Good to Know Before You Stay

TVPalm Ecolodge is a small lodge of 10 rooms on the slope of Tay Con Linh, in Khuoi My village, about 10 km from Ha Giang city. Below are the practical details guests ask about most, including the ones that are not perfect. Tap a topic to open it.

At a glance

TopicDetails
Rooms10 rooms: 4 Double Mountain View, 1 Double Garden View, 2 Twin on the ground floor, 1 Standard Family, 2 Deluxe Family
Check-inFrom 14:00
Check-outBefore 12:00
Latest arrival22:30. Reception is not staffed overnight, so contact us before you arrive.
MealsBreakfast 07:00–09:00, lunch 12:00–13:30, dinner 19:00–21:00
Pool hours07:00–19:00 every day
Quiet hours22:00–06:00
DistanceAbout 10 km and 25 minutes from Ha Giang bus station

Arriving

How do I get to the lodge?

From Ha Giang bus station the lodge is about 10 km away, roughly 25 minutes by road. The easiest way is a Green SM electric taxi, around 110,000–150,000 VND (about 4–6 USD) depending on your pickup point.

Prefer not to use apps? Send us your arrival time and we will book the car for you.

Watch the route video and read the full directions in our FAQ

Where do I park?

Parking is free for guests, in a private lot at the base of the property. Our electric shuttle brings you and your luggage up to the lodge, so there is no climbing with suitcases. Motorbikes have a secure spot on site.

What if I arrive late?

The latest arrival time is 22:30. Reception is not staffed overnight. If you arrive late or need help, please contact us before you travel.

Early check-in and late check-out

Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out is before 12:00. Early check-in and late check-out depend on the situation at the lodge that day. Please contact us in advance if you would like to ask. When the lodge is full we cannot promise anything. When rooms are free we will help as far as we can.

Luggage storage

We can store your luggage at the lodge. Just ask at reception.

Renting a motorbike

TVPalm Ecolodge does not rent motorbikes. We can help you find a rental shop. Contact us for details.

Rooms and beds

Rooms and bathrooms

There are 10 rooms. Eight rooms have a private bathroom just outside the room, with its own key and never shared with other guests. The two Deluxe Family rooms have a bathroom inside the room.

Ground floor and stairs

The two Twin rooms, each with two single beds, and the two Deluxe Family rooms are on the ground floor, with no stairs to reach the room. The Standard Family room is on the upper floor. If stairs are difficult for you, tell us when you book.

Air conditioning and winter

There is no air conditioning. Khuoi My is cool all year, about 3–5 degrees cooler than Ha Giang city depending on the season. In winter the temperature can drop below 10°C on some days. Rooms have heated mattresses and thick blankets, and the shared restaurant area has a fireplace. Bring warm clothes for the evening.

Extra beds

The lodge has no extra beds. Twin and Double rooms cannot take an extra bed or mattress. In the Deluxe Family and Standard Family rooms we can add one loose mattress when really needed. Please tell us when you book.

Children

Children aged 0–5 stay free when sharing the bed of their parents, up to 2 children per room. Children aged 6–11 pay 150,000 VND per night. From age 12, the adult rate applies.

Please keep children supervised near the pool and the stream.

Hot water and drinking water

All rooms have hot water, heated mainly by electricity, with a small solar water system as support. Purified drinking water is free.

Payment and money

How can I pay at the lodge?

We accept cash, standard bank transfer and card payment by POS machine. Rates include 10% VAT. A VAT invoice is available when you need one: tell reception or add a note when you book.

Deposit and cancellation

Deposit and cancellation terms depend on how you book. See our FAQ for direct bookings, or your booking platform for bookings made through it.

Open the payment and cancellation FAQ

Cash and ATMs

The only ATMs are in Ha Giang city, about 10 km from the lodge. Withdraw cash before you come up, because ATMs can be empty or offline.

Phone, Wi-Fi and power

Mobile signal

Viettel is very stable at the lodge. Vinaphone and Mobifone are weaker.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is available in the shared areas: the bar, the restaurant and the stilt house. Not every room has strong Wi-Fi, and rooms further inside the property are weaker than those on the outside.

Planning to work online? Tell us before you book and we will suggest the best room.

Power and sockets

The power supply is 220 V. Both round and flat plugs fit our sockets.

Services

Laundry

We wash and dry clothes for 60,000 VND per kg. We do not offer an ironing service.

