Tucked between the tourists hubs of Cua Dai Beach and Hoi An town in Vietnam, is Cam Thanh, a tranquil village dotted with paddy fields, lakes, rivers and irrigation canals.

On the recommendation of a friend, we booked into Lakeside Homestay at Cam Thanh – a village located along Cua Dai road that links Cua Dai Beach and Hoi An town. It was a departure from our normal hotel accommodation but turned out to be one of our best travel accommodations.

The owner of Lakeside Homestay – Phung Pham, his wife Huong, two young boys and extended family made us feel at home at all times. They even organise barbecues on weekends to allow guests living in the four rooms of their homestay to meet and mingle with each other- if they choose to do so.

The highlight for us was supposed to be the ancient town of Hoi An – a Unesco World Heritage site. But as it turned out, we fell in love with the tranquil setting of Cam Than and ended up spending more time exploring the charming village and spending time with the wonderful people we met there.

In the mornings, were woke up to the quacking from flocks of ducks swimming in the rice irrigation canal just beside the home-stay.

It was a blissful experience to enjoy our breakfast – a choice of western or Vietnamese food served with Vietnam coffee, green tea and fresh tropical fruits at a small sitting area just beside the canal.

It was worth waking up early in the morning to take a walk through the village at sunrise.

 

The calm and quiet setting is just the place to recharge and rejuvenate the mind and body.

The locals are warm and welcoming, and one of our favourite spots was the Cua Dai market, where every morning the freshest of seafood is brought in by fishermen from the sea, rivers and estuaries nearby.

There was also an array of tasty Vietnamese treats like cakes and delicacies available at the market – the kind you will never find at touristy restaurants.

The prawn farm, paddy fields, restaurants and sundry shops are all with walking distance through scenic village pathways and roads.

The best way to take it all in is by walking, cycling or biking around the village. most homestays provide bicycles and scooters for tenants, or if you need a car, taxis are a phone call away or available along the main stretch of Cua Dai Road.

Hoi An or Cua Dai Beach are both about a 30 minute walk from Cam Thanh.