3. P.2
More
Milestones
to Celebrate
executive chairman’s message
more milestones to celebrate
p.03
the magic of central vietnam / p.04
hidden charms at the
heart of vietnam
p.08
a championship challenge
awaits at laguna l ng cô
/ p.14
taking up residence
at laguna l ng cô
p.16
laguna spa l ng cô / p.18
dive in... at angsana ihuru p.22
spirit of shangrila - banyan tree ringha / p.24
big fun for little ones p.26
halcyon days & sultry nights / p.28
banyan tree private collection
expanded for your pleasure!
p.30
exotic holiday eats & treats / p.32
corporate social responsibility
seedlings programme bears fruit
p.36
banyan tree gallery
vanda miss joaquim celebrated by viet artisans
/ p.37
coming your way
banyan tree shanghai on the bund
banyan tree tianjin riverside
banyan tree kerala
p.38
for your browsing pleasure / p.41
awards
banyan tree group gets global recognition
p.42
banyan tree global / p.44
Ever since my teenage years,
I have been fascinated by
Vietnam. When I was a teenager
growing up in Bangkok, Vietnam
was that country which Thailand
feared of becoming: wracked by
a civil war and in the frontline
of a cold war. As a student in
university in the US, I began
to increasingly admire the
nationalist pride of the
Vietnamese people to repel
Chinese, French, and American
hegemony, if not outright
colonialism.
In the last two years, as Banyan
Tree undertook the construction
of Vietnam's largest integrated
resort – Laguna L ng Cô –
I have further witnessed the
graceful determination of the
Vietnamese people to develop
their beautiful country and rich
heritage into a destination of
international repute.
The Angsana brand celebrates
its own milestones, with the
opening of three luxury hotels in
Phuket, Vietnam and Mauritius
to compete against international
five-star brands.
The final milestone is the
imminent opening of the
Banyan Tree Kerala, on
its own island in the
backwaters south of
Cochin. The values of
our brand – romance
and intimacy – will
be showcased in this
extraordinary property,
the first for Banyan Tree
in India.
With around five to seven hotels
opening each year, we look
forward to stringing a necklace
of jewels around the world –
and in welcoming our guests
to partake in that experience.
Ho Kwon Ping
Executive Chairman
The opening of the 280-hectare
Laguna L ng Cô – starting with
a Banyan Tree and Angsana
resort, Nick Faldo golf course
and holiday homes, with room
for at least another six hotels
and an international residential
community – represents a
milestone not just for Vietnam
but also for our group. It is the
culmination of a long search
for a potential successor to
Laguna Phuket as Asia's finest
integrated destination resort,
which first opened in 1987.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary
this year, Laguna Phuket now has
some seven hotels and spas, a
golf course, almost 50 food and
more retail outlets, numerous
housing developments – all
linked by common shuttle boat
and bus services, integrated
infrastructural and recreational
facilities, and other features
unique in this region.
Yet another milestone this year
is the further push by the Banyan
Tree brand into city hotels.
Pioneered by Bangkok, and then
Macau, two more Banyan Tree
hotels will open in Shanghai
and Tianjin. These two hotels
represent a successful extension
of a previously resort-focused
brand into prime locations in
global cities. More of such urban
resorts are in the pipeline.
P.3
executive chairman's message
6. P.8
laguna
l ng côhidden charms
at the very heart
of Vietnamslated to open in november 2012, the first banyan
tree group outpost in indochina, laguna l ng cô
commands over 280-hectares of prime beach
and land in beautiful central vietnam.