Responsible and Sustainable Policy

As a Destination Management Company working closely with travel agents, tour guides, transport providers, accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and local communities, Threeland Travel recognizes our responsibility and influence in shaping the sustainable development of tourism in Vietnam and the broader Indochina region.

We are committed to promoting responsible, inclusive, and environmentally conscious tourism.

We aim to implement and encourage best sustainability practices, maximize positive impacts, minimize negative impacts, and inspire our partners, suppliers, and travelers to act sustainably.

1. Sustainability Management & Legal Compliance

We commit to strong sustainability management through the following actions:

• Appointing a dedicated Sustainability Coordinator and a Sustainability Team representing Operations, Contract & Product Development, Sales, Marketing, HR, and Administration.
• Maintaining a sustainability mission statement, communicated openly to customers, partners, suppliers, and staff.
• Maintaining a written sustainability policy, accessible to all stakeholders, covering environmental, social, cultural, and economic impacts, including employee health and safety.
• Engaging and collaborating in sustainability-focused industry forums, initiatives, working groups, and Travelife activities.
• Conducting a baseline assessment of our sustainability performance.
• Using a formal assessment system to evaluate the sustainability performance of key suppliers and partners.
• Creating and maintaining a Sustainability Action Plan with targets, measures, responsibilities, and timelines.
• Establishing formal monitoring and evaluation procedures to review progress on policy implementation and objectives.
• Ensuring transparency through public sustainability reporting, sharing results on our website, and with key partners.
• Ensuring all staff understand, support, and actively implement this Sustainability Policy.

We commit to full compliance with all local and national legislation, regulations, and codes of practice.

2. Internal Management: Social Policy & Human Rights

We commit to responsible internal management by implementing a clear social policy based on the following principles:

Employment & Labour Conditions

• Ensure freedom of employment and termination with reasonable notice without penalty.
• Provide written employment contracts including labour conditions and job descriptions, aligned with national law.
• Guarantee wages equal to or above national legal requirements.
• Determine and compensate overtime based on mutual agreement.
• Provide social, medical, and liability insurance as required by law.
• Provide employees with annual leave, public holidays, sick leave, and unpaid leave allowances.
• Establish a Health & Safety policy compliant with national standards.
• Ensure availability of first aid kits and trained staff at relevant locations.
• Comply with national regulations regarding minimum working age.

Employee Support & Well-being

• Maintain a documented complaints and expectations procedure.
• Maintain a transparent, fair disciplinary procedure.
• Conduct employee satisfaction assessments regularly.
• Provide periodic training and safety briefings, including fire safety and natural disaster preparedness.
• Offer internship, traineeship, or apprenticeship opportunities for students.
• Encourage employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or special needs.

Human Rights Commitments

• Support freedom of association and collective labour negotiations.
• Prohibit discrimination in recruitment, employment conditions, access to training, promotion, and compensation.
• Ensure equal access to training, development, and opportunities for all employees.

3. Internal Management: Environment & Community Relations

We commit to environmental protection and positive community relations by enforcing the following practices:

Resource & Material Use

• Reduce disposable and consumable materials.
• Prioritize sustainable and eco-friendly goods and services in office, giveaways.
• Purchase products in bulk to minimize packaging.
• Set printers to double-sided or other paper-saving modes.
• Use non-toxic, biodegradable, eco-labelled cleaning products.
• Minimize brochure printing; prioritize digital materials.

Energy Efficiency

• Measure, monitor, and reduce energy consumption with set benchmarks.
• Promote use of energy-efficient lighting and appliances.
• Switch off lights and equipment when not in use.
• Use low-energy equipment when purchasing new items.

Water Management

• Implement a water reduction policy with monthly or quarterly monitoring.

Waste Reduction & Pollution Control

• Comply with national waste regulations.
• Implement a solid waste reduction and recycling policy with measurable goals.
• Avoid non-recyclable and non-biodegradable packaging materials.
• Reduce plastic bottle usage.
• Separate recyclable materials and ensure proper disposal.
• Safely dispose of batteries and hazardous materials.
• Implement practices to minimize air, noise, and light pollution from company operations.

