Yen Tu & MGallery Legacy: The Most Spiritual Place in Vietnam

At the end of JB’s recovery in Nha Trang, we return to Hanoi for a month. Due to our very busy schedule, we only have one long weekend to recharge our batteries. Having lost a lot of energy in that “surprise” surgery story, we all (my parents & us) need to recharge. That’s when I think back to a 5-star hotel not far from Hanoi whose photos made me dream a few years ago: Mgallery Legacy Yen Tu (Booking link).

Note: we paid for everything out of our own pockets

Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Journal

Yen Tu is a name that vaguely rings a bell. I don’t know what it is, but I know people often go there. It’s after booking the hotel and inviting my parents that I learn I’ve chosen the most spiritual place in Vietnam, with the most energy. It’s the place Buddhist pilgrims choose to show their faith. It’s said you have to climb to the top of Yen Tu, on foot, 3 years in a row, to see your wishes come true.

You could say fate works in mysterious ways. Or maybe things happen when you need them most. Because there are plenty of 5-star hotel choices within 3 hours of Hanoi.

The hotel I spotted is called MGallery Legacy (Booking link). It was previously a Sofitel. After a few years, it was renovated and became MGallery, still part of the Accor group.

I saw a photo of this place within the hotel. That’s what really struck me, and I saved the location to go there one day. For those not familiar with Asian architecture, this place instantly evokes a royal palace. Since the royal palace in Hué is half destroyed, finding a place that mimics a royal palace like this is unique!

Day 1:

Anyway, thanks to the proximity to Hanoi (2.5 hours by car), this time we can leave at a decent hour (8:30 am) instead of leaving the capital at dawn like other times. The road leading there is excellent, and I manage to extend my night by sleeping until we arrive.

The Legacy Yen Tu complex includes this 5-star hotel (royal palace), a huge equestrian estate, overlooking a massive temple. Next to it is the “village,” shops shaped like countryside houses, and a 3-star hotel mimicking a peasant village. It’s very well done; you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The presence of a fake royal palace references King Tran Nhan Tong (13th century), who abdicated to become a monk. He retreated to this mountainous area, spent time in 16 different pagodas, before settling at the top of a nearby mountain. He founded a Buddhist branch called “Trúc Lâm Yên Tử.” Thanks to his story, very similar to Buddha’s, Tran Nhan Tong holds a very important place in the hearts of Vietnamese Buddhists.

Upon arriving at Yen Tu, we’re impressed by the many mountains, with no signs of human activity. Looking at a miniature, we later realize we’re in the middle of a valley. The hotel complex occupies the entire valley, hence the flat terrain, surrounded by ever higher mountains. Being a bit congested before the trip, I was very tired, but I feel recharged with energy upon arrival. The pure mountain air did me a world of good. They weren’t lying: the place is full of energy.

Thanks to JB’s Accor Gold status (obtained through an Accor promotion), we get access to our rooms right away, no waiting, even though we arrive 3 hours before the usual check-in time. We’re also upgraded by two categories, with a diagonal view of the pool. You don’t realize you’re in the middle of a forest, and apart from this 5-star hotel and a 3-star hotel next door, there are no other facilities.

The hotel’s interior is absolutely luxurious, with plenty of spots for photos. We spend an hour exploring every nook and cranny.

The pool is fabulous, the water comes from a spring, is spacious, with three well-hidden jacuzzi areas, and very comfortable.

The lobby

The bar

In March, we stayed at a similar hotel, of the “Retreat” category, and we can’t help but compare them.

Both are in the middle of a forest, but the other hotel loses its shine compared to this one. At the other hotel, you’d find insects and spiders roaming the balcony (or even inside the room), birds making so much noise you wake up at 6 am, a fake calm hidden under a “far from the world” location. Here, it’s impeccable: no insects, not even mosquitoes. The birds are there, but very discreet. It seems all living beings here meditate too; they’re calm. The luxury of our room and facilities perfectly complement the serenity of the surrounding nature. Instead of feeling bored, we feel a sense of peace. Sometimes rain falls, suddenly, intensely, only to reveal a few rays of sunshine, then falls again. With our door wide open to the balcony and the forest, we listen to the music of the rain. There’s nothing else but the sound of rain.

