A yoga session on a boat in the middle of the Perfume River
If you come to Hue and walk along the banks of the Perfume River in the early morning or at sunset, you may have witnessed many people practicing yoga and meditating on a boat floating in the middle of the river.
The Perfume River has a gentle flow. On both sides of the banks, from upstream to downstream, are temples, mausoleums, palaces, ancient houses, and immense fields. That scene fascinates anyone who has ever been on a boat along the Perfume River.
The gentle scenery of a city that is not too busy and with fresh air could help you complete your meditation session on the river, from upstream to downstream. It helps heal the wounds in your mind and body, returning to you your inherent peace.
Hue is blessed with the beauty of nature, adorned with mountains, rivers, and lagoons, and embraced by the sea, together with a rich cultural background. Hue is full of its identity and does retain its inherent features. Natural and man-made wonders, together in harmony, have made Hue an extremely popular tourist destination in recent years.
Hue has more than just natural scenery, culture, and history. In this land, there is a great achievement in medicine that everyone must agree with. Hue has always attracted and brought visitors to experience many different types of tourism. However, wellness tourism is still largely overlooked, even though a few groups of tourists still choose it from time to time.
Mr. Tran Huu Thuy Giang, Director of the Department of Tourism, informed us that the demand for this type of tour is present but quite limited and at a start. The concept of wellness tourism is still unfamiliar in Hue, and even in the entirety of Vietnam. Still, it would be too wasteful to ignore this type of tourism the demands of which Hue can meet sufficiently.
"Hue wants to be the first to carry out and strongly develop this type of tourism," said the Director of the Department of Tourism, enthusiastically.
In a forum held in Hue in 2019, Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh once shared and gave Hue an idea for a type of health care based on its inherent natural factors. Prof. Thanh confided that should there be an opportunity to introduce Vietnamese culture to his children and friends, he will choose Hue for its green trees; the wonderful flow of the Perfume River; safe cycling and jogging routes, as well as its fresh air.
Where should I go out to eat? There would be restaurants with Hue architecture for food-lovers to enjoy the unique cuisine of Hue while listening to Hue music. How about a place to relax? There are yoga and meditation classes ideal for relieving stress after a long, hard day at work.
“After a week of traveling in Hue, if the health check is good, the heart rate and blood volume are stable; so, why not come back to Hue? Such is my simple dream for Hue, but I think Hue can do it,”Prof. Thanh said.
In 2019, a group of tourists from Laos came to Hue for both medical treatment and tourism. It was a signal for Hue to seize the opportunity to develop this type of tourism. When the pandemic had not yet broken out, there had also been a few groups who wanted to go to Bach Ma, or rent boats (floating) on the Perfume River to meditate and practice yoga.
Mr. Giang said that the pandemic has changed trends and factors related to the tourism industry. Safety is now a top priority in the current period. It has an immense impact on tourists' choice of destination. Therefore, the Department of Tourism has also been looking into the trend of combining leisure travel and health care.
“We have consulted many channels and ideas… and found that this kind would to be the right direction. Hue is one of the specialized medical centers in the country, and there are seven hot mineral springs here. This is a good condition to realize this new type of tourism," said the Director of the Department of Tourism.
Tourism agencies in the province also intend to combine Eastern and Western treatment and medicine, restoring some activities of the royal medical clinic of the former Imperial Palace to serve the wellness needs of tourists.
Wellness tourists coming to Hue can stay in resorts where a team of medical experts will come to consult and take care of their wellbeing. Or, they can also visit Hue Central Hospital, International Hospital, etc. "We will work with these medical centers to do our best," Mr. Giang said.
The Department of Tourism will organize a “Wellness Tourism Week” on the occasion of the upcoming Hue Festival this year. Mr. Giang stated that this activity would be taken place in Hue during the rainy season as the weather at that time would be very suitable for those who enjoy the quietness that can be found in meditation sessions, yoga classes, and tea ceremonies, etc.
The Thua Thien Hue Tourism industry seeks to make Hue the first choice of tourists when it comes to wellness tours. Mr. Giang hopes that this type of tourism will become a new tourism brand for this land.
Story: NGUYEN DAC THANH. Photo: NHU MAI