Vietnam has cut the ribbon on a striking multipurpose convention centre with a design inspired by the country’s ubiquitous coracle boat.
Axi Plaza celebrated its grand opening today at its spectacular beachfront location, overlooking Long Beach on Vietnam’s scenic Cam Ranh peninsula. Its host of remarkable facilities include a vast state-of-the-art conference hall, a 360-degree rooftop venue, a stunning outdoor beachfront event space, and about 10,000sqm dedicated to shopping and dining outlets.
The largest multipurpose convention centre in the region, Axi Plaza marks The Anam Group’s third major development, following the launch of luxurious resorts The Anam Cam Ranh and The Anam Mui Ne in 2017 and 2023 respectively.
Adjacent to 12-hectare The Anam Cam Ranh with 213 rooms, suites and villas, Axi Plaza is breaking new ground in Cam Ranh, which was once renowned as southeast Asia’s greatest deepwater harbor and is now rising as an upscale alternative to nearby Nha Trang.
Billed as affording “meetings above the beach”, the 1197sqm conference hall and ballroom area on Axi Plaza’s third floor accommodates up to 1000 people. Dominated by a high ceiling with timber beams fashioned in a fan formation, the hall features a cutting edge 75sqm LED screen and panoramic vistas encompassing swimming pools, a manicured lawn and the ocean.
Totalling 1077sqm, the 360-degree rooftop area on the fifth floor has been designed for receptions and company events and offers sweeping views of Long Beach’s white sands and turquoise waters. A dramatic headland named “Song Lo”, meaning the ‘wave next to the mountain’ in Vietnamese, rises up to the immediate north and west.
The outdoor event space situated between the basket boat-shaped building and the beach is underpinned by the capacious lawn that fronts three picture-perfect swimming pools – one saltwater, one chlorine and a kids pool – supervised by lifeguards.
Situated behind Axi Plaza’s vast second floor entrance and reception area, the 200sqm Axi Plaza Lounge overlooks the swimming pools and serves Vietnamese fare.
In addition to MICE and indoor and outdoor dining areas on the fourth floor, Axi Plaza’s first floor is dedicated to 46 shops ranging in size from 14sqm to 239sqm.
The exterior of the building is crisscrossed with wood set to last at least 100 years. By night, Axi Plaza changes colours in an elaborate lighting display. At the entrance is a garden updated daily to articulate the day’s date.
“Axi Plaza is a game changer for Cam Ranh and Vietnam’s entire coastline – there’s nothing like it for business and leisure travellers alike,” said The Anam Group’s founder Pham Van Hien at the grand opening celebrations, including an opening ceremony, cultural performances, and gala dinner. “Building Axi Plaza in the shape of a large thung chai boat, resting beside waters still plied by traditional boats, is a bold and striking way to pay homage to Vietnam with contemporary flair.”
With Axi Plaza Lounge, swimming pools, Long Beach, bathrooms, lockers and more on offer, Mr Hien described Axi Plaza as a “convenient solution” for travellers who need to check out of their hotels at noon but do not want to wait for hours at Cam Ranh International Airport before their departure flights.
Together, Axi Plaza and The Anam Cam Ranh will offer a complete package of services and amenities for bleisure guests in one location.
Various company events, weddings and a forum in cooperation with the local tourism department are already planned at Axi Plaza this year. The Anam Group is exploring organizing events such as classical concerts, fashion shows and product launches.
The basket boat traces its history back to the French colonial era, when the French levied a tax on boat ownership. It’s believed Vietnamese fishermen who could not afford the taxes responded by deploying basket boats, arguing they were not boats but baskets and thus could not be taxed.
For further information or to make a booking, visit https://axi-plaza.com/, email [email protected] or telephone +84 911 892 343.
About The Anam Group
After the auspicious debut of The Anam Cam Ranh in 2017, the independently owned and operated The Anam Group celebrated the grand opening of its second property, The Anam Mui Ne, in January 2023, and multipurpose convention centre Axi Plaza in Cam Ranh in April, 2024.
With “Indochine Charm” and “Modern Luxury” as its watchwords, the group blends colonial-era aesthetics and attentive Vietnamese service with modern comforts and convenience. “The Anam” today is a reference to another name, “An Nam”, which was the name of Central Vietnam during the French Indochina era.
The Anam Cam Ranh overlooks 300 metres of beachfront on Vietnam’s scenic Cam Ranh peninsula, which averages more than 300 sunny days per year. The luxurious five-star resort boasts 77 villas and 136 rooms and suites. The Anam Cam Ranh features a French-inspired fine dining restaurant, all-day dining restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant and bar, a classical bar, a beach club, in-room dining, a 10 treatment-room spa, indoor and outdoor movie theatres, three capacious swimming pools, ballroom, conference rooms, recreation and fitness centre, a tennis court, yoga room and deck, kids club, putting green, onsite sustainable farm, gift shop and more.
Like its predecessor The Anam Cam Ranh, The Anam Mui Ne’s design is also an echo out of Vietnam’s Indochine era. Situated in southern Vietnam’s popular beach town Mui Ne, the 1.2 hectare beachfront resort affords spectacular ocean vistas and features 127 elegant rooms and suites, including seven 142sqm suites with private pools and a 122sqm presidential suite with an extra room for the bodyguards. Its dining landscape comprises an all-day dining restaurant and grill, beachside restaurant and bar, and lobby bar. A five-treatment room spa, two vast swimming pools, a ballroom, conference rooms, water sports center, fitness center, yoga room, kid’s club and gift shop are among the resort’s host of world-class facilities.
With a design inspired by Vietnam’s iconic basket boat, Axi Plaza is a game changer for Cam Ranh and MICE offerings on Vietnam’s coastline due to its distinctive architecture and design, and spectacular beachfront location. Adjacent to The Anam Cam Ranh, Axi Plaza offers a vast state-of-the-art conference hall, a 360-degree rooftop venue, stunning outdoor beachfront event space, about 10,000sqm dedicated to shopping and dining outlets, and more.