BAI THUNG WELLNESS RESORT
Nestled deep in South East Vietnam’s Bai Thung Bay, Bai Thung Wellness Resort is a hidden gem. It’s situated on the edge of Bai Thung Bay where the forests of the UNESCO biosphere Nui Chua National Park race to the water’s edge, giving way to the crystalline waters of this spectacular bay.
To be in this location is to be inspired. The three senses of nature, culture, and wellbeing are overwhelming, in each direction you see earth’s purest elements, rich local culture, and activity space for nurturing the soul.
We conceived Bai Thung Wellness Resort to be an ancient village lost to the ages – the very act of making your way to the resort is a journey of exploration into a resort that blends wellness, nature, and culture into one beautifully designed location.
Nui Chua National Park has a rare semi-arid microclimate unheard of elsewhere in otherwise subtropical Vietnam. Instead of wet rainforests, the growth here is dry and bushy and fauna are correspondingly unique.
This rarity has been recognised by UNESCO as a unique biosphere, making it one of only 11 in the entire country.
The local region between the cities of Nha Trang and Phan Rang has an astonishing mix of cultures. The dominant Vietnamese culture is influenced by the Raglai, Kinh, and Cham peoples, alongside the sea living lifestyle that the locals practise.
By designing three distinct village areas or ‘Palei’, we honour the diversity of traditions present: the Promontory Village in the north, the Stream Village in the centre, and the Sea Village in the south.
Additionally, we designed locally imbued experiences that tantalise the senses by weaving them into the food menus, therapeutic treatments, interior design, local handicrafts, and site visits to nearby temples and villages.
We created over 50 activities at Bai Thung that allow guests to indulge in the soothing to the thrilling. Water sports that get the adrenaline pumping to meditation that heals the soul, culinary experience widen horizons to culturally enrichening site visits, these are all experiences open to day and overnight guests.
In the same day guests can get their adrenaline pumping with some of the best surfing in Vietnam, and shortly after relax with a tour around the vineyards that the unique microclimate allows.
From the beginning of this project NDA wanted to create a tribute to the natural beauty of the site and its cultural heritage identity. That means embracing and advocating that sustainability be an unconditional pillar of the hospitality of tomorrow.
Thus we designed the resort to work in sync with nature; cultivating farm to plate practises, using only sustainable energy where we produce it ourselves or buy from green sources, and taking advantage of natural ventilation and shading to limit air conditioning.
Additionally the bay is a protected marine reserve, with no motorboats allowed to operate in the area.
In our mission to preserve the local culture, we integrated local cultural knowhow and expertise into the resort.
Through creating Bai Thung Wellness Resort we achieve our core NDA mission of making a truly positive impact to both place and people, and we are privileged to be realising this vision in a location as unique as Bai Thung Bay.
