Stunning paths with flowers at Hue Riverside Resort
"My heart seems to slow down and my love for Hue is growing"
From the luxurious and bustling Ho Chi Minh City, CEO of Hoian Express Travel Pham Que Anh decided to "escape" the noise with long vacations in Hue. The first place that this CEO arrive at was Hue Riverside Resort, which she thought the “hidden gem” of Hue.
Although she works in tourism industry and travels a lot, when she comes to this place, Ms. Que Anh can’t help praising it. Under the shadow of green Thanh tra pomelo trees, this tourist immerses herself into the space of the scent of trees and fruits.
“The dawn here is so special in the moment when summer changes to autumn. Hue at this time is so gentle and different. After some strolls on the flower paths in the resort, I stood facing the Huong River, closing my eyes, spreading my arms out and took a deep breath. There came an incredible sense of pleasure; and I feel this life is incredibly lovely,” said Que Anh.
Hue Riverside Resort is not just one of Hue's green resorts. There are a number of other green resorts, always ready to satisfy the most demanding guests, such as Sankofa Village Hill Resort and Spa with rooms leaning against the mountains, surrounded by pine forests as if it was in a mini Dalat; Pilgrimage Village, an enchanting destination for visitors because of the green space imbued with Vietnamese traditions with rough brick walls, barrels of water, lotus ponds, etc., Laguna Lang Co, characterized by rooms that resemble paradise "leaning against the mountains and facing the sea”; Vedana Lagoon Resort and Spa, the place to "love" the entire largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia - Tam Giang, Cau Hai, etc.
Continuing to "date" Hue at the Pilgrimage Village, the tourist Pham Que Anh once more "got falling in love" by the peace and serenity in the Eco style (environmental protection) of this resort. Staying here is similar to relaxing on the wonderful and fully-furnished "oasis", with beautiful tropical vegetation, for a pleasant holiday. To her, leaving the Pilgrimage Village is the hardest thing when coming to Hue.
At the green resorts in Hue, the items used to serve customers have also gradually turned to environmentally friendly products, using wind and solar energy to save energy. The food serving the guests is mostly grown organically at the garden of the resort.
Visitors are free to grow their favorite vegetables and take care of animals during their stay. All the products and spaces are close to the nature, environmentally friendly; and it is the place to eat green, live green and enjoy the green of Hue.
The website blog.traveloka.com, where the "knowledgeable" about tourism does not hesitate to recommend all visitors to come to Hue: just relaxing at the balcony under the shadow of Thanh tra pomelo trees and watching the Huong river flowing smoothly; or leaning one’s back on the chair and looking out to the horizon without a bit of ripples, you will feel your heart slow down and the love of Hue is growing. More than a place for resting, these are the tropical paradise in Hue, the best place to see and contemplate the world.
Immersing in nature with yoga
The green of nature, the green of happiness
“When coming to these resorts, tourists always say that they are attracted to sipping a cup of coffee by the door and listening to the birds chirping in the morning. Hue is truly a paradise of peace, a destination of happiness in the happy country. Perhaps that is why Hue is known as a green resort destination in the region,” said Nguyen Huu Binh, Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Province Resident Association.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Binh said that there are specific orientations in which nature is attached in the space development. For example, greenery covers up to 94% Laguna Lang Co. The construction designs here are oriented towards the environment, respecting nature, keeping each tree, bending each path to protect the trees. Therefore, Laguna Lang Co is rated by EarthCheck as one of the resorts with the “Gold Certificate” standard, and as the place to enjoy complete happiness by EarthCheck (EarthCheck is the world's leading scientific certification and environmental assessment organization for tourism and sustainable tourism businesses based on scientific evaluation criteria)
Recently, a group of Japanese tourists have come to Hue for visiting and they “fell in love” with participating in gardening, bringing clean food to prepare dishes. All tourists continue to get surprised when they are shampooed, soaked in baths with the herbs from garden such as lemongrass, clove, lemon, basil, locust, etc. These guests shared: “In Japan there are also beautiful spaces as in Hue, but they are artificial; and here, it is natural green- the green of happiness. Hue should keep this green for the future and for the world.
We learned that a boss of a resort in Hue had a different way of doing tourism, but it was reasonable. He did not want too many tourists coming to the resort, because when it was too crowded it would make a lot of noise. He wishes to target the guests who need true peace.
This host also asks the staff to encourage visitors to participate more in outdoor physical activities such as cycling, kayaking on the Huong River, enjoying the energy of nature, …, or maybe, diving in the cool water of the Huong River.
General Manager of the Resort Pilgrimage Village, Ms. Le Thi Da Lam shared: “Working in a green space, always complying with environmental protection criteria, gradually make the resort a unique style to attract tourists. For staff, they consider this place to be a home, not just a place to work.
This female manager also informed that the vacationers require quality because of high spending, but when maintaining the way of connecting with nature, Hue will attract more tourists.
Director of the Tourism Promotion Information Center and Chairman of the Tourism Association, Mr. Truong Thanh Minh, acknowledged that he must confidently say that Hue tourism is heading to a specific style of tourism. Green living, green relaxing is a classy travel style and a "hot trend" in the world.
According to the statistics of the World Tourism Organization, currently there are about 32-35% of tourists willing to go green and protect the environment. It is expected that in the future this trend will develop. In Hue, businesses are aware of it and have practical ways to help tourists to have real "green vacations" when coming to the ancient capital.
Story and photos: Duc Quang