The authenticity and the genuineness and the cheekiness of Vietnamese people is still coming through. And I really like seeing that repeat guest coming back. It's a healthy sign for a destination." - Pieter Van Der Hoeven
In this episode of the Vietnam is Awesome Podcast, host Niall Mackay is joined by Pieter Van Der Hoeven, the Managing Director of the Waifafo Resort and Spa in Hoi An.
Pieter shares his insights and recommendations on the best things to do, see, and experience in the Hoi An region, from immersive food tours and world-class golfing to the burgeoning craft cocktail scene. They also discuss the rapidly improving service standards in Vietnam's hospitality industry and Pieter's vision for his upcoming resort that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Hoi An.
Pieter highlights the importance of repeat visitors for Vietnam's tourism industry, which lags behind neighboring countries like Thailand. He believes addressing visa requirements, improving infrastructure, and preserving authenticity will help attract more return guests.
The episode offers a glimpse into Hoi An's vibrant food, drink, and wellness scenes, showcasing the destination's evolution while retaining its charming character.
Key Takeaways:
Hoi An offers immersive food tours, allowing visitors to dine in local homes and experience regional specialties like cao lau and bahn mi.
The region boasts seven world-class golf courses designed by renowned architects like Greg Norman and Nick Faldo, with better value than Thailand.
Hoi An's burgeoning craft cocktail scene features trendy spots like Hill Station, Mango Rooms, and Market Bar, offering unique Vietnamese-inspired drinks.
Vietnam's hospitality industry has rapidly improved, with major brands providing training, and locals embracing it as a career path after gaining overseas experience.
Pieter's upcoming Waifafo Resort aims to celebrate Hoi An's culture through m
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and I share some recent stories from my trip up to Hoi An and we talk about generally the things to do in the area and of course if you listen to this podcast and you know me I'm going to talk about where to go find a craft beer and a good cocktail so enjoy this episode thanks for listening to a Vietnam podcast I have some extra special news coming up soon about a Vietnam podcast so stay tuned and enjoy. Cheers! Thank you for listening to another episode of the Vietnam is Awesome podcast, a podcast that will share awesome experiences in Vietnam. My name is Niall Mackay and I'm your host. I've lived in Vietnam now for nearly I came here on a vacation, fell in love with the place, came back for six weeks and basically never left. Vietnam is an incredible place with lots to do, lots to see, and this podcast is going to share some of those things with you. Today, my guest is a proud Australian. He's so proud to be an Australian. He left the country 36 years ago and has been working in the hospitality industry for 30 years now. He's now the Managing Director of the YFAPO Resort and Spa up in Hoi An and he is here today to talk to me about why you should visit the region. So Joining Me today is Peter Vanderhoven. Thank you for joining us on the Vietnam is Awesome podcast.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
Neil, it's an absolute pleasure to see you and thanks for having me on the show.
Niall Mackay:
You are very welcome. So, you are based up in the Hoi region and that is obviously one of the biggest tourist attractions. In Vietnam, I've been several times. I've lost count of the amount of times that I've been to Hoi An. We've had a previous guest on here talk about Da Nang and we talked about going to Banner Hills with Alan Brownbridge. Tell us what should people do when they go to Hoi An that they don't already know because I feel like most people coming to Vietnam, they're planning the trip, they're going on TripAdvisor, they're reading blogs, they're hopefully reading the Vietnam is Awesome website. What else do they need to know about coming to the region and why?
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
Oh, definitely. Hoan itself is so cool to visit at the moment because for good or for bad, the tourist numbers are a little bit less so you can wander through the ancient town now. and really appreciate all of the history that's there and the preservation work that's gone on with UNESCO. And there are some really amazing food tours that you can do through Hoi An now. Getting into people's houses actually, sitting with them, and they're cooking for you with their families. And this is all available, these immersive experiences now, which we've learnt to do through, our experience over the last few years. The other great thing to do is come and play golf. I think Da Nang Hoi An has been under recognized for the amazing golf that we have. there's seven courses in this area, and I've absolutely butchered every one of them regularly. but the golf courses themselves, you've got some of the top designers in the world. Greg Norman's got one here, Colin Montgomery's got one here, Up at Barna Hills is an amazing challenge. Nick Faldo has done the one at the Banyan Tree in Lankau. I rate these courses as good or better in quality than what you've got in Thailand and far better pricing. so it's, it's something that definitely the golf world knows about. South Korea, in particular, really enjoys golfing, in, in our area, but it's only going to get better and grow more for the whole country. And yes, there's a couple of courses in Saigon, and I've butchered those as well, mate.
