Namia River Retreat vs Four Seasons The Nam Hai is the choice most luxury travelers face in Hoi An, and I have stayed at both. My short answer: book Namia for a sightseeing escape close to the Ancient Town, and book Four Seasons for a beach holiday. Namia gives you a private pool villa on a river islet with 90 minutes of spa included every day, from about $580 a night. Four Seasons gives you a villa on Ha My Beach, with rates from about $1,065 a night in December 2026.
Both are great options, and I would happily return to either. But they will give you a very different vacation, so read on through this Namia vs Four Seasons Hoi An comparison to find out which one is the better fit for you.
Why Trust This Comparison
My November 2026 visit was my seventh trip to Vietnam. Over those trips I have stayed in some of the best hotels in the country, including Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai and Six Senses Con Dao. I have stayed at Four Seasons The Nam Hai three times, a week each time, in three different villa types. In November 2026 I spent two nights in a River Pool Villa at Namia River Retreat. Namia hosted that stay, and the opinions here are my own.
One caveat: it rained non-stop during my two nights at Namia, so I did not try its outdoor activities. I say so wherever it matters below.
Namia vs Four Seasons at a Glance
| Namia River Retreat | Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sightseeing, spa, couples | Beach holiday, families, longer stays |
| Setting | Con Ba Xa islet in the Thu Bon River | Ha My Beach, between Da Nang and Hoi An |
| Size | 60 villas, all with private pool | 100 villas on 35 hectares, many with private pool |
| Hoi An Ancient Town | About 10 minutes by bicycle, 20 minutes by shuttle boat | About 20 minutes by car |
| Beach | None. Free shuttle to An Bang Beach | About one kilometer of beachfront |
| Da Nang airport | About 50 minutes by car | 30 to 40 minutes by car |
| Spa | 90-minute journey included per guest, per night | Overwater spa pavilions, treatments charged |
| Michelin Keys 2026 | One Key | Two Keys |
| Opened | December 2024 | Four Seasons since December 2016 |
| From, per night | About $580 (Nipa Pool Villa, December 9, 2026) | About $1,065 (entry one-bedroom villa, December 9, 2026) |
Location: River Islet or Beach
This is the difference that decides most bookings. Namia sits on its own islet in the Thu Bon River, on the edge of town. Hoi An Market is about ten minutes away on one of the resort’s bamboo bicycles, a Grab car to the old streets costs about $1, and a shuttle boat runs to town several times a day. You can go in for a fitting at the tailor in the morning, come back for your spa session, and go out again for dinner.
Four Seasons The Nam Hai is on Ha My Beach, about 20 minutes from the Ancient Town by car. A Grab cost me about 120,000 VND (about $5) each way, and the resort ran a free shuttle at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. when I stayed. In practice I went into town two or three times in a week, not every evening.
The beach is the mirror image. Four Seasons has about one kilometer of white sand in front of the villas, and it never felt crowded. Namia has no beach. It runs a free shuttle bus to An Bang Beach at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., which is fine for an afternoon and not the same as waking up by the sea.
Winner: Namia for the town, Four Seasons for the beach.
Villas
Every one of Namia’s 60 villas has a private pool. The two main categories, Nipa Pool Villa and River Pool Villa, are the same size at 148 square meters; the first faces the creek and the nipa palms, the second faces the river. My River Pool Villa was all white, cream and pale wood, with a sunken bathtub facing the pool, very good soundproofing and blackout curtains. I slept extremely well. The pool is large for a villa pool and is not heated.
Tip: Trees hid much of the river from my villa. If the price gap is large, take the Nipa Pool Villa. It is the same size and the creek view is lovely.
Four Seasons has 100 villas, from one-bedroom villas to five-bedroom beachfront residences, in traditional Vietnamese garden-house style. The range matters. The entry one-bedroom villa has an ocean view but no private pool and no separate living room. The one-bedroom sea-view pool villa I had on my second stay had a large pool, a living room and a pavilion. On my third stay, with family, we took a three-bedroom hilltop pool villa with two private gardens. Hilltop villas cost a little less and are more private, but they have no sea view.
