Homestays in Vietnam, and the two things the word means
On this page
Homestay is the most overloaded word in Vietnamese accommodation. It covers a family guesthouse in Hoi An with air conditioning and a lift, and a mattress on a wooden floor in a stilt house in Pu Luong. The same booking site advertises both with the same word.
Knowing which one you are booking is most of the skill.
What are the two kinds?
A family-run guesthouse, and a bed in someone's house. The first is a small hotel with a family behind the desk, private rooms and a breakfast table. The second is the mountain and delta version: a room in a working house, often shared, and usually with dinner — the island of An Binh at Vinh Long is where that form of it started. Homestays in Vietnam mean one or the other, never a category in between.
The accommodation guide sets both against hotels and hostels nationally. This page is about which to book and what happens once you are there.
| Kind | Where | Price a night | You get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family guesthouse | Cities, coast, Hoi An | 300,000-700,000 a room | A private room, breakfast, help booking |
| Mountain homestay, shared | Mai Chau, Pu Luong, Ha Giang | 150,000-250,000 a person | Mattress, net, dinner and breakfast |
| Mountain homestay, private | Sapa valley, Pu Luong | 250,000-400,000 a person | A room with a door, same dinner |
| Delta homestay | Ben Tre, Vinh Long | 200,000-400,000 a person | Canal, boat, family dinner |
What is the mountain version actually like?
A long room under a stilt-house roof, with mattresses in a row, curtains between them, a mosquito net over each and a fan. Bathrooms are shared, and the hot water is real but finite.
Dinner is the part people remember. Five or six dishes go on one table, the family eats with whoever is staying, and somebody pours rice wine whether or not anyone asked. The food beats anything in the nearest town, because it is what the household eats rather than a menu.
The other thing you get is information. The family knows which path is washed out, which market runs tomorrow and what the weather will do. No booking site carries any of that.
Where does a homestay beat a hotel?
In the valleys, every time. In Sapa, Pu Luong, Mai Chau and Ha Giang, hotels occupy the towns and homestays in Vietnam occupy the fields. The fields are what you came for.
A room in Sapa town sits above traffic and tour desks. A room in Ta Van or Lao Chai, 20 minutes down the valley, opens onto terraces and costs less. The Sapa where to stay page makes the same argument at length for that one valley.
The reverse holds in cities and beach towns, where a homestay is simply a small hotel and the choice comes down to the room.
What does a homestay night cost?
Between 150,000 and 400,000 dong a person in the mountains, and dinner is usually inside that. A private room in a family guesthouse on the coast runs 300,000 to 700,000.
The mountain homestay is the cheapest bed with a meal in the country at those rates, and one of the better-value nights on the trip cost guide. Carry cash, expect no card machine, and ask about the rice wine before assuming it is free.
What should you check before booking?
Whether the room is shared, how far the house is from the road, and whether dinner is included. All three change the night, and listings are vague about all three.
Ask about the bathroom too. In a stilt house, "private bathroom" sometimes means a cubicle at the end of the same room, and that matters more to some travellers than the view does.
What is expected of you?
Shoes off at the steps, a hand in with the plates if the table is clearing, and a decision about the rice wine made early and politely. The etiquette guide covers the rest, and the short version is that a homestay is somebody's home and behaves like one.
Bring a head torch for the walk to the bathroom, earplugs if you are in a shared room, and small notes. And accept the dinner invitation rather than eating in town: it is the reason the mountain homestay exists as a category at all.
FAQ
What is a homestay in Vietnam?
Two different things under one word. In the cities and on the coast it usually means a small family-run guesthouse with private rooms. In the mountains and the delta it means a bed in a family house, often a stilt house, frequently in a shared room with mattresses and mosquito nets.
How much does a homestay cost in Vietnam?
Roughly 150,000 to 400,000 dong a person in the mountains, often including dinner and breakfast, and 300,000 to 700,000 for a private room in a family guesthouse. Dinner is usually the best value in the transaction and sometimes the reason to book at all.
Do you share a room in a homestay?
In the mountain version, often yes. The classic Mai Chau or Pu Luong homestay is a long room under a stilt house roof with mattresses in a row, curtains between them and mosquito nets over each. Private rooms exist in most villages now and cost a little more.
Is dinner included in a Vietnamese homestay?
Usually in the mountains, and it is normally eaten with the family and the other guests at one table. Expect five or six shared dishes, rice, and rice wine offered whether or not you want it. Say yes to the food and pace yourself on the wine.
Are homestays in Vietnam comfortable?
Comfortable enough, and rarely luxurious. Expect a mattress on a wooden floor, a fan rather than air conditioning, a shared bathroom with hot water, and thin walls. What you get for that is the valley outside the door and a family who will tell you where to walk.
Is a homestay better than a hotel in the mountains?
Almost always. In Sapa, Pu Luong, Mai Chau and Ha Giang the hotels are in the towns and the homestays are in the valleys, and the valley is what people came for. In cities and beach towns, a hotel is usually the better room for the same money.
Do you need to book a homestay in advance?
A night or two ahead is enough outside the harvest weeks and the domestic holidays. In the golden fortnight in Mu Cang Chai, at Tet and through the July and August school holidays, book as far ahead as you can, because village bed numbers are small and fixed.