The spirit of Chôm Chôm Travel has amazed many of you, but you might not know how our founder - Dorothée got the idea. In this blog, let’s learn about her love for Vietnam and why she founded Chôm Chôm Travel!
It started as a journey in Saigon…
Dorothée has worked in Vietnam since 2014; her family relocated with only a three-year plan. She was taken aback by Saigon's vibrant energy, which she continues to experience daily. That's how she fell in love with Vietnam and decided to stay longer!
Sometimes, Saigon seems huge and intense to her, but she feels much better if she can wander to a little hẻm, meet and interact with locals, and smell the local foods! This wonderful feeling increases when she visits other provinces and cities and meets new people in Vietnam. Dorothée can feel the energy anywhere she explores across the country. This also encourages her to accomplish every development and improvement at Chôm Chôm Travel now.
Not only Dorothée but her kids also have a deep love for Vietnam. They are adventurous travelling heroes, enjoy seeing amazing friends from many different nationalities, and have an extraordinary love for Phở Bò!
… and become a genuine love for Vietnam
During the pandemic, Dorothée decided to open a travel agency in Saigon, Vietnam. It seemed strange, and she admitted as much:
"It has been a crazy adventure since the beginning."
While many other travel agencies closed, she realised the need to relocate foreign families in Saigon, or Vietnam, to look for authentic travel agencies to go for adventures, immerse in nature and bond with locals in Vietnam. Therefore, she thought it was the right time to support the place she loves (Vietnam) and spread the adventurous spirit too!
As a mum of 3 kids, she truly understands that it’s different to travel as a family with kids, and every family has different requirements to be comfortable while travelling. So she had the concept to help families create the best family memories with the best local experiences. With the sustainable development concept, Dorothée wants to encourage the locals, including local guides and homestays, to stay in their hometown and do business rather than travel a long way and work in big cities. So she would love to connect to authentic local people and create new travelling routes to those remote areas with her family first, then send our travellers there.
People readily trust Chôm Chôm Travel because of Dorothée's background living in Vietnam for so long and her travel experiences with children! When she receives great testimonies from travellers, she feels pleased and immensely thrilled, as she expressed:
“Seeing the smiles of our travellers in photos is the best award I can get.”
Dorothée believes: Connecting to the locals for the best family experiences
Before founding Chôm Chôm Travel, Dorothée had travelled thoroughly across Vietnam with her family, and she wanted to keep in touch with the local people in case she might be back in France. So when the idea of establishing a travel agency came, she reconnected with all the guides she knew then and shared with them key messages of Chôm Chôm Travel. Luckily, all the local guides and partners were impressed and wanted to join.
The most challenging part of working with the local people is sharing the concept of sustainable tourism, especially experiences in famous destinations like Hội An, Huế, or Lan Hạ Bay. The essential core value of Chôm Chôm Travel is to focus on nature exploration and meeting locals. Thus, the goals include sharing local guides and partners to genuinely understand the spirit and encouraging families to join the adventure.
A faith and commitment to sustainable tourism in Vietnam
It was started on her own, and now Chôm Chôm Travel is a team with members from different personalities and backgrounds. Dorothée wishes to keep the adventurous spirit and sustainable tourism concept and inspire the Chôm Chôm Travel Team as much as possible so that the team can work efficiently and give our clients the best local experiences. She wishes to explore Vietnam more with her family and the team, so we can create new travel routes to the entire country because she believes every province and city has hidden gems that could align with Chôm Chôm Travel’s core values.
While she wants to see our company help the local economy grow, she also wants to protect nature and that national heritages are preserved.
“My hopes are to see some improvements to focus on the experience of travel and encourage the locals to explore this way too.”
Dorothée returned to Phong Nha National Park last month, and while it hadn't changed much since her initial visit in 2015, it still impressed her wanderlust and adventurous spirit. As a result, she feels it is possible to avoid over-tourism while preserving the natural beauty of Vietnam.
She also believes that conserving Mother Nature is a century-long challenge and that slow travel is one of the most incredible solutions.
Let’s design only-for-you journeys to explore beaches in Vietnam with your kids and family, contact Chôm Chôm Travel to start your adventure:
Email: dorothee@chomchomtravel.com
Address: 33/2 Quốc Hương, Thảo Điền, District 2, Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam