ETHOS - Spirit of the Community

What reviewers say

Excerpts from public Google reviews. They are the reviewers’ opinions, not ours, and we have not verified them.

• ★ 52 months ago

  This was not only the highlight of my trip to Southeast Asia, but also one of the best travel experience of my life. I had been traveling around Southeast Asia for a few months, and my dad was able to join me for this portion of the trip in Northern Vietnam. I’m so happy we got to experience trekking with Ethos together. We did the two-day Buffalo Valley Trek, and it exceeded all expectations. It was very easy to arrange everything with Hoa. Before we left, we spoke with Phil and Cha about Hmong history, culture, and society. I’m really glad we had this conversation beforehand because it gave us a much deeper appreciation for the trek itself. It was fascinating hearing from Cha about her community, and from Phil, who has spent years in Northern Vietnam and knows the Hmong community around Sapa extremely well. Our guide, My, was wonderful. She was incredibly friendly, helpful, and flexible with the itinerary. Being able to ask her questions and talk about the Hmong community added so much to the experience. We both learned a great deal about what it’s like to be Hmong in Vietnam and some of the challenges facing the community today. During the trek, My pointed out plants we could forage, and it was amazing getting to eat them later at lunch and dinner. The scenery was absolutely stunning, seeing the rice terraces on the side of the mountains felt surreal. And during the trek there were no other tourists. The trails are local trails that the guides know, not trails that exist for tourists like you will get from other companies. We visited one family for lunch and stayed overnight with another family, where we shared dinner, breakfast, and lunch the next day. Both families were incredibly hospitable, and the food was amazing. The meals we had during the trek were my favorite meals of my entire trip. Everything was incredibly fresh and tasty, and sharing meals with the families was a great time. All the food was freshly harvested, foraged, or slaughtered. It was a lot of fun helping to prepare the meals and peeling the different vegetables. It’s hard to put into words just how great Ethos is. I highly recommend trekking with Ethos if you’re visiting Sapa. They’re a great company with a great mission, and My made our trek unforgettable. We learned so much and had an incredible experience.

• ★ 52 months ago

  We spent three incredible days touring with Ethos, starting with a motorbike tour through the hills around Sapa. It was such a great way to explore areas far beyond the usual tourist routes and get a more authentic sense of the region and its communities. Before the tour began, we met the owners, Hoa and Phil. Phil gave us an insightful overview of the history of the area and helped contextualise how migration, colonialism, imperialism, politics and war have impacted the minority ethnic groups in the region. This added so much depth to our experience and felt integral to understanding the communities we were visiting. Our motorbike guides, My and May Linh, were both incredibly warm and easy to talk to. They shared so much knowledge about their respective cultures (the H’mong and the Dao) and gave us genuine insight into daily life, traditions, and customs. We also had a wonderful lunch hosted by a lovely Tay woman named Sai. The following day, we embarked on a two-day trek with May Linh, hiking through forests, rice paddies, and Dao villages. We chose the medicinal bath experience, which was amazing. As a small-time forager myself, I was blown away by the variety of medicinal plants we collected, along with wild berries we were able to eat along the way. Throughout the trek, we shared lunches with two different local families and stayed overnight with another family who were so welcoming and accommodating and ran our wonderful herb bath. I can’t forget to mention we liaised with Cha, who works at the office before, during and after our trips and she is truely one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met. This was a truly meaningful experience, and I feel very grateful to have been welcomed into these homes and communities and to have met such beautiful people. Ethos creates tourism experiences that feel thoughtful and genuinely community-focused. I’d encourage anyone travelling in Vietnam to think critically about where they spend their travel money and support companies like Ethos that actively give back to local communities and educate on issues impacting them.

• ★ 5a month ago

  It was probably our best experience in Vietnam. The guides were so kind and really impressive English . We visited two different minorities with native. We spent three days with local families and real home stays . The food was so good and a lot. Challenging trekkings and almost no tourist in the routes. I loved the information and knowledge. We learned a lot! Thanks to Cha for being every day worried about us. We will be always happy yo share with friends, family and travelers the impact of ethos!

