Axi Plaza, a multipurpose convention center, has opened on a beachfront location overlooking Long Beach on Vietnam’s Cam Ranh Peninsula.

The largest multipurpose convention center in the region, Axi Plaza is The Anam Group’s third major development, following the launch of two resorts – The Anam Cam Ranh and The Anam Mui Ne – in 2017 and 2023 respectively. It features a state-of-the-art conference hall, a 360-degree rooftop venue, an outdoor beachfront event space, and more than 107,600 square feet of shopping and dining outlets, all housed in a basket boat-shaped structure.

Axi Plaza is located next to The Anam Cam Ranh, which offers 213 rooms, suites and villas on nearly 30 acres of land. Billed as affording “meetings above the beach,” the convention center adds to the growth of Cam Ranh, which was once the country’s greatest deepwater harbor and is now rising as an upscale alternative to nearby Nha Trang.

The nearly 12,885-square-foot conference hall and ballroom area on its third floor accommodates up to 1,000 people and features a high ceiling with timber beams fashioned in a fan formation, an 807+ square-foot LED screen and views of swimming pools, a manicured lawn and the ocean.

Totaling more than 11,590 square feet, the 360-degree rooftop area on the fifth floor has been designed for receptions and business events. It offers views of Long Beach’s views of Long Beach’s white sands and turquoise waters. A dramatic headland named “Song Lo” (“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 a large lawn that fronts three swimming pools (one saltwater, one chlorine and a kids pool) supervised by lifeguards.

Situated behind Axi Plaza’s second floor entrance and reception area, the 2,153 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 home to 46 shops.

“Axi Plaza is a game changer for Cam Ranh and Vietnam’s entire coastline – there’s nothing like it for business and leisure travelers alike,” said The Anam Group’s founder Pham Van Hien at the gran opening celebrations on April 25th. “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.”

The basket boat traces its history back to the French colonial era, when the French levied a tax on boat ownership. It is 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.