growing,” said Hoa. “Visitors produce trash when trekking and put it in litter bins in the homestays. With no organised means of disposal, homestay owners tie up waste in bags and throw it into the river. Awareness among travellers is important for this reason,” she said. Ethos treks are plastic free, utilising a network of drinking water tanks bought by the organisation and distributed across the district. Guests are encouraged to refill and reuse water bottles and as such, the organisation reduced their use of plastic bottles dramatically. Such initiatives are going a long way to preserve, protect and empower this part of Vietnam. Widespread poverty, exposure to human trafficking and environmental degradation are among the serious problems affecting the Hmong and Dao ethnic groups. A core number of companies want to eradicate these issues by providing education and employment through a range of ethical experiences.
Last year, 76 girls were reported as being trafficked from Sapa District. Most were aged 13 to 16 and belonged to ethnic groups. Ethos runs monthly anti-trafficking awareness workshops in collaboration with the Sapa District Women’s Union. With a number of activity based learning exercises and all teaching done in ethnic minority languages by trained Ethos guides, these classes have the power to change lives. “The approach Ethos takes makes a tangible difference. Activities are tailored to the age and interests of the vulnerable teenagers in attendance” said Luu Thi Ngan Ha, head of the Sapa Women’s Union. Ly Thi My, a 17-year-old Hmong woman, describes the workshops as vitally important for her community. “My mother was trafficked three years ago. My sister was also taken at 13 years old,” My said. “She was smuggled at night and sold on five times in the first few days after her disappearance.” Transported over the border to China,
My detailed how her sister eventually managed to run away after seven months held captive. She was eventually found by a policeman and brought to the Vietnamese border where she was collected by Ethos representatives. Such horrors spurred My to get involved with Ethos workshops to help educate younger girls on how best to protect themselves and their peers. “When booking a tour, always ask for a minority guide with rich local knowledge and able to offer a genuine human experience,” Hoa said. “Ethos goes beyond the superficial and aims to facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges between hosts and guests,” she said. This differs from the package tours touted on every street corner in Hanoi’s old quarter, but knowing that tourism money can be spent wisely is comforting. Choosing an experience rather than merely a tour, especially one that benefits travellers and locals alike is therefore the only real way to see Sapa.
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