By aussiematesvietnam 
Embracing Vietnam’s Wellness Culture: Spa Experiences That Refresh the Soul
G’day, fellow wanderers! Aussie Mates here with Tracy by my side, ready to share one of our absolute favourite aspects of living in Vietnam for nearly two decades – the incredible spa and wellness scene. Let me tell you, after swapping the scorching Aussie sun for Vietnam’s tropical heat all those years ago, discovering the local approach to relaxation and rejuvenation has been nothing short of life-changing for us mid-life adventurers.
Vietnam might be famous for its bustling streets, mouth-watering pho, and picturesque landscapes, but beneath the tourist trail lies a wellness paradise that rivals the best in Southeast Asia – without the eye-watering price tags you’d find in Bali or Thailand these days. From traditional Vietnamese massages that’ll sort your back out better than any chiropractor back home to luxurious resort spas where you’ll feel like royalty, this country knows a thing or two about pampering.
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So kick back with a cold one as I walk you through the wellness wonders that have kept Tracy and me feeling young despite the inevitable march of time. Whether you’re planning a two-week holiday or considering a longer stay like us grey nomads with itchy feet, these experiences deserve prime position on your Vietnam bucket list.
Traditional Vietnamese Massage: Not for the Faint-Hearted
Let’s start with the backbone of Vietnamese wellness culture – quite literally! Traditional Vietnamese massage isn’t your typical softly-softly approach. It’s more like the tough love you’d get from your footy coach after missing practice.
The first time Tracy convinced me to try one, I was skeptical. “Too much stretching and poking about,” I thought. Well, talk about eating humble pie! Though the therapist was half my size, she worked out knots in my shoulders I didn’t even know existed. There were moments I questioned my life choices as she walked on my back (yes, actually walked), but strewth, I felt ten years younger afterward!
Most traditional places charge between 200,000-400,000 VND ($12-25 AUD) for an hour session. My go-to spot in Hanoi is Mai Spa in the Old Quarter, where the ladies know me by name and immediately identify the trouble spots from my terrible golf swing.
Mud Baths in Nha Trang: Get Dirty to Get Clean
If you’d told me twenty years ago that I’d be willingly covering myself in mud and calling it a holiday highlight, I’d have thought you were a few stubbies short of a six-pack. Yet here we are!
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Nha Trang’s mineral mud baths are a uniquely Vietnamese wellness experience that Tracy and I try to enjoy at least once a year. The mineral-rich mud is said to draw impurities from your skin, improve circulation, and ease joint pain – music to the ears of anyone over 50, am I right?
The 100 Egg Mud Bath is our personal favourite. You soak in egg-shaped tubs filled with warm mud, then rinse off under waterfall showers before lounging in mineral pools with stunning mountain views. At around 800,000 VND ($50 AUD) per person, it’s not dirt cheap (pardon the pun), but it’s worth every dong for the experience and the silky-smooth skin afterward.
Luxury Resort Spas: When You’re Worth It
Sometimes you just need to splurge, especially when celebrating something special. For our 30th wedding anniversary last year, Tracy and I treated ourselves to the Six Senses Spa in Ninh Van Bay. Absolute bliss!
Vietnam’s high-end resort spas combine international standards with local traditions and ingredients. Think massages using warm bamboo rollers, facials with locally-sourced herbs, and body scrubs made from Vietnamese coffee.
These experiences come with premium price tags (often $100-200 AUD per treatment), but they’re still about half what you’d pay in Australia for the same level of luxury. Plus, the settings are out of this world – oceanfront treatment rooms, jungle pavilions, or colonial-era villas.
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Hot Springs and Mineral Baths: Nature’s Therapy
Vietnam is blessed with natural hot springs that locals have been using for centuries to treat everything from skin conditions to arthritis. As someone whose knees protest after a long day of exploring, I’ve become quite the connoisseur of these natural wonders.
The Binh Chau Hot Springs in Vung Tau province is worth the journey from Ho Chi Minh City. You can boil eggs in the hottest pools (a quirky local tradition) while soaking your feet in cooler ones. For something more developed, try Alba Wellness Valley near Hue, built around natural hot springs with Japanese-style bathing.
Tracy swears the regular soaks in mineral-rich waters have helped with her mild psoriasis more than the expensive creams from back home ever did.
Herbal Steam Baths: The Dao Ethnic Tradition
One of our most memorable wellness experiences happened in Sapa, in Vietnam’s mountainous north. The Red Dao ethnic minority are famous for their herbal steam baths, a centuries-old tradition using a secret blend of forest plants and herbs.
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You sit in a wooden barrel filled with steaming herbal water, covered up to your neck, while sipping herbal tea. It’s said to improve circulation, clear respiratory issues, and relieve muscle pain. After a day of trekking through rice terraces, it was exactly what our aching muscles needed!
Many homestays in Sapa now offer this experience for around 150,000 VND ($9 AUD). The herbs smell medicinal rather than pleasant, but don’t let that put you off – Tracy and I both slept like babies afterward.
DIY Wellness: Vietnamese Ingredients to Take Home
We’ve become big fans of incorporating Vietnamese wellness ingredients into our daily routine. When friends visit from Australia, they always leave with a shopping list from Tracy:
- Dragon fruit and rice powder face scrub
- Pure coconut oil (the real stuff, not the processed variety)
- Ginger and lemongrass essential oils for muscle aches
- Vietnamese coffee for body scrubs (sounds bizarre, works a treat)
- Green tea everything – soaps, creams, masks
Most markets and beauty shops in tourist areas sell these products, often at a fraction of what you’d pay for similar items in Australia. Just be sure to check Australian customs regulations before packing your suitcase full!
Bottom Line: Wellness Value that Can’t Be Beat
After nearly two decades of exploring Vietnam’s wellness offerings, Tracy and I still find new experiences to try. What keeps us coming back is the incredible value – where else can you get a skilled hour-long massage for under $20 AUD, or spend a day at hot springs for the price of a pub lunch back home?
Vietnam’s approach to wellness isn’t just about pampering (though there’s plenty of that). It’s holistic, combining physical therapy, natural ingredients, and traditional knowledge passed down through generations. In a world obsessed with quick fixes and trendy wellness fads, there’s something refreshingly genuine about these time-tested practices.
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So, if your body’s feeling the toll of the years like ours occasionally does, consider Vietnam for your next wellness escape. Your muscles will thank you, your skin will glow, and your wallet won’t suffer the usual holiday hammering. As we like to tell our mates back in Oz – you don’t need to be a millionaire to live like one in Vietnam!
Until next time, this is Aussie Mates signing off. Tracy and I are off for our weekly massage appointment – tough life, eh?