From the history of wars to sustainable futures
- Type
- Multi-day
- Length
- 13 days
- Where
- Across Vietnam
- How to join
- On request; no payment until confirmed
The story
Vietnam is a land of extraordinary diversity, of cultures, ecosystems and culinary traditions, with a biodiversity nurtured by land and sea and a deep-rooted farming heritage. At its heart lies a gift culture, where generosity and shared values shape how people and communities meet, and in recent years alternative movements have emerged that champion sustainable, regenerative practices for resilience and well-being.
This journey invites participants into Vietnam's culture, history and approaches to sustainability, through educational activities, hands-on experiences and meetings with local people, in three regions: Hồ Chí Minh City, the Mekong Delta, and Đà Nẵng and Hội An in the center.
It explores Vietnam's history, including the influence of Chinese immigration and the impacts of the Vietnam War, and its cultural heritage: food, religion, customs, landscapes and traditional ways of life. Farming workshops, including rice growing, connect participants with Vietnam's agricultural traditions.
Traveling from the scars of war to today's development, participants come to understand Vietnam's journey of resilience and renewal through all the senses: seeing, reading, listening, doing, touching, tasting, smelling and living. The program also shows how community-based tourism in the Mekong Delta and central Vietnam preserves culture and nature for future generations.
Itinerary
- Morning: orientation, and a city bus tour of modern Saigon
- Afternoon: a walking tour of landmarks and hidden places: a former opium factory, the Opera House, the Hồ Chí Minh statue, the "secret CIA building", a coffee stop, the Central Post Office, Notre-Dame Cathedral and Independence Palace
- Morning: a workshop on Vietnam's transformation: its political, social and economic structures, and the causes and impacts of the Vietnam War
- Afternoon: the War Remnants Museum and Independence Palace
- Evening: reflection
- Morning: two social enterprises in Hồ Chí Minh City: a plant-based cheese maker focused on sustainability, and a zero-waste enterprise that creates jobs for disadvantaged communities
- Afternoon: free time in the city
- Morning: to Bến Tre, and regenerative tourism in practice
- Afternoon: Bến Tre's sustainable coconut economy
- Evening: to Cần Thơ for the night
- Morning: the floating market of Cần Thơ, and a traditional medicine center
- Afternoon: traditional rice farming at a seasonal rice farm focused on biodiversity and cultural preservation
- Evening: rest in Cần Thơ
- Morning: more traditional rice farming
- Afternoon: back to Saigon
- Evening: the overnight train to Đà Nẵng
- Morning: arrival in Đà Nẵng
- Afternoon: free time
- Evening: an optional visit to An Thượng street
- Morning: a nature education center and local conservation work
- Afternoon: a walking tour, "How Đà Nẵng became Vietnam's most livable city", including initiatives such as the "5 No, 3 Yes" program
- Evening: to Hội An
- Morning: mass tourism at the Bảy Mẫu coconut forest, and a discussion on development and mass tourism
- Afternoon: community-based tourism in Hội An: a women's zero-waste vegetable garden, the Thanh Đông organic vegetable garden, and waste management with the local community
- Evening: a cultural exchange with local residents
- Morning: a boat ride on the Thu Bồn river and the livelihoods along it; a workshop on community-based tourism and asset-based community development in Cẩm Kim
- Afternoon: Kim Bồng carpentry village; rice fields turning to organic farming; cooking your dinner from local produce
- Evening: back to Đà Nẵng
- Morning: Nam Ô, a 400-year-old fish sauce village, and how privatization and mass tourism affect its craft
- Afternoon: Vcil Community and Vietnam's social movements
- Evening: closing
Request this journey
From the history of wars to sustainable futures