• ★ 54 months ago

  We had an absolutely unforgettable trekking experience around Sapa with Ethos. What makes this organisation truly special is not only the beautiful off-the-beaten-path routes, but above all the incredible people behind it. Ethos, created by Hoa and Phil, is doing truly meaningful work by supporting local minority communities, education projects and raising awareness around human trafficking. You can really feel that tourism here is done with respect, responsibility and genuine purpose. A very warm thank you to Cha, from the Hmong community, who welcomed us from the very beginning. She helped organise everything and made us feel instantly at home. She is kind, funny and full of positive energy — and we also learned that she is a very talented photographer. Our guide Do, also Hmong, was wonderful — strong, attentive and deeply connected to her culture and the mountains. Walking with her felt like being gently introduced to another rhythm of life. Trekking with Lamai from the Red Dao community was a truly unique and meaningful experience. Her calm presence, quiet humour and deep knowledge of the forest made the day unforgettable. If you are looking for an authentic experience in Sapa, far from mass tourism, we cannot recommend Ethos enough. Thank you again for everything ❤️ Charlotte and Ornella

• ★ 5a month ago

  The whole experience was incredible! We started out talking to Cha who taught us a lot about the culture, customs, and history of the different ethnic groups in Vietnam. It was very insightful, educational, and impactful. Then May Ling brought us on a one day trek where we hiked up the mountain and saw all the beautiful rice fields. We stopped in one of the villages and ate lunch with a local family, they were very kind and the food was amazing. We also did a traditional herbal bath which was very cool. May Ling was a fantastic guide and adapted the trek based on what we wanted and how we were feeling. She also taught us a lot as we went. It was an amazing experience and I would absolutely recommend. Much better than supporting a the big tour companies.

• ★ 5Edited 3 months ago

  The 2 days we spent exploring with our wonderful hmong guides were undoubtedly the highlight of our time in Vietnam. Ours was not a trekking experience due to our age. Instead it was a time of learning from our guides about their lives and culture, sharing stories. We did learn SO much. One day we visited the more remote sunday Muong Hum market where different hill tribes meet. Fascinating! Our guide Cha sourced ingredients for a delicious lunch cooked in her family home, precededed by a walk around the village, through the rice terraces, learning about life there. A second day saw us going over the very high O Quy Ho pass ( spectacular mountain views) and down into a fertile valley with it's tea plantations and green waving rice fields. Lunch was served in a traditional stilt house with a family from the Thai ethnic minority group. Once again, there were many stories and smiles...and delicious food! Our guide My and driver Mang made this such an enjoyable, rewarding day. We also thoroughly enjoyed our Weird and Wonderful Night Food Tour, especially the eels, tiny paddy crabs and the crunchy grasshoppers...and delightful Der's ' happy water'!! Great fun!! Thank you to all our absolutely delightful guides and to Ethos for making it happen. Highly recommended for curious, independent travellers who want to do more than merely ticking boxes. I guarantee it will be an experience to remember.

• ★ 56 months ago

  I traveled solo and chose Ethos because I wanted an experience away from the typical tourist crowds in Sa Pa, and I’m so glad I did. From the warm welcome in the morning, everything was handled perfectly. ​Even though it was very foggy during my two-day trek, my guide, May Linh, was absolutely amazing. She was so caring and thoughtful, making sure to take me to beautiful spots while tailoring the route to my pace and comfort level. ​The hospitality was heartwarming—the food we had with the local families was delicious, and staying overnight in a village homestay was a truly pleasant and authentic experience. ​If you are looking for something different, quiet, and away from the usual tourist noise, I highly recommend Ethos

• ★ 53 months ago

  Maysieu was our guide and host on the herbal trail overnight hike. She was wonderful. We treked about 5 miles through the countryside to her home in the mountains and stayed with her family overnight in their home. They cooked us a great meal and made us feel very welcome. The herbal bath after dinner relaxed us so we drifted off to sleep. Breakfast overlooking the valley was also very good. 5 stars to Ethos and Maysieu for making this the best experience of our trip in Vietnam.