Staff Mobility & Transport

• Reduce emissions by promoting telework, video meetings, and remote work.
• Encourage sustainable commuting through incentives for public transport or bicycles.

Buildings & Local Communities

• Comply with land use, zoning, conservation, heritage, and protected area regulations.
• Respect and help preserve cultural, spiritual, archaeological, and historic sites.

4. Partner Agencies

We commit to improving the sustainability performance of our travel agencies by:

• Working only with travel agency that implement responsible and ethical tourism.
• Encouraging paper reduction, waste separation, and certified recycled materials.
• Raising awareness through webinars. 
• Informing partners about Travelife and national sustainability standards.
• Including sustainability requirements and codes of conduct in partner contracts.
• Sharing our sustainability policy with partners through our Agent Hub.
• Including clauses allowing termination of cooperation when child exploitation prevention measures are not followed.
• Ensuring partners respect workers’ rights and working conditions.

5. Transport

We commit to reducing the environmental footprint of transportation by:

• Selecting the most sustainable transport options available, considering price and comfort.
• Encouraging the use of public transport where feasible.
• Prioritizing low-emission transport options for transfers and excursions.
• Promoting sustainable holiday packages that include eco-friendly transport.

6. Excursions & Activities

We commit to preserving nature, culture, and communities by:

• Providing behavior guidelines for guests to respect local culture and nature.
• Communicating sustainability requirements to excursion providers.
• Not offering any activity harmful to people, animals, plants, or cultural heritage.
• Prohibiting excursions involving captive wildlife.
• Avoiding suppliers involved in illegal wildlife trade.
• Ensuring skilled guides for sensitive cultural or ecological sites.
• Promoting excursions that support local communities.
• Promoting excursions benefiting environmental or biodiversity protection.

7. Tour Leaders, Local Representatives & Guides

We commit to fair employment and high-quality guiding services by:

• Ensuring written employment contracts and clarity of working conditions.
• Prioritizing the employment of local guides and local staff.
• Ensuring compliance with legal and industry standards.
• Ensuring guides receive at least a living wage.
• Providing regular training and capacity building.
• Ensuring staff understand and follow our Sustainability Policy.
• Providing a sustainable travel module in guide training.
• Ensuring guides brief clients on sustainability, local culture, and human rights.
• Training guides on avoiding and responding to child exploitation risks.

8. Destination

We commit to supporting destination-level sustainability by:

• Considering sustainability criteria when selecting new destinations.
• Avoiding destinations where tourism causes long-term damage, negative impacts on biodiversity, waste management, sanitation, human rights, or local access to essential resources
• Exclude destinations with unethical wildlife practices, child exploitation risks, illegal souvenir markets, or where cultural heritage is disrespected
• Complying with planning, heritage, zoning, and protected-area regulations.
• Supporting biodiversity conservation financially and operationally.
• Not promoting illegal souvenirs or those made from threatened species or artefacts.
• Destinations must be accessible by sustainable transport options

9. Customer Communication & Protection

We commit to honest, responsible, and transparent customer communication.

Before Booking

• Provide consultation guidelines to advisors.
• Protect customer privacy.
• Ensure marketing and advertising are accurate and responsible.
• Provide complete product and price information.
• Provide factual destination information, including sustainability topics.
• Inform clients about the environmental impact of transport options.
• Present sustainable alternatives during consultation.
• Communicate our sustainability commitments clearly.

After Booking & During Travel

• Provide information on natural surroundings, local culture, and heritage.
• Inform clients about sustainability issues and how they can help.
• Inform clients of health & safety risks.
• Provide a 24/7 emergency contact.
• Train staff to follow emergency procedures.
• Inform about exploitation and harassment prevention.
• Inform about illegal souvenirs and local legislation.
• Encourage local purchasing and dining.
• Suggest sustainable transport options.
• Encourage support for local charities and initiatives.

After Travel

• Measure client satisfaction, including sustainability feedback.
• Include sustainability in customer satisfaction surveys.
• Maintain a clear complaints procedure.