Meals and dietary needs

Meals are served at The Palm Restaurant. The menu follows the seasons and uses local ingredients: black pork, village chicken, river fish and a wide range of local vegetables. About 80% of what we serve goes from our garden to your table, grown organically. Vegetarian, vegan and other dietary needs are welcome at no extra charge: tell us when you book. If you need a meal outside the usual hours, contact reception and we will try to arrange it.

Outside food is not allowed in the restaurant.

Swimming pool

The pool is free for lodge guests. Day visitors pay 100,000 VND per person.

After a long drive, a walk or a few busy days, there is little better than slipping into cool mountain water. The pool is fed by a spring at 1,250 m, high in old forest where no one lives. Our team walks about an hour uphill to reach it, over rough ground, through dense brush, climbing and crawling under thick undergrowth, and takes great care each time it goes into the forest or up to the waterfall to repair the pipes. From there the water runs down 4,000 m of pipe on natural gravity, is filtered of sediment and then machine-filtered before it reaches the pool. Since 2022 the pool has used no chlorine or chemicals. It is open every day from 07:00 to 19:00. The water is cool all year and genuinely cold in winter.

There is no lifeguard on duty. Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. After heavy rain the pool may close so the water can clear.

Purified water and plastic

Purified drinking water is free. It is served in reusable glass bottles, which we clean regularly by boiling them in a pot for 20 minutes. Since 2022 we no longer sell bottled water in plastic. It is a gift from nature that we pass on to you at no charge. We do what we can to keep plastic bottles to a minimum, and we invite you to join our team by not bringing single-use plastic bottles or plastic bags to the lodge.

Land, water and people

Organic garden

The garden began in 2019 on the naturally poor soil of the grounds. For more than seven years we have rebuilt it slowly: kitchen waste is composted, and dozens of tonnes of well-aged chicken manure go into the ground each year, worked in over many months.

Each spring the compost is spread over almost 2 ha, which includes the vegetable garden and more than 7,000 trees. Our Dao neighbours and our team cut the grass by hand and leave it in place as mulch to feed the soil.

The vegetables on your table are picked here in season. About 80% of our food goes straight from garden to table, fully organic.

Waste and compost

Light organic waste is buried directly in the garden. Types that take longer to break down are composted in barrels with biological microbes, left long enough to turn into compost. We do not dump waste.

The rest is collected, sorted and recycled as far as we can. Kitchen waste becomes compost, compost becomes soil, soil gives vegetables, and the vegetables come back to the table.

Soapnut cleaning liquid

Each year we ferment about 300 litres of biological enzyme solution ourselves. The ingredients are dried soapnut husks, orange peel, pineapple peel, lemongrass, sugarcane molasses, rice-wine starter, rice-rinsing water and vegetable and fruit scraps from the kitchen.

A bucket of soapnut ferment with orange and pineapple peel, used as cleaning liquid at TVPalm Ecolodge
A batch of soapnut ferment. It does not look pretty, but it keeps your room and dishes clean.
Infographic of the ingredients and uses of the fermented soapnut cleaning liquid
Illustration: ingredients and uses of the fermented cleaning liquid.

We use it to wash dishes, mop floors and clean toilets. Your room is cleaned with this natural product, with no industrial cleaning chemicals. Our aim is to keep chemical waste out of the natural environment as far as we can.

The leftover residue is very good organic fertiliser, and all of it goes back to the organic vegetable garden of TVPalm Ecolodge.

Local people

About 70% of the team are local ethnic-minority people, mostly Dao. Not everyone had worked in tourism before, so service can sometimes be slower than you are used to, and we ask for your patience. We train step by step instead of hiring people from elsewhere.

Each month the lodge employs local workers to look after the gardens: cutting grass, applying organic fertiliser regularly and cleaning the grounds every week. Local villagers also supply food to TVPalm under clear agreements.

Local people working in the garden with TVPalm Ecolodge, Khuoi My, Ha Giang
Local people working in the garden with us.
Picking greens in the organic garden of TVPalm Ecolodge
Picking greens in the organic garden.
Pruning hydrangeas in the grounds of TVPalm Ecolodge
Pruning hydrangeas in the lodge grounds.

We are also building the Tay Con Linh Sustainable Tourism Cooperative with 50 Dao members. The cooperative supports homestays in the village and the planting of precious timber trees.

Training young locals

We run regular training for young local people in sustainable ecotourism and foreign languages. Two young people are currently working and studying at TVPalm Ecolodge.

An English class for the team and young local people at TVPalm Ecolodge
An English class at the lodge.
Students learning colours and numbers in English at TVPalm Ecolodge
Learning colours and numbers in English.
English alphabet class at TVPalm Ecolodge, Khuoi My, Ha Giang
Learning the English alphabet.

Seasons and flowers

The garden is small, but something is in bloom in every month. Around Lunar New Year, peach blossom, yellow mustard flowers and yesterday-today-and-tomorrow open together. From March to June the orchid tree, hydrangea and pink shower tree take turns to burst into bloom. Summer has the golden shower tree, with long hanging clusters of yellow flowers. From August to November comes the cotton rose, and mornings that may open onto a sea of clouds.

The notes below are on-site observations by the TVPalm team, not universal botanical flowering calendars. Flowers open earlier or later depending on the weather each year. Lunar New Year (Tet) falls between January and February, so the Tet flowers shift with it. We have not yet recorded enough for the red banana, so it has no month attached.

In bloom almost all year: false heather (about 10 months out of 12), cotton rose (in several waves, about 8 months out of 12), orange jasmine and Malabar melastome (in several waves, the melastome most abundant in spring), and bougainvillea and lantana (all year, with fewer flowers in winter). The table below shows what stands out month by month.

Flower calendar, month by month
MonthIn bloom in the garden and nearbyRice, clouds and weather
JanuaryMustard flowers. Peach blossom begins about a month before Tet. Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow blooms brilliantly around Tet.Cold season: some days below 10°C. Heated mattresses in the rooms, fireplace in the shared restaurant area.
FebruaryPeach blossom everywhere around Tet. Mustard flowers after Tet. Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow at its brightest around Tet. Roses bloom abundantly after Tet. Cape jasmine begins to flower.Cold season: some days below 10°C. Heated mattresses in the rooms, fireplace in the shared restaurant area. Tet is peak season. Ask about rooms and rates early.
MarchPeach blossom until about a month after Tet. Roses in abundance. Orchid tree begins its bright bloom. Cape jasmine blooms in several waves.–
AprilOrchid tree and hydrangea in bright bloom. Cape jasmine blooms in several waves.–
MayOrchid tree, hydrangea and pink shower tree in bright bloom. Golden shower tree. Cape jasmine blooms in several waves.–
JuneOrchid tree, hydrangea and pink shower tree in bright bloom. Golden shower tree. Cape jasmine blooms in several waves.Heavy rain is common (June–August).
JulyGolden shower tree. Cape jasmine blooms in several waves.Heavy rain is common (June–August). Sea of clouds season (July–December).
AugustCotton rose. Golden shower tree. Cape jasmine in several waves.Heavy rain is common (June–August). Rice fields at their most beautiful (August–October). Sea of clouds season (July–December).
SeptemberCotton rose. Cape jasmine in several waves.Rice fields at their most beautiful (August–October). Sea of clouds season (July–December).
OctoberCotton rose. Cape jasmine in several waves. At the end of the month, buckwheat flowers bloom around Ha Giang.Rice fields at their most beautiful (August–October). Khuoi My rice is harvested by early October, later rice remains in Thanh Thuy. Sea of clouds season (July–December).
NovemberCotton rose. Cape jasmine blooms until the end of November. Buckwheat flowers still bloom around Ha Giang early in the month.Sea of clouds season (July–December).
DecemberMustard flowers bloom from the end of the month, before Tet.Sea of clouds season (July–December). Getting colder, bring warm clothes.
Rain season, June to August

Heavy rain is common from June to August. Mountain roads can be hit by landslides. If the road is blocked, we change your dates free of charge or refund 100% of your deposit (see our FAQ for direct bookings). Rain at night or in the early morning also often brings a beautiful sea of clouds at sunrise. Ask us about road and weather conditions before you travel.

Rice fields and harvest

August to October is the most beautiful rice season in Khuoi My. The harvest is finished by early October. You can still visit Xa Phin, Mao Phin, Nam Te and Na Mau in the neighbouring Thanh Thuy commune, where the rice ripens 2–3 weeks later than in Khuoi My and Lung Vai, although both sit on the eastern slope of the Tay Con Linh range.

Sea of clouds

A sea of clouds can appear from July to December, but it is never guaranteed: some days are spectacular and some are not. When it rains during the night or in the early morning, the sunrise usually brings a beautiful sea of clouds. We cannot promise a specific day.

Meet the 17 flowers of the garden

Tet and early spring

Peach blossom
Hoa đào
Prunus persica

Peach blossoms signal the seasonal rhythm of the northern mountains.

