I just want to know what vietnamese people think.

Bazza139 wrote:

"senwl Today 17:03:27 Report #123
   644 posts Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh
gobot :
Staying at a guesthouse where the family speaks rudimentary English is a great idea. I have only seen guesthouses/B&Bs in the Mekong, wonder how common they are in other places? This could be a good general recommendation to all new expats...
Homestay is indeed a great idea and is quite popular in other parts of Vietnam as well.
I did it in MKD (Ben Tre) and in Hue. Wonderful experience!
I'd love to do it again whenever the opportunity comes.
Here's a website for those interested in VN homestay."

Finally..?   A moderator who offers pragmatic pointers..?   

    Is this website achieving maturity..?

   We, the unenlightened, dare to hope...     

Nothing beats the excitement and thrill of doing a homestay with people who hardly speak your language ... and where you are considered a complete stranger in every sense. It's an opportunity to learn about, understand and show respect to other cultures and customs.
TBH, before VN I did it in China, in Japan and across India (in some of the remotest parts) through local contacts.
In most cases I was invited to spend a few days with the host families. The same in Vietnam.

That website I posted is a random one which seems to point to some 'well-organised' homestay options across VN .... Of course, price quoted in $$ and its Eng interface seem to suggest some business interests behind the scene and the promises of 'convenient location' etc. sound very much like regular ads on a hotel booking site.

IMO an ideal homestay is always the one that comes by chance or through local connections/contacts..... but, it takes time to find such an opportunity.
It can't be pre-booked and/or pre-paid through a website.

For those just-landed, willing to do a homestay, sites like that one could be a good place to get started.