Vietnam Responsible Travel

The impact of tourist Œ·ng on the destinations you visit should not be underestimated. The choices you make during your trip can have potent effects on local communities—for better or for worse. Travelers who care about the destinations and environments they explore should become aware of the social and cultural implications of the choices they make when they travel. Simple decisions such as buying local products instead of globally available ones, paying fair prices for products or services, and attempting to say a few words in the local language can have a strong, positive effect on the community.

Community-based tourism aims to channel tourist Œ·ng into the local economy by emphasizing tours and cultural programs that are run by members of the host community and that often benefit disadvantaged groups; unfortunately, few such organizations exist. The majority of tours in Vietnam herd you off the bus, encourage you to take photos of everything in sight, and then herd you back on the bus. New programs, though, spurred by recent interest in ecotourism and international backing, have crept slowly onto the tourist radar. The Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), teamed with The World Conservation Union (IUCN), support the pilot project “Support to Sustainable Tourism in Sa Pa,” which works with tourist agencies to share more equitably the benefits from and control of tourism in Sa Pa with its inhabitants. In general, these kinds of programs are small and underfunded, and their impact has yet to be felt on a national level. Look in our Beyond Tourism guide to find some opportunities for both community service and responsible travel (see Social Activism). An excellent resource for general information on community-based travel is The Ethical Travel Guide (UK£10), a project of Tourism Concern (☎020 7133 3330; www.tourismconcern.org.uk).

You can still be a responsible traveler without joining an organized tour. Visiting rural communities on your own, or with the aid of a private driver, is much less disruptive than arriving as part of a crowd, provided you behave respectfully and observe local customs. Hotel attendants and other locals will be glad to tell you the appropriate way to act. While it’s tempting to give handouts to begging children, don’t do it—it just encourages more begging. Your money is far better put to use contributing to international charity organizations. As for flora and fauna, your best bet is to do as the locals do. Endangered species, including some primate and snake species, are eaten mostly as cocktail delicacies. Rare plants can grow only in areas that see few humans. By eating typical foods and staying on the path, you can avoid adding to the destruction of Vietnam’s amazingly diverse wildlife.