Flowering at TVPalm: From about a month before to a month after Lunar New Year, depending on the year
Mustard greens flowers
Hoa cải xanh
Brassica juncea

Small yellow mustard flowers colour the growing areas of the garden.

Flowering at TVPalm: Before and after Lunar New Year
Yesterday-today-and-tomorrow
Nhài Nhật
Brunfelsia pauciflora

The flowers change colour as they age, so one bush can carry both purple and white blooms.

Flowering at TVPalm: Brightest around Lunar New Year
Rose
Hoa hồng
Rosa spp.

Roses add familiar shapes and fragrance to the garden.

Flowering at TVPalm: Most abundant after Lunar New Year
Champak / Orange champaca
Hoàng lan
Magnolia champaca

A tall tree with orange-yellow flowers, known for their fragrance.

Flowering at TVPalm: Spring, when many trees are in flower

March to June: the bright season

Orchid tree
Ban Tây Bắc
Bauhinia variegata

White-pink petals with a red streak on the central petal. A flower tied to the mountains of the Northwest.

Flowering at TVPalm: March to June, in brilliant bloom
Bigleaf hydrangea
Cẩm tú cầu
Hydrangea macrophylla

Full, rounded flower clusters bring gentle colour to the whole garden.

Flowering at TVPalm: April to June, in brilliant bloom
Pink shower tree / Java cassia
Muồng hoa đào
Cassia javanica

A tall tree with clusters of pink and white blossoms, like a peach season arriving late.

Flowering at TVPalm: May to June

Summer into autumn

Golden shower tree / Indian laburnum
Hoàng anh Osaka
Cassia fistula

Long clusters of golden-yellow flowers hang down like a waterfall.

Flowering at TVPalm: May to August
Cotton rose / Confederate rose
Hoa phù dung
Hibiscus mutabilis

Large hibiscus-like flowers that may change colour over the day.

Flowering at TVPalm: Several flushes, about 8 months a year, always in bloom August to November

Several flushes, almost all year

False heather / Mexican heather
Cẩm tú mai
Cuphea hyssopifolia

A small ornamental shrub with fine foliage, covered in tiny purple-pink flowers.

Flowering at TVPalm: About 10 months of the year
Cape jasmine / Gardenia
Bạch thiên hương (dành dành kép)
Gardenia jasminoides

Double white flowers like rosebuds, with a remarkable fragrance. Locally also called dành dành (double-flowered form).

Flowering at TVPalm: Several flushes from after Lunar New Year until November
Orange jasmine / Orange jessamine
Hoa nguyệt quế
Murraya paniculata

Clusters of small white flowers release a gentle, pleasant fragrance.

Flowering at TVPalm: Several flushes through the year
Malabar melastome
Hoa mua
Melastoma malabathricum

Purple-pink five-petalled flowers with yellow stamens add colour to the green foliage.

Flowering at TVPalm: Several flushes through the year, most abundant in spring
Bougainvillea
Hoa giấy
Bougainvillea spp.

Colourful papery bracts brighten paths and garden corners.

Flowering at TVPalm: All year, fewer flowers in winter
Common lantana
Hoa ngũ sắc
Lantana camara

Small clusters mixing orange, yellow and red flowers in a single head.

Flowering at TVPalm: All year without a break, fewer flowers in winter

Still being observed

Ornamental red-flowering banana
Hoa chuối đỏ
Musa sp.

A tall ornamental banana with a deep red flower bud standing among the leaves; exact species pending confirmation.

Flowering at TVPalm: Not yet recorded

Scientific names are for reference only and have not been confirmed on specimens in our garden. Roses and bougainvillea are listed by genus, and the red banana by the genus Musa because its species is not yet identified. The champak and the orange jasmine are probable identifications. The cultivar of the Cape jasmine has not been identified.

Botanical reference: Kew Plants of the World Online

House rules

Pets

Pets are welcome. Owners are fully responsible for their pet. We do not offer pet care or pet sitting.

Smoking

Smoking is allowed only in the outdoor bar area.

Quiet hours

Quiet hours are from 22:00 to 06:00. Please keep noise low so everyone can sleep.

Contact

Questions before you book? Reach us on WhatsApp, Zalo, phone or email.

WhatsAppZaloCall +84 366 885 955Email us

TVPalm Ecolodge, Khuoi My village, Ha Giang 1 ward, Tuyen Quang province, Vietnam

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