Niall Mackay:
Now you mentioned about the food in Hoi An as well, which. I feel like Vietnam is synonymous with food. People think of Vietnam, they think of the amazing food and the food here is absolutely incredible. I'm going to throw in a controversial opinion. I do not like pho. Ph is one of my least favorite Vietnamese foods, and I'm obviously spoiled because I get to try everything else on a daily basis. And I don't understand how ph became the international food of Vietnam. You hear people all over the world and, Oh my God, it's so good. It's amazing. I guess it is, but it's not, it's not my favorite. But I do know that up in Hoi An, there are some really good regional dishes. So for those people that, are coming for the food. What kind of food should they eat in Hoi An?
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
absolutely mate. And just quickly on fur, it is the most Googled food word in the world for three years
Niall Mackay:
did not
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
it's a, it's an incredible phenomenon. I think it's just Google that's getting us. But, in regards to Hoi An, Khao Lao, have to have Khao Lao, because you can only get that in Hoi An. And if it's made properly, the water comes from one particular well in Hoi An to steam the noodles. The wood comes from Cham Island, so that, you get the aromas from it. And the best place to do that is Khao Lao Than. It's just a hole in the wall. But it is amazing. And then, after Khao Lao Tan, you have to go and get some Mee Kwan, which is another, more soupy based, noodle. and then after that, that Mee Kwan, you might need to wash down a, a beer, and then head over to, one of the barmy shops. There's a plethora of them. you could actually do a barmy tour. And it's different here because the chilli paste is different that they use in Hoi An, and then you go to Da Nang, and it's a more peppery barmy. So You know, Barmy Tours is something that you can do and, yeah, go on a Weight Watchers program after.
Niall Mackay:
You're making me hungry. the food is absolutely incredible up there. I love it. But you mentioned about washing it down with a beer. One of the things I love about Hoi An that I've been there recently, like all of Vietnam, it's modernizing. There are some great cocktail bars. Now in Haan as well?
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
There are, and I, I, I, I've visited the Hill Station on
Niall Mackay:
That's one of my favorites when I go up there. Great. Happy hour. Make sure you, I don't, I can't remember what time the Happy Hour Happy hour is at, but it's either 50% off or buy one, get one free. You can tell I'm Scottish'cause I know the happy hours of all these places to make sure that you get cheap drinks. But yeah, the Hill Station is a cool little spot. What used to be in that building?'cause it's kind of like, Not, uh, what's the word to say? I want to say old. A different, a different word for old. A cooler word for old. Heritage. That's it. That's a perfect word for it. It's like a heritage building with an old wooden staircase inside and, distressed walls, things like that. Yeah, so I love the Hill Station. Make sure you check that out.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
they've done a great job in preserving the heritage, which means that the retro feel is still there, right? And, that really adds to the, the ambience, of, of the place. I also like Mango Rooms on the river. They do some fantastic drinks. They have a bubble bar in there for all of the sparkling wines and, and a cigar. Bar upstairs on top of the restaurant. It's a really cool, cool space. The mango ramps as well.
Niall Mackay:
And even though, pho is not one of my favorites. One of my favorite drinks when I was last in Hoi An was a pho gin and tonic. At the market bar, is that the right name I'm getting?
