Rooms are selling out before the holidays.
Preparing for the April 30th - May 1st holiday, Mr. Vu Hong Giang, a lawyer working in Vinh Phuc, booked a homestay in Ang village (Dong Sang commune, Moc Chau district, Son La province) for his family. The homestay is located amidst a plum orchard laden with fruit, almost ready for harvest. Besides the "bonus" of experiencing plum picking in the orchard, from this resort, Mr. Giang can easily drive his wife and children to pick strawberries, go boating at Dai Yem waterfall, and enjoy the cool, refreshing air while swimming in the stream.
Tourists flocked to Moc Chau to check in and experience plum picking during the April 30th - May 1st holiday.
"I used to stay at a hotel in Moc Chau, but holidays were pure torture. It was crowded with long check-in lines and elevator waits, very tiring. The dining rooms were always full. Staying at a homestay, however, allowed me to truly enjoy a relaxing holiday. Meals were pre-ordered and served very quickly. Children and adults could freely go on picnics in the plum and strawberry orchards and enjoy swimming in the streams," said Mr. Giang.
Speaking to Thanh Nien newspaper , Ms. Nguyen Thanh Huong, a tour guide in Moc Chau district, said that in recent years, not only young people but also middle-aged tourists and families have been asking her to find and book homestays. On weekends, most homestays are fully booked, and during holidays, reservations must be made in advance.
"This year, there's a trend of 'healing' tourism, so homestays in Moc Chau that are secluded in plum orchards, tea hills, or have rooms with beautiful, unique views are selling even easier. The best spots have been booked weeks in advance," Ms. Huong commented.
Mr. Phan Thanh Son, owner and manager of Bac Ha Threeland Homestay in Na Lo village (Ta Chai commune, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province), said that his family's resort, which can accommodate up to 35 guests, has no rooms available. Room rates remain the same as normal: 150,000 VND/night for communal rooms; private rooms range from 500,000 to 800,000 VND/night. Information shared in the Bac Ha homestay club group indicates that all 50 establishments are fully booked during the holiday period.
According to Mr. Son, not only foreign tourists but also Vietnamese tourists staying in homestays are increasing rapidly year by year. Those who enjoy this type of accommodation share a common interest: experiencing and exploring pristine nature. Visiting Bac Ha now isn't just about going to the Sunday market or the ancient Hoang A Tuong mansion; homestay guests especially enjoy visiting rose gardens, swimming in waterfalls, visiting fruit and vegetable farms, or climbing Ngai Thau mountain to watch the sunset and explore the villages of the Mong, Tay, and Nung ethnic groups around the town.
Similarly, Mr. Vu Trung Thanh, the owner of two homestays in two popular tourist destinations in Lao Cai and Bac Kan provinces, namely Ta Van Dragon House (Sa Pa town, Lao Cai province) and Ba Be Dragon House (Ba Be district, Bac Kan province), confirmed that all rooms were booked in advance. For the April 30th - May 1st holiday, bookings were made very early, even a month before the holiday.
"Homestays in the village always share and refer guests to each other. This year, even close to the holiday, there were still many guests inquiring about renting rooms, but there were no rooms left," said Mr. Thanh.
Community-based tourism is experiencing a strong recovery.
Speaking to Thanh Nien newspaper , Ms. Hoang Thi Vuong, Head of the Culture and Information Department of the People's Committee of Sa Pa town (Lao Cai province), noted that community tourism is recovering strongly after the Covid-19 pandemic. In Sa Pa, homestays are developing rapidly, with the highest number concentrated in the two communes of Ta Van and Muong Hoa, and have made remarkable progress with high-end services and a specific customer segment.
Plum season in Moc Chau
"Homestays used to be about living and interacting with the family. Now, many homestays have separate bungalows and offer tours tailored to guests' needs and preferences, rather than just participating in hands-on experiences with the locals. Some households take guests to learn about beeswax painting or brocade embroidery; some homestays invite artisans to interact and share their knowledge. Besides economic development, these homestays are also contributing to the preservation and conservation of cultural heritage," Ms. Vuong said.
Mr. Phan Thanh Son believes that, while most people rarely want to return to the same destination multiple times during their regular travels, his family's homestay attracts more and more repeat guests each year. Compared to hotels and resorts, homestays offer spacious and comfortable living spaces, a close connection to nature, and unique beauty in each season, drawing guests back for more.
"Besides local specialties, I often organize traditional Tay ethnic dance performances, advise guests on itineraries, and recommend the best time to visit. When I have free time, I personally guide guests around. This fosters a closer relationship between the host and the guests; many first-time visitors become regulars and friends of the family," Mr. Son said.
According to the People's Committee of Moc Chau District, not only during the April 30th - May 1st holiday, but also in recent years, ecotourism and agricultural tourism have flourished, attracting many tourists to the locality and helping people increase their income from services such as garden entrance fees and homestay accommodations.
According to a survey by Thanh Nien newspaper , many orchards growing strawberries, plums, oranges, persimmons, etc., are now open to visitors for photo opportunities and check-ins, with a common fee of 20,000 VND per person. In addition, many orchards offer overnight camping spots and provide food for visitors to eat on-site.
Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, owner of Thanh Binh plum orchard in Ban On sub-district, Moc Chau agricultural town (Moc Chau district, Son La province), said that from the beginning of April, when plums begin to ripen, orchard owners welcome visitors to experience picking plums and taking photos for social media.
"My plum orchard has been steadily welcoming visitors for the past month. On slow days, we get 100-200 visitors, and the number is even higher on weekends and long holidays, bringing my family a significant income from the entrance fee. Tourists help consume a large quantity of agricultural products when they order them as gifts for relatives and friends," Mr. Binh said.
According to the People's Committee of Moc Chau District, in recent years, the number of homestay accommodations has increased rapidly, concentrated in Ang village (Dong Sang commune), Doi village (Tan Lap commune), Vat village (Muong Sang commune)... The reason, according to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Moc Chau District, is the cool highland climate, beautiful nature year-round, and especially the many areas growing fruits and vegetables, which are advantages for the locality to attract tourists. However, to develop sustainably, Moc Chau District has determined that building a tourism product that attracts domestic and foreign tourists requires a harmonious combination of cultural preservation and agricultural and ecological tourism development so that all people can benefit and increase their income from services.
Ms. Hoa also informed that Moc Chau District is supporting and encouraging social mobilization to maintain the activities of 184 amateur performing arts groups in villages and sub-districts; providing funding to restore many unique cultural festivals such as the Het Cha festival and Thai dance of the Thai ethnic group; the coming-of-age ceremony and traditional wedding rituals of the Dao ethnic group; ancestral worship rituals, khen flute dance and embroidery on traditional costumes of the Mong ethnic group... to exploit and develop community tourism.
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