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Welcome to Viet Nam
Known for its beautiful landscape (ranging from sandy beaches and lush jungles to jagged mountains and serene waterways), delicious food, beautiful boutiques and friendly people, Vietnam has become one of the top destinations in the region in the past couple of years.
However, there is more to Vietnam than just lazing on the beach or spending your days shopping. Travellers who dare to go off-the-beaten-track will discover impressive biodiversity, colourful ethnic minority groups and organisations who are working ensure the most disadvantaged people do not get left behind in the country's rapid rise as one of the most dynamic and fastest growing countries in the region.
Cuc Phuong National Park
Established in 1962, Cuc Phuong is the oldest national park in Vietnam. It boasts magnificent limestone mountains, ethnic minorities and a rich ecosystem with some of Asia's rarest species, drawing researchers, naturalists, enthusiasts and conservationists alike.
Reaching Out Handicrafts
Owned and operated by disabled people, Reaching Out is a unique craft store, whose attractive and high-quality products are not found elsewhere. It is also big on fair trade and fair wage, and disabled artisans receive free vocational training. Reaching Out products are availalbe both online and offline.
Yok Don National Park
Established in 1992, Yok Don National Park covers over 115,000 hectares in western Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands. It is bisected by Srepok River, one of the major tributaries of the Mekong, and borders Cambodia to the west.
Huong Lai
Opened in 2001, Huong Lai is a private, self-funded restaurant that employs former street children and disadvantaged youth in Ho Chi Minh City and provides them with vocational training so they can build a better future.
Home for the Elderly
The Home for the Elderly provides a much-needed shelter, support and care to elderly people in Danang and surrounding areas. While funding shortfall allows it to looks after less people than it can accommodate, the Home welcomes any contribution, including visiting its residents to brighten up their day.
Hoi An Center for Street Children
Hoi An Center for Street Children is a non-government organisation (NGO) that provides food and shelter for orphaned, abandoned and disadvantaged children in the Quang Nam area until they turn 18. Since its inception, the Center has helped turn the lives of over 100 children who have found jobs and are now leading independent lives.
Hoa Sua
Hoa Sua is a vocational school offering tourism and hospitality training in Hanoi. Established in 1994, Our objective is to contribute to the fight against poverty in Vietnam by training young people, especially disadvantaged and disabled youth.
Hai Cafe
Located in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An, Hai Café is a shady oasis for both casual travelers and nature lovers. With trained voluntary educators as staff, the Café is committed to preserving Vietnam's rich biodiversity and is also behind the popular Hoi An clean-up campaign.
The Broom Workshop
Located 10 km away from Da Nang, the Broom Workshop was set up as a means to help local women who have fallen on hard times. The product quality is now so high that nearly all are exported to regional markets, and travelers can now visit the workshop and learn the process of making brooms.
Craft Link
Craft Link is the leading not-for-profit organisation working with ethnic minority craftspeople in Vietnam. Founded in 1996, we support marginalised and impoverished communities through the sale of unique, Vietnamese handicrafts.
Vietnam Quilts
Vietnam Quilts is a non-profit, community development organisation that aims to give women in rural Vietnam with employment, training and a regular income. Founded in 2001 by the French - Belgian NGO, Vietnam Plus, Vietnam Quilts now employs 150 women with the aim of employing more in the future.
Bach Ma National Park
Bach Ma National Park is located in central Vietnam province of Thua Thien Hue. It was created in 1991 to protect the centre of the last corridor of forest stretching from the South China Sea to the Annamite mountain range at the border with the Lao PDR.
East Meets West
The mission of the East Meets West (EMW) Foundation is to transform the health, education, and communities of disadvantaged people in Southeast Asia by building partnerships, developing opportunities, and creating sustainable solutions.
KOTO
KOTO (standing for Know One, Teach One) is a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program that is changing the lives of street children and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. Established in the late 1990s, KOTO started as a small sandwich shop run by nine former street kids.