No, this is not the Hobbiton in New Zealand. The “Lord of the Rings” franchise is not its particular inspiration, but Bach Ma’s Hobbit houses look like them. It’s located in south of Hue in Central Vietnam.
The Bach Ma Village, or more popularly known as the Hobbit Village, has just opened this year. Though new to the industry, the resort has already caught the attention of wanderlust travelers. It’s the perfect location if you want to see the natural wonders of Hue and spend quality time with your family and friends.
Bach Ma Village – Resort Overview
As if the entire resort’s landscape came out of a fairy tale book, the Bach Ma Village brings mysticism and theatrical fun to your Vietnamese vacation. The extensive resort sits in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains. The entire tourist area spans about 3 ha., not including the edge of the national park.
The “Hobbit Village” features mushroom houses (hobbit houses) for display. There’s an upward hill that has a series of these. Though they call them hobbit houses, these are full-scaled structures that are about 7 m high. During mornings, you can take a stroll around these houses and bask in the fantastic views of the surrounding forests.
The core of the resort is its waterfall slide and man-made swimming lake. This location is vivacious during the day and travelers of all shapes and sizes are encouraged to take a dip. Safety precautions must be observed when going down the stone slide, since they’re extra slippery.
After your swim, you can relax in the nearby tents and unwind. The expansion for the Bach Ma Village is still underway, but soon, you’ll also be able to access larger guest houses and a local zoo. In the meantime, you can revel in the pool, the villas, and the campsites spread throughout the resort.
Campsites
As much as we’d all love to stay in the Hobbit Houses, it’s not open for accommodation. However, you can enjoy an authentic camping experience in the resort’s campsites.
At night, the resort hosts a campfire in the nearby open space. Guests can take part in the fire dancing and singing that frequently happen around the campfire.
There’s a designated space for camping tents. The resort is one of the more renowned locations for providing a professional camping service. You need not put up your own tent and stumble your way through pinning that corner stand. In Bach Ma Village, you can just sit back and relax.
The entire camping area sits near the forest border. This creates a cooler temperature than the center of the resort. Remember that the nights can be cool here, so bring a jacket with you.
The tents have their own safe night lighting system, which allows you to see the pathway in case you need to go out in the middle of the night. There are also ample spaces in between the tents to give you some privacy.
The best thing about camping in the Hobbit Village is the fact that you’re actually inside a protected biodiversity park. It’s not just a random resort, but a home to one of the most diverse forest ecosystems in Asia. And, this accounts for the immense impact of your experience.
You may not have that deluxe orthopedic bed or that marble kitchen countertop, but the quality of air, unique nature sounds you won’t hear anywhere else, and the majestic views from dusk ‘til dawn is more than worth it.
Bach Ma Village has certainly taken the best of what nature has to offer in a sustainable platform for modern tourists.
Food
The Bach Ma Village Resort is a private area that’s separate from the national park. From the entrance, they do not allow guests to bring food in. Though it could be a downer, there’s a strong reason for this.
Bach Ma Village is a part of Bach Ma National Park. This means they have high standards in preserving the endless panorama of natural wonders you see in the resort. So, they’re making sure that there are no unnecessary plastics or containers that get disposed of in the resort.
But the good news is Ma Village’s kitchen team is one of the best in Hue. The kitchen serves an all-day vegetable buffet that has a farm-to-table serving process. The organic ingredients are sourced locally. There are hundreds of colorful Vietnamese dishes that are rooted in the recipes from Hue’s ancient traditions.
Check out dishes like the crispy Banh Khai (pan-friend crepe), Bun Bo Hue (Hue’s version of pho), Ban Loc Goi (typical Hue snack), Banh Ram It (crunchy deep-fried rice paste), and the Com Hen (clam rice). The kitchen also features a lot of staple Vietnam’s national dish.
If you want to have a taste of an organic Vietnamese brew, visit the Water Village, a special coffee bar. They have a pour-over, drip coffee, and other coffee-based drinks on their menu. They also offer other refreshments and snacks to partner with your drinks. You can try their dried beef, dried squid, or other grilled items on the menu.
