Triip's journey

Top sightseeing tours in Vietnam

1. The best city day tours

Saigon Free Motorbike Tour by Saigon Lovers:

As you have seen cyclo drivers rest easy below vast neon billboards, the endless crowded line of motorcycles or the niche pavement with full of small food kiosks which is a part of street food culture, welcome to Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam's largest and most exciting city!

So you’ve just arrived and want to hit all the tourist attraction spots but find it hard to navigate through the heavy and intimidating traffic? Don't be worried, you get covered!

Saigon Lovers is a volunteer-based group of passionate young Vietnamese who live in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon - the old and colloquial name), Viet Nam. They will be your travel companions and take you on the most awesome experience to explore the diverse beauty of Saigon: You will learn the southern Vietnamese history and culture, taste the most authentic Saigon cuisine, set foot on places you never think Saigon would have, and see life here through pristine local eyes.

This is the first and only FREE motorbike tour in Ho Chi Minh City which is most trusted by travellers.

Hanoi Free Full Day Tour

Along with Hanoi Free Street Food Tour,  Hanoi Free Full Day Tour is crafted by Hanoi e.Buddies, a non-profit organisation established with the aim of supporting foreigner tourists when they come to Hanoi. They are truly amazing as ambassadors for everything that Vietnam is striving for – energetic, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, charming and a tremendous unshackled desire to promote their motherland and to learn from the others.

This is one of the most famous free city tours in Hanoi with three options:

Option 1: Hanoi Highlight Tour (Ho Chi Minh complex – Temple of Literature – Sword Lake – Old Quarter)

Option 2: Hanoi Historical Tour (Museum of Ethnology– Hoalo Prison– Sword Lake – Old Quarter)

Option 3: Hanoi Spiritual Tour (Ho Chi Minh complex – Temple of Literature – Quan Thanh temple – Tran Quoc Pagoda)

If you are exploring the heart of Vietnam for the first time, just drop them a message. What you need is just a curious mind willing to learn from the locals.

Da Nang and Hoi An one day trip:

Da Nang is the beautiful city which has other various interesting attractions stretching on dozens of kilometers...and good specialties with one of 6 most amazing beaches in the world. Hoi An is the ancient and peaceful town which is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam that caters to travellers of all tastes and across the continents.

In just one day, you not only enjoy the combined beauty of beach, mountain, river, ancient World Heritage Site but also have a chance to taste delicious specialties like My Quang, Cao Lau, Banh Beo…

Hanoi Free Day Tour with HanoiKids:

Hanoikids is a volunteer tour guide club of young, friendly and ambitious students who love Hanoi and want to bring local breath to travellers from all over the world. Acted as a travel-mate, their volunteers will help you discover the history, culture and beauty of Hanoi. What makes Hanoikids different from the normal tour operators is that their experiences is much more the friendly, welcomed and natural, offering you the chance to experience the local’s lifestyle.

Awards - No. 1 in "Tour" of "Things to do", Tripadvisor - National Volunteer Award 2013

Hoian Spontaneous Tour:

Bella will guide you around Hoi An City on scooter. Keep your eyes wide open while I show you around this beautiful city but don't keep your mouth shut when I introduce you to the best local street food.

You will climb one of the five mountains and discover that magnificent heritage filled with Buddhist sanctuaries and beautiful sculptures or take the boat and enjoy the local price to visit this lovely island. Drive throught the rice fields, meet the farmers, see the fisherman villages... Then relax, enjoy the sunset and have a drink by the sea.

2. The best nightlife tours

Saigon by Night Tour:

Saigon is a non-sleeping city, just like Hong Kong, Singapore, which means you can literally wander around the whole city and enjoy both the hustle and bustle and the emptiness, the upbeat and the silence, the devil and the angel of the city by night within a few hours.

Ha is so passionate, friendly and well-meaning and knowledgable. She knows everything about the city and through this triip takes you to the places you must go. Massage, local dinner, sights and a happening rooftop bar is indeed a great way to experience Saigon by Night.

Let's see the best part of Saigon by night, have fun and enjoy the city like a truly local.

Hanoi nightlife and cuisine discovery tour

"Hanoi comes alive at night. The day’s oppressive air cools and draws out the people."

The trip will bring you to the area which reflects closely the normal life of the Old Quater.

Whilst wandering, let's try some street foods which are only available at night, go to a random bar/club/pub to see another exciting life contrasting to the outside one or have some coffee, enjoy the peace and romantic view of the city.

