On the unlikely chance that my pretentious post crowning Southeast Asia the next tourist hotspot left an impression on anyone, some of you may even be skimming for a hotel somewhere along the Mekong in another tab of your window right this moment.  If your priorities are anything like mine, your three main criteria for picking a hotel go something like this: 1. Does the hotel have WiFi? (No internet, no life); 2. Does it have air conditioning? (Southeast Asia = hot!); and 3. Can I afford to stay there for more than a night without busting my bank? (Student loans’ grace period ends in 6-9 months).

But here’s an additional criterion I’d like to suggest: Is the hotel ChildSafe?

In my last semester in university, one of my professors (shout out to the Zook man at UCB’s political science department!) brought to my class’s attention the non-governmental organization ChildSafe Network.  Based in Southeast Asia, the organization collaborates with local communities and businesses to create a child-protection network. ChildSafe recognizes that local people often sense child abuse occurring within their communities, but lack concerted, cross-sector strategies to address the abuse.  As the ChildSafe website highlights:

People are often faced with or witness a situation that can be harmful to a child. But too often, this person is either unable to recognize the risk or does not know how to respond. In some cases, poverty, fear, or survival needs, push a person to support child abuse (for example a taxi driver facilitating access to children for sex or a guesthouse receptionist looking away from potential abusive behaviors from clients).*

So, to combat the abuse, which can include anything from physical harm to trafficking to neglect, ChildSafe Network marries humanitarian initiatives to economic incentives.  For hotels, this entails a local ChildSafe team going into hotels and training hotel staff on how to spot and handle potentially abusive situations.  So, say a dubious-looking, aging foreign male–because unfortunately, sexual tourism clients in Southeast Asia tend to be dubious-looking, aging foreign males–with an under-aged child obviously not his own walks up to a hotel clerk asking for a room.  The ChildSafe-trained clerk will decline the prospective client, keep watch on the child,  alert the proper officials, and intervene as necessary.  You can rest with reasonable assurance in a ChildSafe-approved hotel that your suite wasn’t the site of an insidious crime against humanity the previous.

From Friends-International

In return for their cooperation, ChildSafe certifies hotels and publicizes them within and beyond the network.  As more travelers begin to realize that their short stays abroad have more than a transient impact, more travelers are choosing to book ChildSafe-certified hotels.  More people going ChildSafe means more revenue for the certified hotels means more hotels wanting in the ChildSafe network.  The network expands; children can live a little more securely.

In addition to hotels, ChildSafe also works with transportation services, internet cafes, tour agencies, local merchants, and entire village communities.  You can easily spot a ChildSafe-certified business from their thumbs-up logo.  If you’re nervous that hotels and other businesses might just get certification to maximize their profits and then relax their surveillance afterwards, you can find some comfort in knowing that “certification is followed by regular monitoring and adapted continuous training.”

On a different note, do I think it’s kind of sad that well-meaning organizations often have to employ I-scratch-your-back-you-scratch-mine tactics to end child abuse and do I worry that sexual predators could eventually seek out more private spaces to conduct their reprehensible behavior, thereby making it harder to catch them?  Yes and yes.  But (skeptic alert) I’m pretty resigned to the fact that moral reasoning alone isn’t always going to get things done in the real world, so I feel like ChildSafe is engaging in an exciting and promising social enterprise.  I believe in their mission, and I think they’re carrying it out the right way. And the little optimist in me still believes that many businesses probably do join ChildSafe Network for social action.

My second concern isn’t easily dissolved, but if we follow an economic line of thinking, we can hope that barriers to entry (i.e. reduced resources–in this case, easily accessible sites to service child prostitution) will squeeze out some suppliers (traffickers, pimps, facilitators), a number of sexual predators will be discouraged, and the market for sex tourism will shrink. ChildSafe’s strategy of economic incentivization can encourage fundamental shifts in behavior, reducing the number of child exploitation cases in the long run.

In any case, if you’re planning to enjoy Southeast Asia sometime before the world ends (my updated sources tell me to prepare my soul for October 21), why not do it the ethical way?  Be ChildSafe.

