Come to Suoi Rao Ecolodge - "tropical forest" of 500 kinds of herbs
24/01/2022
Suoi Rao Ecolodge - a "miniature tropical forest" with 500 types of herbs, is a space for those who want to "escape" the bustling city to find nature to heal their body and mind. Join Travellive to explore the new resort in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province.
After the suffocating days of the pandemic, amidst the suffocating atmosphere of the city, many people certainly want to return to nature, waking up in a house with the scent of wood, just looking out the door, the green color falls into their eyes. Things that seem to be luxuries in the bustling city are easily found at Suoi Rao Ecolodge - a resort only 100 km from Ho Chi Minh City.
Located in Chau Duc district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, Suoi Rao Ecolodge has become a "second home" for many guests from neighboring provinces such as Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai... They come here to purify their bodies and minds, and heal the "mental scars" left by Covid-19. Some people come to Suoi Rao to spend time bonding with their families, or simply to find quiet moments in the cool green space, slow down, and connect with their inner world.
10 years to awaken the "sleeping mountain girl"
On the way to Suoi Rao, visitors will cross the roads with both sides of the hills, undulating between flat fields to reach the Ecolodge lying quietly under the forest canopy. Passing through the vibrant green, few people can imagine that 10 years ago, under their feet was a wild land of coffee and rubber trees, where people still worked day and night to produce agriculture.
The geographical location and natural landscape with access to the sea, forests, mountain lakes... are the strengths of Suoi Rao, suitable for a resort combined with experiences.
Suoi Rao Ecolodge is the decade-long passion of Ms. Nga Le, a landscape designer. She recalls: “10 years ago, Suoi Rao was like a sleeping mountain girl. But I soon saw that this land had a strong attraction for tourists, because it has a mountainous terrain stretching on three sides of forest, along with a winding stream originating from So mountain, running straight to the downstream lake of Suoi Rao with fertile land”. The idea of developing an eco-village was formed from there.
Always concerned with the issue of ecological imbalance due to climate change, she cherishes the formation of a community that enjoys living and working, respects and promotes natural values, for the goal of health and a sustainable environment, developing gardening culture and the uniqueness of the place.
Suoi Rao Ecolodge is where 500 species of trees, herbs... grow and thrive.
The journey to awaken the “sleeping mountain girl” was not without its hardships. Ms. Nga sought out architects, botanists, and people with a passion for creating wild natural landscapes to help shape the product. Over the past time, Ms. Nga and her colleagues have researched the soil and climate to bring many fragrant flowers and strange grasses to take root in Suoi Rao every day. Despite the pandemic over the past two years, Suoi Rao Ecolodge was still completed in 2021 and opened to welcome guests from 2022.
In a space of 5 hectares, Suoi Rao Ecolodge dedicates more than 95% of its land area to greenery, where 500 types of herbs, flowers, forest trees, precious woods, ornamental plants, fruit trees, precious medicinal plants, and wild vegetables gather to grow and develop.
Here, flowers bloom all year round, lotus ponds are full of fish, and the temperature is always below 25 degrees Celsius because it is surrounded by protective forests. "If Da Lat has Tuyen Lam Lake with rows of tall, lyrical green pine trees, Suoi Rao Ecolodge also has a similar landscape. Visitors do not need to go too far to enjoy the airy, cool space all year round like the city of thousands of flowers," Ms. Nga said about the idea of turning Suoi Rao Ecolodge into a miniature Da Lat.
Not only that, Suoi Rao Ecolodge also brings the spring scenery of Japan and Korea to Vietnam with the Burmese cherry blossom forest, blooming from April to May.
The creators of this resort always strive to create a landscape with natural beauty without force, to give visitors the feeling of walking in a real forest and temporarily forget that this place is arranged by human hands.
health tourism space TO heal
In the context of the pandemic, health tourism has become popular to meet the needs of energy regeneration and physical and mental health balance of many people. Suoi Rao Ecolodge is no exception to that trend. Spiritual healing medicine is present in every branch, blade of grass, every step, every breath, every meal, and every sleep of visitors.
It is not difficult to recognize the scent that fills the air when walking under the forest canopy. The scent of Caribbean pine, fir, cedar, camphor (wild cinnamon) is a natural phantom essential oil, capable of absorbing heavy metal ions, helping to purify the air. This essential oil is a natural medicine that when inhaled into the body will help strengthen the immune system, improve blood pressure, cardiovascular system, reduce stress and help sleep well.
Zen garden at Suoi Rao Ecolodge.
