Meliá Ho Tram Beach Resort is brought to life even more so every Saturday night with a new “Seafood Market” right on its grounds.

As the sun goes down to the right of the resort’s 500 meters of ocean frontage, Executive Chef Mahdi Ghenam and his team bring out an array of large bamboo baskets brimming with seafood caught from local waters that day.

Showcasing crab, lobster, squid, fish such as grouper and snapper, shrimp, mussels, snails, clams, and scallops, the baskets are assembled on bamboo stalls at Breeza Beach Club’s outdoor terrace to a backdrop of live chill-out music. Meat such as large tomahawk steaks is also on offer.

Diners can decide if their seafood and meat are to be grilled, wok-fried, or steamed, and choose from sauces and popular Vietnamese accompaniments including lime, chili, ginger, garlic, onion, coriander, and mint basil. 

“To say that the Vietnamese love seafood is an understatement,” said resort General Manager Manuel Ferriol. “Selecting the freshest seafood from the local market is a way of life here, handed down over the centuries, so we wanted to bring that lively and authentic experience to the resort and support our local community’s fishermen in the process.”

The resort also arranges fishing trips for guests and cooks their catch how they like it.

In addition to unveiling new menus at the resort’s three restaurants - the fine-dining restaurant Muoi, Breeza Beach Club, and the all-day dining restaurant Sasa - Mr. Ghenam and his team have also introduced Vietnamese cooking classes and mixology workshops. Budding chefs are guided on how to craft Vietnamese staples for lunch before taking a menu book and apron home.

When the 17-ha resort, situated within easy reach of Ho Chi Minh City, celebrated its grand opening on April 20, it also cut the ribbon on other world-class facilities, including three swimming pools and a swim-up bar, a ten-treatment room spa, an executive lounge, a ballroom and conference facilities, a kids club, a gymnasium, a gift shop, and more.