Highway 20 Homestay

This is an interesting place to stay in Phong Nha, tan by Vinh and his family. Vinh speaks excellent English and can get you sorted for guided tours of the caves with various options, being a guide himself. He and his family are very attentive and made sure we had everything we need, from hard earned cold beer to breakfast ready and waiting before our early tour start. They also did two lots of laundry for us at a good price and quick turn around. The rooms themselves are beautifully designed wooden cabins, which whilst solid, still allow in the bugs etc - though we didn’t see many. The main issue was our bathroom - again a beautiful design with large pebbles used as the base for the flooring and drainage, and also the basin, which works in theory but doesn’t feel particularly clean, especially when the odd bug crawls up through them when you turn the water on. The drainage on the sink as well as the toilet hose was leaking which slowly created a bigger and bigger pool over the course of our 2 day stay. One perk of the bathroom was the hot water and excellent pressure. Main issue was the dog with severe mange and what looks like a parasitic infection of the eyes, huge angry red swollen eyelids with active discharge, not fair on the dog, or pleasant to be around. Owner claims the dog is recovering, I would argue it’s past that point without hospitalisation. They do have another dog that is very friendly and playful, and tends to bark at the other to get rid of it. If bugs and sick animals don’t phase you then this is an excellent place to go and stay in touch with nature with a beautiful and attentive family.

Vinh is a very nice host and has been very helpful to help us organise our stay. He even came to pick us up at the bus stop and drove us back. His homestay is well decorated, welcoming and comfortable. We had a great time and highly recommend this place