In this article we:

Uncover the story of how Realistic Asia designed their proprietary community tour - the Ba Vi Eco Tour.
Step into the daily life of warm, welcoming hosts in the Vietnamese countryside
Learn how Realistic Asia’s approach to tourism empowers communities and creates lifelong memories
Explore the Ba Vi Eco Tour, including meeting a war veteran, tea farming, cooking classes, cycling and more
Get ideas on how to integrate Ba Vi into your Vietnam itineraries — from day trips to immersive overnight stays
Understand why this kind of authentic, small-scale travel is the new luxury

There’s a rhythm to the countryside outside Hanoi that you don’t find in guidebooks or city tours - one that begins with the soft clink of a tea cup on a wooden table, the rustle of wind through rice paddies, a warm greeting from a war veteran who now greets guests from around the world as friends.

This is Ba Vi, a tranquil rural district around 60 km west of the capital, whose patchwork of rice paddies, tea plantations, bamboo groves and traditional villages are framed by forested slopes, misty hills and meandering rivers. A world apart from the bustle of the city, Ba Vi is known not for its bucket-list landmarks or flashy experiences, but for something far more lasting - genuine human connection. And it’s here, in this quiet, idyllic, pastoral pocket of northern Vietnam, that Realistic Asia have created something truly special - the Ba Vi Eco Tour, a deep dive into this bucolic life that brings travel back to what makes it meaningful: connection, authenticity and a genuine sense of place.

The Story of Realistic Asia: A Passion for Vietnam

Founded by Hien Do, Realistic Asia is a boutique, family-run DMC that lives and breathes Vietnam.

With deep roots in the places they operate and a clear commitment to sustainability and community benefit, they build itineraries that do more than dazzle - they create lasting memories your guests will treasure forever. Realistic Asiaaren’t just logistics wizards (though they are most certainly that too). They’re storytellers, cultural interpreters and passionate locals. Their products deliver in terms of experience, and they’re designed to mean something - to client and community alike. And nowhere is that clearer than in Ba Vi.

The Story of the Ba Vi Eco Tour: A Homecoming

So how did Realistic Asia come up with the idea for the Ba Vi Eco Tour? Our tale begins where Hien’s own story does, in the place she knows best…

“I was born in a small village in Ba Vi,” says Hien. “It’s not famous or fancy here - just peaceful countryside life, where people grow their own food, cook with what’s in the garden and know every neighbour by name. I wanted to share that simplicity with travellers, and not just show them the place, but let them experience it too.”

Having spent years in the travel industry, something had begun to bother Hien. The tours she saw were well-packaged and popular, but forgettable. Guests moved from highlight to highlight, never pausing long enough to connect. And it nagged at her, because the Vietnam she knew and loved wasn’t about ticking off temples or scenic photos, it was about real life, real people and real experience. Creating the Ba Vi Eco Tour became Hien’s way to reconnect; with her roots, with her community and with what travel really means.

“First, because our village isn’t on the tourist trail, we had to build some infrastructure ourselves and then we did comprehensive testing to make sure the experience was effective and smooth, while still protecting the authenticity of village life. But it was all such a special process. I was able to explore my home with new eyes, visiting every corner, walking different paths and talking to people. I discovered so much more - so many little, beautiful things about this place that I thought I knew so well.”

And what Hien has created is beautiful too - a tour that bridges two worlds to bring your guests and the people of Ba Vi together in a shared experience built on mutual respect, curiosity and care.

The Story of the People: Meeting the Ba Vi Hosts

For Hien, owner of Realistic Asia, the people at the centre of the Ba Vi Eco Tour were never just going to be part of the experience; they are the experience.

“That’s why I spent a lot of time finding the right hosts,” she explains. “I wanted local families who could open their homes and hearts to travellers.” Hien didn’t want to teach them to act like professionals - in fact, it was the opposite. “We taught our hosts to be welcoming, but also to be themselves - not following a script, but speaking from the heart, in their own way. That’s what makes the experience real. We helped them understand the value of what they already had - because, when you grow up in a village, it’s easy to overlook how special your everyday life is to someone visiting from halfway around the world.”

And this ethos comes across in every moment for your clients. Meals, carefully curated to offer a real taste of what villagers eat every day, are cooked with fresh, healthy and flavourful ingredients from their gardens. Conversations flow naturally. And guests are welcomed not as clients, but as friends.

Real Moments, Real Impact

The approach has certainly struck a chord with travellers.

“The response from guests has been incredibly moving,” says Hien. “We’re often told how much travellers love meeting the locals - hearing real stories and joining in with hands-on activities like farming, cooking or just chatting over tea. Many have returned to visit their host families again, even years later, and others have taken the time to write to me personally to say it was the most meaningful part of their time in Vietnam - that touches me deeply.”