The pool villas at Four Seasons are also bigger than the villas at Namia, and they come with a dining room as well as a living room. If you want privacy, or like to be able to eat in your villa instead of going to a restaurant, that makes Four Seasons the better choice.
Winner: Namia for couples, because the cheapest villa already has a private pool. Four Seasons for groups and families, because it goes up to five bedrooms.
Spa and Wellness
Namia calls itself “wellness-inclusive”, and this is where it stands apart. Each guest gets a 90-minute Wellness Journey for every night of the stay at the Lumina Wellbeing spa: a consultation, 30 minutes of herbal steam or hammam, then a 60-minute Vietnamese therapy. The treatments are based on Thuoc Nam, Vietnamese folk herbal medicine. I had two herbal hammams, a cupping session (my first) and facial acupressure, and all of them were excellent. Daily yoga, Vietnamese tai chi and evening sleep yoga are also included.
The included classes fill the day. On the activity calendar during my stay there was a silent mindful walk or Vietnamese tai chi at 7:30 a.m., Yang Yoga Flow at 8 a.m., partner yoga at 4 p.m., Yin Stretch and Breathe yoga at 6 p.m. and Sleep Yoga at 8 p.m.
The spa at Four Seasons is one of the most beautiful I know: eight treatment pavilions standing over a lotus pond, with a program inspired by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. Treatments are charged, and they are priced like the rest of the resort. What is free is the daily yoga and meditation, including a cocoon meditation in a fabric hammock that I recommend, and the candle ceremony on the lagoon at sunset.
My treatment there began with a flower foot bath in the pavilion.
The Resort Activities sheet from my stay listed a different class at 8 a.m. every day: Hatha yoga, crystal singing bowls, gentle yoga, yoga nidra, therapeutic yoga and yin yoga, with aerial yoga on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. marked as chargeable. The afternoons alternated cocooning meditation, mindfulness meditation and candlelight trataka, a candle-gazing meditation.
The evenings had their own ritual. The sheet listed the Goodnight Kiss to the Earth every evening and Thap Nen, the candle lighting ceremony, every Saturday.
Winner: Namia for value, Four Seasons for the overall spa. At Namia a daily treatment for each guest is included in the rate, and an extra 60-minute treatment there starts at about $68, so the inclusion has real value. Four Seasons has the better spa overall, and its treatments are charged.
Food
Breakfast at The Merchant, Namia’s main restaurant, is one of the best I have had in Vietnam. The buffet is small on purpose and built around local producers: bread from Em’s Bakery, cheese from Ottima, charcuterie from Hoi An Salaisons, herbs from Tra Que. You can also order Hoi An dishes such as cao lau and mi Quang to the table, and breakfast is served all day. I did not eat at the second restaurant, The Fisherman. With the Ancient Town so close, I would eat dinner in town most nights anyway.
Four Seasons has more places to eat: Café Nam Hai for breakfast by the pool, La Sen on the beach for Vietnamese and contemporary Asian food, and NAYUU, a 16-seat Japanese omakase restaurant that opened after my last stay, so I have not tried it. The afternoon tea delivered to the villa is spectacular. The food is good and expensive. On a week-long stay I still went to Hoi An to eat, because the town is famous for its food.
Winner: Namia for breakfast, Four Seasons for choice on site.
Activities and Things to Do
Both resorts include a long list of activities. At Namia the program runs from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.: a guided bicycle trail, basket boat rides, a lantern lighting ritual and a one-hour sunset river boat with a cocktail and canapes. The sunset boat, the bicycle trail and the basket boats are canceled in the rain, so I missed them. The resort switched to an indoor program of extra yoga, coconut leaf crafting and a cocktail hour.
