Multi-style
According to tourism experts, in the world and even in Vietnam, the number of self-supporting tourists is increasing. Currently, the amount of individual customers accounts for about 50% of the total number of visitors every year. These tourists love to explore, so prefer homestay to experience local culture. In Hanoi, homestay services are developing with increasingly popular style. Most homestay in the inner city of Hanoi goes in the direction of courtesy, elegance, simplicity, and sophistication. Right in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, visitors can completely choose the beautiful and comfortable homestay including Momento Homestay or Annie's Little Hanoi - homestay designed in Hanoi style in the 1990s on Trang Thi street (Hoan Kiem). Located on Tran Quy Cap Street (Dong Da District), Madam Nguyet Home 1 is the ideal homestay for visitors with kitchen and dining table. Here, visitors can go to the market and prepare the meal according to their own taste or ask the landlord to cook traditional dishes of Hanoi. In addition, visitors can also design their own tours to visit the famous monuments and destinations such as The Temple of Literature, Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts or Hoa Lo Prison.

Tourists at Hanoi Old Quarter.Photo: Cong Hung

Along with that, a series of homestay on the Ngoc Thuy street like Madam Lan Anh Duong River View, Thai Artist House, Maison Ly, or tree house ... with spacious campus and fresh air is also very popular. In which the homestay Tree House of artist Dao Anh Khanh since 1995 is regarded as "the most beautiful house in Hanoi". In addition to homestays, there is a new trend of "apartment" (regarded as holiday apartment) with functional rooms: bedrooms, kitchens dining room, gym, balcony, garden ... and other modern equipment. These types of apartments are very popular in Tay Ho district. Along with that is a series of villas in Soc Son area such as Xanh Villa, Hidden Villa or Green Villa ... contributing to the development of new homestay tourism trend. Not only developing in the inner city, in suburban districts, homestay with local or modern characteristics, combining with specialties and popular cultural activities attracts visitors. Recently, Soc Son district was regarded as the "homestay paradise" for people in the inner city to enjoy fresh space. In the beautiful wooden and glass houses in the green pine forest, people can go fishing, farming with peasants ... during the weekend. Phuc Tho district is building the brand name of garden tourism, such as visiting the old logan tree over 100 years old, fresh vegetable growing area,... and indispensable accommodation for visitors right at resident’s home. Meanwhile, the homestay in the ancient village of Duong Lam bring visitors exciting experience in a quiet and peaceful countryside.
Creativity  needed
Although having been to Hanoi many times, I have never felt bored, because each time I came back, Hanoi changed quickly, and one of them are homestay with different styles. All are different and attractive. Senji Nakajima - visitors from Japan Despite the great demand, homestay service business is not as simple, shared by artist Dao Anh Khanh - owner of Tree House homestay: "At the first time, I am confident that this kind of business does not need a “huge capital" as building a mini hotel, however, in fact, the investment amount is even much larger than the hotel building, because in addition to basic construction, homestay businessmen have to considering the room, furniture and eye-catching decorations that are not "like any other" to attract new visitors.
On the other hand, homestay must be large enough, at least 500 - 700m2 for living room, reading room, garden space and facilities like cooking stoves and laundry machine for tourists to use with the owner or buy things to cook, creating the atmosphere as in the family. Therefore, the cost of managing a homestay is not cheap, with a minimum of 4 to 5 employees. At present, the price of homestay services in Hanoi varies from 200,000 VND to several million VND per day and night. However, travel can be full of memories or not also depends on the attitude and behavior of visitors in activities with local residents.