Quitting a job with a good pay of VND40 million per month to open a homestay, Tran Van Minh had a dream of "leaving the city for the countryside", but his goal was shattered after he suffered a loss of nearly VND800 million.

If Trang A Chu had accepted an offer to transport drugs for quick riches more than a decade ago, there would now be no famous homestay in Vietnam’s northern border area.