Sapa Homestay Ta May — Local services in Ta Phin Commune

I stayed with May and her family in July. It was quite quiet at the time (heavy rains had caused landslides in the area) but as a solo traveller, I felt incredibly welcomed by May, her adorable daughter Moon, her Mum and I got to meet her 102 year old grandmother, who is still making beautiful embroidery! The homestay is basic, but May's food is unbelievably delicious and the linens were the softest I had in Vietnam. I got to try many veggies and plants that I had never seen before, cooked to perfection, and May was able to explain what they were. Her breakfast pho is the best!! Her English is fantastic and she is wonderful to chat to about Dao culture. I probably asked wayyy too many questions, but May also went above and beyond. I had seen the review about Herbal medicine, which I am interested in, and decided to stay because of the mentions of the Dao baths. The main community Dao bath spa is next to May's and she and her mum explained how it was created by the community and hires locals to collect all the herbs- I think about 160 families benefit from the community spa which can prep herbal baths for 40 people at a time. Her mum also taught me how to sew the traditional Dao cross stitch and then made up 2 bracelets for me from my stitching. The Dao cross stitch from the back, which is incredibly detailed and they used a lot of patience in teaching...

We were looking for a homestay that focused on traditional herbal medicine and we were lucky to find the best host at our favorite homestay with Ta May. She has years of experience as a guide and her English is great. She has taken us on multi day tours focusing on her culture as a Red Dao. She has shared her culture through herbal walks in the town of Ta Phin, through a cave in Ta Phin, through the forests to collect herbs. Part of our tour included going across the street to her mother and fathers house where we had delicious herbal tea while looking at beautiful hand embroidered fiber art made by her mother, grandmother and other women in her family. We were able to buy some of the most beautifully embroidered pieces. We bought various sizes of bags, some wall hangings and table runners. Every day that we stayed with Ta May we had an axing herbal bath in the cutest wooden tubs with a beautiful view. The water was hot and all of our body aches and pains melted away with the rich herbal waters that were dark red from 14 different plants in the herbal soak. Also all of the meals she made for us were so fresh and delicious made with local herbs and meat. I am so happy that we found Ta May’s Sapa Homestay. She and her family are so kind and treated us like family. We will be back soon. Thank you...

When visiting Sapa, I knew there could be many mass touristy options so I’m glad I researched before, asked in Hanoi and ended up here at Ta May’s homestay. And the ‘homestay’ name gives it a justice as for those two full days I stay there I felt like at home, learning about community, herbal project, celebrating Ta May grandma’s birthday, eating plenty of delicious food and taking a herbal bath every day. The homestay is next to the Herbal center and Ta May’s shared so much of the knowledge and organised a herbal picking hike for me. Her English is great and she always finds time to answer questions. The room is basic (it’s a homestay after all!) but clean and bed was super comfy. The home as a whole was very cosy as well, with Ta May’s daughter running around, dogs and a cat being cheeky (Ta May always made sure they don’t bother me) and I had quiet evenings at the balcony reading with...