Traditional and herbal medicines offering unique and natural experience

What traditional and herbal medicine treatments does your resort offer to guests, and how do they compare to those offered in Thailand or China?

Hoang Truong Ngoc Hien, general manager of Moodhoian Resort & Spa

At our boutique resort, we offer a range of Vietnamese traditional and herbal medicine-based treatments and products from herbal beverages made with house-grown hibiscus and butterfly pea for welcome drinks, medicinal cuisine with dishes like eggs fried with mugwort to enhance yang energy, to treatments of five-flower facial masks and herbal ball massages, and aromatherapy with natural essential oils to elevate mood. In addition, we also organise herbal workshops to gain hands-on experiences with herbs like wormwood, holy basil, and clove.

Vietnamese traditional and herbal medicine treatments are quite unique compared to Thai or Chinese offerings. Vietnamese herbs are smaller but more flavourful and bring higher energy. With favourable growing conditions, herbs can improve their quality better. Vietnamese daily meals offer a seamless blend of culinary and medicinal uses. A distinct Vietnamese wellness experience is really different, with specific herb combinations, preparation methods, and a holistic approach to health and nature.

Where do the raw materials for your resort come from, and how can you control their quality?

We source most of raw materials from our own small garden on the premises. This allows us to closely monitor and control the quality of the herbs and ingredients used in treatments and products. By cultivating our own herbs, we ensure the freshness and potency of the materials used in our traditional medicine offerings.

Furthermore, we have implemented comprehensive training programmes to ensure our staff possesses the necessary knowledge of our traditional and herbal medicine-based experiences. All our employees are required to understand the benefits of the herbs and products we use, enabling them to effectively explain these to our guests. This knowledge becomes part of the storytelling experience at our resort.

Although we haven’t directly engaged traditional medicine doctors for our treatments. However, we recognise the potential value of such expertise and are considering incorporating traditional medicine professionals into our future activities and events. This aligns with our goal to enhance the authenticity and effectiveness of our offerings while educating guests about Vietnamese traditional medicine.

Our main challenge is overcoming initial scepticism from some guests. To address this, we focus on providing authentic, high-quality experiences that speak for themselves.

Which channels have you chosen to promote your treatments?

Our primary channel for promoting Vietnamese traditional and herbal medicine-based treatments and products is our organic word-of-mouth. We believe in letting the quality speak for itself, allowing guests to experience our traditional and herbal medicine-based treatments first-hand. When visitors have genuine, positive experiences, they naturally become enthusiastic advocates for our remedies, sharing their stories with friends and family.

We also leverage digital storytelling through our social media channels, showcasing the authentic experiences and transformative effects of our treatments. This approach allows us to reach a global audience while maintaining the integrity and authenticity of our offerings.

Additionally, we collaborate with select wellness influencers and travel bloggers who align with our philosophy, inviting them to experience and share our unique Vietnamese traditional medicine approach. This strategy helps us reach targeted audiences interested in authentic, nature-based wellness experiences.

This multi-faceted, organic approach to promotion aligns with our core value of honesty, ensuring that our marketing efforts authentically represent the experiences we offer.