. Planet Trekkers, the kids club concept used at other InterContinental resorts, runs activities such as conical hat painting, craft focused classes, and games for children between four and twelve. A separate game room offers a small cinema screen, internet gaming, billiards, darts, foosball, and air hockey, which is likely to matter for teens who might otherwise see Ha Long primarily as an adult oriented cruise destination.
On the events side, the Tonkin Ballroom, Cat Ba Ballroom, and a set of breakout rooms and outdoor terraces give the resort the capacity to host weddings, product launches, and corporate meetings that previously might have defaulted to Hanoi. That combination of accommodation size and function space signals that IHG is targeting both leisure guests and regional incentive and conference business in the north of Vietnam.
Analysis
For travelers, the main shift is that you can now treat Ha Long Bay as a resort stay in its own right, rather than just an overnight cruise or a day trip from Hanoi. InterContinental Halong Bay Resort effectively creates an onshore complement to the bays cruise market, with resort infrastructure that can support longer stays, slow travel, and work plus vacation trips.
Access planning remains important. Van Don International Airport, in Quang Ninh Province, is the closest air gateway at about fifty kilometers from Ha Long, with transfer times around one hour by road. Travelers can also route through Cat Bi International Airport in Hai Phong, which sits roughly sixty to seventy kilometers away with transfers closer to ninety minutes, or Noi Bai International Airport near Hanoi, about one hundred ninety kilometers from the bay and typically three hours by car. Choosing between those three usually comes down to whether you prioritize nonstop international flights, domestic connectivity, or the shortest ground transfer.
Compared with existing high end options in the region, especially cruise products and boutique properties, the InterContinental brings the scale and standardization of a global brand. That means IHG One Rewards members can redeem points or earn status nights in Ha Long, and corporate travel programs that rely on brand level agreements can more easily place guests here. For families, the combination of kids club, teen spaces, and multi bedroom villas answers a different need from traditional overnight cruise cabins, and it also creates a practical base before or after a bay sailing.
From a broader industry angle, the resort underlines how Ha Long is shifting from a single focus attraction into a more complex coastal destination. Investment in Van Don International Airport, expanded highways, and marina developments has already shortened travel times and supported new hotel projects, and a branded luxury resort of this size suggests confidence that visitor demand will support longer stays and more varied itineraries in Quang Ninh.
Final thoughts
InterContinental Halong Bay Resort gives Ha Long Bay a new full service luxury resort choice inside the UNESCO listed seascape, with rooms, dining, wellness, and event spaces that go beyond what has traditionally been available on shore. For travelers planning northern Vietnam itineraries, this opening makes it easier to combine Hanoi, Ha Long Bay cruises, and a resort stay within one trip, while keeping the familiar brand standards and loyalty benefits of InterContinental at the center of the experience.