Camping. The embrace of the great outdoors. Waking up in the wilderness. Dreamy sunsets and epic sunrises. Only, you pitched a tent on that uneven hill. The foam mattress is too thin and your back aches. And there are bugs everywhere. Enter glamping in Vietnam, the hot travel trend for people who love nature, but don’t want to dispense with home comforts with Saigon’s new travel.
Đọc bài viết bằng tiếng Việt
The portmanteau explains it: glamorous + camping = glamping. Only, despite it becoming part of the lexicon, with its admission into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016, and an upsurge in use from around 2005, it’s not really new at all. There are stories of regal glampers going back hundreds of years – Henry VIII is said to have pitched elaborate tents and marquees for a meeting with Francis I in 1520. The Ottoman tents were palatial too. And by the 1920s, wealthy Europeans and Americans were spending their nights on African safaris in tented luxury (think folding baths and cases of champagne). Then, more recently, music festival revelers began switching from the unstable tents they’d pitched themselves in the dark, to yurts and teepees erected by the festival organizers for a premium price.
And now glamping is big in Vietnam too. There are travel companies specializing in glamping in Vietnam, to places like Tri An lake – Dong Nai, Da Lat pine hill, and Vinh Hy bay, or to sites like The Whiskey Camp, or Insta-famous places like CamArt by #MợJen. Or head directly to any one of the three sites for glamping in Vietnam we introduce here.
Tropical Eglamping
The first big plus is Tropical Eglamping’s accessibility. It’s only two hours out of Saigon, at Tri An Lake, in the south of Dong Nai Province. Relatively unknown and undeveloped, projects like Tropical Eglamping are putting Tri An Lake on the itineraries of discerning travelers. Founder Thien Phu can vouch for the site’s restorative nature first hand. He used to work in the high-pressure ad agency industry, “So many deadlines!” Thien Phu laughs at the memory. “I did that for more than ten years, and it takes a toll on your physical and mental health. Camping was always my way of recharging,” he explains. Now, he’s sharing his love of nature with guests, while helping them to discover the restorative properties of getting away from it all too.
He noticed a desire for families to embrace nature. “For single people, it’s easier, just grab a tent and head off,” Thien Phu says, “but for families, it’s harder…but they’re just as in need of getting away from the stresses of urban life.” That’s where Tropical Eglamping can help. “So we set up Tropical Eglamping, especially with families in mind. Here, you’ll find our tents have blankets, food, and cooking utensils, but we stay true to the spirit of camping by allowing guests the freedom to help themselves,” he adds proudly.
Where: Ap Mit Nai, La Nga, Dinh Quan, Dong Nai
Một Ngày Ở Trong Rừng
Một Ngày Ở Trong Rừng or A Day In The Forest is glamping in rural beauty, amidst Dalat’s rolling hills, and beside gurgling steam. Here, you feel completely cut off from urban life, a perfect place to try glamping in Vietnam. Which is why founder Loc fell in love with the place. “And for me, glamping is one of the easiest ways to reconnect with nature,” he says. He’ll even set you up a table in the stream to enjoy dinner while the water laps against your toes. It would be harder to get any closer to nature than this.
And to maximize the chill vibes, Loc and the team organize acoustic shows on the campsite too, lit by atmospheric fairy lights after nightfall, and in the daytime, yoga, archery, and mountain climbing.
Where: Thon Suoi Can, Lac Duong, Lam Dong
Contact: Facebook
Phoenix Camp Ground
From Dong Nai and Dalat, we head north to a glamping site 200km outside Hanoi. Phoenix campground is in Moc Chau, a rural district of Son La Province, an area famous for its coffees, its plum blossom season, its native population of hill tribes, and breathtaking scenery. Perfect for glamping in Vietnam. There you’ll also find Ban Ang Pine Forest, sometimes described as a mini Dalat thanks to its forests, clear blue lakes, and cool climate. Hoang, the founder, is in love with nature too.
“Camping really is a return to nature, and a relief from the pressures and stresses of modern life,” he agrees. He’s heard endless testimonies of guests returning home recharged and motivated, and with their creative impulses restored. Phoenix Camp Ground offers a number of options for guests, from bungalows to its small ten-tent campsite. There, you can enjoy a BBQ dinner, and a campfire to stave off the nighttime chill. “I think this trend will continue to grow,” Hoang muses, “and not just with the younger generation, but for everyone.”
Address: Rung Thong Ban Ang, Moc Chau, Son La
