Committees

Interview: Hong Ngoc Ha Travel’s ESG Journey with the CCIFV Sector Committee ESG Task Force

The light of sustainability has so far been centralized in high-emitting sectors like energy, industry, or transportation. But if we look deeper, we will always recognize there is more to sustainability than just the environment, namely, social equity and economic growth. Shifting the lens, it’s also about industries like hospitality, tourism, and education, which interact directly with people, taking the leap toward sustainable transition.

In this very first article of our “ESG Corner” series, let’s discover the story of Hong Ngoc Ha Travel (HNH Travel), an active member of CCIFV and the ESG Task Force (CCIFV), and a pioneer in embracing sustainability as a business philosophy in Vietnam’s travel & tourism industry.

The origin of people, culture, and nature

HNH Travel’s story began nearly 30 years ago. Starting as a family-owned business, the company’s core values were passed down from the founding generation, with a deep respect for people, culture, and nature.

“We believe that travel should connect people, create mutual understanding, and protect the beauty of the destinations we serve, not exploit them,” stated HNH.

For them, sustainability is not only in words but embedded in strategy and day-to-day operations. A key lies in framing sustainability not as “doing good” like philanthropy, but knowing how to integrate it into business. For HNH Travel, sustainability always goes hand in hand with service quality, customer satisfaction, and business longevity. It is the bridge that connects their original purpose with today’s business landscape.

Empowering customers to make sustainable choices

The most critical stakeholder for the company and its sustainability agenda is its customers. Taking a snapshot of the environmental aspect, the heaviest impact comes from flight-related services. For a travel agency like HNH Travel, scope 1 (direct emissions) and scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy) are insignificant, while scope 3 (indirect emissions from the value chain) is the most material. The challenge lies in the fact that this involves the sustainability performance of business partners (such as airlines) and the choices made by customers.

HNH Travel pursues a balanced approach. For every trip, they propose two or three flight options, enabling clients to make informed decisions based on their priorities - price, CO2e impact, flight duration, or comfort. At its core, sustainability is not about reducing environmental impact at all costs, but about balancing the triple bottom line: planet, people, and profit.

For some customers, low-emission flights with advanced technologies may not be affordable, so conventional options remain essential to their right to travel, or even to commute. Others may prefer business class, which takes up more space per passenger on the aircraft and generates more CO2e emissions. HNH Travel and its airline partners respect these personal choices, while ensuring that part of the profit can be reinvested to compensate for the impact elsewhere, as long as all efforts remain transparent.

Making sustainability strategic and recognized

For a long-standing business like HNH Travel, some concepts such as ESG were not even present at their founding. Therefore, the company sometimes faced the question: Have you formalized your sustainability strategy, or is it just fragmented?

Recently, with the support of consulting firm Green Transition, HNH Travel received its ESG Certification from the Synesgy platform, becoming one of the first tour operators in Vietnam to achieve this globally recognized certification. This milestone proves the actual impact of their ongoing efforts and commitments to both the environment and society, and highlights their leadership position in the industry.

By doing so, HNH Travel has structured its existing initiatives and aligned them strategically, building a clear baseline and concrete action plan. The transition forward is now visible, and fully integrated into their business strategy.

Moving forward, the company is committed to investing heavily in sustainable development, not only financially, but also through a wide range of efforts. These include the Green Office initiative to green internal operations alongside external impact; a long-term plan to raise awareness and build capacity across the workforce; and collaborative efforts with partners to collectively strengthen sustainable practices.

Towards long-term business success and sustainability

“A key challenge to sustainability sometimes lies in the short-term trade-offs with certain business opportunities or profits,” shared Mr. Tung Dang, Executive Board Member of HNH Travel.

Indeed, Vietnam is still in the early stages of its sustainability transition. If we only look at the short or near term, the sustainable pathway may not maximize profit. However, for business leaders like Mr. Tung, sustainability is the long-term strategy of the company. Becoming sustainable is also a competitive edge to lead future market competition. In this way, sustainability is no longer a cost but an investment.

HNH Travel and its leadership live their vision through action. The company is strengthening governance mechanisms, reducing environmental impact by enforcing waste management and improving energy efficiency, and contributing to the frontier of sector-wide sustainability. They are supporting the adoption of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel), a key solution to the flight industry’s biggest sustainability challenge with partners like Air France. They are also active in the ESG Task Force (CCIFV), raising ESG dialogue and promoting system-wide sustainable practices.

All these actions are anchored in the core element of HNH Travel - its people. The company recognizes that building internal expertise is the backbone to be confident on the sustainable journey. From engaging all staff in ESG execution to equipping responsible sales agents who can guide clients toward more sustainable choices, these efforts lay the foundation for a positive future while serving clients in a responsible and forward-looking way.

At the ESG Task Force of CCIFV, we are proud to have sustainability-focused businesses like HNH Travel as part of our community. Together, we encourage more businesses to act sustainably and spread the spirit of responsible business. Stay tuned for the next article of the “ESG Corner” series!