The Sisters · Studio 1A

1A is the ground-floor studio, so it is the shortest carry with a suitcase in the house — the only one you reach without climbing to another floor. The whole studio is kept to cream, sand and pale wood. A wooden king bed stands under a muslin canopy; a second king is up the pale stairs on the mezzanine, so four people sleep here without anyone taking a sofa.

The art is the reason to look up. A large painting of two women in áo dài hangs over the sofa, two wall lamps shaped like nón lá sit above the bed, and the lime-washed plaster holds the afternoon light for a long time before it goes.

In the corner by the mint-green French door there is a round table with two cane chairs — the place people end up eating breakfast rather than at the kitchen counter. The kitchen has everything for a real meal, the washer and dryer are free on this floor, parking is at the gate, and airport pickup can be arranged for a fee.