Cham Islands Family Homestay

Bai Huong on Cham Islands (Cu Lao Cham) is the home village of most of our employees - as a guest you will be staying in the homes of relatives & close friends

Introduction

Family Homestay customers are family guests staying inside private homes of people in Bai Huong village and participate with the family in preparing & eating meals, local activities including fishing, harvesting food, etc.

Bai Huong village has 500 people living as one large family - which is something everyone needs to learn & do as planet earth becomes smaller & humans become more interdependent.

Meet, see, feel & learn direct from the source about Vietnam - the people, community, religion, culture & environment. Participate with the Vietnamese people & their community lives while living inside their homes in an unspoilt village in Vietnam in a way which maximizes your & their total benefits (education, karma, financial, etc.). Gather food, prepare & eat meals together.

Please be open! please join & participate with others in a community which for a few days includes you inside a Vietnamese village. Respect & trust the process & the people. Join in to be included.

Homestay IS NOT about false smiles for an unreal & hyped experience based on a business model of greed. If you are open then Homestay IS real & simple - it is in your face & difficult sometimes because finally it is YOU that you & others are experiencing! you are then participating in the community.

Benefits for Cham Islands Family Homestay include:

Karma Waters operates in UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Cu Lao Cham(*Cham Islands) which was created 26 May 2009
Karma Waters is a non-profit organization with 100% community benefit for Cham Islands
Karma Waters is paying snorkelling & sightseeing fees to the Cham Islands Marine Park Administration which is used for marine conservation
At least 30 minutes per day volunteer community service is requested from each customer. This can be cleaning up, teaching English to household & community, etc.

Location

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Cu Lao Cham (Cham Islands) fishing village of Bai Huong (population 500) on the largest island of Hon Lao 9 nautical miles East of Hoi An river-ocean inlet.

Bai Huong village is the ancestoral home of most Karma Waters employees. People in this village are part of a large 500 member family community - they are very "open" to each other - which is something we all need to learn!

Community cooperation

Karma Waters is a non-profit organization with 100% benefit going to the community. Karma Waters as a tour operator using our equipment, employees & management is the Family Homestay source.

Karma Waters is providing Family Homestay in cooperation and agreement with Homeowners, local Government and the Marine Park Administration (MPA).

We are the only company providing Homestay at Bai Huong - here are no other tourist accommodation in Bai Huong.

Bai Huong is close to marine park areas and due to conservation fishing regulations & declining fishing industry many village homes are now suffering from declining incomes.

Things to see, do & feel

Bai Huong village has 500 people living as one large family - which is something everyone needs to learn & do as planet earth becomes smaller & humans become more interdependent. Bai Huong community & families have something to teach everyone!

Meet, see, feel & learn direct from the source about Vietnam - the people, community, religion, culture & environment.

In a small fishing village there are few & wide boundaries between peoples - please be OPEN! please join & participate with others in a community which for a few days includes you inside a Vietnamese fishing village. Respect & trust the process & the people.

Meals are normally eaten with household family.

Learn Vietnamese food gathering, preparation & cooking.

Volunteer activities

It is appreciated by the community if a minimum of 30 minutes volunteer work per day is given by each Guest - and more time if possible! Please contact our staff to arrange your volunteer activity.

Volunteer activities include teaching English to your household, beach & village cleanup - or create & introduce your own volunteer activity!

If a Guests want to donate more time or resources (including money) to a specific project or family we would appreciate if first you check with Karma Waters Owners to find an appropriate & correct way of participation. We have volunteer & charity programs already in place - please enquire. We are focused on children and education as a means of change.

10% of total income from Family Homestay is used by Karma Waters for community programs - this ensures that the community as a whole benefits and that the benefit does not go to just a few homes. Programs include education for local school children, etc.

Vegetarian meals

Included in the daily rate are all vegetarian meals eaten with the household; approximate times are breakfast 7 am, lunch 11.30 am, dinner 6.00 pm. Food is local Vietnamese vegetarian dishes.

We do not provide seafood or meat meals because the Owners of Karma Waters are vegans and we are practicing sustainable tourism which supports conservation of local fish stocks and the preservation & development of the community & environment for future generations. By protecting the environment and fish stocks we are improving potential of future income from activities such as diving, snorkelling, swimming, etc.

If Guests want non-vegetarian dishes please discuss and negotiate prices direct with the homeowner. We are not participating & responsible for non-vegetarian meals.

If Guests want cooking classes then please ask and then join in the preparation, cooking & cleaning.

Telecommunications

Most mobile phone networks work on Cham Islands & nearby waters. There are no internet cafes or internet connections at Bai Huong, Cham Islands.

Family Homestay Accommodation

Homestay is INSIDE a village house with a family - this is their privately owned family home. Our accommodation is NOT a separate building only for tourists!

Accommodation is a shared room with two Guests sleeping on bamboo mats (cool in summer) with mosquito nets.

Young children normally sleep with their parents.

Toilet & shower facilities are provided inside each home and shared with the household.

Electricity is only available 6 pm - 10 pm provided by the local diesel generator.

Early to bed & early to rise - with many fishermen going out in the middle of the night fishing.