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
You got it, right? Yeah, overlooking the river there, the market part, the front of the, the, the, the, the ancient
Niall Mackay:
So that's a big recommendation for me. Like every, like all over Vietnam, there's always a market, a cha. I know I'm butchering the pronunciation but there's obviously a market right in the center of Hoi An where you can find that that makes the cao lau, if I'm not mistaken. That's where the water comes from this wall, this well. So if you do get cao lau, I know it's funny when I see like a shop selling cao lau in Saigon and I'm like this could not be further from cao lau because you don't have the water from the well. And you probably don't have the ashen noodles from Chum Island, but it's fine. You can call it Kalaz. It's okay. right overlooking that market at the, I'm not sure what that building used to be, but again, it's a kind of heritage building and then there's a wrapper and balcony and it's called Market Bar and overlooks the market. Absolutely amazing spot and the cocktails are absolutely fantastic.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
100%. And they've actually opened, he and the, the, the proprietor there with his, with his Vietnamese partner have opened another place based on Mezcal tequilas as well. So that could be for Your next visit, Niall. You might need
Niall Mackay:
A hundred percent. So I feel like, And I'm really enjoying this, I feel like we're discussing things and this is what we want from this podcast to talk about awesome experiences in Vietnam that people probably don't expect because I do feel like I mentioned at the beginning people are going to Google Hoi An it's going to tell you to do this, this, this and this and already we've covered golf. Happy or craft beer. Oh, I didn't even say, but they got good craft beer and now cocktails, tequila and mezcal. There really is so much to offer in Vietnam. I feel like that's why people come here and they fall in love with it because everyone has expectations of Vietnam and those are largely met and then exceeded. Once you come here.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
that's the, that's the thing, what's been interesting for me, Niall, over the past, I've been here seven years now, is we're beginning to see people return, repeat guests. That was a problem for Vietnamese tourism before because people would just come one time and and do a grand tour and, they wouldn't come back. Say, yeah, that was great, awesome, but they don't come back. And their repeat guests are coming back because of what you are saying, because the authenticity still remains, particularly in Central Vietnam. and I think that that is such an integral part of the experience here that you maybe are not getting in other Asian destinations. The authenticity and the genuineness and the cheekiness of the people. is still coming through in what they're doing, right? And, I, I, I really liked seeing that repeat guest coming back. It's a healthy sign for a
Niall Mackay:
And I have read about this. It is, I think it is still a problem that Vietnam has. I think I saw something like just last week, actually 5%, only 5 percent of tourists come back to Vietnam, whereas in Thailand, it's like 20, 30 percent of people will return higher than that, even higher. How, what percentage of people return to Thailand,
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
You're looking at 30 to 35 into, into Thailand. And Malaysia has really good repeat numbers as well.
Niall Mackay:
I think it's a huge room for growth in terms of. Hoi An specifically, I think that I've been there at least once a year since I've been here. I've been here for eight years and I know obviously I live a lot closer to Hoi An than anyone else, but it does show the appeal that I want to keep going back there and I love it every single time I go back there. So hopefully it will bring back, hopefully more and more tourists will come back.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
we're at two thirds of what we were in the boom times of 2019 and what's great is that traditional markets like the U. S. and Australia, the U. K., they're all, they're all coming back. Where, where it's lagging is from those big, big markets like, like China is the main one that, that hasn't returned yet.
