Responsible Tourism in Quan Ba - Ha Giang
| Code: |
CBTHG |
| Routes: |
Hanoi - Ha Giang - Quan Ba - Dong Van - Meo Vac - Ha Giang - Hanoi |
| Duration: |
9 days |
| Feature: Emphasizes the active role of the traveler in minimizing the impact of her/his visit on local society and environment. Principles of responsible tourism are especially important in Quan Ba, where there are eight different ethnic groups, each with its own history and culture. Caritas wishes to support Sustainable Development in Quan Ba District, with care for an approach building on indigenous knowledge, which strengthens endangered cultures, and sustains environmental resources. |
| Difficulty: |  (3/5) |
Overview  Quan Ba district is in the rocky limestone mountainous region of Ha Giang province, the northernmost province of Vietnam, on the border with China. After driving 6 hours from the capital city of Hanoi, one eventually passes the highest point, known as ‘Heaven’s Gate’, then one descends into Quan Ba District on the other side. Here, temperatures are 3°C cooler.
Ninety seven percent of the 7,000 households are ‘ethnic minority’ people - Hmong, Dao, Tay, Nung, Giay, and Bo Y. Most speak their own languages, which do not yet have written scripts. The remote rocky environment makes life more difficult.Maize is grown in every small space between the rocks, but Quan Ba remains one of the poorest districts of Vietnam. Caritas Switzerland and Caritas Luxembourg are two charities which have recently entered into a development partnership with the District People’s Committee. The Caritas agencies wish to support a development process in Quan Ba District “to build sustainable livelihoods for the poorest people and the poorest communities”. The project began in mid-2003, and includes several components such as support to sustainable agriculture, forest gardens, domestic water supply, adult literacy, indigenous cultures, improved cook stoves, and responsible tourism.
You can participate in the project by travelling to Quan Ba District as a visitor. In collaboration with Caritas and its local partners, the eco tour operator Footprint™ will arrange six visits to Quan Ba this year. The tours take place in April, late September, October and November. Visitors will stay in the homes of ethnic minority people, participate a few days in their way of life and see some of the initial activities of the Caritas project.
The villagers have prepared a simple ‘Code of Conduct’ which tour members should consider before their visit, to demonstrate their commitment to protect local culture and environment. Very few foreign travelers have visited Quan Ba so far. In order to share ideas on whether and how responsible tourism in Quan Ba could be developed in the future, the visitors are invited to give a feedback at the end of the trip.
Responsible Tourism emphasizes the active role of the traveler in minimizing the impact of her/his visit on local society and environment. Principles of responsible tourism are especially important in Quan Ba, where there are eight different ethnic groups, each with its own history and culture. Caritas wishes to support Sustainable Development in Quan Ba District, with care for an approach building on indigenous knowledge, which strengthens endangered cultures, and sustains environmental resources.
The cost of this tour includes a generous contribution to a community development fund, which the host- and neighbouring villages will benefit directly from. This fund is an important part of the concept of the responsible tourism: As the visitors do not pay the host families directly but contribute to the development fund, jealousy among local people can be avoided. Not only the host families should profit from tourism, but all the villagers.
The fund is managed by a development committee including local representatives and Caritas staff. It will be used for sustainable village development projects, which are planed and realised with a very high level of local participation. The first phase of the Caritas project is being implemented in three subdivisions of the district: Thanh Van, Quyet Tien, Lung Tam Communes (see the map below). Altogether there are 27 villages in this project area.
 
Trip 1: 10th April | Trip 2: 24th April | Trip 3: 11th September | Trip 4: 25th September | Trip 5: 9th October | Trip 6: 23th October.
First day (Sun): Welcome in Vietnam! 12.30 am You meet all the tour members and your Footprint guide in the Cha Ca restaurant which is famous for its typical Vietnamese fish-dish. While you enjoy the meal, the guide gives you some more information about the trip to Quan Ba and answers all your questions. 3.30 pm. You have the chance to visit the Caritas office. Caritas staff gives you a brief introduction of the development work Caritas is doing in Vietnam, focusing on the Quan Ba Community Development Project. 6.00 pm. Caritas staff and Footprint guides accompany you to the beautiful old quarter of Hanoi, where you all have supper in the 'Moca Cafe'. Second day (Mon): Travel to Ha Giang  7.30 am Footprint guides pick you up from your hotel. While riding in a comfortable landcruiser you can enjoy the beautifully landscape on your way to Ha Giang province. You will have lunch together in Tuyen Quang and arrive in Ha Giang town around 2.00 pm.
After checking to a small hotel you have enough time to take a walk in the small town or have a rest in your room.
6.30 pm. The Footprint guides will pick you up at the hotel and take you to a restaurant which is famous for its traditional hot-pot. Third day (Tue): Travel to Khau Lan village, start trekking 9.00 am You have the opportunity to participate a guided tour in the Ha Giang museum followed by an early lunch.
