Haivenu Tours have their roots in Vietnam, and grew out of the modernisation and trade liberalisation of the country that gradually followed the introduction of ‘Doi Moi’ in 1986.

After years of international isolation in the wake of the American War, Vietnam began to grow confident in its independence, embracing the international community, global commerce and tourism. 

As travellers, many of whom had already visited Thailand and Malaysia increasingly became drawn to the evocative mysteries of Vietnam, whose cultural richness had been so long submerged by the negative impressions engendered by media coverage of its long struggle for independence, culminating in the ‘Vietnam’ War, the enthusiasm for the beauty of the landscape, warm peoples and culture of Vietnam, with which these initial visitors returned, sparked an upsurge of interest.  

Many visitors, from Thailand in particular, disappointed by the ever-increasing commercialism of that country, found in Vietnam a haven of authentic Southeast Asian culture and heritage. 

Since its inception in late 1999, Haivenu Tours was set up to fulfil heartfelt guiding principles in welcoming overseas visitors to this remarkable country.  

With an emphasis on the preservation of Vietnam’s natural and cultural inheritance uppermost, Haivenu also pursued a highly personable approach to tourism, organising individually crafted tours of the country, each uniquely tuned to each of our clients’ holiday aspirations, at the heart of which is a friendly one-to-one working relationship with a personal tour designer, in contrast to the impersonal monolith of many major holiday companies. 

Our focus is to provide an optimum of authentic experience, exceptional high quality service and affordability. 

Another core aim is to ensure that the benefits arising from tourism reached the most disadvantaged of the citizens of the countries in which we operate, and our company has boldly developed relationships with local and ethnic communities throughout our sphere of operations, offering high quality in-depth training and employment to enthusiastic local guides, to assist our visitors with their unrivalled local knowledge and insight. 

Following our first flush of success as a company, we continued to develop our involvement in environmental and social welfare projects, and began to spread our ethos and operations to neighbouring countries, initially Cambodia and Laos, followed by Thailand, Malaysia, China, Bhutan, Myanmar, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali, and the Philippines and we are now well established as a specialist and inspirational tour company throughout the region. 

In 2007, we established an office in Felixstowe, England, to provide local contacts and services to our clients within the GMT time zone, and have also evolved successful business partnerships with several like-minded internationally well-regarded organisations, including Responsibletravel.com, co-founded by the late Anita Roddick. 

Haivenu is named after a tiny orchid that grows only on the craggy limestone cliffs of the stunning islands of Ha Long Bay in north-east Vietnam, whose botanical name is 'paphiopedilium concolor', known in Vietnam as the 'yellow slipper orchid' after its dainty blossoms. Despite its diminutive size, it's a determined survivor.

We chose the Haivenu as our logo partly for its striking beauty, but mostly because it expresses the qualities to which we aspire in our company, small and intimate, yet charmingly distinct, rare and unique.  

Nothing is too much trouble for us: we apply the highest standards of personalised quality to everything we do, whether we are developing a tour for a VIP party or a humble family holiday on a modest budget. 

Having the Haivenu as our logo also reminds us of our commitment to conserving the environment of our beautiful country, and those of our neighbours. We avoid 'ecotourism' in environmentally sensitive areas and encourage our customers to travel with light footsteps. Southeast Asia is a beautiful destination with a rich culture: we want to keep it that way.  

We are a young and vibrant Southeast Asian tour operator, and like the Haivenu, we too are tenacious, in our commitment to provide authentic travel opportunities combined with fully ethical and sustainable tourism. 

Our mission is to provide you with a memorable experience of the real Southeast Asia by avoiding the usual tourist routes in favour of unspoilt landscapes, unusual attractions and the fascination of the daily life of ordinary people.