There is no restaurant in Viet Hai and no shop in the valley, so every meal you eat here is cooked in our kitchen by the family who owns it. That sounds like a limitation. In practice it is the reason guests remember dinner more than the boat trip: one long table, food that came from the valley or the fish farm the boat passed that afternoon, and whoever is staying that night sitting down together. Below is exactly how meals work, what they cost and what we can do about diets.
Meals at a glance
| Breakfast | Included in every room. Vietnamese or Western, served in the open-air dining area |
| Lunch and dinner | Cooked to order, not a buffet. Tell us in the morning and it is ready when you are |
| How dinner is served | Family style at one long table, dishes in the middle, everyone helps themselves |
| Drinks | Self-service from the fridge. We note what you take and it goes on the bill |
| Paying | Nothing up front. Food and drink are settled at check-out — see payment information |
| Diets | Vegetarian, no pork, no shellfish, mild for children — all fine with a little notice |
| Nearest shop | Cat Ba town, thirty minutes away by boat. Bring anything you cannot do without |
When meals happen
The valley runs early. Boats leave at nine, so breakfast starts before that and dinner lands when everyone is back off the water. Nothing here is rigid — if your ferry is late we will feed you late.
| Meal | Usual time | What it is | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 07:00–09:00 | Pho or fried eggs with bread, fruit, coffee and tea | Included in the room |
| Packed lunch | Taken with you | For guests walking the park trail rather than going on the boat | Ask us |
| Lunch on the boat | On the water | Cooked on board during the full-day tour | Included in the tour |
| Lunch at the house | 12:00–13:30 | Rice, a soup, a vegetable and one main dish | Ask us |
| Dinner | 18:30–19:30 | Four to six dishes at the long table, family style | Ask us |
| Drinks | Any time | Beer, soft drinks, water, tea — self-service from the fridge | Noted and settled at check-out |
The long table
Dinner is the part of the day guests write to us about afterwards. It is served at one table, family style, and it is not a set menu — it depends on what came in that morning. A normal evening has a soup, a vegetable dish from the garden, something from the sea, rice, and fruit at the end. If a boat came back with squid, there is squid.
Much of what arrives on the table has travelled a very short distance. Vegetables and herbs come from the valley, fish and shellfish from the floating farms the boat passes on the full-day Lan Ha Bay tour, and chicken and pork from the village itself. Our post on what to eat in Viet Hai village goes through the dishes worth asking for by name.
Diets, allergies and children
Small kitchen, no printed menu — which is exactly why we can cook around most things. Tell us when you book rather than when you sit down, because there is no shop to run to.
| If you… | What we do | Notice needed |
|---|---|---|
| Are vegetarian or vegan | A full spread of vegetable, tofu and rice dishes; fish sauce swapped out on request | When you book |
| Do not eat pork or beef | Chicken, fish and vegetable dishes instead. Nothing hidden in the stock | When you book |
| Are allergic to shellfish or nuts | Cooked separately. Say it clearly — we would rather over-check than guess | When you book |
| Are travelling with young children | Plain rice, egg, chicken and soup, cooked mild. See Cat Ba with kids | On the day is fine |
| Want to eat late | We keep it warm. The kitchen does not close on a guest still on the water | Tell us at breakfast |
Cook it yourself, if you want to
Guests who like a kitchen are welcome in ours. Ask at check-in and someone will take you through a couple of dishes in the late afternoon — rolling fresh spring rolls, a clay-pot fish, the dipping sauce that makes the difference. It is not a staged class with a certificate at the end; it is an afternoon with whoever is cooking. On the 3-day cruise and the night cruise the same thing happens on board.
Drinks and the honesty fridge
The fridge in the dining area is open. Beer, soft drinks, water and tea are there for you to take; we write down what goes and add it to the bill at the end. Nobody stands over it. From 1 January 2026 a 7% tax applies to everything, and card payments carry a 3% bank fee, so if you are settling a long bar tab it is worth knowing that cash in dong is the cheapest way to pay. All of that is on the payment information page.
There is no bar in the village and no shop. If there is a particular wine or a spirit you want with dinner, bring it with you from Cat Ba town or Hanoi — we will not charge corkage.
FAQ
Questions guests ask about eating at Lan Homestay
Answered by the family who does the cooking, in Viet Hai.
Is breakfast included?
Yes, with every room. You choose Vietnamese or Western on the night — usually pho or fried eggs with bread, plus fruit, coffee and tea. It is served from about seven so that guests on the nine o clock boat are not rushed.
Do I have to eat here, or can I go out?
There is nowhere else. Viet Hai has no restaurant and no shop, and the nearest food is thirty minutes away by boat in Cat Ba town. In practice every guest eats with us, which is why dinner ends up being the sociable part of the day.
How much do lunch and dinner cost?
We quote per booking rather than print a menu price, because it depends on the group and on what came in that day. Ask us and we will tell you before you commit. Whatever you eat and drink is added up and settled once, at check-out.
Can you cook vegetarian or vegan food?
Yes, and it is genuinely good rather than an afterthought — the valley grows most of it. Tell us when you book so we buy for it. Say if you also want fish sauce left out, because it goes into a lot of Vietnamese cooking by default.
What about a serious allergy?
Tell us in writing when you book, and tell us again at check-in. We cook the dish separately and keep it away from the rest. With shellfish in particular, be clear — a lot of what comes off the boat is shellfish and we would rather change the whole menu than take a risk.
Can we eat late if the boat runs over?
Of course. The kitchen does not close on a guest who is still on the water. If your ferry from Hanoi lands late, message us on the way and dinner will be waiting.
Can we bring our own drinks?
Yes, and there is no corkage. There is no bar or bottle shop in the village, so if you want a particular wine or spirit, buy it in Cat Ba town or Hanoi and bring it over on the boat.
Anything else about food? Message us on WhatsApp +84 363 934 325 before you travel — it is the same person who will be cooking.
Read next
What to eat in Viet Hai village covers the dishes by name, things to do at Lan Homestay sets out how the days are spent, and getting to Lan Homestay explains the journey in. To reserve a room and tell us about your diet in one go, use the booking form.