The administration in Hoi An, a famed tourist city in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, said on Monday that it had begun receiving registrations from families in Hoi An Ancient Town that seek to join a pilot homestay program to allow tourists to experience their families’ daily life.

After households make registrations, the city authorities will detach officials to check if the households are eligible for the program.

They have to meet certain requirements, such as having a permanent address in the ancient town, being recognized as exemplary cultured families, and holding prestige within the local community.

Their houses must also satisfy several criteria to serve tourists with the most important being favorable conditions for travelers to experience culture in the ancient town, locals’ personality, and their daily life.

Households joining the homestay program will inform tourists of their daily activities, habits, and the jobs of family members.

Hoi An City is home to 1,273 houses and relics, each averaging around 400 years old. Approximately 20 percent of these are state-owned.

Forty percent of the ancient houses in Hoi An Ancient Town have been transferred to non-Quang Nam residents. These owners do not live in the houses but lease them out instead. 

The houses open for business and services in the daytime and close at night.

Thirty percent of the houses in the ancient town still belong to Hoi An people but the owners do not live there either.

If the pilot homestay program proves a success, it will be an interesting tourism product.

Hoi An has never provided lodging services in the ancient town before.

The program aims to preserve the warmth of the ancient town, which is a crucial factor in Hoi An City's appeal.

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