Let's explore the city of peace at night with a local resident who is willing to passionately share about Hanoi's history, culture and customs.

Hanoi by Night on Vespa Tour:

Hanoi Vespa Tour will be taking you to the most popular street stalls, hidden alleyways and of course where the locals love to hang out with their friends. Vespa tours start from your hotel, we then drive you on a classic Vespa scooter to a crowded street café where we experience the hustle and bustle of this city with popular lemon-tea drinks and sunflower seeds. You will be lead to Dong Xuan night market, which will show you the most authentic experiences about the nightlife here.  You will have a chance to try Pho, the most famous traditional meal in Vietnam and then relax with music in a local bar.

A memorable night trip in Da Nang:

It would be interesting hanging out with a geek. Let's meet Tan, a web developer, a funny guy but working hours with computer sometime make him sick. So he wanna do something different. He wants to meet people, to hang out and to enjoy the social life.

Taste local food, walk along Han riverside in a windy night, join in local people's daily activity, take photos, visit famous landscapes by motorbike,... and more. Let's find out!

Hue by Night Tour:

Hue locals are well-known for their slow-paced lifestyle. Unlike busy residents in hectic cities, people here always take their time. They never rush for anything, but pursue a relaxing way of living.

During the night tour, you will be indulging yourself in the low-key atmosphere of the ancient capital of Vietnam. Nguyen Souri, a smiling girl with joyfulness, an enquiring mind and a passion for sharing travel experiences will show you Hue's most beautiful nightlife, not only the sights but also the local culture and people.

Fancy for a joyful, yet relaxing night in Hue?

3. Top Photography Tours

Cho Lon Photography Walk:

Take photos, experience the unique China Town in the heart of Saigon.

Cho Lon is the area where the Chinese Vietnamese live, located in District 5 & 6. The area still has many Chinese neighborhoods spread out in small alleys behind the main streets. It's a fun adventure to walk around these neighborhoods, see the scenes, the unique Chines & Colonial style houses, church, temples.

Here in China town, as known as the best place to find Chinese food, you can also taste many Chinese style dishes that you might not usually find elsewhere. Let's give it a try!

Hanoi Photography Tour:

The city is filled with wonderful landmarks, such as Ho Chi Minh Complex, Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem lake, The Old Quarter, Hanoi Museum of Ethology,... and so on. You can choose the locations you like to make your album. Taking exclusive pictures, listening attractive stories, having experiences of Vietnamese people...

There is no point in carrying a bulky camera and an interlaced-route map. With him, your sole duty is to 3..2..1 SMILE at the scene of Hanoi's beautiful spots.

Come with him to get all these wonderful things.

Photography Tour in Phan Rang:

Let's follow Son, a professional photographer into the land of the dream scenes with breathtaking view of Vinh Hy bay and Cam Ranh bay, two of the most beautiful bay in Vietnam, visiting sheep farm and taking pictures of goats on the mountain or enjoy swimming on the pure blue water of the hideaway wild beach Binh Hung and fresh seafood.

Enjoy!

With this list of the best private tours in Vietnam on hands, you can spend your holiday on a trip to Vietnam discovering the breathtaking nature beauty and unique heritage of this country in the most truly local way.

Whether you are the first time travellers in Vietnam or you have been there so many times, it's still worth trying.

Part 1. Top Vietnamese food experiences

Country side food tells the story of its people and provides us with opportunities for interaction and fellowship, in a way that nothing else can.

People learn to connect with food and pay attention to its sources and manner of production. Especially in a foreign setting, sharing a meal is a wonderful opportunity to differentiate differentcultural attitudes toward food – which food are revered and rejected, how it’s made and served, what matters and what doesn’t.

Vietnamese food is not only good because of its refined taste but also because of its variety. Vietnamese cookery has, at least, three distinct styles, each deriving from a particular region. The main and common dish in every meal is Com (rice) which is eaten with other dishes.

Let's explore the Vietnamese culture via food tours!

1. The best free street food tours

Hanoi Free Street Food Tour:

This trip is crafted by Hanoi e.Buddies, a non-profit organisation established with the aim of supporting foreigner tourists when they come to Hanoi. Currently, they are having nearly 45 members who are immensely enthusiastic and adequately equipped themselves with knowledge. They are ready to become friendly travel companion for tourists in Hanoi.

Within this street food tour, the tour guides will get you strolling around Dong Xuan Market and tasting a variety of local street food like Bun Cha Hanoi, O mai Hang Duong, Banh My stall and even coffee mixed with egg at Hoan Kiem lake. Enjoy walking with them.

