Traveling during the 30/4-1/5 holiday: Hanoians seek "healing green areas" - Lang Son Newspaper and Radio and Television

Many families choose nearby nature-based tourist attractions .

Health tourism - once considered a "high-end" option - has now become a more practical, affordable and accessible option for many people.

As someone who loves long-distance travel, this year, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen Trang (Ha Dong district, Hanoi ) chose to stay at an eco-homestay in Soc Son district, Hanoi.

“We want the vacation to be a real time to relax. The location must not be too far from the city center but must have open space, lots of trees; have a swimming pool and a soccer field for children. I determined that this vacation is for the family to relax and change the atmosphere, not to make anyone more tired,” Ms. Trang shared.

Mr. Tran Dinh Nhu (Cau Giay District, Hanoi) decided to take his whole family on a two-day, one-night vacation in Ba Vi. “Every year, the vacation back to my hometown is crowded, so this year my family decided to travel nearby. Referring to many sources, I found that Ba Vi has a traditional medicine village of the Dao people, which is very suitable for my parents to rest and take care of their health. My children also have a fresh space to play and immerse themselves in the nature. Traveling near Hanoi is both economical and comfortable," said Mr. Nhu.

Tourist attractions with lots of trees and closeness to nature are loved by tourists.

Hanoi suburbs: potential for “healing”

Many young families are also researching vacation spots near the capital with mid-range to high-end prices. This trend shows a clear shift in domestic travel preferences recently.

According to the assessment of travel agencies and online booking platforms, resort products in the suburban areas of Hanoi with health care elements (spa, macrobiotics, meditation, herbal baths...) have been booked early for the April 30 - May 1 holiday. One-day, two-day, one-night "healing" tours in Soc Son, Ba Vi, or Quoc Oai are showing an increasing trend in customers, especially office workers.

Hanoi is famous for its monuments, festivals, and cuisine ; but few people notice that this city also possesses rich and diverse ecological areas to develop health care tourism. Among them, Ba Vi is a prominent name with mountainous terrain, natural waterfalls, and fresh climate. In particular, this place also has Ba Vi National Park - a place that was chosen by the French as a resort since the last century.

Ms. Pham Thi Hong Thu, Vice President of the Vietnam Community Tourism Association, said: Currently, models of “forest bathing”, health care, medicinal spa, resorts associated with nutrition and spiritual care have begun to take shape, with many establishments owned by local ethnic communities. These are also great potentials that the Hanoi tourism industry can consider exploiting in the near future.

Ban Mien (Ba Vi commune, Ba Vi district) is a new community tourism destination that has not been in operation for long but has attracted a large number of visitors. Located on the western slope of Ba Vi mountain, Ban Mien possesses a pristine natural space, many valleys, streams, and rich flora. In particular, this is the home of the Dao Quan Chet community with secret traditional herbal remedies for treating diseases and taking care of health.

Ms. Duong Thi Thu Huong, a Dao woman in the village, shared: “We Dao people have a traditional medicine profession. Coming to Mien village, visitors can soak their feet in medicinal leaves, take herbal baths, have a health-preserving hair wash, take a traditional steam bath, practice yoga in the middle of the forest or enjoy dishes made from local herbs. Along with the fresh, cool air, visitors will feel healthy and refreshed.”

Great potential for health tourism

Despite its great potential, experts agree that the product health tourism in Hanoi is still fragmented, small and not closely linked to traditional medicine or local agriculture.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Hong Long, Head of the Faculty of Tourism Studies (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) said: “Health tourism is not just spa or yoga. It is a diverse product ecosystem, which can include: health care, wellness for the elderly, meditation, forest bathing, herbal treatment... To develop this type of tourism in the right direction, it is necessary to survey customer needs, classify products and train professional service staff”.

After the April 30-May 1 holiday, summer tourism in 2025 will start to be bustling.

Ms. Pham Thi Hong Thu, Vice President of the Vietnam Community Tourism Association, believes that with its cultural identity, natural surroundings and valuable indigenous knowledge, Hanoi can absolutely pioneer in becoming a “weekend healing” destination for urban residents. However, to become a true tourism product, a separate strategy for this type of tourism is needed: from building destinations, connecting ethnic communities with traditional medicine professions, to supporting business development.

This April 30-May 1 holiday could be a good opportunity to test out health tourism in Hanoi. As the flow of inner-city visitors tends to “slightly shift” to the suburbs, this is the time for eco-tourism and health tourism destinations to affirm their brands. However, to retain tourists, we cannot rely solely on nature. We need specific products, quality experiences, clean, healthy, peaceful resting spaces and friendly services.

In the trend of sustainable tourism, wellness tourism is emerging as a potential direction. This holiday, among the myriad of options, a journey that is not too far, but enough for us to slow down, take a deep breath and return to ourselves is also a reasonable choice.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/du-lich-dip-nghi-le-30-4-1-5-nguoi-ha-noi-tim-ve-vung-xanh-chua-lanh-5044509.html