The INSIDER Summary:
- Alfredo Salkeld spent three weeks as the only tourist in Na Rang, a remote village in Vietnam.
- The homestay where he stayed was started by Trung HoàngĐức, a 21-year-old local who hopes to bring tourism in to bolster the village.
- Its traditions and customs are disappearing as the younger generation leaves in search of work.
Alfredo Salkeld planned to accept a full-time job at an ad agency after graduating college in December, but something didn't feel right.
"I think any recent college grad will tell you that the idea of having to settle down into adult life is terrifying," he said. "I wanted to discover how other cultures live, so I stuffed a backpack full of clothes and camera gear and bought a one-way ticket to Laos."
He flew to Vietnam after his visa ran out there and came across Tho Homestay in the village of Na Rang. Trung HoàngĐức, the founder of the homestay, was looking for someone to take photos. Salkeld, who shoots photos and videos for his own travel blog, jumped at the chance.
When he arrived, he learned about how HoàngĐức started the homestay to preserve the Tay people's disappearing culture and saw the beauty of it for himself.
Here are 14 poignant photos from his three weeks there.
The people of Na Rang belong to the Tay ethnic minority, and their traditions and customs are disappearing as the younger generation leaves the village.
Salkeld came across Tho Homestay in the village of Na Rang on a site called Workaway.
Workaway helps budget travelers find volunteer opportunities in exchange for food and accommodations.
The homestay was posted by 21-year-old Na Rang local Trung HoàngĐức in an effort to save the village's disappearing culture.
HoàngĐức left Na Rang to learn English, then returned to start the homestay in his grandparents' house, hoping to attract tourists and preserve the practices of the people that live there.
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