About Us

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Topas Travel has been providing extraordinary travel experiences around the world since 1973 and in Vietnam since the early 90s. Mr Jørgen Sølvsten Nielsen, the owner of our company, has put his life’s work into developing a dream of delivering unique adventures and lodgings in remote parts of this beautiful planet.

Our Vietnam story began in 1993, when we began working in Sapa at a time when there were no international tours in the mountains here. In those early days, together with a local family we built up a series of treks, visiting minority villages and climbing the high mountains.

Since then, Topas has grown in Vietnam. Today we provide tours all over the nation; we have Topas Ecolodge and Topas Riverside Lodge; we run the Vietnam Trail Series; and we have Topas Education Tours. Our charity work program in Vietnam has also grown considerably.

When we began in the 70s, our tours were basic and sometimes rough adventures in overland trucks, including journeys across the Sahara. Today, our travellers expect higher service quality and more comfort than those old school truckers, but the enthusiasm for seeking authentic and engaging experiences remains the same.

Likewise, our spirit of exploration and our fascination with Vietnam has not changed. We are ready to welcome you to this beautiful nation and show you why we love it. Please get in touch to craft your ideal Vietnam experience with us.

Read our CSR policy and Code of Conduct of Topas Explorer Group.

Our Ethos

We respect the destinations we work in and we have a strong focus on respecting culture, sustainability and giving back.

We are proud of our charity work in Vietnam, completing our own projects and working with NGOs such as Newborns Vietnam, Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation and more.

At Topas Ecolodge, we have invested significantly in initiatives such as waste-water filtration systems, recycling systems and the most energy efficient pool technology. We also work to keep waste to an absolute minimum and donate excess food to the surrounding communities. You can read more about these efforts here.

If you are a traveller who wants to visit Vietnam with a company that does travel the right way, we invite you to travel with us.

Read about our charity work and our principles here.

After we had been running adventure tours to Sapa and Fansipan mountains area over a decade, the dream of building a comfortable explorer’s base was realised. Topas Ecolodge opened in 2005. Later on, in the picturesque village of Nam Cang further into the valley, we established the boutique Topas Riverside Lodge.

Topas Ecolodge

18 km away from Sapa town and sitting on a beautiful hilltop is Topas Ecolodge, a tranquil sustainable retreat set within pristine nature. We have private bungalows, two infinity pools, a spa specializing in traditional Red Dzao herbal baths, and excellent restaurants.

We offer trekking, mountain biking and even wild camping tours.

Topas Riverside Lodge

Located deep a remote vallery, Topas Riverside Lodge is a boutique property within a traditional Red Dzao minority village. The lodge has 14 air-conditioned en-suite rooms and full amenities.

Swim in natural pools. Trek into the jungle and grand valleys. Take a village tour and a short walk to the jungle with your hosts to learn about the Red Dao way of life.

We are organisers of the Vietnam Trail Series, the largest trail-running series in the country, with around 10,000 mountain runners every year. Our ultra trail races are: Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa; Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu Luong; and Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau.

We also offer trail running holidays. Either create a trip around one of our races, or choose your own dates and talk to us about building the right running holiday for you.

You can read about our trail running holiday options here.

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