Homestay is getting a popular service in the field of tourism. That means tourist can stay with the locals in their houses, eat local food, sleep on their traditional beds and do as the locals during the daily routine. This is an ideal access to lifestyle, traditions, and cultures of a place that you visit. What is more, homestay will help you also save a great deal of money due to its lower cost than hotels or resorts. However, equipping yourselves with some tips for enjoying a homestay during Vietnam adventure travel is essential.
1. Careful preparation
You have to prepare a lot of things before deciding to choose this form of accommodation. There are several suggestions to get your adventure activities in Vietnam memorable, from making bookings through the website, sending emails to making direct phone calls to the homestay’s host so that you can have much more information. So what should you think of when choosing to stay in a homestay?
- Is the house situated next to the tourism attraction?
- Is it kept in safety and security?
- Is it convenient enough for your adventure Vietnam to be acceptable and memorable?
- Being informed of the customs and traditions of the region allow help you to avoid the taboos in its culture.
2. Where to find homestays in Vietnam?
Staying with ethnic minorities in the northern of Vietnam
Though ethnic minority people are not given with guide certificates or they do not work for any travel agency, they have a good knowledge of the place in which they live, so they can show you many interesting things about tourist attractions and life of the locals. Some can have a good command of English and they can communicate with you in English.
When you have decided to try the accommodation of homestay with local people during your Vietnam adventure travel, you have to ignore problems of discomfort or lack of necessities. It’s worth seeing people work in the rice paddy fields, observing a traditional wedding or funeral like the one in White Thai village at the town of Mai Chau.
Homestay gave by a travel agency
You can also stay in a home offered by travel agencies. Clearly, this has many differences from the homestay with locals. Many tourists choose this because they want to access the good standard quality of life while they are enjoying the adventure travel in Vietnam. A number of local people also choose to work for these agencies, leaving behind their customs and traditions.
Besides access to Wi-Fi, toilets of European style, tourists will have a chance to join trekking tours in groups of about 6 or 10.
3. Behave in a friendly and respectful way
One of the must-do things is paying respect to the host. You are advisable to ask the locals which domestic furniture and appliances you can use; if you want to take some photos of them, just ask for theirs. Do all of these with friendly smiles on your face and show your gratitude towards them.
Moreover, the locals always want to know more about the tourists they live with, so feel free to talk about yourselves.
4. Open your mind with the differences
Choosing homestay for your Vietnam adventure activities means you have to accept the lack of privacy and comfort. It is because you are living with strangers from other cultures so differences in beliefs and religions are unavoidable. However, thanks to those differences, you will explore and discover more deeply into the life of locals. So, just relax and enjoy good times in homestay.
5. Dining etiquette
Eating is one of the daily routines in your stay. When you have meals with Vietnamese locals, you have to share foods with others on the same plates and bowls, which is called ” family share”.
You might be familiar with chopsticks, but the host is very willing to guide you on this. If one pick up some food from the common for you, don’t be shocked but smile respectfully because this is a sign of close relationship.
In the end, it is not wrong to understand “homestay” as “Stay with us in our home”. If you want to get to know about Vietnamese ethnic people’s daily life, enjoy traditional food or cultural habits, then homestay is surely a good choice for your Vietnam adventure travel.
