U80 couple turns nearly 100-year-old stilt house into homestay, welcoming guests like their children and grandchildren

For every tourist who comes to the homestay for sightseeing and staying, Mr. Chai and his wife in Lang Son always prepare carefully and enthusiastically welcome them as if they were welcoming their children and grandchildren to visit their home. Since starting tourism, they feel happier and healthier.

At the age of 76, Mr. Duong Cong Chai, owner of Duong Cong Chai homestay in Quynh Son village, Bac Son commune ( Lang Son province), is still very agile and clear-headed. Every day, he and his wife, Mrs. Doan (78 years old), personally clean and take care of the stilt house of more than 100 square meters, grow vegetables, do gardening, cook and welcome visitors from all over.

Mr. Chai is known as the "knowledgeable tour guide" of the village, always sharing interesting things about history, culture and architecture with tourists.

"He spoke with passion and pride, which impressed us. He and his wife were also very close and friendly, making guests who visited the homestay for the first time feel like they were coming home," said one guest.

In October, Quynh Son village was honored by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) as "The best tourist village in the world in 2025". Since then, the number of visitors has increased significantly, making Mr. Chai's homestay often crowded and full on weekends. Although the work is busy, the U80 owners are very happy and proud.

Mr. Chai welcomes visitors to his nearly 100-year-old stilt house. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Previously, Mr. Chai and Mrs. Doan were civil servants. In 2010, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lang Son province directed the Tourism Promotion Center to coordinate with the Department of Culture and Information of Bac Son district to conduct research and build a community tourism model in Quynh Son commune (now Bac Son commune). Mr. Chai and his wife were one of the five pioneering households participating in homestay to welcome tourists.

"We were retired at that time, but we still felt healthy so we wanted to join the local community. The couple decided to renovate and refurbish the stilt house built in 1930 to make a community room to welcome tourists," Mr. Chai said.

"At first, everything was very simple and rudimentary, and I didn't know how to welcome guests. Gradually, we were able to participate in local tourism instruction courses and were taken to many other villages to learn from experience.

As more and more guests come, when the family has more money, they invest in renovating the kitchen, bathrooms, and building separate rooms... In 2024, we will carry out the biggest renovation, investing up to 400 million VND," said Mr. Chai.

The house still retains its traditional architectural features. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Currently, his homestay is a traditional Tay stilt house with 2 rooms and 3 wings, made of ironwood, roofed with yin-yang tiles, spacious and airy. The homestay has a large garden, a balcony overlooking the golden Bac Son fields in the ripe rice season, and in the distance are the undulating limestone mountains, creating a peaceful and poetic scene.

The homestay can accommodate up to 40 guests per night. The cost for a shared room is 100,000 VND per person and a private room is from 500,000 to 800,000 VND per room.

Mr. Chai and his wife cook and serve customers with specialties such as roast meat, black banh chung, sausage, stream fish...

Mr. Chai is skillful in making delicious mountain ginger sausage. Customers call to order a few days in advance, the U80 homestay owner will carefully prepare the sausage so that when the guests arrive, they will have the freshest and most delicious sausage. Many people, after enjoying it, order large and small bags as gifts.

Mr. and Mrs. Chai are loved by tourists for their friendliness and approachability. Photo: Huy Nguyen

Coming to the homestay of Mr. Chai and his wife, visitors will fully enjoy the atmosphere of a Tay family. In the evening, visitors can join in the campfire, cultural exchange with Then singing, Vi singing, Tinh lute...

"Since opening a homestay, my wife and I have felt excited and healthier. On average, the homestay brings in about 10 million VND per month, a clear economic improvement compared to farming. We also learned from our children and members of the Quynh Son Tourism Cooperative how to use smartphones and access technology to easily communicate with tourists," said Mr. Chai.

Quynh Son village currently has 9 homestays. Mr. Chai shared that each family is aware that the stilt house architecture, language, costumes and culture are priceless assets. Each person participating in tourism is like a "cultural ambassador", telling the story of their village with the Tay ethnic identity.

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Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/vo-chong-u80-bien-nha-san-gan-100-tuoi-thanh-homestay-don-khach-nhu-con-chau-2461928.html