Charity & Community Impact | Jem Travel
At Jem Travel, we believe a journey through Indochina should leave something behind — not just memories for our travelers, but real, lasting value for the communities that welcome them. Since 2024, that belief has taken a concrete form: every six months, we set aside a portion of our tour revenue to fund books and children’s libraries for schools in Vietnam’s most remote regions.
Where We Work
Our giving-back program centers on two partner schools: PTDTBT THCS Niem Son, in Niem Son commune, Meo Vac district, Ha Giang province — a boarding school for ethnic minority students high in the northern mountains — and Chiem Thanh Tan school in Can Tho, in the Mekong Delta. At both schools, Jem Travel has helped fund and furnish a children’s library, giving students a proper space to read, not just a shelf in a corridor.
Around Meo Vac, where many villages share the same limited access to learning materials, we’ve extended the program further: three additional schools in the area have received book donations, even where a full library wasn’t yet possible.
How It Works
Every six months, a portion of proceeds from client tours is set aside specifically for this purpose. Our team works directly with each school to understand what’s actually needed — age-appropriate books, shelving, seating, lighting — rather than sending a generic donation. It’s a small, repeatable rhythm rather than a one-off gesture, which is what allows the program to grow steadily: two libraries built, three schools supplied with books, and counting.
Why It Matters to Us
Our founder Gemma has spent over a decade designing journeys through the very regions — Ha Giang’s highlands, the river towns of the Mekong Delta — where access to education is often hardest. Giving back here isn’t a marketing initiative; it’s a direct extension of the relationships Jem Travel has built with these communities since the company’s founding.
How You Can Be Part of It
Agents and travelers who want their journey to carry real meaning can ask us about visiting Niem Son or Chiem Thanh Tan as part of their itinerary, or about how a portion of their trip already contributes to this program.
Want to include a school visit in your clients’ next Vietnam itinerary? Get in touch at gemma@jemtravel.asia.