Bang Hot Springs

Deep in the forested mountains southwest of Đồng Hới, steam rises from a stream and never seems to stop. This is Bang Spring, a natural hot mineral source that stands out in this part of the country.

The Quảng Bình tourism department describes the water as reaching a temperature of more than 105 degrees Celsius, and the website of the Bang Onsen Spa and Resort gives the same figure. The closer you climb to the head of the stream, the hotter it gets. That is why steam drifts up through the trees and hangs over the mountain forest.

The same department writes that Bang Spring was discovered during the years of the war. It adds that the water helped restore the health of officials, soldiers and people from the area. That older history lies behind a modern place to visit.

Today the site is the Bang Onsen Spa and Resort, built by the Trường Thịnh Group and opened in August 2023. Onsen is a Japanese word. The resort stands in Bản Chuôn, in Kim Ngân commune. That is in Quảng Trị province, about 45 kilometers southwest of Đồng Hới.

The resort is arranged in three Onsen zones, from the most upscale to the most everyday. The first Onsen is the most upscale of them. It has seven indoor mineral baths, five outdoor baths and a steam room. Guests follow a routine of 11 steps. It begins with a rinse and a soak in a hot mineral bath, kept between 38 and 42 degrees Celsius. It goes on through a micro bath, a nano bath and the steam room, and ends in a cold mineral bath at 16 to 18 degrees.

The second Onsen is gentler. It centers on indoor mineral baths, wet and dry steam rooms, and a relaxing low-frequency music service.

The third Onsen is the liveliest. It has an open-air water park with slides, play areas for children, and a roofed soaking bath in the Onsen style. It is the zone for families with small children.

One spot is worth remembering. It is the zone where the hot Bang and the cold Bang meet, and the water there is about 40 to 45 degrees Celsius. That is a mild range, warm enough for a long soak and neither too hot nor too cold.

Between the Onsen zones stand six restaurants and cafés in Japanese style. The damp air from the spring and the smell of coffee mingle among the trees.

Quảng Bình has long been known for its caves and beaches. Bang Spring offers another feeling: warm mineral water, steam spreading across the surface of the stream, and the quiet of the forest all around.