Husband and Wife, Ben (Australian) and Le Thi Bich (who grew up in the local community) had an epiphany to start a tourism business in the middle of nowhere. Her family and the rest of the community thought that they were mad. “Who would come and stay in the middle of some rice paddies, nobody comes here, we’ve never seen any westerners, you’re wasting your money and your time!” Bich’s family’s reservations were at the time somewhat warranted, as back in the day no one had heard of Phong Nha and even entering Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park was prohibited. Phong Nha itself didn’t get any foreign tourists, but Ben and Bich believed that if people knew about it, then the area could prosper. Starting from housing people in hammocks at Bich’s family home to personally designing and building Phong Nha Farmstay from scratch, they set out to put Phong Nha on the map. Their initial goal was to aim to create what they would want if they were on holiday in the remote and beautiful region of northern-central Vietnam – comfortable accommodation, great scenery, swimming pools, full bar, tasty food and top-quality tours, activities, and entertainment.

And what an adventure the project ended up becoming! Now, most of Phong Nha’s community remember this as being their idea.

Phong Nha Farmstay is a very unique experience. We are a lively, fun and relaxing guesthouse, an island of modern comforts in a rural setting. Our staff families and our extended family do have farmland where they grow rice, peanuts, bananas, sweet corn, cassava, pepper and more, and much of it is served to our guests. Using locally sourced ingredients is a part of our sustainability strategy.

We are a unique accommodation model, set among a farming community. Our guests are a very mixed bunch, people from all over the world have stayed with us since we opened, and many have become great friends as they explored the area and chatted over dinner together afterwards.

Our staff is relaxed, young at heart, passionate about Vietnam – its people, culture and landscape – and proudly work hard to give you the best stay we can. We are not a cheap budget travel option like you can find in the more touristy centers of Vietnam; we are deep in the rural countryside still untouched by the negative effects of mass tourism.