" Sold out" before the holiday

Preparing for the April 30 - May 1 holiday, Mr. Vu Hong Giang, a lawyer working in Vinh Phuc, booked a room for his family at the Ang village homestay (Dong Sang commune, Moc Chau district, Son La province). The homestay is located in the middle of a plum garden full of fruit about to enter harvest season. In addition to the "promotion" of plum picking experience in the garden, from this resort, Mr. Giang can easily drive his wife and children to pick strawberries, go boating to Dai Yem waterfall, bathe in the stream and enjoy the cool air.

"I used to stay at a hotel in Moc Chau, but holidays were really torture, crowded from checking in, waiting for the elevator for a long time, very tiring. The dining room was always full. But staying at a homestay, I enjoyed a truly relaxing holiday. Meals were all pre-ordered, served very quickly. Children and adults could picnic in plum and strawberry gardens, and go bathing in the stream, which was very fun," said Mr. Giang.

Sharing with Thanh Nien , Ms. Nguyen Thanh Huong, a tour guide in Moc Chau district, said that in recent years, not only young people but also middle-aged guests and families looking for homestays to book rooms have increased a lot. On weekends, most homestays are full, and during holidays, reservations must be made in advance.

"This year, there is a trend of "healing" tourism, so homestays in Moc Chau that are isolated in plum gardens, tea hills or have rooms with beautiful, unique views are easier to sell. The beautiful places have been booked for weeks in advance," Ms. Huong reflected.

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 more available rooms. Room rates are kept the same as normal days: VND150,000/night for a communal room; private rooms range from VND500,000 - VND800,000/night. Information shared in the Bac Ha homestay club group shows that all 50 facilities are fully booked during the holiday.

According to Mr. Son, not only foreign guests but also Vietnamese guests staying at homestays have increased rapidly over the years. Those who like this accommodation service have in common the love of experiencing and exploring wild nature. Coming to Bac Ha now, there are not only specialties such as going to the Sunday market, visiting the ancient mansion of Hoang A Tuong, but also the guests staying at homestays "enjoy" the most is going to the rose garden, bathing in the waterfall, visiting the vegetable farm or going to the top of Ngai Thau mountain to watch the sunset, exploring the villages of the Mong, Tay, Nung ethnic groups... around the town.

Similarly, the owner of two homestays in two famous tourist destinations in Lao Cai and Bac Kan, including Ta Van Dragon House (Sa Pa Town, Lao Cai Province) and Ba Be Dragon House (Ba Be District, Bac Kan Province), Mr. Vu Trung Thanh, confirmed that all rooms were booked in advance. On the occasion of April 30 - May 1, guests booked very early, a month before the holiday.

"The homestays in the village always share and introduce guests to each other. This year, close to the holiday, there were still many guests asking to rent rooms but there were no more vacant rooms," said Mr. Thanh.

Community tourism recovers strongly

Speaking to Thanh Nien , Ms. Hoang Thi Vuong, Head of the Department of Culture and Information, People's Committee of Sa Pa Town (Lao Cai Province), commented that community tourism is recovering strongly after the Covid-19 pandemic. In Sa Pa, homestays are developing strongly with the largest number in the two communes of Ta Van and Muong Hoa and have made great strides with high-end services and separate customer segments.

"Homestay used to be about eating, staying, and living with the family. Now, many homestays have separate bungalows and private tours to serve the needs and interests of guests, not just participating in the experience of working with the locals. Some households take guests to learn about beeswax painting and brocade embroidery; some homestays invite artisans to exchange and share. In addition to economic development, these homestays are participating in preserving and conserving cultural beauty," said Ms. Vuong.

Mr. Phan Thanh Son said that if traveling normally, perhaps very few people want to return many times to the same destination, but in a family homestay, the list of regular guests is extended every year. Compared to hotels and resorts, homestays have the advantage of spacious, comfortable living spaces, close to nature and each season of the year has its own beauty that attracts guests to return.

"In addition to the specialties, I often organize the Tay ethnic group's xoe dance performance, advise guests on where to go, and the best season to visit. When I have free time, I directly take guests on trips. That way, the host and the guests become closer; many guests who come here for the first time become regular guests and friends of the family," said Mr. Son.

According to the People's Committee of Moc Chau District, not only during the April 30 - May 1 holiday, eco-tourism and agricultural tourism have flourished in recent years, attracting many tourists to the locality, helping people increase their income from services such as garden entrance fees and homestay accommodation.

According to a survey by Thanh Nien , currently, strawberry, plum, orange, rose gardens... are all open to welcome visitors to take photos and check-in, with a common fee of 20,000 VND/person. In addition, many gardens rent out camping sites for overnight stays, providing food for guests to eat on-site...

Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, owner of Thanh Binh plum garden in Ban On sub-area, Moc Chau farm town (Moc Chau district, Son La province), said that since the beginning of April, when the plums begin to ripen, the gardeners have welcomed visitors to experience plum picking and take photos to check-in.

"My plum garden has been welcoming visitors for the past month, with 100-200 visitors on low days and more visitors on weekends and long holidays, bringing my family a significant income from tolls. Tourists help consume a large amount of agricultural products when they order them as gifts for relatives and friends," said Mr. Binh.

According to the People's Committee of Moc Chau District, in recent years, homestay accommodation 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 that the cool climate of the plateau, beautiful nature all year round, especially many vegetable and fruit growing areas are advantages for the locality to attract tourists. However, in order to develop sustainably, Moc Chau District has determined to build a tourism product that attracts domestic and foreign visitors to experience, it is necessary to harmoniously combine cultural preservation and agricultural and ecological tourism development so that all people can benefit and increase income from services.

Ms. Hoa also informed that Moc Chau district is supporting and calling for socialization to maintain the activities of 184 mass art troupes in villages and sub-regions; supporting funding to restore many unique cultural festivals such as Het Cha and Thai xoe festivals of the Thai ethnic group; the coming-of-age ceremony and traditional wedding rituals of the Dao ethnic group; clan worship rituals, panpipe dancing and embroidery of patterns on traditional costumes of the Mong ethnic group... to put into exploitation and development of community tourism.