Viet Hai Green Valley Homestay

LAN homestay and our trip to Cat Ba was one of the highlights of our trip to Vietnam. The location is incredible in a beautiful tiny village with no cars, just golf buggies. The surroundings are stunning with great hikes and walks. Your are also perfectly positioned to do boat trips in Lan Ha Bay. The hotel are so helpful and will arrange all of this for you, including travel to the homestay which can be a bit tricky considering it's in a national park. Hotel were very clear and transparent with all our options before we arrived. A special mention to Hai who was so friendly and helped us with everything. The food is simple but delicious and you eat with the other guests which is a great way to meet new people also on their travels. The rooms are very basic but clean and have air con. A fair few mosquitoes early evening but you're in the jungle so it's to be expected plus they provide nets. Can't recommend enough!

We had a wonderful time. It was a true Vietnamese experience in a picturesque location in a small village only accessible by boat from Lanha bay. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The food was authentic and delicious. There are many day trips available to add to the adventure!

As stated by the other reviews, this homestay is a little bit removed from central Cat Ba. This has advantages and disadvantages. Firstly you will not be experiencing the hustle and bustle of Cat Ba. To reach Cat Ba, you will either need to use a speedboat (which is expensive), or you will need to use the Ferry which only arrives and leaves at two designated times. Alternatively, you can do a full-day hike through the forest and use a taxi to get to Cat Ba. This being said, if you book this homestay, it should not be for the sake of going to Cat Ba. Viet Hai village is remote, beautiful and very small. If anything, the charm of the location is because of being removed from the very touristic Cat Ba. Furthermore, Viet Hai village is located within an absolutely gorgeous nature reserve which can be explored via bike. The things we enjoyed the most about the homestay were the service and the dinner. Hai assisted us at the homestay. He was friendly, and efficient and spoke very good English. Every bit of planning was meticulous and timely. One could book multiple activities through the homestay including a sunset tour, a boat cruise and a bioluminescent kayak trip. It should be noted that, since Viet Hai village is remote, all the activities are limited to the area. You could also rent a bike to ride in the village or do a hike in the jungle. However, the quality of these activities is dependent on the weather. We stayed for three nights and managed to do everything - a cruise, a night kayak, cycling and hiking, all of which were especially beautiful. However, we being restless and very active people, felt like we would have been satisfied with one less day. The meals at the homestay were lovely, but we especially enjoyed the dinner which was buffet style and allowed us to mingle with other fellow travelers. Then there is the room itself. The room was spacious enough and clean. It had an aircon and clean sheets. There were two things that needed some adapting from our side. Firstly, the shower in the bathroom is open, in other words not surrounded by glass. This does mean that the rest of the bathroom gets wet. This is just something small to adapt to as a foreigner. We found that this is generally the case in Vietnam (you can expect this from most hotels in this price range). Secondly, because of the humidity, the room (including the floor) gets damp. We did not experiment enough with the aircon to determine whether we could mitigate this. We had a very positive experience, and it was extremely stress-free because of our helpful and friendly hosts.

Had a wonderful stay here! It's very quiet, with beautiful gardens and comfy hammocks. Bedroom was clean and comfortable, showers were hoy. Only thing missing was a bedside lamp. Opportunity for socializing with family-style dinners. Meals were delicious and able to accommodate vegan and vegetarian diets. You can book individual tours through the homestay for overnight in Long Ha Bay, photoluminescence kayaking, sunset BBQ, guided hikes. Or book a multi day set through Beka travel. There are two hikes you can do from the village self-guided. Many thanks to Hai for being an attentive host, answering so many questions, and ensuring the vegan meals, as well to to Thanh (Beka travel) for guiding the hike and kayak with relaxed and fun energy, and for the video compilation!

I came here on a tour with kayaking, hiking and exploring the island. Thanh was my tour guide and took care of all my needs from making sure I didn’t fall down the mountain or drown in the ocean. As a solo traveler, I didn’t feel alone as he was friendly and made sure I had a good time. The homestay location is serene, peaceful and clean. What a beautiful cute little oasis. So happy to have this little vacation.

We had a very nice time at this beautiful homestay. There was a nice Garden and the room was clean. We had breakfast and dinner everyday. They always prepared some vegetarian options aswell. Everyone was very helpful and made sure that we had everything we needed. We booked the boat trip which was a lot of fun. The national park is just around the corner and good for a hike.