The fact about Homestay Vietnam - An interesting experience

During a trip to Vietnam, it is possible to immerse yourself in the local day and night times by sharing a home with the inhabitant. Staying at a homestay in Vietnam is not only reserved for seasoned hikers but is accessible to any traveler wishing to live with authentic and impressive experience.
 
From the North to the South of Vietnam, housing is quite expensive in the mountain villages both in the area of the north and around Hue in the Center as well as in the small localities of the Mekong Delta.
 

Why is homestay? 

Homestay is an unprecedented and rewarding experience from every point of view.
First of all you will be closer to the local life and the nature with fabulous surrounding landscapes. It would be the great time to escape from the hectic atmospheres of the big cities and immerse in a bowl of fresh air! The tour leads you to the unique and typical locations of these small local communities: forgotten temples, small pagodas filled with incense smoke, communal houses, village schools or school children in uniform studying with their teachers or the rustic farmers working on their farms.
 
Get closer to local life with market-going experience.
Get closer to local life with market-going experience.
 
These places are said to be the essence of a country. They are maybe not as popular for mass tourism as the national famous sites but are often discovered by the private travellers. If your children accompany you in your trip to Vietnam, they will get a chance to experience a simpler and more rustic way of life in the homestay and to share with children of their age the universal ball games or kite. They can just play together without knowing anything about each other.
 
Chat more to the host via the cozy meal with specifics
Chat more to the host via the cozy meal with specifics.
 
Adults will be curious to know about the small details of everyday life activities and to spend the evening joining in the diner with a local Vietnamese family. It will be the time for you to learn the secrets of local cuisine, animal breeding, local customs and traditions that have a long shaped life of the countrymen.

Paying for a trip to share a few hours of life of a village family, to prepare and share a typical meal which is said to be one of the country's specialties or to participate in a vigil with its hosts to get simple pleasures and warm.
 
Communicate closely to the local life when homestay is often placed among nature.
Communicate closely to the local life when homestay is often placed among nature.
 
The tour will be accompanied by our professional guide speaking your language aiming at facilitating exchanges and contacts between tourists and the locals, thus, help you to find opportunities to embark on even the deepest corners of local geography and culture.

How to live in homestay? 

It is important to consider to live in a homestay where the living condition is simpler and more rustic than other styles. We have just mentioned the advantages of living in homestay including human contacts and natural immersion but it is an undeniable fact that a homestay is more inconvenient than a hotel. Travelers must be aware of this in order to be ready for a trial life.

Normally, homestay are often simple houses made of wood with many piles located on the hills or mountains. The accession between different rooms is often via a small staircase. The main room is used for co-sleeping. Depending on the region and the customs, the sleeping room can be separated or not. Curtains are also equipped to allow travelers to have more privacy. Mattresses are placed on the wooden floor and mosquito nets are provided for the night. Blankets are available in the winter. However, it is suggested that you bring along a sleeping bag.
 
A sharing floor at the stilt-houses with very basic accommodation.
A sharing floor at the stilt-houses with very basic accommodation.

Traditionally, cooking area is separated from living area, which is often an additional part of the house. Travelers can participate in the daily meal to learn more about the local cuisine. Tourists can join in preparing and having meal with their hosts for more interesting experiences.

Bathrooms are equipped with hot water and toilets, and are usually arranged on the west side of the dwellings. The dwellings providing water for local life are located in an advantage location within beautiful natural landscapes and close to streams. Dwellings are often simple in appearance and decoration ,which is different between kind of ethnic groups and the social position of your hosts. In any case, our tour guide will be available to share your experience, to facilitate exchanges with the intimate local. It is also important that visitors during their journey respect the local customs while admiring natural and cultural beauty.
 
Placed among the mountains and jungles, homestay is often colder in the winter.
Placed among the mountains and jungles, homestay is often colder in the winter.
 
Depending on the season, it may be necessary to bring warm clothes and also a sleeping bag. These belongings are especially in need when you stay in the northern mountain area. Your toiletries will also be vital for your comfort and hygiene. The above suggested activities during your stay at an inhabitant homestay are vary depending on the regions and ethnicities.
 

