Some isolated resorts in northern mountainous provinces have started receiving inter-provincial tourists with negative Covid certificates to stimulate tourism demand. 

Five-star Topas Ecolodge in the northern province of Lao Cai, home to famed Sa Pa Town, is offering a 50 percent discount for external tourists from northern mountainous localities with room rates of only VND3.5 million ($152.27), including a one night stay in a Premium Executive Bungalow for two guests, buffet breakfast and free transport. 

Under the current regulation, tourists from outside the province need to furnish a negative Covid certificate obtained with PCR or rapid testing carried out within 72 hours before arrival. 

Opened in 2005, the resort offers 41 bungalows with balconies overlooking the Hoang Lien Son mountain range and a panorama view of rice terraces. All furniture is made from natural materials like wood, bamboo and rattan. 

A remarkable feature of the resort is an infinity pool lying at 900 meters (3,000 feet) above sea level.

Just 15 kilometers from downtown Sa Pa, Topas Ecolodge has been named a top eco-friendly resort by National Geographic.

Covering an area of 50 hectares in Sa Pa Town, Sapa Jade Hill Resort & Spa also reopened its doors to tourists outside Lao Cai from Sept. 24. All visitors to the resort will be given a voucher worth VND500,000 a room per night. 

Surrounded by Muong Hoa Valley and green trees, the resort is separated from noisy residential areas, making it ideal for a weekend escape. 

The resort features valley view, mountain view, and panorama view bungalows, along with twin and plum garden villas. While staying at the resort, tourists can enjoy chilly weather at 18 degrees Celsius, admire the golden rice terraces and explore small ethnic minority villages. 

The lowest room price is around VND1.6 million for two people a night. 

In Hoa Binh Province, Serena Resort Kim Boi in the eponymous district was built from eco-friendly materials like thatch, wood, stone and bamboo. 

Hoa Binh Province requires people coming or returning from areas under lockdown or social distancing to show negative Covid certificates obtain via the RT-PCR method within 72 hours before arrival while those coming from safe Covid areas only need to furnish a negative certificate issued after rapid antigen test within 72 hours.

Embraced by Quenh Mountain and the Boi River, the resort is around 20 kilometers from residential areas. Covering 30 hectares, the resort has 155 rooms, surrounded by flower gardens, green trees, rivers and lakes. Here, all rooms made of eco-friendly materials are separate from each other to ensure pandemic prevention measures. 

In this photo is a 180-square-meter Grand Suite room, with two bedrooms and a private swimming pool, suitable for families or groups of four people.

From Sept. 22, Avana Retreat in Hoa Binh also resumed operation, welcoming back tourists from outside the province. 

Nestled deep in the lush forests of Panh Hamlet in Mai Chau Town amidst Hmong, Thai and Dao ethnic communities, the resort is surrounded by green forests and rice terraces. 

There are six types of rooms and villas offering views of small valleys and rice terraces on which H'mong families can be seen working. Thai women in the area wear beautiful scarves woven on a traditional wooden loom.

Rooms cost VND5 to 20 million a night.

The Mai Chau Hideaway Resort on a peninsula in Hoa Binh Province is an ideal getaway for those seeking to escape the pandemic as the resort is completely isolated from urban areas.

The resort has 31 stilt-houses that sport a simple and rustic feel with balconies offering beautiful views of Hoa Binh Lake. Room prices range from VND1.9 to 2.2 million.

The resort has an infinity pool overlooking the lake. Visitors can also go kayaking and cycle to nearby H'mong villages as well as Go Lao Waterfall.

Mai Chau Ecolodge in Na Phon Village reopened its door from Sept. 25, offering room discounts for visitors from outside Hoa Binh. Room prices only start from VND1.1 million a night on weekdays and from VND1.4 million on weekends. 

The resort has 43 rooms surrounded by green trees and overlooking golden rice fields, which are entering the harvest season between September and November. 

All rooms are built in the style of Thai stilt houses, comprising eco-friendly materials like local wood, palm leaf and stone. The resort has a restaurant, spa and infinity pool. 

All staff are from local ethnic minorities in Mai Chau. Hiking around local villages or cycling through rice fields are some of the of must-try experiences in Mai Chau.