From Student Traveller to Sustainable Tourism Advocate: Hanh’s Journey with Discova
When Hanh Nguyen first joined a Discova educational trip to Mai Chau as a Tourism Management student at the British University Vietnam (BUV), she had no idea it would change the course of her career. Like most of her classmates, she expected to learn about destination management and hospitality, which were central to her degree. What she did not expect was to discover a deeper purpose in travel.
“In university, we mostly learned about leisure tourism, luxury experiences, start-ups, and hotel operations,” Hanh recalls. “But visiting Mai Chau with Discova opened my eyes to something different. It showed me how travel could change lives.”
A Lesson Beyond the Classroom
The trip to Mai Chau introduced Hanh to community-based tourism, where travellers engage directly with local people as partners in cultural exchange and shared learning.
At the time, Hanh met Anh Chau, the Discova Community Development Executive in Mai Chau, who welcomed her group on behalf of the village. “That moment really stayed with me,” she says. “It was the first time I saw tourism as something that empowers people rather than just for entertainment and leisure.”
Years later, she would find herself working alongside the same team that once organised her student trip, including Phuong Vu, who had been the operations staff supporting her visit, and now the DET Operations and Reservations Leader. “I even found a photo of Phuong Vu giving our pre-trip presentation at my school,” Hanh laughs. “I sent it to her recently, and we both could not believe how time flies. The one who arranged my trip is now the boss of my boss.”
What Sustainable Tourism Means to Hanh
For Hanh, sustainable tourism is not a trend or a checklist. It is about balance, respect, and shared growth.
“Sustainable tourism means recognising that every journey should be taken responsibly, ensuring that travel contributes positively to people, the planet, and shared prosperity,” she explains.
“Especially via the community-based tourism model, it is about protecting the environment, the culture, respecting local traditions, and making sure the benefits of travel are felt by the people who live in those destinations. It is learning how to give back through curiosity, not charity.”
Her approach combines empathy with action, ensuring that travellers not only experience new cultures but also leave a positive mark behind.
Back to Where It All Began
This passion recently brought Hanh back to her university, not as a student this time but as a guest speaker at World Tourism Day 2025 in October, organised by the PATA BUV Student Chapter. The theme, “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation,” could not have been more fitting.
“It felt amazing to share my story with students who might be where I once was,” she says. “I wanted them to see that meaningful careers in tourism do exist.”
A Life Beyond Work
When she is not working, Hanh enjoys reading and watching movies. She also spends time with her two cats, Ruồi and Ếch, whose names mean Fly and Frog in Vietnamese. She jokes that they are “like her children,” adopted by her parents to teach her how to care for another living being and to discourage her from insisting on studying overseas.
“They really are like babies,” she laughs. “Ếch loves going outside and exploring, which sometimes leads to trouble.”
That curiosity once ended with him breaking his leg in three places, a moment that cost Hanh her entire month’s salary for emergency surgery. More recently, he was even kid(cat)napped while she was at work.
“I had to travel 30 kilometres from the office just to send money to the catnapper and get him back,” she recalls with both disbelief and affection. “He always keeps life interesting.”
Despite the chaos, her cats are her constant companions, bringing comfort and joy after long days in the office.
“They remind me to slow down, take care of something beyond myself, and find happiness in small things,” she says.
A Message to Future Travellers
Having seen both sides of educational travel, as a participant and now as a professional, Hanh believes that students have a unique opportunity to take something meaningful from this unique experience.
“Community-based, experiential travel changes both the traveller and the host,” she says. “It is not about giving, but about connecting, and that is where real transformation happens.”
For Hanh, travel is not only about leisure. It is a way to understand humanity and contribute to something greater.
“Community-based, experiential travel changes both the traveller and the host,” she says. “It is not about giving, but about connecting, and that is where real transformation happens.”
Hanh’s journey reflects the essence of what Discova Educational Travel stands for: learning through meaningful connection and empowering the next generation to see sustainable tourism as a catalyst for positive change, leaving every place better than we arrived and creating shared value between travellers and communities.
What began as a field trip to Mai Chau has become a lifelong pursuit of purpose, proof that one educational journey can truly shape a future.
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