Registration

Registration with the Police is required to Homestay on Cham Islands. Passports with valid visas must be carried by each person. Vietnamese nationals must have valid ID. We request with confirmed booking customers names, nationality & passport number so that we can pre-register with the local Government.

Security & privacy

Bai Huong village is a safe and peaceful place to be. HOWEVER, please keep cash and important valuables with you at all times. Rooms for Guests have doors with locks. Although staying inside the house there is privacy provided for Guests.

Families with children

Children run around freely because the community as a whole are looking after them! Homestay is perfect for a young family (the Owners of Karma Waters have two young daughters that love to come with us to Bai Huong!). There are about 50 young children in the village so there are lots of opportunities for children to play together. Ask our Guide to arrange a special visit to the local school.

Facilities for people with mobility difficulties

There is a lack of facilities in this village for people with mobility difficulties.

Toilets & showers

Most toilets are the "squat" type which although good for health are difficult for some people to use who are not used to squatting. A few households have sitting toilets - if Guests prefer a sitting type of toilet please make a special request!

All houses have showers using room temperature water - which can be cold in Autumn & Winter. Water is from a local spring.

English speaking Guides employed by Karma Waters

English speaking Guides are employed by Karma Waters and are always the Guests first point of contact. Our Guides will stay in the village throughout your stay and will help both the Guest and household. Please discuss with our Guides activities you want & your schedule.

Most people in the village do not speak English.

Weather conditions

Local sea conditions are governed by the very shallow river - ocean inlet.

This makes passage difficult or impossible during the heavy monsoon season when ocean swells create large breakers across the inlet. The inlet is closed to all vessels during sea conditions of Beuford 5 and above.

Passage by boat to Cham Islands:

Normally possible (80%) May to August
Sometimes possible (50%) during the rest of the year January to April
Seldom possible (20%) September to December during monsoon season

June - August wind conditions are normally light and from the South or West (Laos) - so not really ideal for sailing! Squalls (strong winds & rain) sometimes occur in the late afternoon in late Summer which requires departure from Cham Islands around 2 pm. Look towards Laos (East) around lunchtime and see dark clouds forming and you know a squall is on the way.

Best season for Cham Island Homestay

Spring or Summer (May - August) the river - ocean inlet is relatively calm and we are able to guarantee voyage to Cham Islands everyday. This time of the year the weather is normally hot without monsoon rains - making this the "best" season and ideal for all types of outdoor activities & Homestay.

Other times of the year the river-ocean inlet can be very rough and there is no guarantee that we can make passage. During this low season there are very few tourists and if passage to Cham Islands can be made then Bai Huong is very peaceful, quiet & ideal for hiking or just hanging around the village.

Do's & Don'ts

Do's include:

Please join in & participate in a respectful way with the community & household & be a part of their community
People in your household are working; please early to bed & early to rise
Respect elders in the village & family
All children are watched & look after by all adults
Drink alcohol in moderation
Take minimum of items which you will leave behind as rubbish (plastic bags, plastic bottles, etc.). Rubbish has to be collected & disposed by returning to Hoi An (there is no landfill on Cham Islands & until recently most rubbish was tossed into the sea!)
Please refill plastic water bottles & take plastic rubbish (bottles, bags etc.) on our boat back to Hoi An

Don'ts include:

Break Vietnamese law including laws for the National & Marine Parks
Don't take, buy or eat protected species of fish, coral, etc. - please protect the environment including the land (National Park) & sea (Marine Park)
When snorkelling do not step on or damage live coral
Please do not litter - all rubbish must be collected & disposed correctly

Personal items

Minimum personal items all Guests should bring on Homestay includes:

Towel & swimwear
Soap & shampoo
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Medicines
Mosquito repellent

There are three small shops in Bai Huong selling to local households.

Recommended Family Homestay length

Recommended is two nights & three days allowing one full day in Bai Huong. Stay as short or long as you want!

Maximum Group size

Maximum eight (8) Guests per night in our Homestay program with two Guests + children sharing a room inside a home. This small group size ensures in a small village population of only 500 that tourism is sustainable & does not significantly affect or change the village, community or the environment.

Departure time

8 am departure from Karma Waters pier, Cua Dai, returning by 4 pm (depending on weather conditions). Voyage takes approx. 90 minutes each way by our lifeboat.

Activities provided by villagers

There are activities and services available in Bai Huong village that we do not provide. These activities and services must be arranged & negotiated by the customer.

Full service

To support our Family Homestay we provide additional services including:

Hotel & Airport shuttle service by van or boat
Packaged Tours

Please enquire and we will advise availability & rates.

Activities available in Bai Huong, Cham Islands from Karma Waters

Karma Waters cooperates with the local community to provide activities including:

Fishing trips with local fishermen US$15/ person
Round island boat half day trip with local fishermen US$20/ person
Guided half day walk to Bao Lang village & public beaches US$10/ person
Guided half day snorkeling trip with local fishermen US$15/ person
Guided half day island hiking US$10/ person
Guided harvesting organic fruits & vegetables US$10/ person
Sailing traditional "ghe nang" 10.5 metre boat (see Activities) US$35/ person 1/2 day; US$50/ person full day
Dinghy sailing US$15/ hour (see Activities)
Kayak US$10/ hour (see Activities)