Since college days, Hanoi-born Tran Trong Kien has always loved the outdoors. It was during his treks to the remotest corners of Vietnam that he experienced an epiphany.

“I came from a poor family, my father was a civil servant. But when I visited these isolated villages, the people there were much worse off,” recalls Tran.

“I thought I had to do something. Everybody can make a difference, no matter how small the act is.”

Inspired by what he saw, Tran set up an outdoor adventure company that focused on sustainable travel and giving back to the local communities. Today, Tran, the founder and CEO of Buffalo Tours, runs one of the leading adventure travel outfitters in Vietnam.

What sets BT apart is that each client who signs up on a trip with the company gets to give something back to the locals. The company sets aside 3%-5% of its annual profits (about US$200,000/RM640,000) for community projects involving education, public health and environment.

“People think travel is a way to experience a different culture and get entertained,” explains Tran during our interview in Binh Luc Orphanage.

“But now more and more people have glimpsed what the future of travel is – a way for us to give back to the planet and make the world a better place.”

Two years ago, Buffalo pioneered volunteer holidays in Vietnam, and the company now has a full-time coordinator who looks after that department.

“This year, we’re expecting 500 to 600 volunteers, and that’s a 100% growth in volunteer holiday packages from 2007,” says Tran.

Tran’s beliefs for BT are simple.

“Tourists come to our country to see and experience our cultural and natural heritage. So the question is: How do you preserve this heritage?” asks Tran.

“In a way, what we’re doing now is trying to achieve commercial rewards yet protect the future for the next generation”

These days, everybody talks about global warming and the environment, Tran adds.

“Customers are becoming more aware of whether we (tour operators) are being irresponsible,” says Tran, a father of two. “It’s also more viable for businesses to go the green way.”

The early years

But it hasn’t been an easy ride for Tran to make BT what it is today – a first-rate operator that services the high-end market and is recognised for its responsible practices.

Tran spent six years in medical school, and when he graduated in the 1990s, his only choice was to work for the government. After practising medicine for a year, he quit and ventured into the travel business.

“Maybe it was the spirit of excitement and sense of adventure. I was young then (22 years old) and thought it was cool to do something totally different,” recalls Tran chuckling. “My family and my then girlfriend were disappointed in me.”

But Tran wasn’t fazed.

In the early days, it was challenging. Vietnam had just thrown its door open to the world. Foreign capital or investment was just trickling in.

“All we could do was start small and grow from there,” recalls Tran.

The idealistic young man joined the “game” without a single penny.

“I hired one person and told him, ‘Hopefully, I’ll be able to pay you at the end of the month’.”

Day after day, Tran trawled Hanoi’s streets and asked visitors, “Do you want to go trekking?

“I had a phone that never seemed to ring,” he remembers smiling.

“The first five years were tough, I struggled every month to pay the bills. I did everything from being a driver, porter and guide, to the marketing guy. Eventually, the phone started ringing.”

In 1996, Buffalo had two staff, including Tran. Today, BT has 200. And the 35-year-old owns seven other companies dealing with travel, transportation, resorts and investments.

“Some of the people who’ve been with me from the beginning are still with me now and they are directors of two companies under BT,” says Tran, who found time to do his MBA in the US.

Tran plans to change this young, dynamic and fast-growing company into a public-listed firm with a board of directors.

His staff call him by his first name, Kien, and when they meet in social settings, they banter freely. Tran pushes the entrepreneurial spirit in his staff, and the company’s working culture is idea-driven.

“I try to empower my staff to make their own decisions and try new things. Some 25% of the things we did in 2007 was new,” says Tran.

One-third of Buffalo’s trekking trips are unique to the company. They emphasise low-impact travel and have a strict code of conduct for staff and guests.

Each month, the company recognises an employee who shows initiative in the “staff-of-the-month” award.

Looking ahead

Despite its strings of international accolades, Buffalo isn’t gloating just yet. Vietnam is growing fast and its top tourist draws like Ha Long Bay are already bursting at the seams due to the lack of control.

“We have to work with the government, NGOs and other stakeholders to keep the beach clean, the forest intact, and tourism sustainable,” laments Tran. “We have to do more research, look at the different areas, evaluate the carrying capacity, draw up guidelines and push for them.

“In Vietnam, there isn’t an NGO like conservation group, Wild Asia, who focuses 100% on promoting and recognising best practices in the tourism industry and spreading responsible tourism awareness,” Tran sums up. “It would be fantastic to have a similar NGO in Vietnam.”

By LEONG SIOK HUI - The Star

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/3/1/lifetravel/20497711&sec=lifetravel