Sunday, May 6, 2012

Two Minutes with Wedding Venue | Ms Nguyen Hiep Thai Hoa, PR & Marketing Supervisor for the Six Senses Group Vietnam

If you’re planning a beach wedding, THIS is definitely a great place to start your journey as man and wife. The ambiance of the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is not just romantic but the privacy and secluded resort is also one where "Green Is In" - additional value for couples who are serious about conservation and the environment.

To help you get more acquainted with the two resorts and about general weddings in Vietnam, we speak to Ms Nguyen Hiep Thai Hoa, the PR & Marketing Supervisor for the Six Senses Group Vietnam.

How long have you been with the Six Senses Group?

5 years now


Can you give us some background about the Evason & Six Senses properties? This is for our readers who may not be acquainted with your properties.



Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang


The Infinity Pool at Evason Ana Mandara - great for Pre-Dinner Cocktails

Ana Mandara means beautiful home for guests—a sentiment that is reflected at the resort with its warm, Vietnamese hospitality combined with peaceful surroundings. It is Nha Trang’s only beachfront resort with 600m of private beach, offering simplicity, serenity and refinement, together with spectacular views of Nha Trang Bay. Cam Ranh, the airport serving Nha Trang, is just thirty-minutes away. There are 74 semi-detached garden villas and these villas combine traditional Vietnamese touches with locally-inspired architecture and modern conveniences. Rooms are either situated at the lush, tropical gardens or with breathtaking, sea views across the bay.

The Six Senses Spa at Evason Ana Mandara presents a Vietnamese experience of specialty treatments and programmes, in addition to the traditional menu of holistic rejuvenation and pampering. Offering guests a variety of activities, the resort also offers tennis, beach volleyball, a water-activity centre, plus a PADI Scuba Diving Centre. In terms of wedding locations, there are plenty to choose from – be it on the beach front, at the private floating jetty or at one of the numerous F&B outlets that we have.

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay


Six Senses Ninh Van Bay sits on a dramatic bay, taking full advantage of the superb setting. Impressive rock formations, white sand beach, a playful stream and the towering mountains behind, all add to the senses of being luxuriously at one with nature here. Ninh Van Bay is accessible only by water. It is a 20-minute boat trip from the Six Senses private jetty in Nha Trang.


Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Beach Villa

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay comprises 58 pool villas situated on the beach front, on the hillside, and over water amongst rock formations into which private swimming pools have been crafted. Several hilltop villas located near the Six Senses Spa have personal Spa Suites with massage champas and steam showers.
The Six Senses Spa is blended into the rocks beside a gentle waterfall. It provides signature treatments together with individual rejuvenation specialties of the region. Other activities include tennis, watersports and snorkeling and diving facilities, a gym, and nature trails that take advantage of the resort’s unique location. There is also a unique wine-cellar cave in which special “Cave Dining” can be created for an experience of a lifetime.
For weddings, there is a wedding chapel right at the hilltop overlooking the entire Ninh Van Bay which is very popular for our wedding clients. Other locations that are great for having your wedding ceremony would be the Floating Deck or on the beach itself. The entire island is private so, take your pick!

Ah, yes. I’ve seen the stunningly gorgeous vista of the Ninh Van Bay from the Wedding Chapel. Breath-taking indeed! Chi Hoa, you see, for Malaysians, very often, when it comes to beach destination weddings outside of Malaysia, the first location that pops to mind is Bali. But I’m pretty sure Nha Trang here is also a popular destination for weddings. Can you elaborate more on this?

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Water Villa - with direct access to the sea!

Well, to start with, Nha Trang is one of the 29 most beautiful bays in the world. And there are plenty of world-class hotels and resorts along the beaches that can accommodate your wedding celebrations. I would say that the wedding packages offered at these resorts are very reasonable as well and the Vietnamese people are warm, friendly and helpful. What’s more – you get to enjoy and relish authentic Vietnamese cuisine that is prepared fresh from local ingredients by well-trained Vietnamese chefs.

Amongst your resorts in Vietnam, which property is the most popular one for weddings? Why?


Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is very popular for weddings because of the beautiful views and the privacy, exclusivity and the service.

In all the years, what has been the most memorable wedding that you have done at the Evason or Six Senses properties?


This was for a wedding at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. It was a very touching wedding for our team to witness. The couple and their families had all traveled a long way for the wedding so it was a really close group and very intimate as well. During the ceremony, the groom was really nervous. He was shaking so badly and couldn’t really put the ring on the bride’s finger! *grin* and as for the couple, they were shedding so much tears of joy, especially when they declared their love for each other. Truly a very romantic and touching love story. Very memorable.

Encountered any particularly difficult clients? If so, share the experience with us!


Well, we do have some difficult clients, but we are happy to assist them in every way to help arrange a perfect wedding. Most of our clients are from abroad and we can understand how stressful it must be to plan a wedding from afar.



Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Wedding Chapel

Oh, for sure! I agree. Do share with us more on the Vietnamese culture and how these translates to how the resort is run, how the Vietnamese people are and how does this affect wedding tourism for Vietnam.

*smiles*
The Vietnamese people are very warm and friendly and at our resorts – both Six Senses and Evason, we believe in ensuring guests feel very welcomed and at home when they stay with us. As much as we possibly can, we see to their every need – be it big or small. Of course, there are sometimes certain things that we just cannot help, but if we can, we will. I think in terms of service and destination, Vietnam does not lag behind other countries, you agree?

Yes, yes, I do agree. I think your tourism authorities are pretty serious when it comes to wooing tourists. Anyway, as a Vietnamese yourself, are there any beautiful and exotic locations in Vietnam that you would recommend for destination weddings besides Nha Trang and Ninh Van Bay? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a location that has Evason / Six Senses properties.


The charming World Heritage sites of Halong Bay and Hoi An is definitely perfect for weddings. Otherwise, there are also the beautiful beach resorts in Phu Quoc and Mui Ne (Phan Thiet). We also have a Six Senses in Con Dao and ever since Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie took a trip here, Con Dao is seeing an increase of tourists!

Ooooh! I must visit Con Dao one of these days! Chi Hoa, with the convenience of low-cost airlines, do you see Vietnam getting increasingly popular for destination weddings? Is this a lucrative market for your country’s tourism ministry?


Yes, even on our properties, we are noticing the increasing trend. Last year, on the average, we recorded about 1 to 2 weddings per month. This year, since January till now, we are already averaging 2 to 3 weddings per month.

Oh, that’s nice to hear. Before we part – can you share 5 Top Tips when choosing a wedding venue for destination weddings?


Do avoid high or peak season at the resort. It just doesn’t seem as intimate when there are a hundred other guests walking around the resort.

Choose a spectacular resort not just for the views, but for the great cuisine they serve. Food is part of the experience for you and your guests.

Choose a resort that is also convenient for family and guests to walk-about – not with too many steps, and if the resort is huge, be sure they have great buggy services.

Do also check on weather in the area of your choice. You don’t want to plan your wedding right in the middle of monsoon season.

Do hire a wedding planner and have them plan everything for you so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the day!

Thank you Thai Hoa for your time! And to our readers, please enjoy some of the resort photos of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay as well as for Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang!
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Private Dinner on the Floating Jetty at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

Presidential Villa at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

The glorious view of Ninh Van Bay

The white-sand beach of Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang

Romantic Dinner for Two on the beach at Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang

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