Chuck Kuhn's Asia in Photos: New trend in Vietnam, Ecologically community tourism

Sunday, September 19, 2010

New trend in Vietnam, Ecologically community tourism

Sustainable community tourism has become a new trend in Vietnam, which is being advertised as “natural, adventure and ecologically-aware tours.”

Foreign visitors in a bicycle tour in Hue city.

“Tourism in the community and being close to nature is the future direction of specialized tourism in Vietnam,” said Hanoi-based Indochina Travelland Director Vu Ngoc Khiem, after attending a seminar on ASEAN ecological tourism.

When people are fed up with modern life, it becomes the golden time for adventure tours. The most popular form is traveling by bicycle, because it is suitable with Vietnam’s topography and landscapes. Trans-Vietnam tours and tours to the northwestern region (from Dien Bien Phu to Lao Cai) have been designed with this in mind.

Joining these tours, travelers have a chance to travel beautiful roads, challenge themselves at sloping mountain passes, including famous ones like Prenn, Hai Van and Tram Ton.

There are also trekking tours to remote and isolated villages in the mountains, plus kayaking, surfing and rock climbing tours in Ha Long bay. These forms of travel require tourists to have passion and good health, to adapt to new situations and to explore their abilities.

Unique tours

Vietnam attracts around 4-5 million international visitors annually. This is a modest number compared to the country’s potential and also when compared to its neighbors. A main reason is that tourism in Vietnam is still very simple.

Some travel firms have launched “special tours” to satisfy different categories of visitors, for example “bird watching” tours for people who love birds and also ornithologists. The destination is Cuc Phuong and Tam Dao national parks or even Xuan Thuy mangrove forest.

Some firms create eco-friendly tours that don’t focus on profit, like a tour to collect trash in Ha Long Bay set up by Noi Vong Tay company. Visitors travel the bay on kayak boats and collect rubbish on the sea.

Tam Nhin Moi Company has a team-building tour, which offers games and activities to build up harmony and sympathy among staff in a company. Indochina Travelland organizes tours for foreign students to enhance their life skills. Buffalo Tours is known for treatment tours for tourists who are doctors. They go to remote villages to examine and heal the residents.

Hoi An Travel has tours in which visitors can become fishermen and farmers for a day.

Some international organizations like Fauna and Flora International, Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), etc. have also developed community tours in Pu Luong (Thanh Hoa), Ta Van (Lao Cai), Quan Ba (Ha Giang), etc.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s Nguyen Anh Tuan maintained that the nature of community tourism is benefiting local communities. He explained that this is a vital factor in community-based tourism and cited Hoi An as an outstanding example.

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They say "

“I can’t say what made me fall in love with Vietnam - that a woman’s voice can drug you; that everything is so intense. The colors, the taste, even the rain. Nothing like the filthy rain in London. They say whatever you’re looking for, you will find here. They say you come to Vietnam and you understand a lot in a few minutes, but the rest has got to be lived. The smell: that’s the first thing that hits you, promising everything in exchange for your soul. And the heat. Your shirt is straightaway a rag. You can hardly remember your name, or what you came to escape from. But at night, there’s a breeze. The river is beautiful. You could be forgiven for thinking there was no war; that the gunshots were fireworks; that only pleasure matters. A pipe of opium, or the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then, something happens, as you knew it would. And nothing can ever be the same again.”
― Graham Greene, The Quiet American

Tips on Travel to Vietnam

It's always warm in Southeast Asia apart from high mountains, so leave the heavy clothing at home. Cotton and breathable fabrics are always better than synthetics -- although cotton does wrinkle a lot when traveling! December through April is roughly the dry season in that region, although it can still rain a little. December is a good time to go in terms of temperature -- cooler than in the humid summertime. Either way, wearing more clothing (shirt sleeves and long pants) is always more respectful towards the Asian culture, especially when visiting temples and rural areas.