Earlier this year, I celebrated a 25th birthday. It would be the first time I ever celebrated my birthday with a boyfriend whilst overseas, so it took quite a while to decide where we should go.

Initially, we thought we’d go to Japan – but the flights were too expensive.

Next, we thought we’d go to New Zealand – but all the activities were too expensive.

Finally, we decided that we’d go to Vietnam. It would be a new country for both of us, it would be affordable and it would provide so many opportunities for fun and adventure; and as an added bonus, the flights to and from Ho Chi Minh City were on sale and so enticingly cheap.

The kind people at Park Hyatt Saigon offered to let us stay with them on our first night in Vietnam, and what a lovely stay it was!

Getting to Ho Chi Minh may have been cheap, but it certainly wasn’t quick, and having somewhere quiet, peaceful and pretty to retreat to after such a long travel day is an immense luxury.

Our little room was beautifully appointed with ornate furnishings, all the amenities you could ask for, a bed that was unbelievable in both its comfort and size and as an added bonus for a coffee addict like myself, we even got our own little Nespresso machine!

The view from our window certainly wasn’t half bad either!

I have stayed in a decent sized handful of modern luxury hotels in my life, but this hotel definitely gave off a more traditional type of luxury. The furnishings all looked like they came from another era, and I really loved that.

We had arrived quite late in the afternoon, so by the time we had settled in to our room the sun had already begun to set! Luckily, our little Saigon home was just a short cab ride to a nearby rooftop bar.

I could not think of a better way to enjoy our first Vietnamese sunset than with delicious drinks and an unparalleled view of this sprawling metropolis.

Our timing ended up being pretty impeccable!

We arrived, ordered drinks and as soon as they arrived on our table the sun got very low and cast a spectacular array of burnt oranges and dusty pinks through the sky and over the city below.

I am glad that we arrived when we did, because these colours lasted no more than a few minutes before they disappeared and gave way to a more typical profile of pale blues and purples.

Then, in what felt like an instant, the sun had disappeared and the entire city appeared to flick their light switches on.

In a matter of mere minutes, the city went from this…

…to this!

Before arriving in Vietnam I had only ever been to two rooftop bars in my life. Both of them are located in my hometown of Adelaide (shoutout to 2KW and Rocket) and while both provide good views of their city (especially 2KW) below, Adelaide is just such a small city that it doesn’t look like much of a metropolis.

In all of my travels I had never seen anything quite so bright, busy and bustling!

After another few rounds of drinks we made our way back to our little slice of serenity at Park Hyatt Saigon, ordered room service and settled in to a pretty blissful slumber. Our time in Vietnam was limited to one week and so the next morning we set off to Hoi An.

We may not have had a tonne of time in Hoi An, but the short time we did have was pretty wonderful.

Thank you to the wonderful team at Park Hyatt Saigon for inviting us to stay with them, and for making our short stay one to remember.

THE  LOWDOWN

Getting to Ho Chi Minh City: HCMC airport is extremely well connected within Asia
Park Hyatt Saigon: One night in this incredible hotel starts at around $400 AUD per night, click here to learn more
Camera: Images captured with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 in conjunction with the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f/2.8 lens
Remember: Even if you only have one night in a city, it really does pay to go out and make the most of it!

Disclaimer: I stayed with Park Hyatt Saigon on a complimentary basis, however, this post was not commissioned or sponsored and all thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest, unbiased and in no way influenced by the Hyatt brand, its management or its affiliates.