DNC HEALTH TOURISM MODEL

Potentials of the health tourism model

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has made people pay more attention to health care and protection. In addition, climate change, serious pollution of the living environment and the emergence of more and more diseases make people more proactive in protecting their health. The need to relieve stress, maintain and promote their health is increasing day by day, so the health care market is growing along with the development of health care tourism.

Vietnam is a country with many advantages to develop health care tourism with a diverse terrain system, including mountains and plains, especially with a favorable strategic location on the sea and islands. Many hot mineral springs and hot mud stretch across the country, and many areas have cool and temperate climates. These are valuable resources and the potentials to develop a type of health care tourism that contributes to enriching high-end tourism products for domestic and international tourists, prolonging their stay and tourist spending.

In recent years, health care tourism products have begun to receive attention and to develop in Vietnam. Besides the resorts that have been developed for a long time, tourism activities are associated with maintaining and enhancing health based on the application of herbal treatments, meditation, yoga, calisthenics, weight loss, spa, mineral water bath, hot water… which are tourism products being invested and exploited. Some provinces and cities such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Thua Thien Hue, Khanh Hoa, Vung Tau… have organized tourism activities associated with health promotion based on the use of mineral spring resources… or leisure activities, yoga, meditation, spa programs at resorts. These activities have marked the presence of health care tourism in Vietnam.

Health tourism is a combination of DNC Hospital and DNC Travel company

At Nam Can Tho University, after researching Vietnam’s health tourism potentials as well as evaluating the DNC ecosystem, the School Council decided to create the DNC Health Tourism model. This model was conceptualized at the end of 2023 and officially operated in August 2024. To build the model, two members of the DNC Ecosystem, DNC Travel Company and Nam Can Tho University Hospital, will coordinate together to plan tour programs combined with medical examinations.

Tour programs are built based on the needs, schedules and sightseeing preferences of tourists. Tour schedules help visitors both save time visiting and participate in sightseeing, leisure, and healing activities outside the hospital. This model, when initially applied, received many positive reviews from visitors, promising to bring a new service and better care to the community.

The Health Tourism model is operated and developed based on the DNC ecosystem platform.

Tourist’s sightseeing and leisure activities will be served based on the DNC ecosystem platform, and visitors will be served staying at the DNC Resort which has been put into operation in early 2024 with 10 bungalows along with many outstanding amenities such as swimming pool and convenience stores to serve the needs of visitors promptly and with the highest quality.

Besides, visitors’ dining needs will also be served by DNC restaurant, which is located on the school’s campus, surrounded by the lakes with private rooms. The DNC restaurant serves many rustic and hygienic dishes, and its dining space is extremely ecological, promising to bring diners special culinary experiences.

Orientations in expanding the health tourism model at DNC.

With the first steps, DNC Travel Company needs to develop an overall development policy on health care tourism along with the country’s general tourism development strategy until 2025 with a vision to 2030. It is necessary to comprehensively evaluate the ability to develop a health care tourism network in order to maximize the strengths of each locality and region and to know the exact needs and characteristics of the customer market so that DNC Travel Company can build appropriate, targeted health care tourism products and serve the needs of tourists.