VIETNAM  ECOTOURISM - POVERTY REDUCTION INITIATIVE  This assignment was dedicated to creating a Marketing and PR campaign for the impoverished region, Hao Binh Province, Vietnam, where tourism was virtually nonexistent. The target market was both local and international.  The campaign was executed in several phases, starting with extensive travel throughout the country for cultural analysis and the collecting of film and photography stock. This included the uncharted exploration of Mai Chau Valley, the magnificent gateway to the province and the location for the pilot project dedicated to ecotourism development and poverty reduction. Travelling with a translator, prospective tourist sites around the valley were mapped out, all the while engaging with local communities at length to gain their support and confidence in the new program. Marketing material included a promotional video sample, the design and construction of an ecommerce website with local IT team (who spoke no English). posters, brochures, postcards and information packages were distributed to major hotels and travel agencies in Hanoi and Saigon, as well as teaching/ training of a local NGO staff, including CEO and Executive Management, to promote self goverance of the marketing program.  In all, this project was a huge success. Government statistics showed 15000 tourists a month were visiting the region within a year of the program's implementation. Prime Minister Nguven Xuan Phuc announced the Government's intent to allocate funding to further promote Mai Chau Valley and Ho Binh Province as a new tourist hotspot for 2017/18!   Mission accomplished!