She captures the spirit of Vietnam each morning at Zannier Bãi San Hô

Each dawn at Zannier Bãi San Hô, as the mist lifts from the hills of the Đắk Lắk province and the first light spills across the open atrium of Nha Ở, a quiet ritual begins. Steam rises from bamboo baskets, herbs are freshly torn, and a ceremony steeped in symbolism unfolds as a team of local women gathers to prepare breakfast – transforming the first meal of the day into a living expression of Vietnamese heritage.

For many guests, this moment becomes the soul of their stay. Here, breakfast is not a buffet; it’s an act of devotion, and a performance of memory, skill, and care. At the centre is an iconic figure, affectionately known as the Breakfast Lady: a warm, smiling presence whose quiet grace has become an unspoken emblem of the resort itself. She has become known simply by this title, which she embraces, for it celebrates the ritual and the tradition more than the individual.

As one guest once said, “She cooks the sunrise.” It’s a poetic truth that captures the essence of Zannier’s philosophy: that the most profound form of luxury lies not in architecture or amenities, but in the human gestures that connect traveller and place.

“The true character of a place lies in its people,” says Arnaud Zannier, founder of Zannier Hotels. “Our breakfast lady and her team represent everything we hold dear – authenticity, humility, craftsmanship. Their ritual each morning isn’t a performance for guests; it’s a continuation of a tradition that belongs to this land. And when you witness it, you feel something that no design or luxury could ever replicate.”

The breakfast lady and her team move with practised precision as they prepare bánh cuốn, the gossamer-thin steamed rice pancakes perfected over generations in northern Vietnam. With measured hands, they spread batter across hot steam, lift it into translucent sheets, and fill it with herbs, cucumber, and chả lụa sausage before finishing with a delicate drizzle of nước chấm.

Alongside appear bowls of phở and bánh bèo – dishes that reflect Vietnam’s culinary balance of sweet and salty, cool and warm, fresh and fermented – echoing the country’s yin and yang philosophy. Each plate is vibrant and full of colour, reminiscent of dawn breaking over the hills of the peninsular.

Beyond this morning ritual, guests can savour a broader tapestry of traditional Vietnamese flavours – from the comforting Soup of the Day and fragrant phở bò to bánh bèo with shrimp, sizzling beef with pepper sauce, and ốp la (fried eggs served with herbs and cucumber). Even lighter options such as steamed tofu with spring onions or scrambled tofu on toast with basil and chilli honour the region’s devotion to freshness, simplicity, and balance.

To sit and watch as the steam curls into sunlight is to witness a kind of cultural continuity, an unhurried exchange between guest and host, past and present. The act of making breakfast becomes an act of preservation: a moment of stillness in a world that too often rushes forward.

This morning ritual has become something of an institution at Zannier Bãi San Hô. It’s a daily ceremony that honours Vietnam’s culinary heritage while subtly redefining what modern luxury can be. In an age when travellers seek meaning over material, and slowness over spectacle, it stands as a quiet reminder that luxury need not shout to be felt.

Every morning, she cooks the sunrise.

As Arnaud Zannier reflects, “There is a growing desire for rituals in travel – moments that feel grounded, human, and true. What happens each morning at Bãi San Hô embodies that beautifully. It’s born from heritage and hospitality, from the rhythm of real life. For me, that’s where the future of luxury lies.”