Speaking with Tien Phong Newspaper earlier this week, vice chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee Nguyen Van Lanh said that they had received registrations from households wanting homestay services that allow tourists to experience their families' daily life.
"We'll only select a few homes that meet certain requirements, such as their owners having a permanent address in the old town and having been recognised as exemplary cultured families, holding prestige within their local community," Lanh said, adding that priority would be given to families that engage in traditional craft production, trading activities, or cultural and art performances.
Their houses must also satisfy several criteria, the most important of which is that they provide favourable conditions for guests to experience daily local life.
"We want to select houses that boast architectural and artistic value and represent the old town," the official said. The houses should have no more than five bedrooms, each hosting no more than two guests."
Households offering homestay services will inform tourists of their daily activities, habits, and what their families do.
According to the Hoi An City People's Committee, Hoi An City is home to over 1,000 old houses and historical sites. Some 70 percent of houses in the old town run businesses and services in the daytime and close at night as their owners do not live there.
Hoi An authorities hope the homestay activities will help make the old town more hospitable.