Our best experience in Vietnam - Having traveled Vietnam from south to north over a period of three months, we can comfortably say that if we were—for some reason—forced to choose only one experience to do again, the trek with Ethos would definitely be the one. Moreover, of all our experiences in Vietnam, which were overwhelmingly good, this is probably the one we will look back to most fondly and with greatest appreciation in a few years or even later in the future. This is, firstly, because we felt that the trek with Ethos was the least touristy-feeling experience we went through during our trip in Vietnam. Secondly, and just as important, we felt grateful and fortunate to be welcomed so warmly into people's homes, share generous and delicious home cooked meals with hard working farmers, learn a bit about their way of living, help a bit with cooking. The hospitality of people from the Dao community in Sapa is something we will not easily forget. Thirdly, and also just as important, our guide, May Linh, who also belongs to the Dao community near Sapa, was simply superb. She took such good care of us, and there was not a moment where we felt unsafe. May Linh also taught us a lot about the flora and fauna, and she kept picking sweet and sour yellow berries for us to eat; she navigated through the mountains and rice paddies, finding paths for us to walk where we never saw a clear way to pass; she taught us some embroidery skills, and although some of us clearly have no talent for it she never gave up on us; she and the families we stayed with prepared wonderful herbal baths for us every evening, which really helped with our sore muscles; and May Linh made communicating with the locals quite straightforward and convenient. We will always remember May Linh's terrific sense of humor and general kindness. A few more general comments about administration and the overall organization of the experience by Hoa and her team. The Ethos team are not only individuals who are passionate about creating sustainable and ethically conscious tourism, but they are also highly committed to their clients' experience and safety. The trek was planned and tailored to our specific needs and limitations, and due to rain, further changes were made to make our overall experience more enjoyable. Hoa called us every evening to make sure we were fine and happy, this is something other tour outfitters do not do, and we greatly appreciated this gesture, as it also allowed us to make necessary tweaks regarding the course of the trek for the following day. Another point worth mentioning is that this experience requires getting out of one's comfort zone. If you are looking for the comfort and luxury offered by many of the hotels in Sapa, this is not the trek for you. Nonetheless, we would not trade this fantastically unique experience for the type of comfort that is often sought out by many Western travelers, us included. Understanding that there is a trade-off involved in such an experience is crucial for one's enjoyment of it. We began by writing that—if we were made to choose—the trek with Ethos would be our number one pick for Vietnam, and particularly Sapa. We also wish to conclude by stating that while we are glad that this was one of our last experiences in this great country—because it allowed us to connect the dots regarding our extended trip in Vietnam—we are, at the same time, so pleased with this experience, and feel very fortunate to have gone through it, that in retrospect, we kind of wish it was one of the first experiences in this country.

Beautiful hike - We really enjoyed the hike. Wonderfully beautiful views. And Tra led us safely through all the bamboo forests and rice breeds with a lot of patience.

Authentic, homestay and trek with the Red Dao community - Ethos is a fantastic, genuine organisation, helping tourists have authentic experiences that put money directly into the community. Our guide, Maysieu, was wonderful and very knowledgeable about all aspects of local life, and had us at her house for lunch. She organised for us to join her at her friend's house for a special celebration, which we were very grateful to be part of. We highly recommend Ethos to anyone looking to embrace sustainable tourism.

Spirit Tree Trekking Experience-highlight of our trip to Vietnam! - Pam was an excellent guide who was knowledgeable, kind, and led us through amazing scenery. While trekking through amazing scenery, we learned lots about the Hamong culture, farming and life in Vietnam.

This activity is a... - This activity is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the Hmong and the Dai and have an realy authentic and enriching experience with lovely guides.

Fantastic community driven, ethical company - We had two fantastic experiences with Ethos. 1. Wonderful food tour with Do at the night market. Do was the perfect guide, bubbly personality and very knowledgeable in terms of Vietnam’s culture, history, politics, and food. We feasted on squid, grasshoppers, crickets, chicken hearts, rice paddy frog legs and ant egg omelette, to name a few. We very much enjoyed her company as a guide. She was so easy to talk to and put us at ease from the start. This was one of the greatest highlights of our trip. 2. A 2-day trek with local Guide May in the mountains, jungle and rice fields. We stayed overnight at a village homestay which was a real cultural eye-opener into real people’s lives, meeting with Mammai, Foo and MyLyn who made us feel very welcome. We helped our local Guide May to collect wild herbs to put into our herbal bath at the homestay. Our homestay family cooked up the herbs and heated hot water for our barrel baths over an open fire. We’ve fed piglets and chickens and Guide May and her husband very kindly fixed the zipper on my rucksack. We helped prepare the bamboo for food, sucked on sugar cane and drank ‘Happy Water’. We loved our experiences with Ethos Spirit. Such a grounded, community driven, ethical company who offer a culturally sensitive range of experiences. All the staff were fantastic, and we appreciated the knowledge from Phil’s pre-trek briefing to Hoa’s calm and communicative manner. We can’t recommend this company enough and wouldn’t hesitate at all to engage their services again.

Strong family experience - AMAZING!! I recommend 100% to live this experience offered by Ethos. Everything is absolutely perfect

Purely with locals - Very nice experience with the locals. Very pure & real. Guide May lai was very good and the trekking with 2 children was adjusted according to what they could. They got to cook with us and we went into a hot tub. Very nice experience

This is your reason to go to SaPa. - My wife and I just completed staying four days in Sa Pa town and 3 days tours with Ethos - Spirit of the Community. When planning a trip to Vietnam, we almost have Sa Pa a miss because of what sounded like a place that was too touristic for our liking. Then I stumbled across a link to Ethos on the Vietnam tourism website. It appears to be exactly what we were looking for. One of the owners, Hoa made sure we were selecting the right days trek excursions that suited our comfort levels. When we arrived in SaPa, we were provided a safety briefing and also an overview of the Black Hmong and Red Dao ethnicities who live in the area. We listened to some experienced observations and stores from Phil, the other half of the company as well as Cha and her experiences of life and school in the area. Our guides, Pang and May were respectively Hmong and Dao women who had been guiding with the company for a number of years. Both were very responsive to our needs and concerns, as well as engaging and fun to trek with. Our half day trek provided us an intro to the beautiful surroundings and the next two days involved a meal with Hmong and Dao families as well as trekking. The treks and experiences can be as long and challenging as you like. Pickup from the Ethos office or alternative location and again at the end of a trek was via a local taxi (included in our fees). All in all, Ethos made our time in Sa Pa in the province of Lau Caí both enjoyable, meaningful and memorable. I highly recommend engaging this company if you are serious about supporting the local community, supporting women who are the backbone of this company and learning more about Vietnam than just what a website or promoter / influencer will tell you to do. I’ve also shared this review on Google.

Unforgettable - Thank you to our guide May Linh for making us discover the life of these local ethnic groups. A superb welcome in every family we met during our trek. Thank you to Phil and Hoa for this warm welcome and timeless moments.