Some elements of the room are covered with a thin layer of bronze.

This references the all-bronze pagoda at the top of the highest mountain, Yen Tu. Indeed, every time we cross the walkway leading to the lobby, we glimpse the summit of a very tall mountain. In the evening, we see a light at the top. And we know that behind that mountain, there’s an even higher mountain, where that famous solid bronze pagoda stands.

We visit the spa area. It consists of an “onsen” section with spring water heated to 45 degrees, a hammam, a sauna, and a room full of Himalayan salt rocks.

Honestly, if we hadn’t planned to visit another onsen near Ha Long, we might have chosen that one (paid). I’m blown away by the perfection of the spa, its architecture, its micro details, and its decoration that I opt for a facial and convince JB to get a foot massage. On weekdays, prices are 20% off.

My treatment room overlooks a lake, with a bronze bathtub right in front of the window. I don’t know if it’s the fatigue or the quality of the facial massage, but I almost fall asleep during the treatment, which rarely happens to me.

In the evening, at 8 PM, after dinner at the hotel restaurant, there’s a show at the “village.” We’re taken there by electric car. The village is more of a place to make us spend: not-so-great massages, souvenir shops, small stalls, small restaurants… it’s cute, but not essential.

Day 2:

We start the day with a superb all-you-can-eat buffet like the Vietnamese do so well. JB, who has recovered his appetite and digestion, is delighted. I enjoy it a bit less because I’m still a little sick.

I’m glad I booked two nights at this hotel instead of one night like most guests. First, because I know I’m really exhausted, and second, because it always takes two nights for a real break and to recharge. One night is too short: I barely have time to arrive, explore the place, sleep, and the next day I have to pack my bags again. The guests at this hotel are special too, not ordinary people just seeking a luxury experience. Going to Yen Tu is more for the believers.

That’s why the hotel has a vegan restaurant and offers yoga and meditation sessions from morning to night. I spot a meditation with Tibetan singing bowls on the list and sign up the whole family. Even my father, who was hesitant, attended the meditation session.

We even get a private session because no one else signed up. My mother has a singing bowl at home bought in Nepal, directly from the manufacturer. I was treated in France with a Tibetan bowl once. So I’m very curious about what they’ll have us do in this session. Contrary to what we imagined, a lady gives us a real lesson on Tibetan bowls: how to use them, how to meditate with them, which sounds to favor depending on the goal, etc. We each get a bowl, and the same bowl can produce two different sounds when used by two people. By listening to the sound of each of our bowls, she’s able to give us accurate insights into our personalities. She even detects my father’s hesitation: he’s the only one who hesitated to come to the class. It’s mind-blowing!

The sound of the singing bowls must have done us good because after the session, the whole family feels energized. We take our car towards Ngoa Yen, the mountain where the ancient king settled. We pass several lakes, but when we arrive, it’s pouring rain. We’re told there’s a power outage. It’s not the impressive rain, typical tropical forest rain, that worries us… but it’s the cable car. Even if the power comes back, the cable car company is perfectly capable of cutting the power mid-ride to avoid lightning, and we could get stuck in a cabin in the middle of the forest.

The Vietnamese will explain this event as “fate.” Maybe it’s not the right time to go, or JB and I are not yet allowed to go there.

We circle the lake and arrive at another lake. We can see access to another king’s tomb on a small island in the middle of the lake.

Nearby are tombs of other members of the Tran royal family. This whole area was only discovered in the 1980s. The French, who dig everywhere and discover everything, never set foot here. It’s truly impressive because it’s a huge valley, hidden by mountains, yes, but much lower mountains than what we’ve seen in the North, and the surrounding areas are densely populated. What magic could have hidden this place from tomb robbers, colonizers, and even other dynasties after the Tran? This area is truly extraordinary.

A man, while walking in the area, saw incredible energy rising from the ground. He had a temple built. No one takes care of it, but his disciples have access and come to clean from time to time. They can borrow the key to meditate alone or bring the sick. My mother brought two people with depression, and after a day or night, both returned to Hanoi, cured.