Niall Mackay:
I know there's very many reasons why that is, which I have read about. Partly it's to do with people being ripped off in Vietnam, which happens sometimes as soon as you get off at the airport. I've never really had, I don't think I've had a problem with it. Maybe I've been ripped off and I don't know about it, but it does happen to many people as soon as you come out of the airport. You end up overpaying for a taxi. There's no crime here though, so I don't think that's a big issue, but apparently people get turned off by the amount of trash, which there is. There's, there's a lot of the place has just been absolutely trashed out in the beautiful countryside and in the city as well. So there are several reasons, and I do understand that, why people don't return to Vietnam. But at the same time, we wanted to return immediately and everyone I've met. Who's come to Vietnam, falls in love with the place. And even with Hoi An, I know, obviously I live in Saigon. So it's not the same as somebody who lives overseas, but I've been back to Hoi An at least six or seven times, on average about once a year, because, and I love it every time, every time I go back, there's something new, there's something different to do or something old, and you just love doing it again, but it does mean there's a huge opportunity for Vietnam that if you only have 5 percent of customers. tourist returning. That can massively grow. So what does Vietnam need to do to, what does Vietnam need to do more to get people to come back for another visit
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
Biggest one, mate, is visas. The visa situation where so many countries still have to apply for a visa where if you live in a metropolis like Singapore, Hong Kong, Anywhere with a direct flight regionally, on Thursday you go, I need to get out, you book your flight, you don't need to do a visa on arrival. So that is a big, big one that, that's stopping it. And thankfully it's being addressed, right? as the government is signing all of these new agreements with, with, with, important feeder markets, it's becoming easier, to, to do the visa on arrival. that will definitely help it. and I think as the infrastructure improves, here and other places become too busy without naming other places like Phuket, then, the beaches of Da Nang and Hoi An and Bang are absolutely sensational. And they're virtually untouched when you, when you compare that to, to, to what you, you experience in other places. that will help the repeating grow from that 5%, and that's just great upshot for, for tourism here.
Niall Mackay:
And that I forgot about the visa issue and it is something that is. It's good that it's being addressed because it's, I was going to say it's a simple solution. It's obviously not that simple, but it is quite an easy solution. It does not like you don't need to do massive countrywide changes. You can make a relatively small change and it's going to be a big uptick. Like you said, it did remind me though. And it's tragic, but it's funny at the same time. The last time I was coming through Saigon airport. The guy at the immigration desk next to me just went up with his passport. he was Western. I can't remember if he was British or American or Australian, but Western. And I just heard the immigration agency visa, like, where's your visa? And he, he's what? I don't have one. Which is all on him because you're an absolute idiot. If you show up in a foreign country and you haven't done your research and realize that you. Need a visa and I've seen this quite often posted on expat groups or wherever we're like, I fly to Vietnam tomorrow and I don't have a visa. What do I do? It's obviously 100 percent on you to know when you're going to a foreign country the visa situation. But it is also because people are so used to these other Southeast Asian countries which are right next door and you can just show up at the border. And literally get a visa on arrival. And so it makes a huge difference. So I did chuckle at this person's misfortune because you're kind of like, you are an idiot, but at the same time, it's a massive problem.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
It is, it, but thankfully it's being addressed, like the UK now they can come in visa free, can get a visa on arrival at no charge. That was the other thing is that if you're repeating somewhere and your visa costs as much as your low cost carrier ticket, you might go somewhere else. this is all being worked on and, and adjusted, which is just really positive. Yeah. Not enough yet. But it's happening, which is, which is key.
Niall Mackay:
And for anyone who doesn't know, Vietnam is built, not Vietnam, but Saigon is building a new airport, which will be a massive upgrade on Ton San Nhat, which is basically one of the worst airports I've ever flown into. let's be honest. It's, it's old, it's, slow. It's not got any of the mod cons that a modern airport has. They've only just installed some electronic gates, but you have to register for it ahead of time. There's a very limited amount of people that can use them. Generally, the lines for immigration are huge, but there is a new airport coming, and I think that will make a massive difference as well, because Sometimes when I've traveled lately through America or whatnot, other countries, you don't even need to see an immigration agent. You scan your passport, they scan your face and they recognize who you are. Just get, no, they can obviously read your passport and then you just walk through the electronic gates and it's done. You're like, how did I just walked into a country with not even seeing anybody or speaking to anyone? Whereas here, it's a complete opposite. Vietnam traditionally and still is known for its bureaucracy. Is that, is that part of what's changing? Because I can see that changing as well. It's still there, but it's changing ever so slowly, but it's getting there.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
You see the, as you mentioned, the electronic gates are getting in place in the airports. You just can't use them, but it's okay. They're there, right? So let's, let's take, let's take this one step
Niall Mackay:
I've had that. I've tried to use
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
