XYZ and CC, correct re definition. Homestay has so many uses now--overused perhaps. In India, more and more it seems to be a small inn or lodging with two or more rooms, and what makes it a "Home" stay is that the owmers are on property, perhaps right next door, but not necessarily in the same building.

I know your question was addressed to Crellston, but i can tell you in much of Ha Giang province, NO English was spoken! In fact, in parts, no (or minimal) Vietnamese was spoken! Luckily, my fantastic guide knew enough of all the local languages/dialects that he and thus I, could communicate beyond sign language!

Totally with Calinurse re language issues. A guide who speak the local,dialects is essential. When we were staying at a "Black Thai" village our guide got quite excited when I mentioned I spoke very little Vietnamese but could speak a basic level of Thai. He mentioned this to the lady who owned the house and although she was delighted, there were only a few words that seemed remotely similar to the language I had learned. Still, at least I was able to tell her, her food was delicious!

It is an important point though, when choosing an outfit to visit the more remote places, check that the guide speaks do speak the local dialects it will help immensely in integrating with the family which is a major part of the fun of being there.

CaliNurse, crellson,
Great advice about the guide. As we are not planning a tour with a dedicated guide throughout the entire stay, we are hoping to find guides in each area. Hopefully working with the hotels and getting suggestions here will give us some options. How did you find your guide(s)?

CaliNurse, we are skipping Ha Giang province this time, especially because it is so remote and we won't have time for it. Hopefully, next time :)

Plenty of tour operators and agents in each major city. The problem is sorting out the good from the bad - there are a lot of indifferent operators out there many just stealing the names of the original good ones. Sinh Cafe being a prime example.

Most will be able to source a trip within a day or two so you could wait until there before booking, although it does help to do a little research beforehand. Even good companies can use bad guides so there are no guarantees.

We had the luxury of time on our last visit to Vietnam so to pick a guide/tour, we just tramped around a few places in the Old Quarter of Hanoi and talked with few before deciding on one we liked. Elsewhere we usually asked our accomodation to recommend someone ( they have a vested interest in making sure you have a good deal). With one exception, our trip to Halong Bay, we were very pleased with our choices. Even on that trip, when we mentioned our problem to the manager of the hotel who had recommeded the operator, they managed to get us a partial refund.

In Vietnam it is very important to spell out EXACTLY what you want so there are no "misunderstandings".

CaliNurse, sounds like you had a great time in Ha Giang. Unfortunately, but probably wisely, we ended up dropping that part of our trip. Just sounded like more time on the road everyday than some of our party would tolerate well. Next time. But it sounds like it's worth it.

You can refer http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam/...nh-binh/hotels
Happy travel :)