Opened in 2009, the über-contemporary InterContinental is part of an upscale multi-use complex that occupies an entire city block near the Old Saigon Post Office and Notre-Dame Cathedral. The 305-room hotel is located in a 21-story glass tower and upper-floor accommodations have sweeping city views. Most everything, from the cavernous lobby that holds a florist and newsstand, to the sleek interiors and teched-out guest rooms, has an efficient, corporate feeling. The luminous guest room interiors, however, have a lot of character, with splashes of warm colors, sleek wood-accented walls, modern furnishings and sprawling bathrooms, with soaking tubs and rain showers, separated from the bedroom with sliding doors. There’s a spa with seven treatment rooms, and a state-of-the-art health club on the third floor, but the hotel’s pièce de résistance must be the 65-foot outdoor swimming pool, which is made of Plexiglas and surrounded by loungers and a large grass space (the connection between the hotel and the residential tower), where guests can lounge overlooking the city and far-removed from the bustle.

At the Park Hyatt, all the details—location, design, award-winning restaurant, service—work together to create an exceptional experience. True, it doesn’t have any real competition in Saigon, but even if the city were chock-a-block with five-stars, this property would stand out.

Housed in a neoclassical, nine-story building, down the street from the opera and in walking distance to the major shopping streets, the hotel has a soaring lobby and spacious adjacent lounges, as well as a pretty garden with a large swimming pool and leafy plantings. All that space makes it feel serene and worlds removed from the city hustle outside. The design firm entrusted with the interiors hails from Malaysia, but the main inspiration here is Indochina, albeit a modern, thoroughly updated version of it.

The thoughtful attention to details continues in the 252 serene guest rooms, which feature king-size beds, plush carpets, wooden shutters framing the windows and an ingenious wardrobe with sliding doors that can be accessed from the spacious marble bathroom on one side and from the hallway leading to the door on the other. The most tranquil rooms are on the upper floors overlooking the oasis-like courtyard with the gardens and pool. Since its 2015 renovation, the hotel’s accommodations have been brightened and updated to white, cream and beige interiors, pairing soft-hued tufted headboards and French colonial furnishings with intricate Asian–inspired carpeting. Accommodations feature modern touches, as every room and suite is outfitted with an iPad, Nespresso machine and light censors. Visitors will enjoy the hotel’s nod to its ancestry with the nightly ‘bedtime stories,’ a series of notes left for guests at turndown that describe the hotel's local culture and royalty of the past.

The Xuan Spa, with seven treatment rooms, is considered the city’s best place for pampering and relaxation. The hotel also has two lovely restaurants, both of which should be on your list even if you’re not staying here. Opera, the more casual Italian bistro, with a glass-encased patio, is a great choice for those who have maxed out on Vietnamese cuisine; Square One is the city’s uncontested special-occasion restaurant with a split menu featuring inspired Vietnamese classics and Western-style grilled meats.

Centrally located, Saigon’s Reverie offers a luxury experience with an eclectic art collection and sweeping views of the city.