*Bolding added

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Quick Links:

• ChildSafe does not yet have a local office in Vietnam, but some ChildSafe-certified tourist agencies that operate in Vietnam can be found here.
• A number of certified hotels can be found by browsing their “ChildSafe in the world” page.
• ChildSafe is managed by Friends International, which runs a blog here.
• The Friends International Facebook page and the ChildSafe Network Facebook page also provide additional resources.
• 7 usual tips for safe and smart traveling

See The Like Me’s, the first ever ChildSafe-certified rock band, get their certification!

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As always, if you know of more NGOs involved in ending human trafficking or sexual exploitation that you’d like to be featured, do let us know.

And now for a song that has little to do with this post other than that it’s called “The End of the World”, and that I like it.  Happy Friday.

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Last time, we’ve talked about different methods of transportation in Vietnam.  One of the many ways to travel throughout Vietnam, the S-shape country, is to ride the Thong Nhat train from the North to the South. The train spands from Hanoi station to HCMC (Saigon) station.

1. Hanoi Station

1. Many people still prefer to call Hanoi station by its old name of Hang Co station. Hang Co station was built in 1902 but its original architecture had been destroyed during the Vietnam war. This train station was then rebuilt in December 1976 and renamed as Hanoi station. Hanoi station is known as the largest railroad station in Vietnam.

2. Song Lam

2. After one day of travel, you will reach Lam River and be able to enjoy the tranquility of this sight through the train’s window. Lam River begins in Laos and runs through Nghe An province. Toward the end of its current, Lam River merges with La River, and the combined rivers detach itself from the land before running into the ocean through the gate of Hoi.

3. Song Lam

3. Lam River got its name because of its vibrant shade of blue. Both sides of the river are full of alluvium.  Lam River divides the land between Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. For this reason, Lam River and Hong Mountain have been known as the shared symbols of Nghe An and Ha Tinh because they stand between the two lands.

4. Green Fields of the Countryside in Vietnam

4.  In the early morning when the dews haven’t yet settled, the hard-working farmers awaken to start their day on the fields. According to the farmers who work in Dong Xuan rice field, the changes in climate will help them predict the year’s harvest. When the winter is at its coldest, the farmers predict a successful harvest. If the winter is only moderately cold, the harvest will be even more successful.  Conversely, a warm winter indicates an unsuccessful harvest.

5. Brick Furncae Image 1

5. Look! There is an old brick furnace…. Many people may not have seen it in real life but only read about it through the literature works of Nam Cao, a legendary Vietnamese writer. Brick furnace is such an old artifact that only exists on certain rice fields.

Brick Furnace Image 2

6. This is another brick furnace, but a more often used version. These hand-made brick furnaces are still very popular in Vietnam despite them not being environmentally friendly.

There exists new variety of brick furnaces are called “tuynel”, a type of furnace that was imported from Germany since 1976 with enhanced technology for the environment. Since it is much more costly to purchase and maintain these new furnaces, the big old hand-made ones are more prefered.

7. Cemented Road of Vietnam's Countryside

7. The roads in the countryside have been coated with cement.

8. White Sand and Soil

8. As soon as we pass Quang Binh, we can see many vast fields with white sand and soil. The soil in these fields can grow melaleuca trees but not much else.

9. Parallel

9. It is interesting to note that the power cable and the rail road are almost parallel with each other. After the Vietnam War, Thong Nhat rail road, 1A highway, and the 500 Kilo Volt power system from North to South have been the top priorities of the country’s construction plan. The 500 KV power system had officially launched in late May 1994. It eliminated the painful power outage problem in southern Vietnam. In 2010, the electricity price increased by 6.8% due to the increase in cost of all resources that are used to produce electricity.

10. Thach Han River

10. The Thach Han River’s name comes from the belief that there is a series of rocks that lay across the bottom of the river. This river does not have much alluvium due to its limited length. Even though during the Spring, the river holds the most water, but it is still not as full when compared to the other rivers. During the dry seasons, many parts of the river dry up, and people can easily walk across to the other side.

11. Truoi Bridge Watch House

11. Truoi Bridge watch house was built during the French colony. Because of its rigid structure, the watch house is standing still throughout many violent wars of this country.