Free Street Food Tour Ho Chi Minh City:

Tam is a warm and affectionate guide, giving great insights into local lives with plenty of anecdotes. The tour is pleasant, laid-back and full of small surprises, with some lovely street food that is unlikely to be on any travel books, but essential to anyone seeking a truly Vietnamese experience. Just take a walk, enjoy the food and learn about  Vietnamese culture.

Danang Free Food Experience:

Travel to Da Nang, book this tour with Mai Anh, "an easy-going, open-minded girl, always looks for new challenges, meeting new friends and discovering something different from people all over the world", you can feel the mixture of the North and South culture in which Vietnamese people call as the most worth living city.

Most importantly, you will have a chance to taste My Quang, Banh Trang cuon thit heo, Cao Lau which are the most popular food in Da Nang.

Da Nang is also ideally positioned between Hoi An and Hue for day or short trip. It would be a good combination for your holiday.

2. The best paid food tours

Sunset and seafood feast on Chuon Lagoon - Hue

Tour starts at Dong Ba Market. There will be a feast for your eyes and chance to eat like a local onthe pavement.

The happy belly troops then will be taken to see one of the oldest port towns in Hue, Chi Lang town, where some of the 400 years old town still remains  traditional architect as well as French influence. Tour continues with a visit to a traditional occupation workshop, where people make golden-plated objects for royal palaces. You will have a break at “Beo, Nam, Loc” restaurant, some savory cakes wrapped in banana leaves, dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce.

Lastly, the boat trip will take you to the “Clam island” to try “Sweet Corn soup” and “Clam rice” then enjoy the sunset on the cruise back to town.

Saigon Urban Foodie Adventure

Time for an adventure of your taste with one of the most trendy typical food in Saigon: Tofu noodle with shrimp sauce 'Bún đậu mắm tôm' and best coffee in town.

The trendy, delicious but traditional food you should not miss while you are in Saigon. We will visit one of the most unique original homemade store and you also have chance to see how people prepare food.

After having a cup of coffee, chatting with local friends, you will go around the city to see how the evening life happens and enjoy the most comfortable time of Saigon on bike.

Hoian Foodie Night Tour:

A short ride through the busy streets and alleys takes us to a well established local restaurant serving up the famous Hoi An dishes of Com Ga & Cao Lau in a hideaway location down one of the alleyways in central Hoi An.

Immerse yourself in the local dining scene, Hoi An style. Kicking off as the sun sets, guests ride pillion on a vintage Vespa along the river, through alleyways and in the busy streets around this ancient heritage town, tasting some of the best local dishes and street food on offer.

Hanoi Food Tour Half Day

Hanoi foody tour is the best choice to discover the ancient Hanoi Old Quarter while tasting amazing authentic street food. Walking through the narrow, chaotic streets of the Old Quarter, you can stop along the way to try some of many local delicacies on offer.

3. The best home cooking tours

Home cooking tour in Hanoi:

Do you want to enjoy Vietnamese traditional food without worrying about unsanitary food?

You can come to her home and enjoy a delicious meal with friendly, easy-going local friends. You can have experience in shopping in the local market, cooking with her and she will teach you how to cook the traditional Vietnamese food.

It would be a nice discovery of Vietnamese flavours and the spirit of the Triip community.

Saigon Free Style Cooking Class:

Hang is a perfect mix of patience and passion. She will be teaching you how to cook Vietnamese traditional meal in the most authentic and simple way. She will bring you to the local market where the local housewives come to do their daily shopping and stop for a gossip with their neighbours, making it a really “Vietnamese” experience.

Then you guys will be cooking at home together. During the tour, she will be telling you a lot about vietnamese customs related to food, tea and other aspects. Just ask her!

Wonderful Cooking Trip in Cu Chi Tunnels:

Follow this tour with Tan, a doctor, a biologist and a Chef. He had been travelling in many countries around the world and got back in Vietnam to open up HCM Agricultural Villages - Traditional Cooking School. This is not only a cooking tour but a agricultural experience that the Chef will lead you around the village and explain to you everything about agriculture such as Cow areas, mushrooms areas, fish, prawn areas, Buffalo areas, herbs and vegetables areas. You will be picking up the vegetables in the garden and use them for cooking. All the food are so delicious and healthy.

Then you will have a chance to visit Cu Chi Tunnels System. You will be surprised about how they were constructed, I bet.

