We had a fantastic experience on our tour of Hoi An. Quan is a personable and knowledgeable guide who really brought the beautiful and romantic town of Hoi An to life for us.
We visited the market, took a boat tour to one of the islands and visited local families who make thin rice wrappers used in Vietnamese cuisine and sleeping mats out of grass. It really provided a fascinating insight into the everyday lives of local people. All in all it was a brilliant day out and incredibly god value for money!
Little did we know that the best was yet to come!
It turns out that the same young lady who runs the tours – the vivacious and charming Xuan Tu (I hope I spelled her name correctly) – also operates a homestay in Da Nang. Our time at the homestay was easily the most memorable time of our entire 3-week stay in Vietnam!
Xuan Tu, her brother Lam and her mother Tho really made us feel part of the family at their lovely house. The rooms themselves are great, all with an en suite bathroom, large flat-screen TV and a large comfortable bed. But it was the family themselves who made our stay so memorable. We visited the local market with Tho, who then let us help her make a delicious Vietnamese dinner. Lam took us around to his favourite restaurants and cafes, the sorts of places that no tourist would ever be able to find on their own.
And Xuan Tu utterly charmed us the whole time with her cheeky sense of humour and non-stop joking. Words cannot express just how charming this family is.
We had one memorable dinner together with the family and some of our friends, culminating in a raucous karaoke party that saw us belting out classic songs at the top of our lungs while drinking copious amounts of Tiger beer on ice. Brilliant memories!!
If you are planning to visit Da Nang and/or Hoi An, then do yourself a favour and get in touch with them. And if at all possible, stay at their homestay in Da Nang. If you’re anything like us, you’ll be so sad when the time comes to say good-bye. On the other hand, you’ll be smiling because you’ll already be planning your next trip to Vietnam. What more can I say? 🙂
—
Traveller: Carl G from Tripadvisor 