More spa resorts for Hue

Local authorities have given the nod to the joint venture between Toa System Product of Japan and Hue-based Huong Giang Tourist Company to build a hotel, spa and provide transport for a project at the My An hot springs.
The hot mineral water in the area is 52 degrees Celsius with a large reserve of mineral water that contains a high proportion of sulphur, a cure for many diseases, according to a study by Hue University of Medicine.
This will be the second spa resort in the province after the Abalone Resort & Spa, which is expected to open in May. Managed by Swiss-Belhotel International, that will also operate the five-star Hung Vuong hotel to be opened next year, the Abalone will become the first international-standard hotel to be launched in the area in recent years.
The Abalone features 80 rooms and suites, a 120-seat restaurant, a fully-equipped fitness centre and spa and meeting facilities. It is built in the water and the different buildings are connected by bridges.
“We are very happy to be associated with the first international hotels in Hue and we will make every effort to make both hotels very successful and to contribute to further improvements to the tourism industry in Hue,” said Jan Hilhorst, Swiss-Belhotel director of operations and development in Vietnam.
Pham Quang Hung, general director of the Thuan An Tourism Investment and Development Company in Hue and owner of the resort, told Vietnam Investment Review his company planned to build another beachside 80-bungalow resort about one kilometre from the Abalone.
It is expected to open in early 2005 and will also be managed by Swiss-Belhotel International.
“We hope the resort, with relaxing and recreational facilities in a peaceful environment, will help lengthen the stay of foreign tourists in the province,” Hung said.
At present, tourists spend only two days on average visiting the imperial city and other beauty spots in the province and there were few entertainment facilities, he said.
Hung said he was confident the resort’s business would fare well since Hue is the third largest tourist market in the country after Ho Chi Minh City and Halong Bay. One advantage is that Hue has more high-budget visitors than Halong Bay.
Industry insiders also expect the operation of foreign hotel management companies will bring more tourists to the area. Huong Giang Tourist Company contracted Bangkok-based Central Hotels and Resorts early this month to manage the Huong Giang hotel that is under extension at the moment.
The company is to spend around $4 million to build another 100 rooms in addition to the hotel’s current 100, on the bank of the Perfume River.
The property will be upgraded to meet five-star standards and have electronic gaming machines.
Two other large hotels under construction in Hue are the five-star Hung Vuong hotel and No.5 Le Loi hotel. Hue now has four upmarket hotels, including the Saigon Morin, Lang Co Beach resort, Huong Giang and Hue Riverside.