We return to the hotel and I opt for another massage. Because I love the spa too much, I don’t know why 😀 it’s my favorite place in the hotel. This time, I’m given the treatment room with a lotus bathtub (made of stone).

The treatment consists of an oil massage, then rubbing with pouches filled with medicinal herbs. It feels so good, especially when it’s raining outside (with lightning and thunder). After this massage, I’m definitely cured.

In the evening, we join a candle meditation session. The perfect recipe for a good night’s sleep.

Day 3: The Ascent

I remember asking our meditation teacher which place was the most spiritual, with the most energy at Yen Tu, and she replied: of course, it’s the tower containing the relics of King Tran Nhan Tong. Everyone aims for the bronze pagoda, but those “with abilities” know it’s the tower.

Following his directions, and despite the morning rain, we decide to go anyway. At 7:30 a.m., it stops raining, we have breakfast, and the hotel takes us by electric car to the base of the cable car at 9 a.m.

Three of us are going for the first time. My mother, the only one who knows about the obstacle course, forgets to warn us that the path is long and a bit sporty. Since there are cable cars, we thought it would be as easy as Sapa. So JB wears sandals and a Lacoste polo, I’m in a traditional linen outfit; instead of being in hiking mode. JB will say later that I set him up hahaha

We pay 320,000 VND/person for both cable cars (round trip). The first ride is already breathtaking. We realize the size of our hotel complex (the whole valley, I told you), and struggle to see other human constructions in the distance.

I move all around the cabin until I notice the floor is transparent. I scream in horror and stay seated for the whole ride 😀

The first stop is the tower containing the king’s relics. I probably lack the ability because I don’t feel a particularly strong energy compared to other places in the area, but I take the time to walk around it several times, as advised. Frangipani flowers perfume the place.

We arrive at a first pagoda, after a very steep staircase…

before continuing the ascent to the ‘one roof’ pagoda (Chua Mot Mai), nestled against a huge rock. There is a water source inside, and we are allowed to drink it or use it to refresh our faces.

We keep walking to the second cable car. The clouds arrive faster than us, and the ascent is entirely in the clouds. We can’t see anything at all. I’m really afraid the clouds will be as thick at the top, but they aren’t.

Thanks to the clouds, the air is cooler, and as soon as we reach the top, at the Bronze Pagoda, everything clears up at once. Breathtaking landscapes spread out before us. 270° of mountains, peaks, forest…

The bronze pagoda looks smaller than in photos. It is entirely bronze, hence its name: Chua Dong. Located on the highest mountain, it has never been struck by lightning. It is so tiny that you can’t enter it, but offerings are left right in front. We are lucky enough to take photos of the whole pagoda. Usually, there’s always a crowd in front. Today, people are more occupied and absorbed by the views.

To go down, instead of passing by another recent bronze statue, we take the same path in reverse. We learned, after Sapa, not to linger in uninteresting places. We hear a lady coming up thanking Buddha for the favorable weather. Others breathe heavily and ask every 10 meters if they’ve arrived. Among these believers, some must have walked the whole way, stopping at every pagoda. There’s another route, with a cable car too, from another town. Anyway, this pagoda is the pride and pilgrimage site of the whole region. It’s strange that I only hear about it now. Maybe like the royal tombs, this place is only revealed to me when I’m ready / when I really need it?

We return to the hotel around 12 p.m., completely drenched in sweat, but happy, because now the clouds are gone and the cable car rides are even more impressive. Again, thanks to JB’s Gold status, we got a checkout at 2 p.m. So everyone could take a nap (or go to the pool) before getting back in the car, heading to Ha Long.

Part 2: Practical Tips

Budget

• My parents rented a car, but you can pay for a ‘Limousine’ service to get there (contact the hotel)
• MGallery Legacy Yen Tu (Booking link) :
  • between €80 and €120/night for the cheapest room (it costs less on weekdays), breakfast included
  • about €200/night for a room like ours, breakfast included
  • count €10 to €15/meal/person at the hotel – otherwise go to the hotel village, it’ll be cheaper
  • massage: about €50/hour, but it’s really worth it
• Cable car: 320,000 VND/person for both cable cars, round trip