12. Lang Co Pond

12. Lang Co Pond.

13. Lang Co Bridge

13. Lang Co Bridge connects the road into the tunnel of Hai Van trail.

14. Lang Co Bay

14. A corner of Lang Co Bay looking down from the Hai Van trail.

15. Ox

15. During holidays away from school, the village children tend to take care of the ox, the most valuable property their family owns.

16. Buffalos

16. The image of a buffalo and a plow is still considered to be very unique to the Vietnamese farmers.

17. Pumpkin Fields

17. Pumpkin field. The soil in the Central Vietnam is not as rich when compared to other regions of the country and the world. The people who live in Central of Vietnam are known to have the most struggles. Due to this reason, many Central citizens move to the cities in search of jobs.

18. Non Nuoc Huu Tinh

18. Vietnam is a friendly country with very friendly citizens. However, the tourism industry in Vietnam has not yet developed fully because the lack of skills in organizing events and utilizing the country’s resources. This gives the country’s tourism a disadvantage in competing with its neighboring countries even though Vietnam has the most potential. Allow me to quote a few words from the article “Penguin Traveling” of the Thanh Nien magazine: “Vietnam Traveling is like a penguin, which has a pair of feet but without a pair of flying wings; therefore, it can only toddle but cannot fly up high.”

19. Co Doi Chieu Ve

19. A group of white egrets is waiting for the sun set so they can take a rest on top of those bamboos behind the village.

20. Sunset

20. When the evening comes, the train arrives at Phu Yen. There will be a long sleepless night that is full of loud noises from the train.

In the following morning, the train will reach its last destination, Saigon Station.  Here ends our travels from Hanoi to HCMC.

But Nha Trang only represents a small glimpse of the richness and natural beauty in Vietnam.  Stay tune  for more exciting videos from OneVietnam, as we take you on an exhilarating cultural experience of a lifetime.

As the tourism industry in Vietnam expands, businessmen are coming up with novel ways to attract customers.  Spa’s will never be the same again – or will it…? Visitors in Ha Noi can now enjoy a new relaxation method called FISH massage.  Yes, those high omega-3 creatures you put in delicious nori and rice rolls now serve as your personal masseuse.

As an avid traveler and adventurist, I am always looking for a new experience.  Perhaps this is why a fishy spa package may seem so attractive.  Apparently fish massage originated in Turkey where certain freshwater fish were used for treating skin illnesses.  This ancient medical practice has evolved into a new popularized business model.

The first and only spa in Ha Noi is the Sakura Spa in Binh Dinh District. Since its grand opening in September, it has a constant flow of about 40 customers a day.  At Sakura Spa, fish massage is part of a US$20 massage package featuring other amenities such as sauna, bathing in hot/cold jacuzzi, and body massage. Upon submerging one’s feet or body, thousands of small fish swarms over the submerged area, nibbling at it.  This new massage technique has been reported to help remove dead skin.

These special fish are imported from Turkey and are very well kept.  The owner reports that he has to buy about 1,000 new fish every 2 months to replace the dead ones.

Sakura Spa has attracted customers from all over.  Many have travelled from Ho Chi Minh city to enjoy this new relaxation method.  Looks like fun!

The construction of every  golf course displaces 3,000 local residents, most often poor farmers in Vietnam.  Maintenance of golf courses also puts a strain on local water supplies and reduces available farmland to grow stable crops like rice.

Tourism is arguably good for the local economy because it creates new business opportunities for residents and pumps money into the economy.  On the other hand, tourism can dramatically alter a place’s culture and its people’s way of life.  Or worse, tourism can uproot families and displace the poor and vulnerable.  So where do we draw the line?  Can tourism development be good for Vietnam?

As somewhat of a traveler my self, I would avoid going to places that are “too touristy” because I value the authenticity and rawness of each place.  I like to try to blend in with the locals and experience their lives.  When I travel to Vietnam, this comes naturally to me because I’m not distracted by fancy resorts and souvenir shops lining the streets.  If tourism development is done right, it can be beneficial to be Vietnam.  But I sure hope all this building won’t replace the “real” Vietnam that I adore.