one, one at a time. but they are saying, lucky people like us who have our TRCs that will be able to use those electronic gates in the next six to nine months. Maybe I'm spoiled a little bit, Liam, because I fly in and out of Da Nang Airport, which is an absolute dream. I get off my, I get off my flight and have hand carry. I'm, I'm in my car within 12 15 minutes. and you, you mentioned earlier about the, the, the traffic and the, the, the, the, the. The touts outside of airports, particularly in Saigon, unfortunately, or Ho Chi Minh, sorry, but in Da Nang, they've chased them away and they have big signage saying if you encounter one of these people, do not take their cars. So they're addressing these things in, in Da Nang and it makes it a really nice. Entry port into, into central Vietnam. And that only will help these important repeaters as well, because the repeat guest doesn't wanna stand for an hour and a half in immigration waiting for a two day holiday. They, they wanna be down at the beach. They wanna be into their favorite restaurant, having a, having a go round of golf or whatever. So that's definitely part of the, the whole equation. And look how, how quickly has Vietnam come along from where it was when I arrived here. So the first time I was here, 30 years ago, at, Nha Trang Airport, which is the same airstrip, but it was a tin shed, just a tin shed, no fans, that was it, and now you're down in, in Nha Trang, they've got an international airport, it's the same airstrip, and that, that's fast, and the, the pace is, is good, but it's also keeping its charm, I keep saying this is the most important thing, that people come to Vietnam, please, because it's still charming, It's original, and it's still not, not tainted by over tourism. It's in a great spot for people to come and see.
Niall Mackay:
Pace of development in Vietnam is insane. if, if Five years ago, it was 30 years behind. It's now 15 years behind, it's, it's just changing so, so quickly. In terms of Saigon airport as well, they are making great strides. It used to be way more chaotic and you were way more harassed when you came outside. They've definitely cleaned up the taxi ranks and you're not really bombarded with people. Again, it's one of these things I read it. Mike VPN, Mike VPN, Mike VPN, Mike, we got we got and how we can actually really earn money from that is the interesting part of this. so much for your input on my show, and hopefully we'll continue to carry on with what you've happened in your Uh guys, so we're going to run through this next round over here and this is from past conference calls and this one Q and A just came in. Yeah. I think most people, we talked about the misconception of Vietnam earlier, and I think the biggest misconception from people overseas is they just think of the Vietnam War, because that's all we know about from when you're overseas, that's all you've ever really heard about Vietnam unless you've done some research, and obviously you and I know that it couldn't be further from the truth, the war was over 50 years ago, so it would be like, In the 1990s, all we talked about and thought about and discussed in the West, whether it's Australia or UK or the US, was the end of the Second World War. Now obviously we were aware of it, we learned the history in school, but you didn't see like rubble outside your house, there wasn't like war relics on every corner. There is a war remnants museum, just like in most countries. You can go into a history museum or whatnot. So the war here is just something, it's 50 years old. The majority of this population is under 35. Just like us, their grandparents might have fought in it. Their parents probably very unlikely did or were children of it. So it's definitely there. But it's not part of the culture that you live here and you're like day to day life. It's just a normal place, but it does explain why things like 30 years ago, there was a tin shed for an airport does explain why there is an increased level of bureaucracy. It gives an explanation for why a lot of things are the way they are. But it is also modernizing so rapidly and so quickly because we're moving away from that and it's moving into a modern country, which is really, really exciting to see. And one of the ways that I've seen that as a customer is going to going to your background in hospitality is the hospitality sector in Vietnam, especially in Saigon, has changed dramatically in eight years that I've been here. and my friends that have been here for a little bit longer. I remember hearing stories from friends that have been here for about 10, 12 years, so a little bit longer than me, where they would go to a restaurant and I'm not sure if it'd be probably like a western restaurant and there wouldn't have been many of them 10, 12 years ago and the food just not showing up and then you'd be like, oh, where's my food? And they'd be like, oh, we didn't have it. And so instead of telling you that they don't have your dish, they just don't bring it. I remember even about. Six years ago, there was one time, there was a spell where my wife and I counted, it was eight times in a row that our bill came out wrong. Sometimes they'd miss drinks, and I'm quite honest, I'd be like, oh, sorry, you've missed a drink. More often than not, though, there would be an extra drink on there, so the bill would often be wrong. People were lovely, but the service maybe wasn't great. And, and I hate to say this because I should know the language, or you should try and know the language if you visit somewhere, and I don't. But most people wouldn't speak much English in the service industry, which you're going to nice places, you're paying a bit more. you would hope to have a higher standard of service. Now, the reason I'm saying all that though is now fast forward to today and the service industry, especially again, I'm talking from Saigon, but I've been up to Hoi An and Da Nang and other regions. The service is now absolutely incredible. The level of English is massive. Like I remember it used to be surprised if somebody spoke English to me, I'd be like, Oh, they speak English. Now I'm surprised if they don't. Which is testament. I've been, I was teaching English and I know hundreds of English teachers and English is taught so much here in schools and in extracurricular, so it makes sense that the level of English has improved. But that also is down to the Vietnamese people really wanting to learn the language. So the language has improved and the service now is just incredible. And is that something that you've seen and how has that happened again in such a short space of time from just six, seven, eight years ago? Pretty substandard hospitality to now the amount of five star restaurants and resorts that are opening up golf courses. Where has this come from?