In that atmosphere, visitors can walk, cycle through the forest, practice yoga, meditate - subjects that have been proven to significantly improve physical and mental health; or find quiet moments to read books, chat, and enjoy tea.
After a few minutes of walking, visitors can enjoy “green” meals prepared by the host from the vegetable beds, medicinal plants grown right on the premises and clean vegetables and fruits without preservatives.
The houses of Suoi Rao Ecolodge are made entirely from natural, environmentally friendly materials, with a simple style but also fully equipped. The low density construction standard of 1-2% and the limited number of guests help Suoi Rao Ecolodge maintain the standards of an international Ecolodge.
The bungalows are designed in the traditional indigenous style of Southern Vietnam, made from old house materials through the process of searching throughout the South or newly built in a separate traditional architectural style. The spacious cool bungalows are equipped with a living room space, 1 queen-sized bed or 2 single beds but can also change according to the number of guests. Suoi Rao Ecolodge only welcomes a maximum of 40 guests to create a separate and quiet space.
The houses at Suoi Rao Ecolodge are made from environmentally friendly materials.
At night at Suoi Rao Ecolodge, visitors can immerse themselves in a space imbued with Vietnamese identity filled with the sounds of the zither, stone instrument, and zither resonating in the quiet space of the forest. In addition, Suoi Rao Ecolodge also creates a tea-drinking space with nearly 100 types of tea to help visitors relax, purify their bodies, and chat with close friends amidst the natural scenery of the mountains and forests.
"I consider the "joy" of the customer as my joy"
As the person who worked side by side with Ms. Nga in shaping Suoi Rao Ecolodge, Dr. - Architect Nguyen Anh Tuan shared: “Ms. Nga, with her love for the profession, created a garden with many types of plants, embellished the lake and surrounding landscape, built bungalows with traditional architectural style, and personally took care of the garden and healthy menu for visitors. The hospitality, thoughtfulness, ideas, ecological garden space and Vietnamese culture in the resort's landscape architecture have brought satisfaction to visitors of Suoi Rao Ecolodge”.
Ms. Nga Le (3rd from left) takes photos with tourists
Suoi Rao was born when the tourism and service industry was heavily affected by Covid-19. Ms. Nga confided: “I always consider the “joy” of guests as my own joy. Suoi Rao Ecolodge is a place where nature is respected, preserved and developed in the direction of biodiversity, bringing a different resort experience to visitors. That helped me overcome the initial difficulties.”
In the near future, Ms. Nga hopes to enrich the collection of plants and herbs here, aiming for 1,000 species growing on campus. She said that Ecolodge is a component of the world environmental project. In Vietnam, there are currently 6 Ecolodge models, which are isolated ecological areas with natural landscapes and terrain of hills, fields, forests, etc.
"The Ecolodge model is favored by foreign tourists because of its connection with nature, quietness, and environmental friendliness. This place will welcome groups of foreign tourists to relax when the pandemic is over, under the condition that Vietnam opens its doors to international tourists," the female owner of Suoi Rao Ecolodge said about plans for the near future.
More information
Suoi Rao Ecolodge currently has the following types of accommodation:
- Bamboo house is located near the stream and is covered by tall green bamboo bushes. In harmony with the landscape, the house has ancient Hoi An architecture with glossy brown wooden columns that are both luxurious and somewhat ancient. With an area of 80 m2Including two double beds and a beautiful loft that can accommodate up to 6 people, a refrigerator, a 3.5 m long wooden tea table is a gathering space for friends or family. Connected to the central space is a lovely Japanese garden and a central lake (1,000 m2) includes recreational fishing rods and basic amenities.
- Joyful house has an area of 63 m2, 50m from other apartments, quiet, overlooking the forest and garden, glass doors open to 4 sides of the garden: including a meditation garden if you love yoga, meditation, this is a wonderful space of more than 500 m2. Central style wooden house with two toilets and two bedrooms, accommodating 3-4 people.
- Ginseng house: Area larger than 72 m2can accommodate 5-6 people, front view of pine forest. In the morning you can breathe the fresh air of pine forest, there is a large playground for singing and dancing, large refrigerator, tea table and full amenities.
- Stilt house: Area 32 m2, the house has a stylized stilt house architecture with a view through a large window to the distant forest in front. The stilt house is neat and suitable for a couple or a family with a child under 10 years old.
Contact:
Suoi Rao Ecolodge
Xuan Son - Da Bac, Village 2, Chau Duc, Ba Ria - Vung Tau
