Young people like to try living self-sufficiently.

After two days at the self-service homestay, Thien Nga still cannot adapt to the series of "living in harmony with nature" rules.

The 24-year-old girl from Son La said the homestay's rule is not to use anything with chemicals. The host will prepare toothpaste in powder form made from coconut oil and salt, shampoo made from soapberry and bathe with lemongrass and basil leaves. In addition, guests are absolutely not allowed to use the Internet and must go to the garden every day to harvest vegetables and fruits for food.

"If I want to take a hot bath, I have to boil the water myself. I limit turning on the lights at night and washing dishes with natural solutions makes my hands feel sticky and unclean," Nga said.

Despite these inconveniences, Thien Nga still feels that spending more than one million VND per night at this homestay in Ta Dung, Dak Nong is "very worth it". "Thanks to that, I understand more about ways to protect the environment and about self-sufficient agriculture," she said.

As a content creator, Nga often feels lonely and stressed due to work pressure, negative comments online, and not many friends to talk to. By chance, she learned about the trend of trying to live self-sufficiently, and immediately signed up to experience it.

The first day arriving at Ta Dung, Nga was surprised to see birds chirping and flying in flocks around the house, guests and hosts cooking and gathering together, her feeling of loneliness gradually disappeared.

Thien Nga experiences a self-sufficient, self-service, chemical-free life at a homestay in Ta Dung, Dak Nong, February 2024. Photo: Provided by the character

Tired of the crowded "virtual life" scene at luxury homestays, Ngoc Trang, 25 years old, chose to experience a homestay located on the back of a hill in Quoc Oai, more than 20 km from the center of Hanoi. As soon as she put down her backpack, the host took her to pick chestnuts and collect trash in the forest, about 7 km from her accommodation, with other guests.

Here, Trang and everyone else have to follow the rule of going to bed at 9pm and waking up at 5am, which is completely different from the "night owl" lifestyle at home. However, the office worker said that only when she is in a place away from the hustle and bustle of life, does she feel calm, eat well, and sleep on time.

The trend of young people registering to stay and relax at homestays or farmstays following the green lifestyle and self-sufficient agriculture has become popular in the past year or so.

The administrator of the group " Green Agricultural Volunteers " with more than 80,000 members said that the group was established in 2020, initially as a place for homestay owners to share information about agricultural models as well as experiences of living in harmony with nature and protecting the environment. In previous years, only people who wanted to gain experience in farming for business and cultivation had the need to come to learn or register to volunteer.

"But in recent years, young people have become more aware of and enjoy experiencing these places. Every month, the group receives dozens of posts sharing their experiences," said the group manager.

Homestays operating under this model are appearing more and more, scattered throughout the country but mainly concentrated around Hanoi, Hoa Binh, Dak Nong, Dak Lak or Lam Dong. In Da Lat alone, there are about 50 homestays and farmstays that combine accommodation and farming, with green living rules.

Huyen Nhan experienced more than a month as an agricultural volunteer at a homestay in Da Lat, December 2023. Photo: Provided by the character

As the owner of an orchard in Da Lat, with an area of ​​over 7,000 square meters, Ms. Dinh Le Thao Nguyen, 28 years old, said that since the beginning of 2024, there have been about 30 guests staying each month, more than 70% of whom are young people aged 18-29, double that of last year. The accommodation fee for guests is 100,000 VND per day. Guests must register to stay for at least 5 days to be accepted.

They often come to her farmstay partly because they want to experience harvesting jackfruit, avocado, mango, and star apple, and partly because they love the natural atmosphere in Da Lat, getting up early in the morning to cut grass, water plants, and cooking rice together at noon.

The owner said that many young people, instead of staying for a few days like before, now choose to volunteer for a few weeks or months here. Some people stay for a long time, but many others give up after less than a week.

"This experience also helps you to be realistic and less dreamy about a life of 'leaving the city for the forest', being self-sufficient, and being more leisurely and comfortable than in the city," Thao Nguyen said.

Mr. Dung, 44 years old, owner of Moc An Nhien homestay in Pleiku, Gia Lai, said that since the beginning of the year, he has welcomed nearly 50 guests each month, more than 80% of whom are young people aged 18-24. They enjoy picking kale to make smoothies, harvesting bananas and papayas, and cooking as if they were in their own garden.

The number of volunteers signing up for the homestay is increasing. Each of his recruitment posts attracts hundreds of interested comments from young people. They will sign up for jobs they can do such as baking, mixing drinks, decorating, tending plants, receiving foreign guests, teaching English to children in the village. Each time, he selects two suitable people to take on the job.

"In 2021, I posted a job but no one applied. Now many people accept to wait three or four months for the opportunity to live here for a while," said Mr. Dung.

Having volunteered for more than a month at a homestay with a garden growing coffee and medicinal plants in Da Lat, Huyen Nhan, 33, from Ho Chi Minh City, said that at first she was not used to it so her "hands and feet were covered with scratches", she broke branches that prevented the plants from growing, and her body was sore and her legs and arms ached. Waking up and eating on time also made her lethargic.

"I feel like I've become a real farmer, just taking care of the plants and having no time to be sad or think about anything else," Nhan said.

Young people harvest fruit trees in Ms. Dinh Le Thao Nguyen's garden in Da Lat, February 2024. Photo: Provided by the character

Talking about the trend of living and experiencing in agricultural homestay models, self-sufficient, psychologist Tran Huong Thao (HCMC) said that the young generation, especially Gen Z today, tends to pay more attention to cultivating spiritual life. This experience is also a way for them to educate themselves about protecting the earth, learn about meditation, yoga or simply to heal and escape the present for a short time.

However, volunteering for a month or two may make you feel comfortable at first, but over time you will become bored, confused, and may even forget your purpose in life.

"Many people even leave early when they are not used to manual labor, because it is not a long-term value they pursue but a temporary experience," the expert said.

Spending nearly VND2 million for a night at a homestay in Mang Den, Kon Tum, Nhu Thao, 22 years old, Ho Chi Minh City said it was too expensive compared to the experience she received. Homestay is self-sufficient, located far from the center, food is scarce, electricity and water are weak. Here, everyone must go to bed on time, keep quiet, especially early in the morning when everyone practices Yoga together.

"I went for treatment but felt frustrated, uncomfortable, and couldn't get used to this slow pace of life," Thao said.

Thanh Nga

Source: https://vnexpress.net/nguoi-tre-thich-thu-song-tu-cung-tu-cap-4717571.html