Vietnam adventure vacation, Pho, Fun & Sun

Planet

Accommodation & Meals
On this trip we spend eight nights in comfortable resorts and boutique hotels and one night afloat on a boat. This combination of locally run hotels and accommodation providers, contributes directly to the community as staff are from the area and food is sourced locally. Many of these places also have environmental policies which reduce waste, water usage and energy expenditure. Where meals are not provided, our expert guides will be able to point out several smaller restaurants, cafes and markets, for instance in Hanoi Old Quarter and Hoi An market.
Throughout this trip we will be able to discover some weird and wonderful regional specialties to try with plenty of fresh produce available in most areas. We even have the opportunity to eat a delicious home cooked meal in a local Vietnamese house– an experience which is always enjoyed thoroughly by our clients. We’ll also dine at a KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a well-established training restaurant designed for supporting disadvantaged youths. Here we can try traditional Vietnamese, South-East Asian and Western specialities.

Activity & Environment
Despite this being a culture focused trip, we can still engage with exciting, low impact activities. These include kayaking through Halong Bay and a leisurely bike ride to Tra Que, followed by a visit to Vegetable Village, where we will observe how the locals live and grow their own produce. We are very conscious of our effects on the environment and how we can reduce negative impact and aid conservation, therefore we only partake in non-detrimental activities. We also operate a ‘Leave No Trace Policy’ whereby we ensure no rubbish or waste is left behind in the places we visit.

Group Size:
This is a small group tour, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.

UK Office:
It all starts at home where we work towards reducing our carbon footprint in our offices through engergy conservation measures, recycling policies and the promotion of cycling and walking as a means for our staff to commute. Our head office has become a plastic-free zone with the use of plastic bottles being banned in our head office and we distributed reusable water bottles and tote bags to every staff member. We also support a large number of community and environmental projects in different parts of the world and try to give something back to the places we visit.

People

Community & Culture
There are numerous opportunities for clients to immerse themselves with the Vietnamese culture – through experimenting with authentic foods and discovering Vietnam’s complex ancient and modern history. We try and incorporate as much benefit to local people as possible. One of the ways to support communities and boost the economy is to visit small businesses. Alongside visiting KOTO, we also visit the Peaceful Bamboo Family, a community for children with learning disabilities. We’ll enjoy our lunch here on day five in their biodynamic garden and have the opportunity to further support them by purchasing handmade incense and jams. Other ways we support the community through this trip include wine tasting in Hanoi, led by local expert Than – where we learn how he has introduced teas to enrich the taste of his wines, sampling street food in Saigon and joining a chef for dinner in Hoi An. A special cooking class will also take place at the spice Garden restaurant, under the expert guidance of a local chef.