Sustainability in Action at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Six Senses Ninh Van Bay Nha Trang
An idyllic and blissful haven set on an island offshore, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is famed as one of the most luxurious hideaways in Southeast Asia. Guests at the resort are treated to the ultimate in privacy, seclusion and personal service, providing a blissful getaway for the discerning traveler.
The company believes that having a resort in an isolated and wild place comes with a responsibility to minimize the footprint on the land it occupies. As a result, it has an all-encompassing sustainability policy in place that extends across the entire operation. From producing its own drinking water, recycling where possible, minimizing the ‘food miles’ of the cuisine and growing much of its produce needs in the organic garden, it is proof that operating a great resort does not have to come at the expense of the environment!
It begins with the buildings themselves, both in their construction and operation. The use of renewables such as local, sustainably grown timber and thatching during the construction phase is coupled with utilising natural light and ventilation. Energy efficient light fittings and appliances are installed throughout to minimise power consumption while the prestigious Beach Front Villas all have their own solar hot water systems, which is a simple and effective way of reducing power usage.
The kitchen uses as much local produce as possible and the company is very concious of the ‘food miles’ concept. As a result, packaging such as boxes is returned to suppliers for reuse, and garden plots grow much of the resort’s organic fruit, vegetables and herbs. To use food waste more efficiently, much of it is composted to fertilize the gardens and a chicken farm is being created. It will use kitchen food pulps to help support the poultry in a “farm to table’ process that supplies the kitchen with both eggs and meat.
Water is one of the resort’s critical needs, and 6 Senses has its own bottling plant on site. To minimize the use of plastic packaging, no water is brought in from the mainland and the highest international standards are applied to the water treated by the desalination plant. Producing at least 200cu mts every day, it uses both well and rain water for consumption, domestic use and irrigation for the farm and gardens. Grey water is also treated for use in the gardens while planting native vegetation is standard practice as they require less irrigation. Drinking water is bottled in their own special glass containers to further eliminate the need for plastics. These important principles of ‘Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’ are actively pursued across all areas of the island.
Being just meters from the shore and nearby coral reefs, the resort is committed to the ‘Green Fins’ snorkeling practices and actively discourages the taking of shells and corals, standing on corals or the feeding of fish. Being very serious about protecting the both the marine and terrestrial environment , it has employed the services of Anna Hastings, a trained Marine Conservation Officer who is actively working on better ways to look after the superb natural resources the resort is blessed with.
Management are constantly on the look-out for new and effective ways of improving and making the property more efficient and eco-friendly, and know these efforts are appreciated by guests. They have shown that it is possible to run one of Vietnam’s best resorts in a very isolated location, yet maintain the highest standards of sustainability with no reduction in service quality. It indeed sets a benchmark and offers a template others would do well to follow!
Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
