People who opt for homestay accommodation are welcomed as family members and share the household work.

Foreign visitors join with Hoi An locals in their daily work (Photo: Minh Hoa)

They go to the market, go to the rice fields, go fishing, work in the garden, learn to cook and learn to sing folk tunes. These activities help tourists understand the local customs and lifestyle. Lê Ngoc Thuân was one of the first to offer this new form of tourism in the coastal village of An Bàng near Hoi An: "It is important to preserve the cultural traditions of the community. Fans of community tourism want to be immersed in the local culture and share authentic moments with the locals. On the occasion of Christmas and New Year, we decorated our houses to welcome foreign visitors and make them feel at home.”

Photo: Phuong Dung

In the New Year, An Bang village has welcomed many foreign tourists, who provide an additional source of income for the locals. Villager Truong Thi Cuom said: "Previously, my son and I were massons. It was a very tough job. My son decided to open our house to tourists. Since then our life has been better. In winter, the number of guests is higher. On average, we earn 20 million dong a month. More and more villagers are opening their homes to tourists. "

From a small number of locals offering homestays 7 years ago, there are now 320 listed sites offering more than 1,200 rooms. Stable jobs have been created. Nguyen Van Son, Vice Chairman of the Hoi An Municipal People's Committee, said: "Defining homestay service as a tourism product, local authorities have issued a number of regulations for this type of business. Service providers must be locals because tourists come to their homes to live with them, and explore their customs and daily life."

Hoi An authorities are reviewing homestay services to make them more profitable for the locals and more attractive to tourists.