Ethos - Spirit of the Community

Ethos - Spirit of the Community

Ethos - Spirit of the Community
5
Cultural ToursBike ToursMotorcycle ToursHiking & Camping ToursPrivate Tours
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
ETHOS are an ethical Social Enterprise that strive to offer experiential adventures. Our aim is to facilitate conscientious travellers in creating unique adventures whilst supporting local minority tribal people in helping themselves. The experiences are made by you and enhanced by our team of local guides who will use their vast knowledge and skills to support you in finding something special in the Sapa area. ETHOS tours create a regular and reliable source of income and also for our team and also provide the financial means through which we can implement a wider selection of projects within our community. From human trafficking awareness classes to support with health and literacy, our work is varied and much needed. All of this helps to foster a strong team spirit that we hope you will feel when you visit Sapa with us.
Sapa, Vietnam

Awards
Travelers' Choice
2023

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Tours and Tickets by Ethos - Spirit of the Community
Travelers talk about
(71 reviews)
(85 reviews)
(31 reviews)
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

5.0
1,277 reviews
Excellent
1,250
Very good
18
Average
3
Poor
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Terrible
2

Maria Blazaki
2 contributions
Nov 2019
My husband and I did a one night homestay/ 2-day trek with our guide Pla during November. Pla is a very friendly person, she speaks very good English and we had a great time together during these days. We were exposed to H'mong life in the mountains and we had the chance to cook together various traditional food (best spring rolls ever!!) and play with her lovely children. As far as the trekking is concerned, you can go as far and as difficult as you can bear. Pla provided alternatives and she always took us to the less touristic routes. We hardly saw any tourist during these days which made this experience feel really authentic and off the beaten track. Despite the fact that it was foggy and rainy the second day, the whole experience you get with this people will reward you. Regarding Ethos, i cannot express enough my respect for their contribution to improvement of local people life. If I would turn back time, i would choose again Ethos without any doubt.
Hoa and Phil gave us a very detailed briefing before the trip, providing all the background of the ethnic minorities and answered all of our questions. They made us feel like we were part of this community and they cared about us since they even called us at night to check if everything was ok. Ethos is much more than just a tour agency and we were really happy for making the right choice. Please keep up the good job and we will always recommend you :-)
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Allowing travellers to immerse and feel part of our community is something we strive for and it really sounds as if Pla and her family were able to show you the real Sapa. Trekking in quite mountain valleys, amongst the ambient bamboo forests and remarkable rice paddies is a joy in itself, but to do it with someone as knowledgeable and cheerful as Pla is always a bonus. We are very pleased that you enjoyed our introductory contextualisation and thank you for choosing ETHOS. We appreciate your excellent review and can’t wait to pass on your thoughts to Pla.
Written January 7, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ben J
5 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
We had an amazing experience with Ethos. It is hard to find a tour operator who offers a set of itineraries while maintaining a unique experience, but I think Ethos have cracked it.

We were not sure on what trek to do, but after emailing back and forth with Hoa, she gave us good recommendations and helped nudge us towards a choice.

We did a one day trip to visit the Red Dao, followed by a two day, one night Buffalo Valley trek and would recommend both.

Our guide for the Red Dao trip, May Chan, was so knowledgeable, warm, kind and helpful. She led us to her home, through the countryside and past lots of farms, answering all our many questions.
We had a really tasty lunch and helped with some of the cooking. After lunch she showed us some sewing and (with incredible patience) helped us make some bracelets. We finished the visit with an amazing herbal bath. Definitely worth paying the few dollars extra!

We returned to Ethos the next day to begin our Buffalo Valley trek with our guide Chey (hopefully spelt correctly). She was so chatty and really looked after us. She told us all about the areas we were walking through and the traditions of the Hmong people. She cooked lunch for us with her beautiful family at her home and really welcomed us. The trek takes you through some amazing scenery and we stayed over in a homestay up in the hills with a really nice family with an adorable little baby girl who kept everyone entertained. The food was very tasty, they even cooked french fries for us. We slept in our own house just up hill from where we cooked. The bed was pretty hard but we slept well after all the walking.

It is clear Ethos really cares about its guides, the experience they provide and supporting the different communities. It has been one of the highlights of our trip to Vietnam and the guage to judge our other tour trips.

Even though Sapa town itself was quite busy with tourists (it was a weekend), once out in the villages we didn't see any other tourists, just plenty of water buffalos, rice terraces and cloud shrouded mountains.

If trekking, I'd definitely advise taking a bamboo walking stick from the office, it saved me from tumbling into the rice field more than once.

