Phi Nga, a spa manager in District 1, is happy to pay US$100 a month for membership at one of the city’s top fitness centers, because she says the services are value for money.
Nga goes to the center at Sofitel Hotel every day after work to exercise.
“I’ve built many relationships at the fitness center and learnt precious tips for my career,” Nga said.
The number of Vietnamese in HCMC who are prepared to pay top dollar to join gyms and fitness classes is increasing.
The market has opened up since the days when only foreigners could join, or hotel gyms were only open to guests.
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FITNESS CENTERS IN HCMC
- California Wow Xperience: Floor 5, Parkson Plaza, Hung Vuong Street, District 5 or Floor 1, Nguyen Du Sport Center, Nguyen Du Street, District 1
- Saigon Yoga: 10F Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1
- Labor Culture Palace: 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1
- Dang Ngoc Spa: 1 Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street, District 1
- Yoga Secret Club: 70 Truong Quoc Dung Street, Phu Nhuan District
- Nhat Dang Nhi Da: 261A Nguyen Van Troi Street, Ward 10, Phu Nhuan District |
Now they are catering to wealthy locals, especially business women, because the centers are also a great place to relax and meet people.
Kim Chi, 35, who works for a foreign pharmaceutical company, said the service at her gym is so good she’d pay three months’ salary to join for the year.
“I used to be too lazy to exercise properly but now I train every day,” Chi said about the gym at the New World Hotel Saigon. “It’s my favorite part of the day.”
There is an unwritten rule that the highest ranked centers are attached to expensive hotels such as Park Hyatt, New World, Legend, Sofitel and Landmark, with high yearly membership prices of $900 to $2,000 a year.
Meanwhile, there’s competition on its way as several new centers emerge.
Yearly membership at California Wow Xperience (CWX), for instance, costs about $1,000 a year.
The new breed of gyms is offering unique services to attract customers:
Yoga is a fairly recent addition in HCMC with Saigon Yoga, for example, charging $800 for a year’s membership, while CWX offers BodyCombat that uses dance music in combination with Taekwondo, and Body Balance which combines yoga and Pilates.
New, cheaper centers are opening up too.
The fitness center in Labor Culture Palace charges VND260,000 ($15.75) a month for 12 exercise classes and the one at Dang Ngoc Spa costs VND420,000 ($25.46) a month for 24 classes.
The owner of Dang Ngoc Spa, Nguyen Thu Ha, said the demand was surging but some of the other cheaper centers didn’t provide value for money because their services weren’t good.
The director of Nhat Dang Nhi Da Club, Nguyen Thi Thanh Van, agreed with Ha saying cheap prices often meant average facilities and trainers.
Van’s club charges VND360,000 ($21.80) for 24 classes.
“People have to set a purpose for training. They should choose the sport that suits their health and body,” Van said.
Van also suggested customers should find centers near their house to save time and money on transport.
“If you want to choose a center, you should try it out first to see if the facilities and trainers suit your needs.”
Good trainers
Ha said that she doesn’t want to learn yoga from foreign trainers because she can’t thoroughly understand their instructions and the practice is precise.
“Many young people like to learn with foreign teachers but not every foreigner can teach well.”
Ngoc My, a yoga practitioner, said learning yoga requires mutual understanding between teacher and student.
Le Thi To Hai, a yoga teacher who studied overseas, said the sport has become popular for people who want healthy food for their mind.
The sport can be practiced by any one at any age, Hai said.
“Yoga is not a kind of medicine but a lifestyle, which helps you reorder your busy life and balance your body.”
Reported by Lan Anh – Thu Thuy |
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