Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)
Environment
All guests are emailed our Responsible Travel guidelines policy prior to travel and guides are also fully trained in this. We donate to many local charities, such as funding a nutrition program at Binh Luc Orphanage and sponsoring an annual trip to Halong Bay for underprivileged disabled children & their families from ‘Blue Dragon’. We hold an annual medical trek with local & international doctors and medical students into the hill tribes of Northern Vietnam, and organise many volunteer projects such as building wells & housing in Agent Orange affected communities and teaching English. We also catch public coach and trains where appropriate.
Community
Mai Chau Lodge involved the local community in its initial planning stages, and hires only from the hill tribes of this region, providing them with language, hospitality training & opportunity. Mai Chau Lodge was built with local materials and its restaurant serves food that is grown in the local region. Locals are also given employment through presenting traditional dance performances, which in turn help to preserve and keep alive cultural traditions.
This is a private tour so group size is kept to a small number so as not to be too intrusive on the local villages.
We provide income to local families and villages by using their homes for accommodation. The home stay creates income through hosting accommodation as well as working opportunities for local people (ie. local guide, cook, porter). It also helps in raising public awareness about the value of natural resources, environment and cultural heritage, and encourages locals and tourists to interact on a social level in their villages creating cross cultural understanding and authentic travel experiences. Food served is grown locally in the region and the houses/accommodation are made out of natural materials from the area.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
