April 7 – 22, 2020

Plus optional 2 day / 1 night extension to Ha Long Bay April 22 – 24.

Travel with Impact

The opportunity to get to know individuals empowered by Impact Partners is at the heart of Ripple Effect Journeys – Vietnam. Dedicated to enabling girls and women to become leaders in their families and communities, these organizations believe in the power of education and the importance of a supportive community. Listen to the dreams of girls and women. Learn about their efforts to achieve them. Prepare to be inspired! With your fellow travelers, explore how ripple effects of inspiration can turn into waves of action.

Highlights

2 nights – Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon

SEE – Jade Emperor Pagoda. Tan Dinh Market. FITO Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine. Historic City Center. War Remnants Museum. Ben Thanh Market.

IMPACT – Learn about and support KOTO’s (Know One, Teach One) mission over lunch at their Saigon training restaurant.

1 night – Cai Be in the Mekong River Delta

SEE – Cao Dai Temple. Cai Be Cathedral

EXPERIENCE – Compare a local inland market to a local floating market. Ride in a sampan and view daily life along the shore. Meet students (if school is in session). Visit the home of a local farmer.

IMPACT – Meet a local woman and learn how your donation of a sampan will change her life.

2 nights – Can Tho

EXPERIENCE – Cruise through Cai Rang Floating Market.

IMPACT– Visit Room to Read – Vietnam’s Girls’ Education Program. Participate in a Life Skills session. Stop by a student’s home and meet her family.

2 nights – Hoi An

SEE – UNESCO World Heritage Site. Japanese Covered Bridge. Old House of Tan Ky. Fukian Assembly Hall.

EXPERIENCE – Participate in a traditional tea ceremony. Learn how to make rice noodles.

IMPACT – Visit artisans-in-training at Reaching Out, an NGO established to provide opportunities for people with disabilities. Learn how to make traditional Vietnamese rice noodles at Oodles of Noodles, a STREETS restaurant. STREETS is a social enterprise integrating business and philanthropy.

1 night – Hue

SEE – Hai Van Pass. Hue’s Citadel. Thien Mu Pagoda.

EXPERIENCE – Bicycle in the countryside. Visit a local day market. Converse with local families in their homes. Enjoy a relaxing foot bath.

IMPACT – Support a social enterprise providing income to local villagers through tourism.

2 nights – Sapa

SEE – Breathtaking views on the road between Hanoi and Sapa. Bac Ha Sunday Market, the largest local market in the area.

EXPERIENCE – Optional walking tour to a Hmong village and visits to several homes. Batik class with local women of the Giay minority group in Ta Van Village. A home visit in Trung Do Village with members of the Tay people. Overnight train travel on the Chapa Express in a 2-berth soft sleeper compartment.

3 nights – Hanoi

SEE – Temple of Jade on Hoan Kiem Lake. Colonial Old Quarter. Vietnamese Women’s Museum. Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. Tran Quoc Pagoda. Temple of Literature.

EXPERIENCE – Hands-on cultural class at the Vietnamese Women’s Museum. A slide presentation introducing Craft Link, a fair-trade enterprise and the artisans it supports. Water Puppet Show.

IMPACT – Support KOTO’s mission by enjoying lunch at their Hanoi restaurant. Shop at Craft Link, where purchases provide a fair and living wage for participating artisans.

We Look Forward to Hearing From You

If you are interested in meaningful travel experiences and would like to receive a copy of the Ripple Effect Journeys – Vietnam 2020 itinerary, please complete the form below. Other ideas for a Ripple Effect Journeys? Let us know!