Homestay is quite a popular type of tourism in many countries in the world and it has also been exploited in Vietnam recently. The Mekong River Delta with plentiful and rich gardens is considered the most potential to develop this kind of tourism. For an active Vietnam travel, you should not skip this place in the list of best destinations to visit
Homestay in Vietnam is rooted in the needs of the “backpackers”. This is a type of tourism for travelers who like to explore, experience and learn the customs and habits of different cultures during Vietnam adventure activities. Staying at houses of the local citizens helps them to understand the life and people of the area because they are “eating, staying and working together” with the host family in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Moreover, this form of accommodation is also quite reasonable in terms of price.
Throughout the festivals or forms of eco-tourism, homestay tourism has the conditions to grow rapidly. The development of this type has a two-way impact as in Vietnam outdoor, travelers are fulfilling their purpose and indigenous people have the opportunity to exchange and access to different cultures in the world.
Having a favorable condition of weather of the tropical climate, Mekong River Delta is known as the biggest fruit bowl of the country. The color of green covers almost the whole acreage of the area and makes it a catchy sight for tourists to come and explore. Knowing the distribution of valuable tourism products in localities, in most cities of Mekong River Delta, the task of tourism socialization has been improved on a larger scale with the participation of various economic sectors. Accordingly, local people are allowed to provide homestay service for tourists and thereby introduce some most worthy tourism destinations in an active Vietnam travel for both internal and external tourists. It is noteworthy that this unique type of tourism has been increasingly popular and partially brought tourists closer to the cultural beauty of the region.
There are many famous brand names of homestay in Mekong River Delta that attract foreign tourists to experience during adventure activities in Vietnam. Taking part in a homestay tour here, tourists can not only understand the actual life of river-prone people but also experience their daily activities such as slapping ponds, fishing, harvesting fruit, going to “floating market”, cooking with the typical folk food in the West, listening to and trying to sing folk songs along with the “artisan farmers”. Many bike tours have taken place in this region and thereby, the number of tourists choosing this type of tourism also increases quickly every year.
Despite the remarkable results as in active Vietnam travel, homestay activities are still small, spontaneous and unprofessional. Therefore, in order to develop this kind of tourism to suit its potential, specific measures should be taken to create favorable conditions for tourists. Besides, it needs to develop training plans for knowledge and skills. In addition, there should be more focus on the tourism promotion to bring Vietnam adventure activities to a larger portion of citizens and foreign tourists. Especially at domestic and international fairs and exhibitions, these activities should be strengthened.
According to Ms. Do Hong Xoan, Director of the Department of Tourism, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism commented on this tourism activity: “Participation of the community in tourism services determines a sustainable development of tourism. Community tourism plays an important role in hunger eradication and poverty reduction for many communities, especially communities in remote areas.”
