
Vietnam Accommodation: Staying in a Homestay
Accommodation can often make or break a travel experience. Finding the right place to stay and the right type of accommodation to stay in can help to guide an entire experience in the right direction. While we aren’t going to touch on the black hole that is accommodation choice throughout Vietnam… we will touch on one of the most popular forms of accommodation, something that is popping up more and more throughout the country

The Homestay Experience in Vietnam
There’s no mystery to the term, it explains its nature within its name. A homestay is quite literally a converted house that has been opened (and government approved) for lodging foreign guests. Rooms may range from quaint single-bed quarters to lavish, multi-room suites with balconies, kitchens, private living areas, and more. Generally there is a meal included (usually breakfast), a common area to relax in, and much more interaction between owners and guests than there would be in a traditional hotel. Additionally, homestays are often located a bit off the beaten path, providing guests a much more authentic and intimate experience.

Why Choose to Stay in a Homestay?
While there are many reasons people choose to stay in homestays, there are a few key elements. The main reason people choose to stay in a homestay is generally for the experience. Homestays provide unique insights into everyday life in Vietnam, from morning rituals and daytime routines to the quiet hours of the early evening when most people get back from work. Staying in a homestay not only puts local life on display, but it immerses the visitor in that life, providing a rich, rewarding (interactive) experience. Participating in daily activities, engaging in conversations about life in Vietnam, making new friends, and opening oneself up to new experiences and foreign cultures… it’s all part of the homestay encounter.

People also choose to stay in homestays for the location. While big name resorts and hotels line the more popular areas of town, homestays are generally located, well, near local homes! Instead of staying within the busy tourist districts of a destination, homestays put guests in the heart of villages, down tiny lanes, amidst farm lands and rice paddies, or far off the beaten path. The homestay experience opens up an entirely new view on a destination, one that enables visitors to see beyond the “must-sees” and “must-dos” that always find themselves on travel checklists. In fact, some of the most unique and memorable experiences one can have in a destination (particularly in Vietnam) is far from these touristic areas, in places that most visitors never see. So for the savvy traveller that’s looking to get a bit more local, this may be the perfect accommodation choice for you!

The Different Experiences
The different experiences one can encounter while staying at a homestay vary about as much as the destinations do in Vietnam! Urban areas, coastal hubs, highland hideouts, jungle escapes, or mountain retreats… they all offer their own unique homestay experiences. While a homestay in the city may not seem like much, it can actually offer a very unique and different view on life in the concrete jungle. Vietnam is very much so a land of small communities; staying in a homestay within the city will open up the tiny lanes and hidden alleyways that you’d otherwise never dare to venture down for fear of the unknown. As opposed to staying in a standard city hotel, get a real feel for what life is like in the city with a homestay in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi!


Hotel vs. Homestay

Author: Daniel Robbins
Photos: pinata2501, Gunther Van Assche, Jaime Kurtz, Adam Lane, miss shaw