InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort believe we have a responsibility to respect the nature, heritage and communities our hotels reside in and is pleased to be working in partnership with National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations. This is the latest big player to open on Son Tra Peninsula, 30 minutes' drive from Danang, and architect Bill Bensley, blank cheque in hand, has let his imagination run riot. At Barefoot Café, staff in black-and-white-striped tops usher diners to private-ship-shaped booths or tables on the sand. Up the beach, the Long Bar's fanned daybeds are great for pre-dinner cocktails.

Guests traverse the different levels of this small township of tropical mansions by funicular lift, and at Citron restaurant Asian dishes (Vietnamese beef in red wine and spices; tom kha gai, chicken, galangal and lime in coconut milk) are served in outdoor booths shaped like inverted conical hats. Some of the 197 rooms have private pools; beds face the ocean and are separated from the bathroom by mirrored doors that reflect the waves. Star chef Michel Roux Jr opened the hotel's La Maison 1888 restaurant in December, and his white-chocolate soufflé is worth the trip alone.

Created by the Research, Conservation, and Exploration Division of National Geographic Mission Programs, Center for Sustainable Destinations (CSD) programs are dedicated to protecting the world’s distinctive places through wisely managed tourism and enlightened destination stewardship.

The core strategy for achieving this mission is geotourism, defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. To further this mission, National Geographic departments— Maps, Traveler, Digital Media, Advertising, and several others—collaborate on CSD projects and programs with allied organizations, both global and local.

By engaging tourism bureaus, governments, travel companies, tourism specialists, conservation and preservation groups—along with residents and travelers themselves—these collaborative projects help develop and disseminate information that promotes a sustainable, beneficial approach.