Vietnam’s tourism industry showed strong development over the past decade and is increasingly becoming a booming Asian destination. Statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism shows a 13.86 % increase in International arrivals during 2012, and close to 8% growth during the first three quarters of 2013. The socio-economic efficiency of the tourism activities has largely contributed not only to alleviating poverty, but also in improving the living standards of the locals and enriching the society. But according to Julio Benedetti, a tourism consultant and blogger from Brazil, tourists and many expats in particular are playing greater roles in lifting the standards of living of many more Vietnamese across the country.

One great example to demonstrate such is the effort by the this non-profit social business Bloom Microventures. Founded by a group of foreigners and presently ran by a Vietnamese team, this Hanoi-based business have found an innovative way to combine micro-financing and responsible tourism by organizing day tours to ethnic minority communities in the rural mountains in Hoa Binh province. Such tours allow visitors a chance to meet local small-scale women farmers and witness their daily way of life while at the same time helping locals fight poverty by converting the tour fees paid by tourists into micro-loans to agro-entrepreneurs. Tourism is a broad activity and can create so many tourism-related businesses activities ranging from local transport, souvenir shops, restaurants, markets, local producers, manufacturers - and even fashion. One innovative fashion business has thought of a way to make a difference by elevating and preserving heritage craftsmanship through high-end products that are appealing to tourists. At the same time, these products showcase the history and artistry of local producers from villages whose cultural traditions and livelihoods are near extinction.

The Ho Chi Minh City-based business, named Fashion4Freedom (F4F), is known as a design house specializing on Vietnamese heritage art.The owner, Rachael Carson, explains that her products are from responsibly sourced materials and are crafted by a network of skilled artisans from over 40 villages in central Vietnam with the support of semi-government owned factories. In Central Vietnam, the French Bakery (Banh Mi Phap) takes on a different approach by providing Vietnamese apprentices of19 months of training and real life practice through internships, and then the opportunity to start a new life through their acquired skills. Apprentices from the bakery have trained almost 70 apprentices to date that are now mostly working in high standard hotels throughout the country. Anyone who have been to Vietnam will agree that the country is fast approaching modernity, yet strongly maintaining its tradition and culture. Tourism is the largest contributing factor for such modernity, and may undeniably reel in positive or negative effects. However with the beautiful stories we hear on how the standards of living of the locals have been benefited, it is clear to see that it is indeed possible to welcome modernization to fix old problems, yet be able to preserve culture and even bring old traditions back to life.