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
think it's great that the hospitality industry is embracing Vietnam. The big brands are here working with the owners to, exactly on what you were talking about. And they bring a lot of institutional knowledge that they can train. The amount of training which is going on is, is really making an impact. But also, hospitality, the restaurant business, the food and beverage business, hotel business, is, is now seen as a, as a, as a, as a career. not just as a job that they, they need to do. And, the, the other thing that I think, made some massive, inroads for, for us all is that previously Vietnamese, young Vietnamese people didn't want to travel. to Saigon to work, or travel to Hanoi, let alone go overseas to work. Now they're excited to do the, the, the, the big branded hotels bring the talent overseas, and then they come back with knowledge from other destinations, because all they knew before was, was what they were doing here in Vietnam. And so then they're bringing that knowledge back, and they're sharing that with their, with their friends and their, their colleagues, and they're like, oh, yeah, let, let me go try that, let me go see something else, but I'll try somewhere else. And then that, that snowballs, right? So it's, it's really, uh, and it's also a testament to the people of Vietnam. I think that they are, they pick up things and are so fast at implementing and changing the, at the, at the, at the, at the grassroots level, right? You have bureaucracy that comes with government systems, but the people are able to adapt, learn, and move really, really quickly. This young population, especially. So it's really good now, but I could see in the next 18 months, two years, as the full recovery takes place, more people are going to come back into, into our sector because we did lose some during the pandemic time, they went to other industry. But we see them coming back and six months ago, seven months ago, people were saying, Oh, it's hard to get hospitality workers. It's difficult, right? They've all gone to other industry. I, I'm, I'm about to open my own hotel quite, quite soon and we're seeing people flocking back wanting to be in our sector because it's not seen as a second rate sector. It's seen as a career opportunity now. so I think that is what you're, you're feeling as well.
Niall Mackay:
it's Absolutely incredible. Even this weekend we were out at a new coffee shop that has just opened in Saigon. Beautiful place, beautiful decor. The coffee was out of this world. And I'm like, how do they just continually find new baristas? Because It is a skill. to make a good coffee is not easy at all. I've done it before when I was traveling, when I was younger in Australia, I was a barista. To make a good coffee is a really difficult skill and to deal with volume and all those and all of this. Then you go to the, there's another new cocktail bar I went to recently. The cocktail bartenders were just, I was watching them make these cocktails. And they're just to the highest standard. And in Saigon, especially, there's a new cocktail bar opening every single week, there's a new coffee shop opening every single week, and the staff and the service are at the highest order. Where is that coming from? How can they continually find not just Any old worker, like people that are highly skilled
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
I think you get a lot of them have been in our sector, the hospitality sector, and then they, they, there is this love in Vietnam of having their own business and then they, they, they, they learn very quickly. from the industry, and then they're going out with a group of friends opening a new cocktail bar, opening a new coffee shop, new restaurants are popping up all the time, not just ones with plastic tables and chairs, but a bit of design, bit of a proper kitchen, and it's going up a level, because they've experienced it. And I think also, another factor we have to remember is a lot of Vietnamese have been able to study overseas. So they've gone and worked while they're studying, at their universities. They've gone and worked in coffee shops, in cocktail bars, in other countries. and then they love that. And then they, they come back and don't imagine that they want to go into banking or whatever they studied. They, they, they, they go and they open their own venues because they've got that knowledge. there's a lot of that. returning knowledge coming back and that's all because Vietnam is so much more open over the last 10 years. It was difficult before, but now there is a, it's a lot more openness and I think that's why it's moving. Yeah,
Niall Mackay:
and you mentioned recruiting the staff for your upcoming resort, which is not open yet, but we, you're the managing director of the YFAFO Resort. Tell me, what does the name mean? Cause you've told me this before off, off air and tell me a bit about your resort. Cause it's a little bit different to your usual place, right?
