Celebrating 30 Years of ASEV:
An Interview with
Tram Nguyen - Sustainability Coordinator
Introducing Tram Nguyen
- ASEV Travel's Sustainability Coordinator
Tram Nguyen is ASEV Travel’s passionate Sustainability Coordinator. With a strong belief that sustainability should be woven into every aspect of travel—from internal management to tour operations and partnerships—Tram plays a vital role in guiding ASEV’s journey toward responsible tourism.
Tram is committed to embedding sustainability into the core of ASEV’s operations. Her goal is clear: to drive continuous progress and inspire a mindset where sustainability becomes second nature for the entire travel ecosystem.
AS WE CELEBRATE ASEV TRAVEL’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY, WE SAT DOWN WITH TRAM TO PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON ASEV TRAVEL’S ONGOING SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS
ASEV’s mission is to create immersive experiences to our guests without compromising the locality where we work at. Specifically:
- We try to minimise our environmental footprint
- Our sustainability targets are frequently checked and updated to make sure continuous progress.
- We prioritise partnering with others based on sustainable criteria and empowering them with guidance, and demonstrates leadership in influencing the broader tourism ecosystem.
- We ensure responsible communication with each stakeholder we work with
“We strongly believe that sustainability does not act as a stand-alone policy, it’s interwoven into internal management, tour operations, partnerships, experiences.”
Since each team member is the expert in their own work, I am well aware that “People” is a crucial pillar on the sustainability journey. As such, they are the ones who know how to integrate sustainability into their work, if necessary. As a result, all I’ve been doing is presenting them with different sustainability-related options so they’ll be motivated to go further.
Measurable goals in office
We begin with measurable goals and celebrate even minor successes, such as a higher rate of waste diversion, high rate of participation to “Earth day challenge” to encourage employees to participate in sustainability initiatives.
Join social activities of NGOs outside office
We join social activities organized by local NGOs, visit places with environmental initiatives to keep ourselves updated on the current environmental status. Furthermore, we started to monitor our carbon footprint including tracking emissions from our offices’ energy use and employees’ business travel.
Calculating carbon emission
Implement carbon emissions calculation of tours and activities in Vietnam and searching for offsetting projects in the country to provide clients with data to monitor their environmental impact and identify ways to reduce emissions.
Childsafe Movement
We recently joined the Childsafe Movement, where our guides will receive training on how to identify and handle situations that endanger children and give them the skills they need to stop exploitation before it occurs.
MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, WE ARE KEEN ON TRAINING AND SHARING.
I BELIEVE ONCE A TOPIC IS SHARED AND CONSULTED FOR IDEAS THOROUGHLY, IT IS DEEPLY UNDERSTOOD AND ACCEPTED.
What are some of the biggest challenges in promoting sustainable travel across ASEV’s destinations? What is ASEV doing to overcome these challenges?
One of the biggest challenges in promoting sustainable travel across ASEV’s destinations is the geographic spread of our supplier network, which can make it difficult to consistently apply a sustainability lens and engage deeply with all partners. Physical distance sometimes limits our ability to monitor, support, or align with suppliers on sustainability practices in real time.
In addition, there is still a level of hesitation toward change, especially when sustainability is perceived as a disruption to “business as usual.” This requires an ongoing mindset shift — moving from seeing sustainability as a nice-to-have to recognizing it as an essential part of doing responsible business.
At ASEV, we are addressing this by leading by example. We strive to model responsible practices in our own operations and make our commitment visible to partners.
We also learn from suppliers who have been implementing meaningful practices long before sustainability became a trend and share best practices. This mutual respect and peer learning is key to building trust and creating momentum for broader adoption.
Knowing sustainability is not a target but a journey, we will continue to make continuous progress using the Travelife frameworks and aiming this time to the Certified title for all 3 countries.
We very much keen to scan our supply chain from accommodation to activity and transportation suppliers and training our guides in responsible practices.
As ASEV Travel celebrates its 30th anniversary, I want to express my gratitude for being part of a company that not only values immersive travel experiences but also embraces the responsibility that comes with them. My wish for ASEV is a sustainable success—a future where our growth is not just measured by the number of travelers we welcome, but by the positive impact we create along the way.
