Responsible travel

We favour locally owned hotels, family-run restaurants, and guides from the regions they work in, so that the money you spend stays in the places you visit. Where trips visit ethnic-minority communities, we work with hosts on their terms: fair pay agreed in advance, visits paced to daily life rather than to a photo schedule, and no staged “performances” of culture.

• We design itineraries that use trains and shared transfers where they genuinely work, and we are honest about where they do not.
• We favour operators with real waste, water and energy practices, and drop those who greenwash.
• We route travellers away from overcrowded honeypots at peak hours and toward the many places that deserve more visitors, not fewer.

Our guides explain not just what to see but how to visit well: dress codes at temples and pagodas, etiquette in homes and markets, photography courtesy, and the meaning behind customs, because respect travels better when it comes with understanding.

We do not sell or promote experiences involving wildlife riding, performances, or venues that keep animals in poor conditions. Where wildlife is part of a trip, in national parks or marine areas, we work with operators who observe rather than interfere.

Suppliers earn a place in our trips through quality, safety and conduct, including how they treat their staff. The Trip2VN Guide’s assessment criteria include sustainability and community impact, and the Trip2VN Green distinction recognises operators who lead on it.

• Carry a refillable bottle. Filtered water is increasingly available, and plastic waste is Vietnam’s most visible tourism problem.
• Eat and shop local; bargain with good humour, not to the last dong.
• Ask before photographing people, especially in minority communities.
• Choose fewer places for longer. Vietnam rewards depth over checklists.