And the impact on the hosts has been profoundly positive too. Mrs Chin, Hien’s aunt, often thanks her for the opportunity. She’s gained confidence, improved her family’s income and found joy in welcoming new people into her home. “She loves meeting guests, and always brings fresh fruit from her garden to share, just like she would for her own family,” says Hien.

Meanwhile, Mr Duoc, the tea farmer and war veteran, has become something of a local icon, along with his wife. “It’s not common to see foreigners in a small countryside like ours, but now many visit their home,” explains Hien. “He keeps a notebook filled with the names and nationalities of every guest he’s met, and once told me “I never thought I’d see the world, but now I see it in a different way - through the people who come here from every corner."

"One of the most moving moments came when Mr Duoc met an American war veteran - as a Vietnamese veteran himself, their meeting was emotional and heartfelt. They hugged, cried and talked about their shared past,” Hien recalls. “It was a powerful reminder that while war once divided them, peace and humanity brought them together again.”

These moments are the heartbeat of the Ba Vi Eco Tour. “Intentionally, our hosts aren’t professionally trained, ” says Hien. “But it’s the love and warmth they give that travellers remember most.”

Time well spent in Ba Vi: Exploring the Experience

Love to discover what your guests will experience on the Ba Vi Eco Tour? Here’s a taster of its honest, human magic…

The tour begins just a short drive from Hanoi, where the modern city gives way to a slower, quieter world. First stop - Ri Village, home to Mr Duoc, proud tea farmer and Vietnam War veteran. Over tea, often harvested with your guests’ own hands under Mr Duoc’s expert tutelage, he shares his fascinating personal stories of war, peace, and everything in between. His vast hillside tea farm offers sweeping views across the village and its surrounding countryside, and it’s here, in his workshop surrounded by the most serene countryside, that he processes tea the traditional way: slowly, by hand and with pride.

From there, the experience continues in nearby Moc Village with a cooking session hosted by Mrs Chin. Produce is collected from the garden, laughter fills the kitchen and soon guests are sitting down to a home-cooked Vietnamese lunch they helped prepare - think Hanoi-style bun cha and spring rolls made with the freshest of ingredients.

Afterwards? In the afternoon, your guests might find themselves cycling through rice fields, stopping to chat with farmers, exploring local craft workshops or simply strolling and absorbing daily life in this place where conical hats are still handmade and tofu is fresh each morning. And the day ends with a blissful foot bath in warm water infused with local herbs, a Muong minority tradition that soothes more than just tired feet - it grounds your guests in place and in presence.

Ba Vi Eco Tour - Small by Design, Mighty in Impact

Realistic Asia don’t want the Ba Vi Eco Tour to be the next big trend - they’d rather it remain small, sustainable and sincere.

“The tour is mostly available through Realistic Asia,” Hien explains. “We want to limit the number of travellers, protect the environment and preserve the authenticity.” And so the undeniable success of the tour - which is often fully booked in peak seasons - hasn’t come from flashy campaigns, but from heartfelt word of mouth as guests leave with stories, not souvenirs.

It’s a book-early experience and one that’s exactly what travel buyers are looking for today - authentic, community-rooted and packed full of emotional value for your clients.

How to build Ba Vi into your Vietnam Experience

There are lots of ways you can include Ba Vi Eco Tour in your client’s Vietnam itinerary, each offering its own rhythm and rewards.

For a fully immersive experience, guests can stay overnight in the village itself, hosted by one of the welcoming local families involved in the tour - a simple but deeply memorable option which offers clients the chance to witness village life not just for a few hours, but from sunrise to sunset.

Alternatively, because of its proximity to Hanoi, Ba Vi makes for an easy and enriching day trip from the capital. Offering a perfect contrast, it’s a serene moment of peace in nature; a day rooted in a way of life that feels far removed from the pace of urban Vietnam. But one of our favourite ways to experience Ba Vi? It has to be to build it into the journey north - stopping here en route from Hanoi to the highland regions of Mai Chau and Pu Luong. This option allows guests to travel gradually deeper into the communities, landscapes and ethnic diversity of northern Vietnam, with its misty mountain passes, terraced rice fields, traditional stilt-house villages and rich cultural traditions passed down through generations.

Whatever your guests’ Vietnam travel needs, with Realistic Asia DMC you can rest safe in the knowledge that each product is designed not just to showcase Vietnam’s beauty, but to actively support the communities who call it home.

Meaningful Travel - a new kind of Luxury

Realistic Asia believes the true luxury in travel is found in meaning. It’s in learning to make tea with someone who’s lived through history, in cooking barefoot in a rural kitchen with a stranger who feels like family by the end of lunch, in discovering the honest, human magic of Vietnam.

If your guests are looking for something rare and real, the Ba Vi Eco Tour is just the thing. To learn more, and/or for an introduction to Hien and the team, get in touch today.

Real Vietnam, Real People - the honest, human magic of the Ba Vi Eco Tour - Realistic Asia