If you are planning a trip to either Hue or Hoi An, I urge you to stop at the Vedana Lagoon Resort and Spa. While the lakes and mountains of Northern Vietnam often hog the media spotlight, this tranquil lagoon in Central Vietnam is a delightful surprise located just a short distance from Hue and Da Nang.
In many of my Vietnam travel guides, I talk about how difficult it is to find true silence in this country. Between rampant development and the omnipresent hum of motorbikes, “natural silence” is a luxury. I’m going out on a limb to state that Vedana Lagoon is likely the most peaceful place we have found in Vietnam.
The Atmosphere: A Luxury Sanctuary on the Water
The Vedana Lagoon resort is spread around a large peninsula jutting into the lake, with the main mode of transport being bicycle or electric buggy. The resort has a country club feeling or as british friends would understand a type of luxury Centre Parks atmosphere, which seems strange to experience in Vietnam. The resort has maximised the location on the water with most rooms/ villas and bungalows being on or over the water including the fantastic spa and wellness area.
In many of my posts about Vietnam, I talk frequently about it being hard to find quiet places in Vietnam. The rampant development has meant that even in the quietest of places, there is usually still some sort of building work or a motorbike noise that can spoil natural silence.
I’m going to go out on limb and state, and the Vedana lagoon is most likely the most peaceful place we have found so far in Vietnam. I do believe this is no coincidence, when you enter the resort the over -the -water bungalows are a good 500 – 700m buggy ride from the entrance. So you really are a long way from any annoying noise, even of the natural kind, like farm animals and the especially a cockcrow.
It is the perfect place to “turn off” from the modern world for a few days—a must-do experience in Southeast Asia.
The rooms
Again, like our stay at the Pilgrimage Village resort in Hue – Central Vietnam, our trip was predominately about R&R Rest and Relaxation. Our room helped get us in the mood: set on the lagoon’s edge, we had a double room with an adjoining twin room for the girls. Both rooms had a large bathtub with a lake view, that I found time to try out it was delightful, and, like the Pilgrimage Village resort, there was also a beautiful outdoor shower.
Check our video with the drone below:
The Spa
We gorged on the delicious buffet breakfast and then relaxed by the pool, Marco took advantage of the wellness area with a large sauna and steam room with cold plunge pools overlooking the lagoon: the setting couldn’t be more idyllic, if only the lake was freezing cold you might think you were in a nordic country! The lake is in fact bathwater temperature and very shallow, I wouldn’t recommend swimming or plunging.
Wellness, Yoga, and Tai Chi
On our first morning I particularly enjoyed an early morning Yoga session before breakfast, if you can handle a slightly earlier wake up call there is also Tai Chi class an hour prior to the yoga, provided free of charge. It felt great to get moving before breakfast and the lakeside setting really helped to relax me.
Whilst Marco was getting his wellness fix in the sauna and steam room, I took the girls to the pool, which as always provides hours of fun and gives me some time to bury my head into a good book.
Activities: Why It’s Ideal for Families
For families, Vedana Lagoon is an ideal base because you never actually have to leave the property.
- Water Sports: We spent hours kayaking on the calm lagoon waters with the girls.
- On-Site Fun: There are tennis courts, a kids’ club, playrooms, a gym, and even a small aviary to keep everyone occupied.
- The Bikes: The resort provides a range of bicycles free of charge. Our daughters loved racing their BMXs around the quiet paths, and we had a hilarious (if slightly uncoordinated) experience trying out the tandem and four-person bikes!
We really enjoyed the kayaking, although you are not able to go out too far onto the lake, this was great fun with our girls.
The bikes
However, as always it’s the simple things that provide the most fun, and it was the array of bikes and cycling around the resort and the nearby village that gave us the most enjoyment. The resort has a whole range of bikes for guests to use free of charge. Our daughters thought it was the most exciting thing ever to ride their BMX around the quiet roads we also had an interesting experience on the tandem and four-person bike.
The Vedana Resort is also a great base to visit the historic sights of Hue, although being a little further from the city centre it is still possible to make a few day trips from resort.
Thinking Nomads Verdict
Eternal adventurer and wanderlust seeker! Always thinking about (and planning) our next adventure, hence the name”Thinking Nomads”!
Wife to Marco and mamma to Isabella and Maya. India, Nepal and Vietnam are my top three countries!
Norway, Iceland and South Africa are top of my bucket list!