Some typical homestays in Vietnam

Firstly, we have to mention to the houses on stilts in the hill-tribe villages that embellishes to the imposing scenes of the highlands. You will meet these houses, almost in the Northern regions as Ha Giang, Sa Pa, Mai Chau, Moc Chau, Pu Luong, Mu Cang Chai…, sometimes in the central highlands of Buon Me Thuot, Dak Lak and Bo Hoong. 
 
The typical stilt-house of the highlands in Vietnam.
The typical stilt-house of the highlands in Vietnam.

Secondly, riverside homestay is very popular with the life of Mekong Delta. Rudimental built from wood and palm leaved on the banks, Mekong Delta homestay is often beautiful and viewable to the river. It is more comfortable than the houses in the highland with cool air from Mekong and advantage facilities of the delta. You can use the available bicycles to stroll around village or boats to explore some narrow canals.
 
Mekong Delta is often located on the bank of the river and enclosed by the tropical garden.
Mekong Delta is often located on the bank of the river and enclosed by the tropical garden.

Finally, the best homestay services in Vietnam appear in the tourism cities as Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, Da Lat, and Ho Chi Minh. Thanks to the conditions of the developed cities, these homestay is rarely restful. They are often full of facilities like in standard hotel with air-condition, private balcony, mini-fridge, hair dryer… The differences between homestay there and hotel is that homestay serves less than 10 rooms and you can easy to chat with the host or cook by yourself at the kitchen.
 
Ninh Binh homestay is rustic, but amazing with the view to natural swamp and limestone rocks.
Ninh Binh homestay is rustic, but amazing with the view to natural swamp and limestone rocks.
 

Notes when visiting the villages in Sapa

  • On the way to the villages, if you come across a makeshift gates and above are tied with knives, wooden swords or heads, chicken wings ... you should move to another place. Because at that time, the village was organizing spiritual cultural activities and did not want to be invaded by strangers. Such festivals usually take place in February or June, July lunar calendar every year.
  • In particular, you do not laugh, talk loudly and should to be slow, elegant, respect the inherent tranquil landscape.
  • When seeing children, no matter how much you love babies, you should not rub their heads. Because, rubbing their heads and kissing their heads will make them frightened, and they will easily get sickness.
  • When walking around the village in the evening, you should not whistle because, as locals think, the sound of whistling will call the devil back to the village.
  • In each village there is often a very sacred forbidden forest, which is the holy place of worship of the whole village, this place is very clean, beautiful and cool. However, visitors should not stop to rest or eat there because it will violate the gods.

Travel Conversation Questions


Caroline :
Has anyone experienced a self-organised homestay with the Ta Phin village ? If so, how was your experience?
We have 3D/2N in Sapa would like to spend at least 1N in a homestay smiley
Fareastour :

A home stay in Sapa is a wonderful experience. Try to do two nights as this will give you a chance to stay in two different villages with two different minority groups. I suggest you stay one night in Tavan and the second night in Ban Ho laugh

You can organise your homestay when you arrive in Sapa, my advice is to go with a travel company or hotel which gives back to the local community or one that hires local minority guides.

If you need any more assistance please contact me. Thank you wink

Winsford K :

Hi all,
I am planning on visiting Sapa this year at the end of Nov.
Was hoping to do a 2 day trek, I know the rice terraces will be harvested so do you think it is worth holding off this trip to a better time?
I am concerned it will be foggy, muddy and cold.

Sabrina A :

Yes, you might be unlucky with the weather. I can strictly only speak for Bac Ha which I visited last year mid-November, but I was very lucky with the weather. Since and sunny between 18-22 degree Celsius during the day and 12-15 during the night. So cool but not freezing. Even though the harvest was over, the scenery was still green and simply stunning to me. So if you can be flexible with your itinerary, you could check the weather a couple of days before you go and decide based on that.

Winsford K :

Thank you! That sounds like a good plan :)

 



 

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