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DNO - Da Nang is exploring retirement tourism in Tra Van Commune by combining nature-based wellness, Ca Dong cultural experiences and medicinal herb development in a sustainable tourism model.
For decades, the concept of “retirement” was associated with a legal age marking the moment a person officially left the workforce.
However, that understanding has changed significantly. For those who have achieved financial independence, retirement no longer means stopping work entirely. Instead, it involves working less, pursuing different forms of work, and spending more time in seeking new meaning in life.
Individuals once exhausted by the corporate grind now seek to reconnect with their health, family, and nature during retirement.
According to Future Forecast 2026 by The Future Laboratory, newly retired people are increasingly taking the initiative to travel, opting for longer, freer and more exploratory journeys than traditional retirement tourism models.
A survey by Inspired Villages, a UK-based retirement village operator, revealed that nearly a quarter of retirees have taken or are considering long-term journeys to new destinations.
Addressing this gap, Mr. Ben Foo, a Singaporean entrepreneur and sustainable development consultant, who has years of experience working with retirement communities, has proposed a partnership with Tra Van Commune in Da Nang to launch the “Singapore Retirement Village within the Tra Van Medicinal Herbal Park” project.
The model revolves around two parallel pillars: a nature-based wellness and healthcare retreat, and a farm operated according to circular economy principles.
Rather than being separated from the forest, the nature-based wellness will blend into the existing terrain, incorporating waterfalls, streams, wooden walkways winding through the tree canopy, as well as hiking and cycling trails.
The approach will minimize impacts on the forest as well as turn Tra Van’s natural scenery itself into the core value of the visitor experience.
Meanwhile, the circular economy farm demonstrates clear potential when placed in the context of the local area.
Tra Van lies within a key medicinal herb-growing region which is home to cinnamon and the rare Ngoc Linh ginseng of the Nam Tra My highlands. Knowledge of cultivating medicinal plants has been passed down through generations within the Ca Dong community.
According to Mr. Ben Foo, the project is not intended to introduce an unfamiliar industry, but rather to create new layers of value based on existing indigenous knowledge.
What makes the project particularly interesting is its approach to place the Ca Dong community at the center.
A proposed Ca Dong Cultural Center will serve as a living space for the community’s cultural identity, where traditional handicrafts, cuisine and cultural events could be actively introduced to visitors and new residents.
The aim is to maintain the vitality of these values rather than simply putting them on display.
The appeal of the project lies not in its scale or the novelty of another resort, but in its ability to reconcile several goals of protecting forests, developing medicinal herbs, creating a high-quality wellness and retirement destination, and giving the local community an active role throughout the development process.
If gradually brought to life, Tra Van could become an ideal retirement destination where the concept of retirement is rewritten through the rhythms of the forest, medicinal plants and a community identity preserved across generations.