The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and can accommodate up to 500 guests. For the coffee bar, it has the capacity to sit up to 150 guests simultaneously. And the bonus is, you can probably splurge more on food because the prices are affordable.
Additional Amenities
If you’re thinking you may not be comfortable camping out, the resort has a complete set of amenities to cater to your needs. As of writing, their villas are not yet open for accommodation, but they will open more rooms and guest houses in 2020.
In the meantime, they have a modern bathroom system, clean toilets, and highly secured lockers. You don’t need to worry if they will lose your belongings as you swim in the pool.
Guest security is also a priority for the resort. This means you can let your kids roam around without worrying they’d get lost. The resort has available guards and rescuers present at all times.
Fees
If you’re thinking of visiting the Hobbit Village, but you’re staying in a nearby town, you can just get the Day Trip offering, which is sold at a discount until the end of 2019. The Day Trip ticket price for adults is VND 100,000 and VND 50,000 for children (under 1.3 meters tall).
For the Loc Tri and Phu Loc locals, you can visit the resort for only VND 75,000 (adults). Children under 1.3 m can enter for free.
On the other hand, if you want to get the full experience (see the list of other activities you can do below), you can reserve a spot at the resort for at least one night.
For families, booking for overnight camping may be more cost-friendly since it already includes the fees for the entrance, the camping tent service, natural spring bathing service, life jacket rental, loungers, dedicated lockers, and breakfasts.
For an overnight stay, the fee is VND 200,000/guest. Note that each tent can only accommodate up to two guests. If you need another single bed, you have to pay an additional fee.
Other Destinations You Can Visit
Since you’re already in the middle of Bach Ma National Park, there are a lot of other locations you can visit, too. Especially if you’re booking for multiple nights, you may want to explore attractions other than the resort itself.
If that’s the case, here are suggestions on other impeccable destinations you can visit in Hue.
- Truc Lam Bach Ma Zen Monastery. Take your relaxation to the next level by learning more about the Buddhist culture in Hue. Located in Bach Ma National Park, the Truc Lam Zen Monastery is a historic structure that’s still used for worship. The Zen Monastery has 172 soaring steps that pilgrims take as they reach the top of the temple. You can also learn more about their practice at the Truc Lam School located in one of the ancestral worshipping areas for Zen Master Dat Ma.
- Thien Mu Pagoda. Go to the nearby Chan May Port where day cruises are available. On arrival, you can take a boat trip on the Perfume River that’ll lead you to the Thien Mu Pagoda. Here you’ll learn more about Buddhism and the local community’s way of life.
- Thai Hoa Palace. Just a couple of minutes from the Thien Mu Pagoda, you can also visit the Thai Hoa Palace. It used to be the emperor’s official palace hall for receptions and important ceremonies. It was erected in 1803 and has an ornate timber roof. Be amazed with the craftsmanship of the architecture and take note of its iconic lacquered columns.
- Truot Waterfall. Going back to the Bach Ma Village, you can visit the popular Truot Fall. It’s located at the foot of the 1,500 meter-high mountain range and it serves as the buffer section of the park and the Khe Su Village. From the Hobbit Village, you can trek towards the waterfall. It’s highly recommended to have a local guide when trekking, since there are no established roads towards the waterfall. There will be bushes and low-hanging trees along the way. Though the trek can be challenging, reaching Truot Fall is worth it.
- Lang Co Beach. For a sandy beach adventure, check out Lang Co. The miles-long shoreline is one of the best features of this beach. It’s clean and during low-season (June onwards), there are fewer people on the beach. On the other side of the beach, there’s a turquoise lagoon where you can do boating.
Bach Ma Village, or the Hobbit Village in Hue, is a rising star in Hue’s tourism. If you want a unique nature-filled adventure in the middle of the forest, this is the best place to go. Watch out for more amazing additions to the Hobbit Village’s resort facilities in 2020!
Address: Bach Ma National Park, Lộc Trì, Phú Lộc, Thừa Thiên Huế, Vietnam
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