12.30 am. The guides pick you up at the hotel and you travel by landcruiser to the commune Centre in Quyet Tien. There from you will walk about 3 hours to Khau Lan village, passing green paddy fields, little villages and beautiful forests. In Khau Lan - the Dao people, you meet the village leader and your host families.
Arround 6.30 pm. All the tour members will have dinner at one family and split later to spend the night in three or four different host families. Fourth day (Wed): A day in the live of the Dao
 Discard your watches here….
Khau Lan is a small village of the Dao people. You have the unique opportunity to share the daily life of your host family, which might include working in the fields, fetching wood, cutting grass for the livestock and cooking meals. Depending on the activity, you have lunch on different spots, outside the village.
After another local meal for dinner, you might spend the evening sitting together around a fire, discussing and laughing with the local people then you will spend another night at your host family's house. Fifth day (Thu): Travel to Lang Tan 
After breakfast and farewell with the hosts, you take another trail back to Quyet Tien commune center, passing beautiful caves, streams and forests. The landcruisers bring you to Quan Ba District town, where you have about 2 hours time to take a shower and relax in the district guesthouse or take a walk through the small town.
Around 2 pm. Your guides will pick you up to travel by Landcruiser to Thanh Van Commune. After a short walk (30 minutes) you will arrive in Lang Tan village.
Lang Tan is a small village of Hmong people. The village is placed in rugged mountains which makes planting rice difficult. In order to increase their income, the villagers developed a special maize wine production.
After you have met the village leader and your second host family, then there is plenty of time is available to walk around in the pretty village and meet the people. In the evening the group will enjoy a local dinner and sleep in Hmong style houses. Sixth day (Fri): Hiking or maize wine presentation On the sixth day you can choose one out of two options:
The first option: Includes a 5-6 hours trek in so far uncharted territory. Together with a Footprint guide and a local pathfinder you walk over hills and through forests, villages of Hmong and Dao people to Can Ty Commune where the landcruiser is waiting for you. The car takes you through beautifully landscape to Dong Van Town, visiting the vestige of Hmong kingdom on route.
The second option: Includes a longer stay in Lang Tan village watching the local people producing the maize wine instead of more trekking. In the afternoon the Landcruiser picks you up and drives you to Dong Van, where you meet the rest of the group.
Around 6.30 pm. All the members of the tour check-in a small hotel in Dong Van and take dinner in a local restaurant. Note: A shorter trek can also be tailored for a special request or a bad weather. Seventh day (Sat): Traveling back to Quan Ba passing Meo Vac 
The Landcruisers take you through a beautiful landscape of rolling and imposing mountains and steep valleys leading from Dong Van to Meo Vac District. This is the most remote corner of Vietnam, where the traditional life of ethnic minority people is the most vivid and colorful. After lunch in Yen Minh town, the cars take you to Hop Tien village.
In Hop Tien you can visit a hemp cooperative, where local people explain and demonstrate the traditional hemp production (including dyeing with natural colors, weaving and decorating).
Around 5.30pm. You will travel back to Quan Ba town, where you checkin the comfortable district guesthouse.
At 6.30 pm You go out for dinner in a local restaurant before you spend the night in the guesthouse. Eighth day (Sun): Traditional market and review meeting
After a local breakfast you will have time to visit the very colorful market in Quan Ba town. On this market you will see people from different ethnic minority groups, which walk all the way from their mountain villages to Quan Ba town, in order to trade items and meet other people.
12.00 am. You will have dinner in a local restaurant in Quan Ba town. In the afternoon you are invited to participate in a review-meeting. Caritas, Footprint, local authorities and local communities wish to have a sincere feedback from the visitors, in order to improve the tours in the future.
6.30 pm Dinner in a local restaurant in Quan Ba town and overnight in the district guesthouse. Ninth day (Mon): Travel back to Hanoi
8.00 am. The landcruiser picks you up in the hotel. After a local breakfast you travel back to Hanoi. You will have lunch in a small restaurant on route and arrive in your hotel in Hanoi around 3. pm. Check into your hotel in town.
7.00 pm. You are invited to enjoy a farewell dinner together with Footprint and Caritas staff. Tour ends here.
Aside from being on this trip to Ha Giang province, you can extend your visit by travelling to other places of interest in the region. We would recommend that trip can be well complemented by a visit to the World Heritage site, 'Ha Long Bay', or to the ancient city of Hue; Hoian in central Vietnam or Saigon and Mekong delta in the South. Please look at our Destinations pages then Tours for the possible options or plan your own trip with us via our Trip planner. If this is a unique opportunity for you to visit South East Asia, you may wish to combine this trip with a visit to Laos or a visit to the great Angkor Wat temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We will be glad to advise you, and to design your visit according to your wishes.
We will be a small group of 8 people, please contact us for more details on activities, costs, inclusion, etc....
For more information about the tour, bookings, please send us footprint(at)hn.vnn.vn.
If you are interested in knowing about Caritas' projects here in Vietnam, please drop some lines to them, Representative in Vietnam at: carswi@netnam.org.vn.
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