Top-class hotels and resorts may provide visitors to Vietnam with plentyof options for comfortable trips with high-class facilities andservices, but if you really want a local taste of life here, a homestayis hard to beat, writes the Vietnam Investment Review. Homestay and community-based tourism models are a mainstay of theworldwide tourism industry. This style of travel allows visitors to staywith a local family for a true insight into their everyday life. Theconcept has become more popular in recent years, thanks in part to thefact that it ties tourism, the environment and community together. Promising destinations Ten years ago, Hanoi was the first place in Vietnam which allowedpeople to host a homestay for foreigners. Now, homestay is appearingeverywhere throughout the country. Spending nights in stilt houses inmountainous provinces such as Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Bac Kan or Son La, orin simple bungalows in the Mekong Delta is now on many people’sitineraries. Ta Van, a village 8km from Sa Pa in LaoCai province, has around 40 households providing homestays fortourists. Ly Thi Lin and her son Luc Van Loi have a two-storey woodenhouse for rent. “We usually have tourists staying here and sometimes NGOstaff,” said Lin whose house welcomes two guests per night on average.Some houses have tens of guests every day. While Loitakes tourists around to introduce local culture and life to them, hismum stays at home preparing a meal, which is sometimes simply a bowl ofVietnamese noodles with pork meat (instead of chicken or beef like incities) and some drinks. The house is traditional,with many everyday items hanging on the walls, such as a bunch of dryrice and a traditional costume. All such houses are very clean withstandard toilets, mattresses and curtains to satisfy the basicaccommodation needs of tourists. Experiencingcommunity-based tourism in the Mekong Delta is highly recommended bymany tourists. Patrice Nathan, a French tourist, had much praise forHung homestay in Can Tho City: “My friends and I spent two nights inHung homestay and I think that is a great way to see this land. Hung isgreat man, has excellent English, a crazy sense of humour and dideverything to ensure that we enjoyed the visit. Hung also provides aboat trip to Cai Rang floating market and a walking tour through hislocal village which is fun and informative.” Incentral Vietnam, community-based tourism is strongly developed becauseof the high awareness of its value there. Hoian Ecotour is a travelagent which has created many unique and quality tours of this kind.Jacky Tran, 35, manager of the agent, says: “Experiencing country lifeis what tourists can enjoy from our tours. They can join fishing in CuaDai, rice planting in Cam Thanh and vegetable growing in Tra Que. Manyindividual tourists and foreign travel agents contact us when they seeour products.” In many places, after developingcommunity-based tourism, local people’s income has been improvedconsiderably; therefore, Vietnamese agents and authorities are aiming toexpand this model. Much potential, but many challenges After a visit to Cao Bang, tourists may wonder why community-basedtourism has not developed there – it has wild, stunning landscapes, adiverse ecosystem, and a rich local culture with many minority groups. Nhan Thi Minh Thi, deputy director of Cao Bang’sDepartment of Culture, Sports and Tourism, explained: “People here areunfamiliar with the tourism business. We have carried out a communitytourism project in Pac Ngoi village, but we have not had the budget tocontinue in another place.” “Most of the people inTu Ne are Muong, but when we came here, they did not wear theirtraditional costume. Wooden stilt houses had been destroyed to clearspace to build concrete ones. They were on the brink of losing theirlocal characteristics,” said Le Thi Van Hue, director of Cecad, whichstarted the project of community-based tourism in Tu Ne, in Hoa Binhprovince, in 2008. Cecad sent people to Tu Ne toteach people how to develop tourism by taking back their own traditionalculture. However, it did not work as they lacked the money to providebasic facilities in the village; that is, until Huong Giang Traveljoined them in 2011. “Many people said they wantedan authentic homestay; however, very few of them would feel comfortableliving in an authentic place with very poor living conditions, with themosquitoes, the heat and humidity and a hard bamboo bed. So, we have hadto change a few things to meet certain requirements.” Community-based tourism has brought back the original look of Tu Ne.Local people are always ready to smile and talk to strangers. They knowhow to show their tradition and culture off - they wear theirtraditional costume and do traditional jobs, such as bee keeping, riceplanting and sugar crane planting. That said, Tu Neis not seeing as much success as expected having welcomed only aroundten guests in 2013. This is not an outcome which will encourage otherlocals to follow suit. Tran acknowledged thedifficulties of this business: “This kind of tour is now very popular,and the key is creating the difference.” He also focusses on pricingstrategy: “We focus on high quality products which may be ratherexpensive, but we can ensure that at every moment our guests feelsatisfied as they get a true taste of daily life.” “We are now working with over 30 households in Hoi An and we ensurethem monthly income from 4-7million VND per family,” he added.-VNA