Meditation Retreats in Vietnam: What a Stay Involves

A meditation retreat in Vietnam means staying at a residential centre and joining its daily timetable. At the Sivananda ashram near Da Lat, that day runs from 6:00am to about 9:00pm: two seated meditation sessions, two yoga and breathing classes, vegetarian meals, and a period of voluntary work around the grounds.

This guide covers what such a stay involves, where these retreats are held in Vietnam, what the meditation practice consists of, and how a residential stay compares with attending weekly classes. For the practice itself, see the separate guide to meditation for beginners.

What happens on a meditation retreat

A retreat is built around a timetable. The hours are set in advance and are the same for everyone staying, so a resident does not plan the day — the day is already planned. Meals, classes and meditation sessions each happen at a fixed time, and residents join the ones they choose.

In the Sivananda system, seated meditation is one of five parts of the practice. The other four are the postures, the breathing exercises, deep relaxation, and diet. A residential stay is where all five appear together in a single day, which is what separates it from a class you attend and then leave.

In practice this shapes three things. Meals are vegetarian, because the kitchen cooks for the whole ashram on those lines. The day starts early, because the first meditation session is at 6:00am. And the postures and breathing exercises appear twice on the timetable, morning and afternoon.

What Sivananda Yoga is

Since the retreat follows one particular system, it helps to know what that system is.

Sivananda Yoga is a form of hatha yoga organised around five points — proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet, and positive thinking with meditation. Its most recognisable feature is a fixed sequence of twelve basic postures, sometimes called the Rishikesh sequence, practised in the same order in every class at every Sivananda centre worldwide. A class runs about ninety minutes and always closes with a guided relaxation.

The system carries the name of Swami Sivananda (1887–1963), who trained as a physician and worked in British Malaya before settling at Rishikesh in India, where he founded the Divine Life Society in 1936. His student Swami Vishnudevananda (1927–1993) set out the five points and the twelve-posture sequence, established the organisation's headquarters in Montreal in 1959, and published The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga in 1960. He held the first yoga teachers' training course in the West in 1969.

Fuller accounts are on the Five Points of Yoga and Four Paths of Yoga pages, and in the guide to yoga for beginners, which walks through all twelve postures.

Where meditation retreats are held in Vietnam

Residential retreats in this tradition run at one site: the ashram on Tuyen Lam Lake, outside Da Lat. The three city centres — Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat and Hanoi — hold regular classes and workshops.

Sivananda Yoga Resort and Training Center

• Address: Hoa Hong Street, Tuyen Lam Lake, Xuan Huong Ward, Da Lat, Lam Dong Province
• Phone: (+84) 263 650 1100
• Email: [email protected]
• Opening hours: 7:30am – 7:30pm
• View on Google Maps

The site sits at roughly 1,500 metres in the Central Highlands, among pine forest at the edge of the lake. Da Lat stays temperate through the year, with daytime temperatures usually in the high teens to low twenties Celsius and cool mornings and evenings. More about the grounds is on the Da Lat Ashram & Health House page.

A day on retreat

This is the ashram timetable. It shifts a little by programme and season.

Two things about this shape are useful to know in advance. The seated meditation sits at either end of the day, opening it and closing it. And the two yoga classes are about eight hours apart, which leaves a long middle stretch for the workshop, the voluntary work and rest.

The meditation practice

The seated practice is simple in form. A resident sits upright at a set hour, brings attention to a single object — most often the breath — and returns to it whenever the mind moves elsewhere.

Two things characterise how it is taught here. The hour is fixed, and that fixed hour is treated as part of the technique. And the sitting is often accompanied by the quiet repetition of a syllable or phrase, which gives attention a steady point to come back to.

The morning and evening gatherings combine that seated period with chanting and a short talk. Attendance is open and participation is optional; no belief or affiliation is expected of anyone staying. Background on what is taught is on the Sivananda teachings page.

Silence as a formal practice

Alongside the general retreat, the ashram runs a programme built around Mouna, or sustained silence, together with study of the tradition's texts. It is a distinct format: the silence is scheduled, and study sessions take up part of the time the general programme gives to workshops.

The format suits people who already have some experience of sitting and want a longer stretch without conversation. Dates and details are on the Vedanta & Silence Meditation page.

Retreats and weekly classes compared

Both follow the same tradition, and the choice between them is mostly about how much of a week you want to give it.

• A class at a city centre runs about ninety minutes and covers the postures, the breathing exercises and the final relaxation. It fits into an ordinary week — practise, then carry on with the day. The full sequence is described in the beginner's guide.
• A residential stay adds the vegetarian diet and the two daily meditation sessions, and puts two yoga classes in the same day. The timetable replaces the usual routine for the length of the stay.

People often do both: classes through the year at one of the centres, and a stay at the ashram once or twice. Class schedules are on the Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat and Hanoi centre pages.

Practical information

Getting to the ashram

• From Lien Khuong Airport (DLI): about 45 minutes by road. Pick-up can be arranged on request.
• From Ho Chi Minh City: about 300 km — by air to Lien Khuong, or an overnight sleeper bus.
• From Nha Trang / Cam Ranh: about 135 km by road.
• From Da Nang: about 660 km; flying is the practical option.

What to bring

Clothing you can move and bend in, and something warm for the early morning and the evening — the 6:00am gathering and the final relaxation both involve sitting or lying still for a while, and Da Lat is cool at both ends of the day. A shawl or light blanket covers this. Bring a mat if you have one; practice is barefoot.

The Guest Information and During Your Stay pages go into more detail.

Programmes, dates and rooms

Programme lengths, room types and current fees change by season, so they live on the Yoga Vacation, Accommodations and Upcoming Courses pages instead of here.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need meditation experience to join a retreat?

No. Residents at every level of experience attend the same gatherings, and the yoga classes are taught with variations for beginners.

Is a meditation retreat the same as a yoga retreat?

At this ashram they are the same programme. The timetable includes both the seated meditation and the yoga classes, so a stay covers both whichever term brought you to it. Programme names and dates are listed on the Yoga Vacation page.

Is the whole retreat in silence?

Not the general retreat. Sustained silence is the subject of the separate Mouna and Vedanta programme.

How long do people stay?

Programme lengths vary, from short stays to multi-week courses. Current options are on the Upcoming Courses page.

Do I have to attend every session?

The timetable runs on schedule and residents join what they choose. Chanting and the gatherings are both optional.

Are the meals vegetarian?

Yes. Proper diet is one of the five points, and the kitchen cooks for the ashram on those lines. Attending a city class carries no dietary requirement.

Can I combine a retreat with teacher training?

The 200-hour teacher training course is a separate residential programme at the same site, with its own schedule and curriculum. Details are on the Yoga Teacher Training Course page.

Further reading: Yoga for beginners · How to meditate for beginners · Yoga in Vietnam · Yoga Đà Lạt · The Five Points of Yoga