Michelle Baran visited Vietnam on a tour operated by National Geographic with G Adventures. Her first dispatch follows.
I came to Vietnam on a bit of a mission. I wanted to see if this perpetual skeptic could be sold on the idea of "travel as a force for good," a concept and trend that I've been writing about for months.
G Adventures, a tour operator that has embraced the notion wholeheartedly with its goal of incorporating 50 new social enterprise projects into its tours in the five years between 2015 and 2020 (or "50 in 5" as the campaign is called), hosted me here to show me what some of those projects look like.
In theory, I love everything about the responsible travel movement -- the idea that if travelers are going to a destination, why not spend money on a good cause. It is inspiring.
In reality, I have my reservations. I'm worried that it could easily be exploited for marketing purposes to make travel companies look good and to make travelers simply feel better about themselves. Whether those in need ultimately benefit has always been my lingering concern.
Without doing a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes investigation into the matter, the only way to know whether these initiatives are legit is to observe them and go with your gut.
And after witnessing a couple of the projects that G Adventures supports here, my gut tells me that not only are they legit, there is potential for G Adventures and the travel industry at large to do a lot more.
Theresa Jackson (right), owner of New York-based Enlightened Journeys Travel, chats with Hoi An native Buu, a Streets International trainee.
I visited two projects with National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures: the Oodles of Noodles food tour and market visit hosted by the nonprofit Streets International, and a lantern-making class that provides funding for the nonprofit Lifestart Foundation, both of which are based in Hoi An.
At Oodles of Noodles, a group of trainees greeted me and my fellow travelers. They were nearing the end of their 18-month training program, during which time they learned skills such as cooking, English language, waiting tables and general hospitality. Most of them had the goal of ultimately working in the large resorts cropping up along the coast in nearby Da Nang.
The second stop on the Oodles of Noodles street-food noodle tour of Hoi An was Bun Bo Hue, an eatery that serves this beef noodle dish.
The trainees, disadvantaged youth from the region, were bright-eyed and eager to show off their budding confidence and English skills. They hosted us on a half-day noodle street-food tour (which was both tasty and informative), and their charm was contagious. One of the young Vietnamese women guiding us on our noodle tour was particularly sweet and outgoing and told me she hopes to ultimately apply to be a server at a forthcoming Hilton resort. She was excited about the prospect, and by the end of the tour, I was excited for her.
At the Lifestart Foundation, a craft-making workshop and storefront that provides jobs to disabled women and scholarships to poor children with academic potential, I interviewed Australian founder Karen Leonard following one of the organization's lantern-making courses. Lifestart sells the lanterns and other items to travelers to generate revenue for the association.
She looked tired and overworked after devoting more than 13 years to an organization that grew out of a vacation to Hoi An during which she was touched by the impoverished children that were lacking the resources to emerge from poverty. She is keenly aware of the quagmire of marrying disadvantaged local people with tourists. Travelers often want to see the people they are purportedly helping but she cannot provide that opportunity. They are people after all, she noted, just going about their daily work. They are not meant to be ogled at.
Travelers with a Vietnam National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures tour participate in a lantern making class in Hoi An, the proceeds from which go to support the not-for-profit Lifestart Foundation.
After spending almost an hour with Leonard in the back room of her Hoi An shop, I could feel the tireless drive to genuinely and humbly help. And the pride she took in the success stories that were beginning to emerge from her efforts, children that were now graduating with degrees in medicine, architecture and engineering.
It wasn't a show. You can sniff those out from a mile away. I could be wrong, of course, but after these two experiences, I left convinced not only that these organizations were legitimately doing what they said they were doing, but that the power of travel is a real thing that can make lasting and positive changes in people's lives.
TW photos by Michelle Baran