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H
omestay and community
-based tourism models are a
mainstay of the worldwide
tourism industry. This style
of travel allows visitors to stay with
a local family for a true insight into
their everyday life. The concept has
become more popular in recent years,
thanks in part to the fact that it ties
tourism, the environment and com-
munity together.
PROMISING DESTINATIONS
Ten years ago, Hanoi was the first
place in Vietnam which allowed people
to host a homestay for foreigners. Now,
homestays are appearing everywhere
throughout the country. Spending
nights in stilt houses in the mountain-
ous provinces such as Ha Giang, Lao
Cai, Bac Kan or Son La, or in simple
bungalows in the Mekong Delta is now
on many people’s itineraries.
Ta Van, a village 8km from Sapa in
Lao Cai province, has around 40 house-
holds providing homestays for tourists.
Ly Thi Lin and her son Luc Van Loi have a
two-storey wooden house for rent. “We
usually have tourists staying here and
sometimes NGO staff,” said Lin.
Lin’s house welcomes two guests
per night, on average. Some houses
have tens of guests every day.
While Loi takes tourists around to
introduce local culture and life to them,
his mum stays at home preparing a
meal, which is sometimes simply a bowl
of Vietnamese noodles with pork meat
(instead of chicken or beef like in cities)
and some drinks.
The house is traditional, with many
everyday items hanging on the walls,
such as a bunch of dry rice and a tradi-
tional costume. All such houses are very
clean with standard toilets, mattresses
and curtains to satisfy the basic accom-
modation needs of tourists.
Experiencing community based
tourism in the Mekong Delta is highly
Top class hotels and resorts may provide visitors
to Vietnam with plenty of options for comfortable
trips with high-class facilities and services, but if
you really want a local taste of life here, a homestay
is hard to beat, writes
Hong Nhung
Authentic travel
CLOSEUP
Tourists try the hand at one of the steps of rice production