Huy Trung Homestay

Staying with Huy Trung and his family was a true highlight in our 3.5 week stay in Vietnam. Huy Trung is a lovely host and a really great guy who not only wants his guests to experience the very best of his local region but also works hard to put back into his area - supporting poorer families , helping design infrastructure to improve villages and the town and just general little kindnesses means you feel genuinely welcome when you visit the local ethnic villages. We did the one day Bac Ha village tour on a Friday and went to the local buffalo market, a Hmong village market and visited three villages (different ethnic tribes) dropping things off before a most wonderful and delicious lunch at Forest Homestay. This family made us so incredibly welcome - such a warm and authentic experience despite having very little English - we ended up staying longer and had a delightful 2 hours with these people and their gorgeous baby boy Za Minh . This is a memory that will live in my heart forever . We also did a great day hike with the effervescent Dou , went to Saturday night markets and enjoyed the fabulous Sunday markets before all the tourists from Sapa turned up. This is an area where local people are dressed in traditional clothes as part of their everyday lives and it is so interesting to see this culture preserved. Bac Ha is super friendly and Hue Trung Homestay is a must. Make sure you eat with the family as the food is superb and like nothing you will get in restaurants. Many thanks for everything!

My 2 night stay at Huy Trung Homestay was wonderful. I arrived in Lao Cai via overnight train and then transferred to bus to Bac Ha. It was market day (Sunday) in Bac Ha - a great place to people watch and marvel at the local produce and goods for sale (everything from plums which were in season to puppy dogs and pots and pans). In the afternoon, my host took me on a half day tour of the valley via motorbike. The scenery was stunning with corn crops and rice fields on sloped terraces. We hiked part of the way back to town. The second day, we headed out for a full day tour of the area. It was incredible to not just see the beauty of the mountains, but to see the people in their homes and fields and to learn more about the tribal people in North Vietnam and their way of life. Incredible! The accommodations were comfortable and clean with excellent bathroom facilities. Meals with the host and his family were excellent!!

Fantastic homestay! We chose it as it was recommended in the lonely planet guide- we weren’t disappointed! The rooms are immaculate and spacious, hot showers and soft bed linen, excellent wifi. We arrived early after the overnight train to Lao cai, and they accommodated us and allowed us to check in early. The food at night was delicious and fresh. We wished we stayed longer - we had already booked a trekking tour with another company… the homestay can arrange trekking/ sightseeing and we wish we had booked it through them instead. Thanks for a great stay!