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
yeah, we're, we're, we're hoping so. We're, we're, the, the name came from FIFO is the original name of Hoi An. And then, our partner and chairman of our, of our company, is the, the water supplier in Quang Nam. He's the Guangnan Water, Company. And so we've put his water together with, FIFO to, to combine, what we're about, what our DNA is. That's where, where FIFO came from. Our resort, we're really doing everything to celebrate Hoi An and celebrate Vietnam. We have other projects coming in the future, but everything we do in this resort has to be about Hoi An. It can be modern Hoi An, it could be ancient Hoi An. But everything has to celebrate and be an immersion about, the destination and be true to the destination, which is really exciting. We've got some great F& B. We've got some amazing wellness concepts that we're, that we're bringing into Central Vietnam. which aren't currently available in central Vietnam. and that we'll be introducing, through July, September, when we, when we do our opening. And to give access to some of that, that, that new technology, which is available in wellness as well.
Niall Mackay:
And this again is something that people maybe coming to Vietnam would not expect. They're coming, they maybe think they're going to get the fish massage when you put your feet in a fishbowl, which I've barely ever seen. I think that's more of a Thai thing than Vietnam. Maybe there's a couple of places in Vietnam, but this is why I love it about it. You'll come to Vietnam and You will love all the traditional stuff that you'll see, the plastic stools on the streets, having a beer on the street, having some food on the street. you could do that for lunch and then for dinner you could be going out to a five star restaurant and having some of the nicest cocktails you've ever had. So to Vietnam, you'll love it, you'll be surprised and make sure that you get to Hoi An.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
Yeah, if you, if you, if you dodge Hoi An, then you haven't seen Vietnam in my opinion. Yeah. but that's pretty parochial because like you, I, I arrived somewhere seven years ago and didn't move. So it's, yeah, it's the longest I've stayed anywhere in my career. So that's how much I've fallen in love with, with, with Hoi An. Yeah.
Niall Mackay:
And boy, and I've traveled the world, I'm from Scotland originally, I've lived in America, Australia, New Zealand and this. This is the longest by far I've ever been anywhere, which I said in the beginning, I originally came to Vietnam for six weeks and I'm coming up eight years now. So awesome. And make sure you check out the Y Fafo hotel and get some spa treatments while you're up there. Thank you very much for listening. I've been talking to Peter van der Hoeven from the Y Fafo resort and spa. My name is Niall Mackay and I've been your host. If you want to book some awesome experiences, go to vietnamisawesome. com. Make sure you follow us on Facebook and social media as well. If you get any questions and just reach out, I will try my best to answer them. Somebody emailed me recently asking for some tips on what to do in Hanoi. I've actually not spent much time in the north. Vietnam. But I will try my best to find some answers for you. And the biggest thing of all, if you like this episode, please share it with other people, share it on social media, let other people know if they want to learn more about Vietnam and come here, they have to listen to the Vietnam is Awesome podcast first. So thank you very much. And Peter, I will see you up in Hoi An soon.
Pieter Van Der Hoeven:
Looking forward to it. And I'll find a couple more bars for you.