Lo Lo Chai is experiencing high demand for accommodation during the Lunar New Year: Beware of inflated prices when booking through intermediaries.
The world's best tourist village in 2025 in Ha Giang is already fully booked until the 8th day of the Lunar New Year. Guests are advised to sleep in tents or rent low-quality rooms at high prices.
Lo Lo Chai Village (Lung Cu Commune) – recently honored by UN Tourism as the "World's Best Tourist Village 2025" – is experiencing severe overcrowding during the Lunar New Year holiday. Reports indicate that most homestays there are fully booked until the 8th day of the Lunar New Year, leaving many tourists who made last-minute reservations in a difficult situation.
Accommodation is scarce, and makeshift tent camping services are becoming increasingly difficult.
The shortage of accommodation has led to the emergence of alternative lodging services that do not guarantee quality. Some tourists reported being offered tent accommodation about 300 meters from the village gate by intermediaries for 500,000 VND per night. Notably, this type of accommodation does not include private bathrooms and causes many inconveniences.
In addition, travel agencies have proactively "hoarded" rooms to serve customers who purchase all-inclusive tour packages at a price of around 4.5 million VND for a 3-day, 3-night itinerary. This makes the chances of individual travelers booking rooms separately extremely low.
Warning about price gouging by intermediaries.
Mr. Sinh Gi Gai, head of Lo Lo Chai village, confirmed that almost all 63 homestay businesses in the village had sold out their rooms a month ago. While homestay owners committed to maintaining stable prices between 600,000 and 800,000 VND, some intermediaries were offering lower-quality rooms for 600,000 to 900,000 VND.
To protect their rights, Mr. Sinh Gi Gai advises tourists to be cautious when conducting transactions through intermediaries. Tourists should contact the homestay owner or local authorities directly to verify information before transferring any deposit money.
Local management efforts
In response to this situation, the People's Committee of Lung Cu commune stated that it will strengthen the review and inspection of conditions for serving tourists and the posting of room prices. Local officials have also urged businesses to stabilize prices and prevent price gouging or the indiscriminate rental of tents, which detracts from the aesthetics of the international tourist village.
From 2023 to 2025, Lo Lo Chai has seen significant development in its tourism infrastructure, with the number of homestay households increasing from 29 to 63. With its status as a world tourism village, the area frequently experiences high occupancy rates during major holidays. Tourists are advised to book their accommodations at least 1-2 months in advance for the best experience.