A great experience.
Written April 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sue S
Burlington, VT26 contributions
Nov 2023 • Solo
When I’ve been able to be at the Hmong Community Center, the headquarters of Ethos, and groups have returned from their Ethos-led tours, invariably the travelers are bursting with enthusiasm, and anxious to share the adventures they’ve had. Also, invariably, they say it’s the best travel experience they’ve had in Vietnam or, sometimes, their best travel experience ever.

Ethos trips are individually customized to your interests and abilities, and their guides are highly trained and very personable Hmong women, who lead groups often through their own home landscapes. Often, homestays and meals are involved in the Ethos experience. They’re so friendly and happy to share aspects of their culture and terrain and natural world that it’s easy to forget you’re a visitor from far away. There’s just about no other equivalence that allows for this kind of deep penetration into a world’s culture and ritual and art and nature so different than one’s own. All shared with a vibrancy and friendliness that is characteristic of the Hmong people in general and in Ethos’s guiding philosophy. It is indeed an org that’s committed to being the Spirit of the Community and after even a single day, you’ll quickly see how apt is the name.

It should also be said that Ethos is far from being a large corporation owned by outsiders or big business. Indeed, all the revenues generated are dispersed locally to employees or to members of the community who are in need.

I recommend highly trips of several days’ duration as they allow for maximum immersion, tho if, like myself, you are mobility challenged, there are workshops and classes in traditional arts and cooking and home visits that can be arranged. And I have no doubt you’ll walk away declaring that it’s been ‘the best travel experience’ you’ve had in Vietnam and possibly ‘the best travel experience’ you’ve had, ever.
Written December 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Taralee H
1 contribution
Dec 2022 • Friends
We did two tours. First we did the Red Dao (2D1N) and we loved it. We had Su May as our guide for this trip and she was amazing. She was so funny and welcoming and made us feel really comfortable throughout the hike. Our first day there was a lot of fog but Su May was happy to answer our bombardment of questions and she made the best food ever at her house. The weather cleared in the afternoon and the views were amazing and our home stay experience well exceeded our expectations. In terms of the trekking you have numerous options depending on your fitness and what track you want to do. Su May went a perfect speed for us to take photos and take it all in. So cool!

The second tour that we did was the Buffalo Valley Trek (2D1N). We were so lucky to get beautiful weather and got to take in the amazing views of the mountains, rice terraces, and of course heaps of buffalo! My was an awesome guide, she shared so much information about her people, their way of life, and the land around us. She was so friendly and cheerful, she kept us laughing with fun jokes the whole time. We got to see the sunrise from our home stay, which was amazing. We would definitely recommend both tours that we did!!
Written December 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sophia
2 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
Loved everything about my experience with Ethos! When arriving at the office in Sa Pa to find out more, I was welcomed straight away by Hoa and Cha with a tea and a long chat about the area. Most importantly, finding out about the host of projects they run in the local communities and their general approach made it very obvious that they are not just another tour company.
My, a local Black Hmong woman, was an incredible guide over the two days we spent together - not only sharing her knowledge generously, but also very kind and funny. She helped me gain a much better understanding of the local communities, their history, cultures and struggles.
Being welcomed by My, as well as the families we stayed with, was an incredibly beautiful experience.

