Hotel Name: Victory Road Villas.
Address: DT 20 Victory Road, Phong Nha, Quang Binh province, Vietnam.
I stayed at the Victory Road Villas in Phong Nha, Vietnam. I was staying here as a guest of the owner, who is also a personal friend. With that disclosure out the way, this is what to expect when staying here.
Victory Road Villas is located on what is known as Victory Road. Phong Nha was part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and this history is part of the towns story.
Phong Nha town is basically one long road that follows a river, so there isn’t exactly an advantageous area to stay in town. The Villas does the advantage of being on the part of the road that has a clear view of the river.
The reception is beautifully decorated with colourful lanterns, and throughout the property there are historic photographs on the wall.
The Villas are self-contained apartment-style accommodation. Upon entry to my room was the kitchen area and lounge room.
The TV/lounge area has a spacious lounge setting that is ideal for lounging around and watching movies. Not that I had time to do that, but I left wishing I had a few days to just chill out here.
Upstairs is the main bedroom.
The room has a very comfortable king size bed, and there is air-conditioning and a fan to choose from.
A modern and spacious bathroom with its own hot water unit.
A spacious sink area with bottled drinking water.
My room had a view of the back of the property facing the mountains. At night I could hear frogs, and I left the curtains open so I could wake up to this view.
Outside the lounge on the ground floor is an outdoor shower and bath in a private area. I’ve seen this work in villas set in tropical gardens, and they are also useful for beach villas for when you want to have a shower before going in the house. In this context though I didn’t think it was a good use of space. It would be better to have a little private garden with some outdoor seating.
There is a pool here with a lounge area at the back of the property.
There is a well-stocked bar in the restaurant area.
There is seating by the bar and restaurant inside the villa, but my preferred area was the seating space on the other side of the road by the river.
This is the magnificent view when sitting in the riverfront seating area.
The Villas are well known for their restaurant, with people coming here from around the region just to get a fix of good western food. I was told that the Victory Road Burger was legendary, and I was happy to find that it was an Aussie-style burger with beetroot and egg. I rarely eat burgers, so this was a good treat.
The breakfast omelette is also worthy of praise.
Victory Road Villas supports MAG, who are dedicated to clearing the unexploded ordinance that still litters the surrounding countryside.
Another initiative that I would like to see more of are these free drinking water stations. Stopping at a water station should become as normal as buying a bottled water has become.
Victory Road Villas is suitable for those looking for something more luxurious in Phong Nha than a regular hotel. It’s a good option if you are doing a weekend break from the city, or just want to recuperate in a nice environment after travelling around the country. You can also organise tours to the caves and surrounds from here.
Outside of the town is the Phong Nha Farmstay.
