Just finished a homestay with Mr San and family. The whole experience was immensely rewarding, the town and people of Yen Duc are open in sharing their culture which shows the real Vietnam. Special mention to our guide Tea, she was friendly, informative and a brilliant singer!
We booked a homestay through Indochina Junk as an add on to our Halong Bay cruise and I’m very glad we did! It was an amazing and personal look at life in a rural village in Vietnam. It was completely different from our life in Canada and very eye opening.The “traffic jam” would be caused by rice drying on the road! Our guide Tea was great and super knowledgeable, she told us all about how things worked in the village, and told us more about the history of Vietnam. She also went out of her way to accommodate us and other travellers and adjusted the schedule accordingly. Although there was a language barrier with our homestay hosts, they made us feel so welcome and were very enthusiastic about teaching us how to say “cheers” before rice wine shots! We learned so much and will have great memories of this experience, it really was a highlight of our time in Vietnam.
Such a lovely ending to our amazing holiday.
After coming from the Dragon Legend cruise on Halong Bay we arrived at the village to watch the puppet show then stayed on with Tea who along with her friend took us on a bike ride around the village visiting the oldest house, taking tea with the owner, then lots of other activities culminating with a wonderful home cooked meal in one of the village houses, probably the best meal we had during our whole 2 week holiday.
If you don’t have to rush off after the cruise then I would highly recommend staying on for the full afternoon to experience real country life in Vietnam with charming and hospitable people.
Wij hebben een nacht in Yen Duc village overnacht in een Viethouse als onderdeel van een trip naar Ha Long bay. Ons verblijf was super! We hadden een hele goede, gezellige en enthousiaste gids, Gi. Gi kon ons veel vertellen over het leven op het platteland van Vietnam en heeft ons de hele dag op sleeptouw genomen. Het fietsen door het dorp was heel leuk, we hebben het oudste huis van dorp bezocht, zelf gevist, rijst gedorst en zelf een bezem gemaakt. Allemaal leuke dingen om het leven en de mensen daar wat beter te leren kennen. Het eten (zowel ontbijt, lunch als diner) was heerlijk en de kamer was heel mooi en van alle gemakken voorzien.
Kortom een super leuke ervaring die we niet hadden willen missen!
From the moment our Indochina Junk shuttle van pulled into the parking lot until we left the next afternoon, we were absolutely delighted. I was a bit apprehensive about what the experience would be like, as it was my first time to travel outside North America, I didn’t speak the language and I didn’t know how I would hold up in the humidity. I soon learned that I had nothing to worry about. We were in the hands of our guide and interpreter, Gi! She was such a delight and taught us so much about the village, the culture, the plants and more. She met us at the van and took us right to our ‘homestay’ home to meet our host family, Mrs. Men and Mr. Khoa. Mrs. Men greeted us with a welcome tea, showed us to our room and the restroom and gave us a little time to get settled in. The room was at the back of the house, private and very nice. It even had a door which led straight out to the tiled courtyard at the front of the house. The house had a tall privacy fence and a lovely courtyard, which is where we had our meals. The boat cruise company provided a chef, who cooked all of our meals, dinner, breakfast and lunch. There was so much great food to sample!
Gi took us biking through the village to meet some of the local residents, learn how to process rice along with a fish trapping experience and a trip to the local market. It was all quite easy with no pressure, which was great for weary travelers. The pacing was just right for me. We always got a little time to rest and clean up before meals and felt comfortable turning in early, sleeping in, whatever we needed. Gi did a great job of getting our feedback and adjusting the pace whenever needed. It didn’t feel scripted.
After the evening dinner, we were entertained by Mrs. Men’s beautiful singing and also got to help make spring rolls and dessert. Such a great night!
Also, our room was air conditioned and the courtyard was shady, so we were quite comfortable, despite the humid climate.
Our stay in the village was a huge highlight for me during my 5 day stay in Vietnam!
This was our first travel outside of North America, and we were very excited to stay a night in Yen Duc. Our hosts Mrs. Men and Mr. Khoa made us very welcome and comfortable. We had an amazing dinner and enjoyed traditional singing (and a little popular group singing, too!). Our translator Eun Gi was fabulous. She shared a little history, introduced us to many people in the village, took us to the local market, along with other activities. We even got to try fishing, the traditional way! My fiancee and I really enjoyed our time in Yen Duc and have been recommending this experience to our friends.
We included a one night stay at the village with our indo junk tour.
Excellent idea to say the least …the whole experience was well worth it The accommodation was fantastic
Gi our guide did everything to make the stay fun informative and hands on in most of the activities.
Although completely different to being on the bay this overnight stay was certainly a highlight of the tour.
Please don’t go for an early morning bike ride if you don’t have a plan,my husband and I got very lost and put the tour back 45mins. ..very inconsiderate but a wonderful ride so early in the morning pay someone to go with you
My husband and I absolutely loved our stay at Yen Duc village. Being the only ones who booked, we had a wonderful guide Gee all to ourselves. Gee was very informative and fun to spend the day with, we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. After the amazing scenery in Halong bay, I have to admit that our expectations were low for Yen Dug, but our expectations were happily surpassed by friendly people, interesting activities, amazing food and authentic experience of village life. You should bring your children to this village. It’s a good school for them.
Nous avons passé une nuit et deux journées dans ce magnifique petit village de fermiers. Nous sommes arrivées vers midi et nous avons tout de suite étés accueillis par notre guide – Gi, une jeune vietnamienne de 23ans qui s est occupée de nous a la perfection. Avide de discussions en tout genre, nous avons parcouru le village à pied, puis à vélo, découvrant pagode, temples, marché local, traditions, artisanat… Le tout dans la bonne humeur et l amabilité. Je recommande vivement de passer par ce village si vous souhaitez rencontrer des gens vraiment gentils, généreux et authentique.
Had a wonderful time here. Food has been outstanding, surroundings beautiful, and activities fun and laid back. But Gi our guide was definitely the highlight of the trip! Wonderful and very knowledgeable young lady. Thank you very much for your hositality and care!
Collection of reviews about Yen Duc village tour, luxury homestay near Ha Long Bay, Vietnam 