Thank you so much My, Hoa, Cha and the rest of the team!
Written March 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DanitaKT
Mckinnon, Australia37 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
So special! My teenage daughter and I had the privilege of trekking with Ethos. They are not your normal travel organisation. They care about making a positive impact on the lives of people in the communities that we visit as part of our trek. We kicked off by getting an overview of the live and challenges of the Ethnic minority groups in the Sapa region. This provided good context for us before we embarked on our trek.
We were privileged to have Tra (spelling?) as our guide for our two day and one night BuffaloTrek. Tra is a Black Hmong and a mother and grandmother who didn’t go to school but speaks great English; learnt through interacting with tourists.
During our trek through and across rice paddies, across undulating terrain, through villages, bamboo forests, past waterfalls and across waterways, Tra gave us insight into the lives of the Hmong people; many of whom live by subsistence farming- growing enough rice and crops (potatoes, carrots etc), raising chickens, pig and the like to feed their families (& guests like us); the also forage in the forests for their green vegetables. The women also make their own fabric and clothes from start to finish (amazing!!) These people live off the land and live in humble abodes. Tra gave us insight into the culture of the Hmong people including the roles of males and females. It was fascinating. She was also frantically working on her needlework preparing her jacket/ coat/ attire for Tet; very significant culturally.
We were privileged to join local families who opened their homes to us for lunches and dinner. Part of our experience was helping to prepare our meals. We also stayed overnight with a family who were just beautiful and so incredibly hospitable despite the language gap.
Tra has the ability to make all who cross paths with her feel special and to laugh. It was a little sad parting with Tra free two wonderful and insightful days together.
Ethos were amazing and I love their ethical approach- empowering women and girls from marginalised and significantly disadvantaged communities. Hoa and Phil are so caring and real.
If you want a real experience in which you don’t see other tourists as you’re too far off the beaten track, I cannot speak more highly of Ethos. I’d love to join them again for another trek!
Hoa also organised our train from Hanoi as well as our transfers from the train.
Written November 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your beautiful written and heart felt review. These are the types of reviews we enjoy reading the most as you’ve outlined the many layers of your two day Ethos experience so well. There is a lot of work that goes into making every trek both unique and deeply experiential and it is clear you were able to gain so much from your two days together with Cha. Thanks again for joining us and we hope to see you again if you visit northern Vietnam again in the future.
Written November 14, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Eliza H
6 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Our experiences in Sapa were brilliant - all arranged through Hoa at Ethos Spirit. We did a 2 day Red Dao trek with a wonderful local tour guide, Mai Kim, staying in their family homestay. The scenery was stunning, the food breathtaking, the people wonderful and we learned so much about their way of life during our time there. Our family of 5 absolutely loved our experience in such a special area. After we had a day to ourselves, we also did a walk for a few hours to the Love waterfall with a black Hmong guide. Hoa was so helpful organising everything, changing the itinerary to suit our kids and our energy levels, they are a wonderful company who do great things with the community. I can’t recommend them highly enough. Thank you Hoa and the team.
Written July 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Johannes
2 contributions
Dec 2022 • Couples
We had an amazing day trip with our guide Cha. After a short and really informative briefing at the Ethos base with Hoa and Phil, we headed out with our guide Cha. Cha took us on some really stunning trekking paths up to a real Hmong village where we had lunch with a Hmong family. Our host family welcomed us and told us their stories, translated by our guide. Overall, it was a memorable experience that we can highly recommend to anyone who wants to have an authentic experience with a tribe family guided by a really nice and professional local guide
Written December 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Elena O
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Couples
Ethos is the perfect choice if you’re looking for authenticity and not mainstream local tours.

First of all Oha and Phil warmly welcomed us with coffee and breakfast. Phil gave us very important highlights about Sapa and the minority living in their area and this was really crucial in order to have better understanding of Ethos and their mission.

We have done 2 trekkings of 1 day each, both included lunch at a local family house.

The first one was the Res Dao experience, our guide was Mary May. She is really good in english but mostly smart and pro-active.
She will take you through the rice fields while explaining you everything about the herbal plants you are going to see. She will tell you a lot about Red Dao and their traditions.

The second day was an Hmong experience, our guide was Kea. She is 34, never went to school and learnt English from tourists, and believe me her english and her communication style are really impressive!
She took us at Hmong local market, literally we were the ONLY 2 TOURISTS at the market. We bought food and then we had lunch at an Hmong local house. The women were preparing the dresses for the new year’s eve. After that we went to a trekking of 5km through the rice fields and was really good !

Conclusion: we loved these two girls, the way the live keeping alive traditions but open to learn from people of different cultures while at the same time working as guide.
Ethos is about this: supporting women, supporting traditions, supporting the environment.

Elena&Giacomo
Written October 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. Finding a balance between a modernising world, tradition and culture is a very hard thing but Merry May and Ker are testament to how it is possible to do so while thriving. Sapa is a remarkable part of the world and we are delighted to read that you enjoyed your time with ETHOS so much.
Written November 4, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

alena2018
Bern, Switzerland3 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
what an incredible experience!
We went on the 2D1N buffalo trek with our amazing guide Cha. During the two days hiking we were able to take in all the stunning views (rice fields, valleys, forests, mountains, …) and the many buffalos without seeing even one other tourist! The treks they do don't follow any standard trekking trail, but small trails they found themselves which are unknown to others. We ate and slept at homes of local families, who are (like Cha herself) extremely welcoming, loving and kind. We learned so much about the history and culture of the different tribes living in the north of Vietnam and were even able to prepare our food together with the families.
ETHOS works together with the local families, in order for them to profit from the tourism and not only experience the bad side of it, which we appreciated a lot.
It was an experience we won't ever forget, thank you so much!
Written September 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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