The Homestay Experience

We often get asked what sets our tours apart from the rest of them. One thing that makes our tours unique would be the homestay experiences. When you travel through the beautiful Northern mountains of Vietnam you will be able to take in the breathtaking scenery on any tour. Immersive tours will let you surround yourself within the lush jungle and refresh in the icey cold water that runs down the mountians and waterfalls. Riding past the rice patty fields you can smell the sweet starchy scent of young rice seedlings in the early season or… the pungent marshy smell of organic (buffalo manure) fertiliser and stagnant water and mud. You can stop at one of the roadside stalls for a delicious meal of sticky rice or buckwheat cakes or barbequed meats and vegetables. If you’re lucky you might even be able to find yourself some buffalo meat jerky. The True North tour is a sensation to our five senses. But in the same way, as going out for a meal doesn’t compare to your mother’s home cooking - staying the night at a hotel is nothing like staying at a homestay in this destination. You simply cannot experience the same authentic culture from your hotel-room window.

The homestays that we organise for our guests are with families of the local Hmong and Dao tribes, that we have gotten to know personally on our travels through the area. Together with the families we have worked out how to set up the bedrooms, dining areas, made meal plans & drinks, organised activities (think karaoke) and ensured things like decent hygiene, safety and privacy. We’ve had to train the families on basic tourism, as it basically didn’t exist here 12 years ago. But to us it’s all worth it, because we know that these families offer a lot more than just a meal and a place to sleep; they offer a glimpse of their way of life, to those who are willing to see it.

Looking closely at the traditional architecture of their homes you’ll notice the yellow clay walls (often mixed with gravel or straw) to act as a natural climate control system; insulating against the cold in winters and keeping cool in hot summers. The large wooden structural framing holds up ceramic tile roofing on traditional housing which allows the smoke of open wood-fire kitchens to escape. (Our Flipside home base in Ha Giang is an old Hmong building exactly like that, relocated to site.) Any outsider checking out the homestay kitchens might be surprised by the amount of soot covering the timber surroundings of the cooking area, but this also has a clever reason; it works as a natural pesticide and protects the wood from rot and insects. We don’t think you’ll be dissapointed with the food that comes from these kitchens either. Whilst some dishes are cured, pickled or simmered in traditional ways, others are fresh from the fields surrounding the villages. What you get depends on the season and your host family, we’re not giving away all of our secrets here.

One thing we can promise is the option of some locally brewed rice wine with or after your meal. Not that the tour is all about drinking but food and drinks do create the perfect atmosphere for bonding moments. Through sharing a meal and sharing a story, together with your tour guide as your translator you will be able to get a true feeling of life in the Northern mountains. After a few more “Mot, Ha, Ba, Dzo!” you may even manage to unlock everyone’s vocal chords and sing the night away together. Don’t be suprised to wake up to the sound of a child chasing a rooster. Or when you see a bunch of kids hanging out near a cliff edge, holding an absurtly large knife in hand. Normal is different here and from a young age these kids are introduced to the real, rough and wild parts of the mountains. The locals are very capable, sharp witted people and we want you to experience the True North. This is what makes our tours so unique; it’s not just about the countryside; it’s about exploring the land with it’s people, their culture and community.