The experience with Ethos was probably the best during our trip to Vietnam! We learned about this reality thanks to the Lonely Planet guide and the site and the reviews we read convinced us that Ethos was the right reality to have an authentic and respectful experience of the places and people of the place.
Upon our arrival we were greeted by Hoa and Cha who offered us tea and told a little 'the history of the territory and minorities. We chose the Buffalo Trek and spent two beautiful days in the company of My! My is a young and really nice guide. He answered all our questions and made us discover some peculiarities of the landscapes we were going through and the culture and traditions of the Hmong minority. The first trek (one hour from Sa Pa) lasted about 10km, wonderful! We crossed rice fields (in the various stages of maturation), villages, mountains, living to the full the countries and life that characterizes the region. At lunch we were greeted by the first family and spent some really pleasant hours. The really delicious food! In the afternoon we continued to reach the family that would host us for the night, crossing another beautiful valley and we were lucky enough to see a beautiful sunset! Ly and Lu's family was really wonderful! Their home gave us a great sense of peace and quiet and gave us the opportunity to fully appreciate what we were experiencing. Together with their children we spent a wonderful evening cooking together (we spring rolls), sharing dinner (also this delicious) and then playing with a deck of cards that other travelers had left behind. Despite not speaking the same language the looks, smiles and gestures still allowed us to communicate and convey what we were experiencing. The next day after breakfast we left for another trek, this time in the middle of the bamboo forest. After a short stop for lunch, hosted by another family (and great food here too!) we continued our journey through a valley where the rice paddies were flooded with water, a sight!
During the two days we did not meet even one tourist, being an area off the beaten track. In our opinion it is an experience to do absolutely! Ethos cares about the development of sustainable tourism that primarily involves and supports local minorities with the aim of preserving their culture, authenticity, traditions... basically all the precious heritage they bring with them!
We hope to return one day to have another experience and immerse ourselves even more in this reality that has transmitted so much to us. Thank you Hoa, Phil, My and Cha, and thank you to all the families who shared with us some of their time!