ETHOS – Spirit of the Community
Your travel experience will allow for a unique opportunity to support the local ethnic cultures while enjoying the diversity and beauty of the land, with a true respect for all. In enjoying an experience in Sapa, you can contribute to conservation efforts to protect the region’s biodiversity and provide a sustainable alternative income source for these isolated and fascinating local communities.
Our Vision
To be a responsible and creative leader in community based tourism; designing and operating innovative, sustainable treks and tours that resoundingly demonstrate the positive impacts of ethical best practice.
Our Mission Statement
ETHOS Adventure Travel Specialists provides well-designed tours that connect travellers to Sapa and its people, creating authentic, unforgettable travel experiences. We provide tours for people of varying ages and fitness levels that want to experience Sapa within a range comfort zones. We practice sustainable and responsible tourism, and therefore ETHOS Adventures appeals to the ethically conscious traveller.
ETHOS Adventures cares for the environment, its workers, and the local people, and we constantly strive to improve our operations and services through self evaluation, innovation and creativity.
We create and nurture a healthy and enjoyable working environment, in which our employees are fairly compensated and encouraged to respect the customer and the quality of the service we provide. We seek fair and responsible profit, and fairly remunerate employees for their work and effort.
Our Vision
To be a responsible and creative leader in community based tourism; designing and operating innovative, sustainable treks and tours that resoundingly demonstrate the positive impacts of ethical best practice.
Our Mission Statement
ETHOS Adventure Travel Specialists provides well-designed tours that connect travellers to Sapa and its people, creating authentic, unforgettable travel experiences. We provide tours for people of varying ages and fitness levels that want to experience Sapa within a range comfort zones. We practice sustainable and responsible tourism, and therefore ETHOS Adventures appeals to the ethically conscious traveller.
ETHOS Adventures cares for the environment, its workers, and the local people, and we constantly strive to improve our operations and services through self evaluation, innovation and creativity.
We create and nurture a healthy and enjoyable working environment, in which our employees are fairly compensated and encouraged to respect the customer and the quality of the service we provide. We seek fair and responsible profit, and fairly remunerate employees for their work and effort.
According to the “World Commission on Environment and Development a sustainable development implies “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"
Ideally, ecotourism satisfies several general criteria, including the conservation of biological diversity and cultural diversity through ecosystem protection, promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, share of socio-economic benefits with local communities through informed consent and participation, increase in environmental and cultural knowledge, affordability and reduced waste, and minimization of its own environmental impact. In such ways, it contributes to the long term benefits to both the environment and local communities.”
Ideally, ecotourism should satisfy several criteria:
Ideally, ecotourism satisfies several general criteria, including the conservation of biological diversity and cultural diversity through ecosystem protection, promotion of sustainable use of biodiversity, share of socio-economic benefits with local communities through informed consent and participation, increase in environmental and cultural knowledge, affordability and reduced waste, and minimization of its own environmental impact. In such ways, it contributes to the long term benefits to both the environment and local communities.”
Ideally, ecotourism should satisfy several criteria:
Today I will commit to the notion that when travelling I will see myself as the privileged guest and ambassador of my own country. I will take responsibility for my actions and accept that every choice I make has both its adverse consequences and positive outcomes. Thus, with integrity, humility and genuine desire, I will foster and promote a cultural etiquettes and a more ethical style of travel by:
The hard sell
- Using my camera in a way that is sensitive to the peoples and cultures around me. Further I promise to never take a picture of someone without politely asking first;
- Being aware that in my pursuit to find something ‘untouched by tourism’ I may be the one stretching the boundaries of tourism’s negative impacts and harmful effects.
- Avoiding wearing white clothes whilst in the village because white is often worn at funerals and is associated with death and mourning.
- Avoiding public displays of affection in the village as this is not culturally accepted by mist traditional villagers.
- Please do not enter a home that has leaves or feathers hanging from the entrance. This symbolises a shamanic ritual and your entering is a bad omen for the family who live there.
- Please when entering a home take your back pack off of your shoulders and carry it with your hands.
- If you are staying overnight, please be respectful of the villagers as they go to bed early.
- Please avoid touching the heads of the infants.
- Giving money or sweets to children only encourages begging. Also consider that most minority people do not have access to a dentist and have no means to dispose of plastics and litter.
- Visitors who value local traditions encourage the local pride and maintain local cultures, so please show an interest in local culture and an interest in understanding local traditions.
- Supporting only local initiatives, and participating in those tourism products that are local and / or aim to support the local community economically and through social programs (this includes tour companies, hotels, and restaurants);
- Purchasing goods that are produced and sold locally at a fair price and assuring that those good are not products of illegal activities and / or important symbols of the host’s culture;
- Reducing my environmental footprint through maintaining a conscious awareness of how my actions will affect the host’s valuable resources.
- Advocating those companies and organisations who support and provide ethical and community based tourism products and services;
- Making a stand against sex tourism, through reporting any illegal activities to local authorities and supporting those projects that have put forth the effort to fight against it.
- If you promise to do something, please keep your promise.
The hard sell
- Vietnam is developing country, and one that has experienced a long period of war so poverty is obvious and unavoidable.
- Consider that many in Sapa are selling as a means of survival.
- Be aware that handmade goods from hemp and indigo may have taken many months or even years to make, so don't expect these to come cheap. (For further details see our information guide on hemp in Hmong culture).
- Look out for Chinese imitations. Whilst beautiful in their own right, they are machine made and less valuable.
- If a street seller approaches you, be firm but polite and calm in turning them away, even if you are irritated by a day filled with similar approaches.
- Negotiate prices in advance before accepting either goods from street sellers, or getting on a xe om (motorbike taxi) or into a cyclo.
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