Best of Vietnam vacation, tailor made

Planet

Our local agents in Vietnam try their utmost to try and reduce their impact on the environment. They ensure all vehicles are maintained for utmost fuel efficiency and guides are required to turn off vehicles when idling to minimise unnecessary emissions. They create travel itineraries that allow the most energy efficient routes. Where possible, eco-friendly modes of transport (walking tours, cycling, trains, etc) are opted for. They work with their preferred restaurants to offer locally grown and sustainable food items and choose restaurants that support the ban on serving endangered species, for example, shark fin soup.

Our local agents administration offices aim to minimise energy use by setting air-conditioning times and minimum temperatures, turning off lights, computer screens, UPS and printers when not in use. They also aim to reduce the amount of paper used in their offices by doing double sided printing, recycling and streamlining of operation procedures.

Our agents work with their preferred hotel partners to encourage guests to be mindful of the environment by choosing to re-use towels and linen, turn off air-conditioning/lights when not in the room. Also to eliminate unnecessary plastic waste by providing re-fillable purified water containers instead of individual plastic bottles.

People

Our local agents are Vietnam owned, managed and run, have been operating in Vietnam for 20 years and have an excellent reputation. Fair salaries are paid to all employees and regular training is provided to support future career development. Only local guides who are aware of local customs and cultures are employed which not only keeps the funds paid to staff within the local community but also helps avoid any potential cultural clashes between visitors and locals.

Our local agents aim to minimise the social impacts of travel. They work closely with local NGO and intentional NGO partners to integrate itineraries with alternatives and solutions to negative social issues. They also instil awareness and understanding of the negative impacts the illicit drug, wildlife and child exploration trades can have on communities and cultures and why their tours will never participate.

On this vacation you will stay in the Villa Hue Hotel, a 12 room boutique hotel and practical training center for Hue Tourism College students. Villa Hue is located inside the Hue Tourism College (HTC) which offers full and part-time programmes in tourism and hospitality disciplines across the whole spectrum of higher education. Hue Tourism College aims to offer education in a responsive, caring and flexible learning environment. The center is located just a few hundred metres from the main tourist area of Hue City. Guests will experience firsthand service from the eager students of the school, some of who are experiencing working in a hotel environment for the first time.

This vacation pays a visit to Mekong Quilts which was founded in 2001 as an income generation project. Mekong Quilts employs women in communities northeast of Ho Chi Minh City (Duc Linh, Tanh Linh and Ham Thuan Nam in Binh Thuan Province) and Long My in the Mekong Delta. Mekong Quilts also offers employment opportunities to Cambodian women through a similar project located in the village of Rumdoul, near the Vietnam/Cambodia border.
All profits generated from the sale of the quilts are reinvested into the community through Mekong Plus: scholarships for children, agricultural training and micro-finance programmes, etc. As a result, not only does your support through the purchase of products help to provide sustainable employment to women but the profits from the sale of the quilts also benefit the poor communities in which they live.

Victoria Nui Sam Lodge is the training center for Victoria Hotels’ staff. Created to grow and nurture the future employees of Victoria Hotels, the academy is dedicated to offering opportunities to local youth and contributing to the local economy.

This tour also visits a rural province outside Hanoi to learn about their innovative microloans project. Visit the borrower whom your tour fees fund a loan for, a rare chance to meet the person whose livelihood you are making an active and sustainable contribution towards. You will have an opportunity to hear her personal story, learn about her plans for the microloan and find out about her hopes for the future. Also enjoy lunch with the head of the Women’s Union in the village who has been doing operating the scheme for over 10 years and will share some of the challenges and opportunities faced by rural women in Vietnam. Also visit the Head of the Commune People’s Committee to learn about the community, walk to the nearby schools, kindergarten and clinic and learn about the health and education system in the commune.