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With long-haul leisure travel to Europe and other points West very much up in the air at the moment, you might be better off looking closer to home for your next well-earned break from Bangkok. The region has plenty of exciting destinations to head for but Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City is a great option when you’re looking for a convenient R&R fix with an artistic difference.
Just a short flight from Thailand – direct flights from Bangkok are plentiful and inexpensive – Ho Chi Minh is a charming metropolis packed with history, great food, superb coffee and bustling streets that will impress even the most hard-bitten Bangkokian. And those from the Big Mango looking to be impressed will love spending a few days at ANIMA Saigon Boutique Hotel, where a setting inspired by contemporary Vietnamese art helps guests switch off, regain inner equilibrium and revitalise before they embark on new adventures.
Opened in 2025, ANIMA Saigon is shaped by art, architecture and emotional depth. The name – derived from a Latin word meaning ‘soul’ – is perfect. It speaks of privacy, of room to breathe, and is indicative of a more reflective form of hospitality, one possessing a quality of stillness and introspection that promotes emotional resonance in a way that few other hotels can. In fact, ANIMA Saigon doesn’t just surround guests with soulful art, it cocoons them, inviting them to live in it and thereby experience Saigon from a much more intimate perspective.
A stay here really does get to the essence of relaxation. The philosophy of inner peace even shapes the use of space in this repurposed and renovated office building. Rather than erasing traces of the past, original features and many reclaimed materials are retained – from original glass panelling in the corridors to the recycled aluminium dome of ÚNU Eatery & Bar.
Ultimately the design inspiration for ANIMA Saigon emerged from a visit to an artist's studio, which was once a warehouse. There, the hotel’s founding team encountered a sense of balance between raw structure and creative freedom, between forward-looking aspiration and the lingering presence of the past. In fact, rather than treating art simply as decoration, the hotel approached creativity as part of everyday life – imperfection is embraced as a natural form of expression, making for some really emotive and meaningful architecture and interior design.
This, naturally, puts AMINA Saigon at the heart of the city’s vibrant contemporary art scene and creates a bridge connecting the local creative community with international travellers. So much so that the accommodation on each floor has been developed alongside young Vietnamese artists, all pioneers in their various styles. These visual creatives include Mzung Nguyen, Tuyp Tran, Le Phi Long, Dang Quang Tien, Mark Vu, Pham Xeen, Quoc Anh Le, Hoang Nam Viet and Hoang Vu. They bring their aesthetic language and cultural identity to the interiors, sketching multi-faceted portraits of contemporary Vietnam in a multi-layered journey that unfolds between floors, each of which exudes a different mood and emotional quality. In this way guests get to experience a curated journey through space, one that also gets to the emotional core of both the traveller and the brand.
The hotel’s 32 uniquely decorated rooms across those floors are artistic comfort personified, imbued with creative vibes that epitomise Vietnamese culture and hospitality. Choices range from the 17 square-metre Artist Hideaway Room through to the Artist Haven Room at 25 square-metres and on up to the impressively spacious 64 square-metre Artist Escape Room with its glorious downtown view. These are spaces in which you feel profoundly safe and cosseted and therefore utterly relaxed and emotionally content.
Of course, when not luxuriating in your room or out exploring the locale via the hotel’s flexible shuttle service, you can unwind at the rooftop jacuzzi and well-being therapy centre, where the emphasis on wellness focuses on specialized deep tissue therapies targeting the neck, shoulders and back to release muscle tension caused by the stresses of daily life. Here too you can get your physical kicks with a cardio session and then detox in the steam room.
If eating in the hotel’s artistic vibe is soup for the soul, a workout and sauna definitely creates an appetite for the revitalizing delights at ÚNU Eatery & Bar. A unique all-day dining destination that offers superb price points in the heart of town, ÚNU Eatery & Bar has helped ANIMA Saigon earn plaudits in the ‘Hotel Selected’ category of the 2025 Vietnamese edition of the Michelin Guide. This is where cuisine, cocktails, art and emotions combine in a space inspired by contemporary art. Here guests can gather throughout the day to enjoy shared experiences and connections through food and drink.
Indeed, ÚNU Eatery & Bar caters to a full spectrum of dining needs, offering everything from brunch, afternoon tea and dinners to intimate nooks for special dates and spaces for private gatherings. Refreshing afternoon tea – included in the stay – features handcrafted pastries that change daily, while the a la carte menu of contemporary dishes inspired by French, Japanese and Mediterranean flavours marries the best of premium ingredients with modern culinary pizazz.
Grown-ups will also appreciate the outlet’s signature cocktail collection. Even these uniquely story-driven artisanal beverages form an essential part of ANIMA Saigon’s over-arching concept and soulful identity. Inspired by art and conversations with the artists who collaborated on the ANIMA project, each cocktail is named for one of these luminaries, transforming their individual memories, their emotions and creative identities into liquid form. ÚNU Eatery & Bar also offers a curated wine list of well-considered Old and New World labels, making wine and food pairings a culinary joy.
Although opened comparatively recently, AMINA Saigon has already been recognised by the travel and hospitality industry, earning Best of the Best Awards 2025 Editor’s Choice, and Travellive Editor’s Pick–Hotlist 2025 accolades last year. Such plaudits are reflective of a wonderfully nourishing option for those who want a city break characterised by style, privacy and a creative yet unpretentious atmosphere in which one can breathe freely. There’s much to be said for completely immersing body and soul in the ANIMA Saigon experience.
Conveniently situated around a kilometre from Bui Vien Street, the hotel is close to a plethora of traditional markets, restaurants and shopping destinations. It is also just five kilometres from Tan Son Nhat Air International airport.
ANIMA Saigon Boutique Hotel
43-45 Ho Tung Mau Street, Sai Gon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam