Nguyen Shack Retreat

I am a Yoga teacher from Australia and i was thinking of travelling through Phong Nha and found this beautiful retreat. The owners are very helpful and kind and we got speaking about my passion for Yoga and how we could share ideas about Yoga, Classes, retreat centres. After seeing my enthusiasm they offered me to take few classes and teach what I am passionate about such as meditation and breath work and really give me the freedom to express my own style of teaching which I really am grateful for. This is more than just a retreat centre, nestled away from the business of the town, you can find your solace here, from watching the sun rise from the mountains and waking up to natural sounds of birds and animals will always remain the highlight of my visit to Nguyen Shack Retreat. Family run and great staff who are always there to serve with a smile and looking out for the best interests of the guests. I would definitely be back and highly recommend anyone to come and check out this place and find their peace like i have found here.

The place is very well kept, they have a restaurant, pool beds to sleep in if you arrive early, clean pool, and good bathrooms. The location is great, about 5 min by scooter from the main *****, and it's very quiet at night. The owners, Maxime and his wife are amazing. They are super nice and try to help with anything that could come up for travellers. Maxime also knows everywhere in Vietnam really well and makes excellent food and drinks. The rooms are clean and modern, and provided everything we needed. Would definitely stay here again and spend more time.

This was the best stay in Vietnam. We enjoyed amazing food and a great way to socialise. The room was very big and comfortable. Bicycle and motorbike hire was great. Location still close enough to walk into the town for food (~20 minutes). The host really went above and beyond - even picking us up from the bus stop in town at 3am and we could relax in the hammock to rest until morning.

Everything was so lovely. It was a big room, our family like it. We enjoyed the atmosphere, food was good, fresh, specially people there. Thank you so much. Lovely spot. High recommended!!! I love the wonderful view. Value for money. Truly recommended!

Stayed here the second time during my Vietnam trip because this place is so peaceful and beautiful. Just perfect to have a rest in the middle of busy Vietnam. The bungalows are spaceous and have a big balcony while at the same time they are built in a way that gives you maximum privacy. The staff is unbelievable friendly and helping and food is always good with a fair price. I love this place and highly recommend it!

The images on the website don't do justice to the panoramic hill scape view you get to enjoy from the room and the restaurant. This property is a bit away from the city centre and it's bustle. It is perfect for a quiet getaway, to just relax and unwind. They have a limited menu to choose from, but all of this dishes were really tasty, in fact we never found the need to leave our resort and go explore other restaurants. We were very happy with the food here. If I ever visit Phong Nha again, there is no doubt that i will stay here. The only thing we missed was the swimming pool, it was shut for maintenance, or we sure would have enjoyed a swim overlooking the river and the hills. It was a perfect 3 days here!

The resort is isolated; lost between rice paddies, mountains, and a lake. That means it is perfect if you are looking for peace and intimacy, but it also means there is no option at walkable distance for food or pharmacy or party. There is a restaurant onsite. The menu and prices seem to have changed since the pandemic. We were not impressed by the size of the breakfast plates, nor the price of beer, but the dinner we had was good, a big portion, and reasonably priced. There is a huge pool shaped like a sailboat. The water was not the cleanest I have seen in my life, but it was clean enough. If I had kids, I would let them play in the water without being worried. We enjoyed cooling down there after a long day of cave hunting and moppet riding under the sun. We took the bicycles and went to town to buy stuff and to find food. Getting to town on a bicycle takes about 15 minutes (don't take the highway), and the views on the road are impressive. The bikes looked like they had not been used in a while, but the pool guy cleaned them up and inflated the tires for us between our two outings. The staff was welcoming and helpful. They helped us with our bags. They lended us a motorbike which was in good shape. They booked the bus tickets for our next destination, and organized the transport to get to the bus station. They were flexible with the check-out time. The room we had (#104) was one of the 2 floors concrete cottages with the big windows. The floors were a little dusty when we arrived, but someone came to clean the room mid-stay and everything was fine after that. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom was clean and the shower pressure and water heater worked well. The A/C and ceiling fans worked well. The Wifi worked well. There was a nice little indoor living room, and a big outdoor patio / lounge upstairs. The view from inside and outside was fantastic. Phong Nha is a nice little village, and the caves and mountains are worth the detour. I recommend staying at Nguyen Shack if you are looking for a unique experience in a very special location, but you should be prepared to take a bike or a scooter if you want to visit the attractions in the area.

We stayed here for a week whilst we explored Phong Nha and went caving. The staff were so helpful and accommodating, and had upgraded us to a nicer room when we arrived! We had a spacious comfy room overlooking the lake/field, and it was lovely to watch the cows and buffalo meander through it every day from our room. It was such a lovely peaceful stay - a really great place to relax and see the local area from. They also gave us early check in off the night bus which made such a difference for our arrival day.

This is more like camping than a resort or a hotel. We didn’t see our host till our third day. By then we’d also been rented a broken motorcycle, faulty ac, dirty room and mattress with termites, cold shower, closed restaurant and despite all these issues it was appalling how unapologetic the host and staff was. Mostly abandoned “eco-resort” with hardly any other guests around and absent staff.