Here is how a day looks on that calendar. The guided bicycle trail leaves the welcome lounge at 6 a.m. and changes route through the week: the Old Town, a village or the market. Basket boat rides run at 2 p.m. from the jetty by The Fisherman, the sunset river boat leaves at 5 p.m. and the lantern lighting ritual is at 6:45 p.m. in the welcome lounge. There is a short mindful ritual at 9:15 a.m., a blessing tree one day and an altar offering the next. Tai chi is held by the pool at The Fisherman on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. Children have their own slots: koi fish feeding or herb planting at 8:30 a.m. and eco crafting at 11 a.m.
At Four Seasons I did the complimentary bicycle tour through the villages and rice fields and the complimentary lantern making, and I took a cooking class, which is chargeable. There is also a gym, tennis courts and water sports on the beach. Some of the water sports are complimentary and the others are charged. There are three pools that step down toward the sea, and you can easily spend the whole day there.
The weekly Resort Activities sheet from my stay shows how the days are built. Countryside cycling was on Monday at 10 a.m. The Cooking Academy ran every day at 9 a.m. with a different theme, from Hanoi cuisine to Hoi An cuisine, and was marked as chargeable. Hoi An lantern making, a coconut cutting experience, a seashell art workshop, fish feeding at the spa lagoon and a coconut shy game were also on the list. Activities marked with an asterisk are charged, and the concierge arranges private sessions.
On the beach, the water sports list from my stay had kayaks, bodyboards and windsurf boards complimentary for 60 minutes. Private lessons, catamarans, jet skis, wakeboarding and water skiing were charged, with service charge and tax on top. Prices change, so ask the water sports team for the current list.
Winner: Four Seasons. With the beach, three pools and 35 hectares of grounds, there is more to fill a week.
Service
Service is what sets Four Seasons apart. Each villa has a butler. Mine anticipated what I needed and had tea and cut fruit waiting each time I came back. The team has had years to get this right, and the resort holds Two Michelin Keys in 2026.
The team at Namia is young, smiling and eager to help, and the therapists are first-rate. The resort opened in December 2024 and some details are still being polished. It already holds One Michelin Key, and I expect the service to keep improving quickly.
Winner: Four Seasons.
Families
Four Seasons is the easier choice with children: multi-bedroom villas, the beach and room to run. Namia has six two-bedroom Family Villas, a wooden playground, children’s activities and babysitting on request. Keep in mind that its spa is not open to children under 12 and the full Wellness Journey is for guests over 16, so the main inclusion is aimed at adults.
Winner: Four Seasons.
How Much Do They Cost?
Namia River Retreat. On November 13, 2026 I read the lowest rates for Wednesday, December 9, 2026, two adults, taxes and fees included. A Nipa Pool Villa cost $580 on Booking.com, $600 on Trip.com and $609 on Expedia. A River Pool Villa cost $751 on Trip.com, $763 on Expedia and $781 on Booking.com. The rate includes the private pool villa, all-day breakfast, a non-alcoholic minibar, one Wellness Journey per guest per night, the daily classes and the boats. Lunch, dinner and alcohol are extra.
Check rates: Booking.com | Trip.com | Expedia
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai. For Wednesday, December 9, 2026, the entry one-bedroom villa without a pool started at about $1,065 a night. Pool villas cost more, and the multi-bedroom beachfront residences run to four figures. Dining, spa treatments and some activities are priced to match. I have seen rates for the same dates differ by 10 to 20 percent between booking sites, so compare before you book.
Check rates: Booking.com | Trip.com | Expedia
Like for like, Namia is the better value: its cheapest villa has a private pool and a daily spa treatment for two, for less than the entry villa at Four Seasons. You pay more at Four Seasons for the beach, the space and the service.
Where to Book: Prices Change by Site and by Date
For the same night, Wednesday, December 9, 2026, a Nipa Pool Villa at Namia River Retreat cost $580 on Booking.com, $600 on Trip.com and $609 on Expedia, taxes and fees included. For a River Pool Villa the order reversed: Trip.com was the cheapest at $751 and Booking.com the most expensive at $781. No single site is always the cheapest, so check all three for your dates before you book. I have already set each link to open the resort’s own page, so you only need to click and enter your dates.
For Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai I read the same night, Wednesday, December 9, 2026, for two adults with breakfast on a non-refundable rate. The entry Garden View One Bedroom Villa cost $1,067 with taxes and fees on Trip.com. On Booking.com the lowest rate was $1,065 before 8 percent VAT, about $1,150 with tax, for an Ocean View One Bedroom Villa. Expedia showed no rooms for that night. Rates change with the season, so check your own dates, and compare the cancellation terms as well as the price.
When to Go
The weather is the same for both, because they are a short drive apart. The dry season runs roughly from February to August, and February to April is the best window: dry, sunny and not yet at peak heat. September to December is the rainy season, with the heaviest rain and the typhoon risk from September to November. I saw the riverside street in the Ancient Town under water in November 2026. Namia itself did not flood during my stay.
Rain hurts a beach resort more than a spa resort. If you must travel between October and December, Namia is the safer booking, because the daily spa journey and the indoor classes carry the stay.
My Verdict: Which Should You Book?
Book Namia River Retreat if:
- You are in Hoi An for two or three nights to see the Ancient Town, the tailors and the restaurants.
- You want a private pool with every villa and a spa treatment included every day.
- You are traveling as a couple or solo and value quiet.
- You are traveling in the rainy season.
Book Four Seasons The Nam Hai if:
- The beach is the point of the trip and you plan to stay five nights or more.
- You are traveling with children or several generations and need a multi-bedroom villa.
- You want long-established, polished service with a butler.
- You are happy to visit the Ancient Town a few times by car instead of every evening.
- You want a bigger villa with a dining room, for more privacy and meals in your villa.
Or do both. With a week, I would spend two or three nights at Namia for the town and the spa, then move to Four Seasons for the beach. My full reviews have the detail: Namia River Retreat review and Four Seasons The Nam Hai review.
More on luxury travel in Vietnam: the best luxury hotels in Hoi An, the best luxury hotels in Vietnam, my luxury Vietnam itinerary, and Six Senses Con Dao vs Four Seasons The Nam Hai if you are choosing a beach resort.
FAQ: Namia vs Four Seasons Hoi An
Is Namia River Retreat or Four Seasons The Nam Hai better?
Neither is better in every case. Namia River Retreat is the stronger choice for a short stay built around Hoi An Ancient Town, because it is a ten-minute bicycle ride from the market and includes a 90-minute spa journey every day. Four Seasons The Nam Hai is the stronger choice for a beach holiday of five nights or more, because it sits directly on Ha My Beach.
Which is cheaper, Namia or Four Seasons Hoi An?
Namia usually has the lower starting rate. On November 13, 2026 a Nipa Pool Villa at Namia cost about $580 to $609 for December 9, 2026, with a private pool, breakfast and a daily spa journey included. Villas at Four Seasons The Nam Hai started at about $1,065 a night for the same date, and the entry villa has no private pool.
Which resort is closer to Hoi An Ancient Town?
Namia River Retreat. It is about ten minutes by bicycle from Hoi An Market and about 20 minutes by the resort shuttle boat. Four Seasons The Nam Hai is about 20 minutes away by car.
Does Namia River Retreat have a beach?
No. Namia is on an islet in the Thu Bon River. A free shuttle bus runs to An Bang Beach at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and the beach is about ten minutes away by car. Four Seasons The Nam Hai is directly on Ha My Beach.
Which is better for families?
Four Seasons The Nam Hai, in most cases. It has villas with up to five bedrooms, three pools and the beach. Namia has six two-bedroom Family Villas, a playground and children’s activities, but its spa is not open to children under 12.
Can you stay at both Namia and Four Seasons on the same trip?
Yes, and it works well. Spend two or three nights at Namia for the Ancient Town and the spa, then move to Four Seasons The Nam Hai for the beach. The two resorts are a short drive apart.
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