The ethical Lak Lake village tour

This tour offers a glimpse into traditional M’nong village life on the shores of Lak Lake, where locals live in wooden longhouses and practise traditional farming, fishing and pottery. Lak is nestled in the rolling central highlands of Vietnam and is the region’s largest lake, surrounded by thick, primeval forests. This is an area rarely visited by tourists but while staying at Lak Tented Camp, I got the chance to visit Yao Tao Village with a local guide, Son.

Son introduced us to H Jok Bkrong, the matriarch of a local family who all live in a communal wooden longhouse on the banks of the lake. It was fascinating to learn how they make a living running a cacao and avocado plantation. Next, we got to meet a lady who makes intricate pottery from dark river clay, which sadly, is a dying art, because younger generations are moving off to the big cities.

Lak Camp buys all these pottery and farming products, so there isn’t pressure for you to purchase anything on the tour, you simply get to meet villagers and learn about their lives. I was also impressed by the library the camp had built; kids get a bottle of milk every time they visit, which is a big deal since most of them work in the fields all day.