Responsible Travel

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• Continuously improve our environmental performance and promote sustainability.
• Operate in ways that minimize our environmental footprint and raise awareness of responsible travel among staff, clients, suppliers, and host communities.
• Ensure our services and activities cause as little environmental damage as possible.
• Prevent pollution and environmental degradation in all areas we operate.
• Minimize waste (especially plastic) across our operations and promote recycling where practical. All our tours follow a strict no-littering policy.
• Support conservation projects involving local communities in the areas our clients visit.
• Encourage all stakeholders—staff, clients, suppliers, and local communities—to conserve water and energy (e.g., turning off lights, air conditioners, electronics when not in use).
• Reduce air pollution through smarter transport choices.
• Promote the use of eco-friendly transportation such as bicycles (traditional and electric) and cyclo rides—which also benefit marginalized cyclo drivers economically and socially.
• Use modern IT to minimize printed materials. We maintain a no-brochure policy, providing all tour information online. Where printing is necessary, we use the most eco-friendly local options.
• Consistently support and promote community-based and conservation-focused tourism projects, including visits to local schools, orphanages, artisan workshops (often employing UXO victims, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups), wildlife sanctuaries, and hospitality training centers for former street children.
• Patronize and recommend restaurants and retail outlets that directly benefit local communities—especially those that align with Fair Trade principles (fair wages, safe working conditions, and environmentally sound practices).
• Offer a wide selection of homestays for interested guests, providing both direct economic benefits to local families and authentic cultural experiences for travelers.
• Assess accommodation providers for their environmental practices, supporting those with clear policies (e.g., towel and linen reuse, energy/water efficiency, waste management).
• Remain an active member of VCBEN (Vietnam Community-Based Ecotourism Network).
• Partner with NGOs working on environmental protection and provide opportunities for our clients to learn about or visit these projects.
• Advocate for responsible environmental practices within the travel industry and encourage government policy that supports sustainable tourism.

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• Continuously enhance our social responsibility and address social sustainability.
• Operate in a way that minimizes negative social impacts and promotes responsible travel awareness among all stakeholders.
• Support community-led conservation and development initiatives in areas our guests visit.
• Regularly develop and promote community-based tourism and other projects with a social or charitable purpose.
• Include visits to schools, orphanages, handicraft centers (supporting landmine victims, the disabled, vulnerable women, and disadvantaged groups), wildlife sanctuaries, and vocational training centers for underprivileged youth.
• Use and recommend businesses that empower local communities, such as restaurants training former street children and craft shops that uphold Fair Trade values.
• Promote homestays as a way for guests to directly benefit local families and experience traditional lifestyles.
• Encourage the use of traditional transport like cyclos, supporting socio-economically disadvantaged drivers.
• Ensure our tours do not displace or disrupt local populations and are appropriately scaled to match the infrastructure and carrying capacity of each destination.
• Continue active membership in VCBEN.
• Collaborate with NGOs working in social empowerment and community development, and give clients opportunities to learn about or visit these initiatives.
• Expand our range of sustainable tour products aligned with FFR (Fair, Friendly, and Responsible) standards.
• Advocate for the integration of social responsibility principles into public policy and tourism industry practices at all levels.

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• Continuously improve our economic sustainability and address financial responsibility.
• Reduce negative economic impacts while raising awareness of ethical economic practices among stakeholders.
• Maximize local economic benefits by sourcing locally grown and produced products wherever possible.
• Encourage clients to dine and shop at establishments that reinvest in the local economy, such as social enterprises and Fair Trade businesses.
• Recommend cyclo transport not only for its cultural value but also for the economic support it provides to underprivileged drivers.
• Offer various homestay options, believing that both economic benefits and cultural exchange come from these immersive experiences.
• Prioritize locally owned accommodations over large international hotel chains whenever possible, keeping tourism revenue in the country and offering more authentic experiences.
• Provide tipping guidelines to encourage fair recognition of outstanding service from local guides and drivers.
• Avoid “mass tourism” characteristics like commission-based shopping stops, exclusive hotel dining, and large bus-only sightseeing. We strongly believe that small group travel benefits local economies more effectively.
• Encourage travelers to explore less-visited areas, helping to distribute tourism spending more equitably across different regions.
• Continue to support VCBEN and advocate for the integration of responsible tourism economic principles into government and industry policy.
• Collect feedback from all guests via a Responsible Travel Feedback Form to monitor our performance and continuously improve our approach.