Da Lat Vietnam 7 days / 6 nights
Traditional Buddhist practice with a Vietnamese monastic teacher. Taught in English, with consecutive Russian interpretation. A small group, five full days of practice, a venue closed to everyone but us.
Mid and late October
6–12 people
$770
English + Russian
The practice stays serious and complete. Everything around it is considered — sleep, food, sitting, language, travel — so your attention goes into the practice rather than into logistics.
Five full days of practice, early morning to evening
Noble silence
Sitting and walking meditation
Dharma talks and questions to the teacher
The discipline of a fixed schedule
Proper beds and highland cool — 18–24 °C around the clock
A prepared hall: cushions, benches, chairs — a seat that suits your back
An environment free of the insects that break practice down on the coast
Vegetarian cooking that is genuinely good and carefully chosen
Full interpretation of the teaching, with terms adapted and explained
Logistics handled: transfer and someone with the group throughout
It's your first Vipassana and you want a serious but humane entry
You already practise and need structure, silence and access to a teacher
You want to understand the terms and the context, not just sit
You're ready for silence, early mornings and no phone
You're looking for a holiday, a spa, a yoga tour or sightseeing
You want to come for a couple of days — the programme works far better in full
You're expecting treatment or psychotherapy — this isn't that
Mac Nhien
The practice and the teaching are led by the monk. Alexander interprets and hosts. We keep those roles explicit so you know who to ask what.. MA in Buddhist Studies, Buddhist University of Bangkok; Theravada training. PhD in Buddhist Studies; research on the nature of human happiness. Studied in India, with a focus on Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. Certified Vipassana / mindfulness meditation teacher. Dharma teacher at the Buddhist college in Nha Trang. Teaches meditation at DaBao temple. Leads all meditation practice and Dharma talks, and is responsible for the content of the Buddhist part of the programme..
Alexander Simonov
MA studies in Buddhist philosophy, Nalanda University. Studies several traditions of Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice. Has received transmissions and instruction in Vajrayana yogic practices. Member of the DaBao community. Consecutive interpretation of the teaching, adaptation of terminology, philosophical context, and all organisation and group communication..
One of the five full practice days
04:45 Wake-up
05:15 Sitting meditation
06:30 Breakfast
07:30 Walking meditation in the pine forest
08:30 Sitting meditation
10:00 Dharma talk with interpretation
11:15 Lunch
12:30 Rest and personal practice
14:00 Sitting meditation
15:15 Walking meditation
16:30 Questions to the teacher
17:30 Light dinner
19:00 Evening sitting meditation
20:30 Close of day
21:30 Silence
Arrival, rooms, orientation, opening ceremony, introduction to the technique.
Five full days of practice. Noble silence, Dharma talks, work with the teacher.
Silence ends, integration, closing ceremony, breakfast together, departure.
A plateau at 1,500 metres, pine forest, cool air year-round. No heat and almost no mosquitoes — the two things that wreck practice down on the coast. The venue is closed for the week: only our group stays there. The teacher and the organisers are housed separately from participants.
Altitude 1,500 m Temperature 18–24 °C DLI airport 40 min
The teacher, the schedule, the technique and the depth of practice are identical. What differs is group size, venue and privacy. Prime is not the better one. It is more space per person and fewer people in the hall. The teaching is the same teaching.
Main format
Small-group format
6 nights accommodation
All meals — three a day
The whole programme: meditation, Dharma talks, ceremonies
Consecutive interpretation into Russian
Group transfer on arrival and departure day: from Lien Khuong airport, from the centre of Da Lat and from the bus station to the venue and back, to a schedule announced in advance
A short individual consultation with the teacher after the retreat
Organisation and on-site support
Cushions and practice materials
Travel to Da Lat — flight or bus
Insurance
Personal expenses
Dana to the teacher — a traditional offering, voluntary
Coming from Nha Trang or Ho Chi Minh City? If several people book from the same city, we'll arrange a shared transfer — tell us when you book and we'll work it out.
We call it a Refundable Reservation Payment rather than a deposit, because until the group is confirmed it comes back in full, no questions asked.
Exact dates will be announced once the venue is confirmed. Until then every pre-booking is refunded in full.
Those are hard monastic practice: large groups, spartan conditions, no direct contact with a teacher, and often a language you only half follow. That is a different stage of the path and valuable in its own right. Here it's seven days instead of ten, a group of up to twelve, conditions that are actually looked after, a teacher you can ask a question, and full interpretation.
Yes. Day one is an introduction to the technique, and the teacher takes you through it step by step. What's hard is usually the silence and the early mornings, not the technique.
Noble silence runs from the evening of day one to the morning of day seven. Questions to the teacher and the interpreter happen in the sessions set aside for them; outside those, only in an emergency. Silence here isn't a restriction — it's the instrument that produces the result you came for.
You hand it in for the practice days. We give your family a number for emergencies.
No. The teaching sits inside the Buddhist tradition, but the practice asks for neither belief nor ritual commitment.
Dana is the traditional offering to the teacher. It is voluntary and sits outside the price of the retreat — participants usually give $50–150. The amount changes nothing: not your work with the teacher, not the terms of your place.
You can leave at any point. The price isn't recalculated.
Vegetarian, three meals a day, the last one light and early. The menu is built to support the practice — clarity and lightness through long sitting, without giving up comfort. You tell us about dietary restrictions when you register.
The retreat involves long sitting and early mornings. If you have anything that needs monitoring or regular medication, write to us before booking and we'll work out how to arrange it.
Apply for a place
How it works: you send a request → we get in touch, answer your questions and check together that the format suits you → we send the payment details for the refundable reservation. Exact dates follow separately; for as long as the retreat is unconfirmed, the payment is refunded in full.
Application sent.