Vietnam’s new wellness resorts luring spa lovers to its shores

The pearly light of dawn is spreading across the sky and over the temple courtyard where I am standing. Inhaling, I draw first one arm through the air above my body, then the other. My movements may not be quite as graceful as those of the tai chi teacher standing in front of me, but as I focus on each gesture, I feel my breathing slow and deepen.

Vietnam has its sights set on the booming wellness industry.

Early morning tai chi followed by a visit to some striking cave temples is just one of the ways you can start the day at TIA Wellness Resort in Da Nang, central Vietnam. The beachfront TIA – a leader among the wave of wellness-focused properties transforming Vietnam’s tourism industry – offers a two-tiered wellness package, depending on how deep a dive you want to take.

Both programs are built around four central pillars. Flow encompasses elements like this tai chi class and on-site yoga sessions, while Breath takes in meditation classes.

Nourish is embodied in the resort’s cuisine (plant-based meals if you’re on a wellness package.) Guests are encouraged to “breakfast like a king”, filling up at the extraordinary buffet and ordering off the hot menu. There is an abundance of plant-based options, but no one monitors what’s on your plate. Just as well, really, given the teriyaki Scotch egg quickly becomes my go-to order.

Morning tai chi session at TIA Wellness Resort, Vietnam.

Both lunch and dinner are meat-free: three courses at lunch and two raw food courses at dinner. At its best – including a superb raw-food lasagne – the meals are outstanding. Only the occasional dish, like a cold riff on pho, disappoints.

The wellness-inclusive package covers two daily wellness treatments plus an additional activity. I love choosing spa treatments to match my mood, anything from massage to reiki and hot-and-cold therapy (steam and sauna interspersed with two-minute sessions in an ice bath).

I’m less enthused about the art sessions, never having graduated beyond stick figures, but I soon discover there is no talent required. In one session, we trace our hands on a piece of paper and fill them with visions from our past and our future. The skilled teacher finishes the sessions by prompting us to contemplate the inspirations and issues captured in our works, leading to interesting conversations.

It’s clear that wellness has come a long way in Vietnam since my first visit more than 20 years ago. Back then, even massages were viewed with suspicion. Trying to book a treatment during my first stay in Hanoi, I was informed only two places in the whole city were licensed to give massages.

Even more recently, TIA’s general manager Ramon Imper tells me, recruiting spa therapists was a challenge. “A few years ago we would find their families were not keen,” says Imper. It was viewed as a low-status job, but attitudes have changed. “They understand how therapists help the clients,” he says.

That’s good news for Vietnam’s hoteliers, who are keen to get a slice of the wellness tourism industry worth an estimated US$651 billion, according to the Global Wellness Institute. Wellness is big business in neighbouring Thailand, which welcomed 28 million international visitors in 2023. Vietnam, which hosted fewer than half that number, 12.6 million, in the same year, would love to lure some of those spa lovers to its shores.

Melia Ho Tram Beach Resort in Vietnam.

Pioneering companies such as Six Senses (which has two properties in Vietnam) and Banyan Tree (which has one) have already established themselves. Now, others are following suit. Melia Ho Tram Beach Resort, a coastal retreat sitting on a long sweep of sand two hours south of Saigon, has worked hard to extend its wellness offering beyond the spa.

Among the resort’s most appealing innovations is a Wellness Pathway where guests stop at a number of stations, each one of which encourages you to engage in a different mindfulness activity, from meditation to drawing.

Book into one of the resort’s The Level villas, and you can also opt for a wellness villa package, which includes in-villa extras such as an aromatherapy diffuser, yoga equipment, weights and a fitness ball.

Even if you are not planning to get your downward dog on, relaxing is easy at Melia Ho Tram. Chatting with friends over a leisurely Mediterranean-inspired meal at the beachfront Breeza Beach Club is a wonderful way to chill out, while The Level guests also get the benefit of free sunset cocktails at the adults-only pool: a perfect way to wind down at the end of the day.

The writer was a guest of TIA Wellness and Melia Ho Tram Beach Resort

THE DETAILS

FLY
Vietnam Airlines flies to Ho Chi Minh City with connections to Da Nang. See vietnamairlines.com

STAY
Rates for a wellness-inclusive stay at Tia Wellness Resort in a one-bedroom pool villa start from $US400 ($600). See tiawellnessresort.com

Rates for a wellness package in a one-bedroom villa at Melia Ho Tram Beach Resort start around VND 7.000.000 ($413) a night. See melia.com