Handspan Adventure Travel, our tour operator, has a lot to be happy about. The team is celebrating their 12th anniversary and their joining ISO. This makes them one of the first companies in Vietnam to achieve the high international standards of quality control and customer service in tour operation. But they have more to offer travellers than just a smooth trip.

Handspan’s commitment to ecotourism and community based tours has helped build a large network of indigenous service providers. A growing number of remote communities are now actively involved in our programs, thus profiting from your tourist dollar and the upgrading of their community services. Environmental clean ups are a tour option and have the side benefit of educating communities on the value of environmental protection. Handspan supports the Endangered Primate Center in Cuc Phuong National Park, builds schools in remote mountain areas, and operates the “Keep Kids in School” program in the far North. Handspan Adventure Travel is more than just a tour operator – it is a partner in Vietnam’s development.

Moon is a university trained graphic artist. Her passion for art took her all over Vietnam, Lao, Cambodia, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the USA searching for inspiration. From those experiences, she also developed a passion for travel which we can see in the vietnamhitravel website she designed and manages.
Her big dream for the future is to bring as many people as possible to the country she loves most --- Vietnam. A former hosteller, Moon is now our general manager.

Although I graduated from Hanoi University of Technology, I am now working in tourism because of my interest and passion for it. I’ve participated in many social activities, especially voluntary activities during my student years. I have lots of enthusiasm and like action. I'm always ready for new challenges. I participated in HI Singapore's youth rally to celebrate HI 100th birthday. I learned a lot about HI at that time. I was the VHI team leader when HI Thai's group visited Hanoi to celebrate Hanoi's 1000'th birthday. My biggest dream is to become a hotel manager who can give a friendly and hospitable image of Vietnam to foreigners.

I am Vu Tuan Phong and i graduated from Vietnam commerce university. As far as you know, i have had more than 2 years of doing marketing and sales job that has been applied to English and social activities organizations i used to join. From the day i join that kind of activities at everyweekend, i did find out what i am interested in and really care about. Beyond this, i am also able to show all of my nicest while doing those activities, that's remarkable way to refesh myself after long stressed working hours.

From knowing not much about HI youth movement, i had a chance to join HI 100th celebration Thailand Youth Rally 21-27th August and have been impressed and inspired by what Thai youngters organized to create the Amazing days in their country. Now i can see clearly what HI youth movement is and want to cooperate with as many Vietnamese youngters as possible to bring the Amazing days to my beloved country. I think that's also chances to not only introduce Vietnam images to international friends but also enhance acknowledgement culture amongs nations in the world right as HI phylosophy refers to. I am now in charge of VHI urban and province tour activities. The VHI club organization is also one of my contributions.

Ms Huyen VHI’s director of International Relations was born to be a teacher. After university she taught in secondary school long enough to realized that book knowledge was not enough. In search of a new approaches Huyen worked as an interpreter, a translator, a teaching assistant, and office administration. Then she found the answer: VHI – learning by encountering new cultures, people, and lifestyles. Her big dream is to bring back to Vietnam everything she learns. HI’s mission inspires Huyen to strive to create a better image of her country internationally.

Being active, enthusiastic and willing to learn and work under high pressure. Having experiences of organizing and coordinating trips successfully as a leader. Tending to be a good supporter for others. Sometimes getting easy to be distracted from big targets by small and daily issues.

In 2002 Denis came to Vietnam as a university lecturer with World University Service of Canada, a non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing education worldwide. Over the years he has shared his more than 25 years experience in the tourism industry with aspiring students. Denis specializes in Ecotourism-Sustainable Tourism, Community-Based Tourism, Management of Tour Operations, Management of Travel Agencies, Tour Guiding Training, Hotel / Hospitality Management, International Communications, First Aid and CPR Training, English and French Language Advanced Training Skills.

Denis now feels that Vietnam is his second home. Raised a bilingual Canadian, he is proud of his country’s cultural diversity. We all can see this passion for multicultural engagement in the excitement Denis brings to any event. It was this spirit of cultural engagement that inspired him to found Vietnam Hostelling International four years ago and now its travel department, Vietnam HI Travel Agency Services.

Despite having traveled extensively in Vietnam, he never fails to get excited by the sights, sounds, and people he meets along the way. If not in the class room, you can be sure Denis is in some remote ethnic minority community fitting the needy with glasses that will help them see better the sights he loves so much. When you come to Hanoi Denis will be sure to ask you to bring along some used glasses for Vision Vietnam a joint venture between Vietnam, Canada and Australia. www.visionvietnam.ca

In 1996 Dan Rocovits came to Vietnam to lend a hand in the country’s development efforts. He established World Village Foundation (WVF), a US registered non-profit that same year and began facilitating participatory workshops for poverty reduction, team building, strategic planning, HIV/AIDS prevention, small business development, and values exploration for youth.

Over the past 12 years WVF has facilitated interactive workshops in cooperation with Vietnamese ministries and international humanitarian organizations. These have been proven effective in villages, commune head quarters, district & provincial capitals, and at the national level.

Dan is a founding board member of Vietnam Hostelling International (VHI) and has served as its secretary for the past four years. He passionately believes that the strength and future of the country is in the hands of its dynamic youth. To those ends, he has designed Vietnam HI Cultural Insight Tours to give hostellers a deep insight into Vietnam’s people, culture, and history. Hostellers share deeply, face-to-face with English speaking Vietnamese intellectuals and future leaders. They are totally interactive events with no lecture.

These professionally facilitated workshops are held at the beginning of a tour to prepare the group for what they are about to experience. Then at the end of their stay in Vietnam, another workshop helps process their new insights. Vietnam HI is excited with the tremendous impact that these heart-to-heart connections have made on both the Vietnamese and foreign hostellers.

Dan, an American, is committed to Vietnam HI spearheading the creation of an Asia-Pacific Center for Peace Studies in Hanoi. He feels that Vietnam that has known war and forgiveness is ideally qualified for this role.