Wild Asia - Making a difference

Making a difference

by Leong Siok Hui

In this era of responsible travel, a Vietnamese tour operator gives back to the communities and environment. LEONG SIOK HUI writes the second installment in our series of 'Rethink Travel' articles in collaboration with The Star newspaper.

It used to be so simple. I would read up on a destination prior to my trip and sign up with a local tour operator based on a few factors - how quickly and efficiently they responded to enquiries, whether the tour was value for money and feedback from other travellers.

But on a recent holiday to northern Vietnam, I chose a tour operator for just two reasons.

Firstly, it had snagged the Best Tour Operator award in Condé Nast Traveler magazine's World Savers Awards 2007. Secondly, it was named one of the 158 Best Adventure Travel Companies in the World by National Geographic Adventure (NGA) magazine. The NGA selection takes into account education, sustainability, quality of service and spirit of adventure.

So what makes Hanoi-based Buffalo Tours (BT) shine?

The company offers off-the-beaten-path treks to secluded villages, volunteerism and homestays in its programmes. It hires locally and donates some of its profits to humanitarian causes. Its business also helps sustain several communities' traditional crafts and agricultural practices.

Village tourism

I opted for a two-day/one-night stay in Mai Chau Valley, and a visit to a local orphanage near Hanoi with BT to find out what the fuss was all about.

A 3½-hour's drive from chaotic Hanoi takes visitors to the lush, picturesque valley of Mai Chau with its quaint villages and padi fields that drape over the valley like a gigantic emerald-green carpet.

Mai Chau is located 135km southwest of Hanoi in the province of Hoa Binh. With a population of about 47,500, Mai Chau is a cornucopia of ethnic groups like White Thai, H'mong, Dao, Tay and Muong. The White Thais, the majority people, are said to be a distant relative of tribes in Thailand, Laos and China, and are renowned for their weaving skills.

I checked into BT's new property, the Mai Chau Lodge, a boutique hotel with 16 deluxe rooms overseeing padi fields framed by a mountain or lake. The lodge used to be a government-owned guesthouse until BT bought and refurbished the place.

After a scrumptious lunch, guide Nguyen Manh Cuong and I hopped on our mountain bikes and checked out the different villages.

Most visitors to Mai Chau come to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, savour the tranquillity and experience homestays in traditional stilt houses. Mai Chau is also the starting point for multi-day treks to remote villages.

Since we didn't have time to trek, I was happy just to ride around the villages and catch a glimpse of the locals' day-to-day lives.

Responsible tourism

Lac Village, a 10-minute bike ride from the Lodge, is where I saw firsthand how BT has benefited a local community through tourism. Nguyen and I dropped in at No. 6 Homestay and chatted with manager, Hà Thuong Mai.

Homestay visits started getting popular in Lac in 1996. Traditionally, the locals, who are White Thais, relied on rice cultivation, livestock, hunting and fishing for food for income.

"Our farmers couldn't earn much. We get two rice crops a year with each family getting about $2mil dong (RM406) per harvest in a span of 10 months," explained Hà, whose father owns the No. 6 house.

"If the weather is bad, our crops are affected," she said.

BT is one of the first companies that helped market Mai Chau as a tourist destination. The company brought in tourists and created a local economy and jobs. Locals churn out traditional handicrafts, provide transport, and serve as guides.

The homestays charge an average of $50,000 dong (RM10) per night and $60,000 dong (RM12) per meal. There are now 10 homestays in Lac Village alone.

"Villagers earn an average of US$1,200 (RM3,840) to US$1,500 (RM4,800) per month from tourism," said Hà, 32. "Now, 90% of the income here is generated from tourism while 10% from farming."

Naturally, the locals' living conditions have also improved.

"Our old house has been renovated several times, and we can afford things like a television and motorbike," said Hà. "There are also opportunities for cultural exchanges for the young with foreign visitors."

Tourism has also revived traditional handicrafts and enabled outsiders to learn more about the White Thai's culture, Hà added. The villagers formed dance troupes to entertain visitors and thus helped revive its performing arts.

But inevitably, the large influx of tourists has had an effect on locals' lives.

"Young Vietnamese tourists (like student groups) have influenced our culture, like bringing in loud pop music and karaoke singing. And the busloads of travellers flocking into the village have changed the tranquil atmosphere," admitted Hà.

"But these are not serious issues. Our local authorities are imposing some rules like no noise after 11pm. If the students want to party, they can choose a spot outside of the village for a bonfire."

Personally, I thought the village was a tad commercialised. Most of the houses peddled souvenirs and trinkets. And tour vans kept rolling in and out. Lac looked more like a "cultural" village than a "real" hamlet where locals go about their business. I was glad the Lodge was set outside Lac, and that the other villages were still relatively untouched.

But the good far outweighed the bad, as Hà pointed out.

Over the years, BT has roped in volunteers to build classrooms, wells and provide healthcare to the people of Mai Chau Valley.

As Nguyen put it, "Kien (BT founder) is like Uncle Ho (Chi Min) for the Mai Chau people as far as education and health are concerned."

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Original URL: http://www.wildasia.org/main.cfm/library/Making_a_difference

Published: 04 March 2008