Panhou Retreat Tuyen Quang received the award ‘Asia’s Leading Green Resort 2025’

New milestone of sustainable tourism in Vietnam

Panhou Retreat is a resort that has been operating for over 20 years in the mountains and forests of Hoang Su Phi – Ha Giang (now Tuyen Quang province). The sustainable resort pursues a sustainable development path: zero plastic waste, minimizes energy use and operates sustainably with the cooperation of the local community to preserve indigenous culture.

Leaders of Tuyen Quang province received the local award for having Asia’s leading green resort at the WTA World Travel Awards, 2025.

Therefore, the award marks an important milestone for sustainable tourism in Vietnam. “The award is not only recognition for more than 20 years of persistently pursuing the path of tourism associated with ecological conservation, respect for nature and traditional culture, but also an inspiration for us to continue to be steadfast in our journey of sustainable tourism development. We appreciate and are grateful to the local community of Hoang Su Phi and those who have long accompanied Panhou Retreat to spread good messages and help us achieve this success,” said Mr. David Le – Dai Dai. Visit Panhou Retreat, share.

In 2024, Ha Giang (now in Tuyen Quang) will also be honored as “Asia’s leading cultural destination”.

Panorama of Panhou area in the middle of Hoang Su Phi forest.

With green architectural space and an environmentally friendly operating model, Panhou Retreat becomes an ideal destination for tourists seeking peace, connecting with nature and exploring highland culture. Panhou Retreat is considered a “green oasis” with an architectural style that harmonizes with nature. The entire resort uses bamboo, wood, stone, and cork materials – friendly materials that are easy to decompose and recycle, minimizing concrete and modern technology. The open design helps take advantage of sunlight, air circulation, preserving a quiet space and being close to the outdoors. This is also one of the first 5-star resorts in Vietnam to pioneer in sustainable tourism, promoting responsibility to the community.

In operation, Panhou Retreat adheres to the 3R philosophy: Recycle – Reuse – Reduce (Reduce – Reuse – Recycle), eliminating single-use plastic, replacing it with refillable glass bottles, items made from bamboo stones, wood, and cork that are easy to recycle. Solar energy system, energy-saving sensor lights, cleverly arranged in nature help reduce environmental impact while still ensuring necessary lighting. In particular, more than 95% of the staff are local ethnic people, thoroughly trained in waste classification, refill operations, environmental protection, and equipped with tourism – hotel skills and foreign languages, so that the Red Dao ethnic people and communities in the region can have access to stable and developed job opportunities.

The resort and local people preserve indigenous culture.

Spreading sustainable tourism

Panhou Retreat also maintains an ethnic museum, where traditional costumes and artifacts of the Dao ethnic group are kept. Tourists come here not only to visit but are invited to participate in cultural experiences such as woodcarving, Do paper painting, enjoying traditional tea, meditating in the garden, bathing in medicinal herbs from more than 20 precious highland herbs or walking or cycling through the village. More than 95% of international guests affirmed that they will return when they have the opportunity to come to Vietnam, proving the profound experiences and unforgettable memories that Panhou creates.

In the spirit of community engagement, Panhou Retreat has established the “Panhou Sustainable Development Fund” with a starting capital of 200 million VND, capital is deducted from the revenue of each guest. This fund targets 4 goals: supporting local economic development; Vocational training for local people; planting trees to protect primary forests; Support waste collection projects in sustainable development projects. Thus, every visitor coming to Panhou directly contributes to Hoang Su Phi’s green journey.

From a humble resort hidden in the wilderness, Panhou has always been steadfast on the path of “slow but steady” development, preserving traditional identity and empowering the community. Winning the title “Asia’s Leading Green Resort 2025” from the World Travel Awards (WTA) is not only Panhou’s pride, but also affirms the right direction of sustainable tourism in Vietnam. When nature and culture accompany people to develop good values, destinations in Vietnam can completely shine on the world tourism map.

Inside Panhou’s bungalows.