Vietnam in depth tour

Planet

All travel on this trip through Vietnam, which is completed by private vehicle, includes a large container of drinking water. Travelers are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottle so that they can refill it from this container. We provide training to trip leaders on water consumption best practices and how to encourage their travelers to follow these principles too. We continue to work with local suppliers on water management initiatives. For example, encouraging hotel owners to provide water refill stations, and in-room signage requesting short showers, repeated towel use and turning taps off.

Vietnam is aiming to ban the use and sale of all single-use plastics by the end of 2021. As they currently receive scrap plastics from other countries, for example the USA, to be recycled or disposed of, they also plan to end these imports by the end of 2025. We provide travelers to Vietnam with reusable fabric tote bags. The tote bags are made locally, providing employment and training opportunities to disadvantaged members of the local community. By providing travelers with tote bags we are supporting the local government’s single-use plastic goals.

People

Through our Foundation, we support local organisations around the world to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable individuals and communities through sustainable travel experiences. We also include activities and visits on our trips to NGOs around the world who are supporting local communities through programs tailored to their needs. This trip includes lunch at the KOTO restaurant in Hanoi. KOTO provides hospitality training and sustainable employment skills to disadvantaged local youths. Travelers will enjoy a delicious meal of regional specialties, prepared and served by members of the training program.

Our trips maximize the opportunity for travelers to engage meaningfully with local culture and communities. Many experiences on our trips also support traditional cultural practices – whether artisanal, culinary or otherwise. In turn, this helps to sustain and preserve these traditional practices so that future generations may continue to learn, enjoy and benefit from them. While in Hoi An, we include two activities that focus on the Cham people, a local community with ties to this part of Vietnam dating back to the 4th Century. In the morning, our expert local leaders will guide travelers around the My Son site, a collection of temples constructed by the Kings of Champa over 1500 years ago. Later in the day, travelers will be welcomed into the home of a local Cham woman, who will share stories and songs of ancient and modern Cham life. She will also offer travelers traditional Cham tea and sweets to try.