Christmas is coming to town....Santa are busy delivering happiness and surprises, Christmas trees are warming the city with cozy Christmas atmosphere… Every December, people cannot wait to surprise their loved ones with gifts and caring. This year, what is one single gift that can make your loved ones remember forever?

An experience that serves the whole family needs, it is not only about relaxing or traveling abroad but also about sharing and caring, broadening each and every one's mind to learn and see the world.  An abroad trip is indeed precious time to spend and share with your irreplaceable beloved family members.

Saigon is always a city with unexpected joys.

Last Saturday, Camille and I had a good sketching time in a street-market, a place that caught my attention before, when I stopped there to eat a delicious “My Quang”. Even if I am used to open market, which you can drive through and buy things without stepping out of your bike, this street is a brand new experience: the whole street itself is a market. Every family uses their house as a small store selling from vegetables to shoes, clothes.

With the curiosity of seeing how the market shapes up, I got up at 5AM, filled ink to pen, grabbed my sketch bag then hopped on my motorbike, started the exciting journey.

As I finished taking some Saigon morning photos, which are so rare for a night owl like me, I got to the market when some families were preparing for new day.

How small can your business be? Well, pretty at any size. It could be a small shop in a house. Or it could be only 2 bags of vegetables and a brick to put them on. I found myself having a nice talk with an old lady and bought half of the goods she had for 10k VND (about 40 cents). As my grandma, she does secure her money in the pocket with the pin. Such a familiar feeling in this modern city.

Or you can put all your goods at the back of the bike like this sweet melon seller.

And if you live near the market, you just grab three chairs: one for pineapples, one for jackfruits and one for yourself.

A utility pole can be a perfect place to set up a fried-fish cake stand. The stove then can be hidden from the wind.

A guava seller and her bicycle. I bought two.

The salt seller put a lot of salt bags on his cart and cycled around while shouting out loud “Muoi day” (“Here is salt”).

After having ourselves a good bowl of “hu tieu”( “hu tieu” is type of noodle, originated from K’me people) and “banh my bo kho”( bread serves with stew beef), we had our eyes closer at the seafood store.

What came unexpectedly was when we talked with our “characters”. They burst out into joy. It was such a beautiful smile!

The first time we came here, we were strangers. Now everybody in the street can recognize Camille and they know that she is also a half Vietnamese. People insisted on her drawing their products, from mushroom to pork.

Unknowingly our works could bring relaxation for those ladies in such an intensely hot day on the street; however, after this visit we certainly would love to meet more people on our future journeys.

Ghostly Gastown Tour, Vancouver.

Dive into the history of Gastown (originally Granville, known for its « wild west legacy of drinking, gambling, smuggling, and harsh justice in the form of hangings » and the cursed places it hosts. During the tour, the local guides will introduce you to the ghosts that are still haunting the neighbourhood...

Local guide : the young team of Ghostly Gastown.

Price : 15$

Duration : 3 hours.

Book now : https://www.triip.me/vancouver/ghostly-gastown-tours-5444/

 The Ghost Palace of Whitehall, London

Follow Laura and learn about the history of the Whitehall Palace and explore the whole area (Westminster Palace, Horseguard, St James Palace and Park), learning the story of what is still here, and of what is forever gone.

Local guide : Laura.

Price : 10$

Duration : 2 hours.

Book now : https://www.triip.me/london/the-ghost-palace-of-whitehall-10376/

  Dark heart of Rome ghost tour

Ever heard of the female Pope? The burnt heretics? Let the City Wonder team guide you in Rome after dawn, if you dare...

 Local guide : City Wonder team

Price: 29$

Duration : 2hours.

Book now : https://www.triip.me/rome/dark-heart-of-rome-ghost-tour-6783/

 Tour To The Cemetery Of Chauchilla, Peru

Will you be brave enough? For decades, this cemetery has been looted by treasure hunters, who left behind them what you can see nowadays : skulls and bones long human hairs, ceramic fragments and others remains. To counterbalance the gloomy tombs, you will also enjoy a beautiful desert landscape surrounded by colourful hills.

Local Guide : Mystery Peru guide.

Duration : 3 hours.

Price : 25$, including  pick up from your hotel in Nazca. Private transportation.  Entrance fees. Drop off at your hotel at the end.

Book now : https://www.triip.me/nazca/tour-to-the-cemetery-of-chauchilla-5708/

City of Tombs and and Villages, Hue

Jump on the back of a local rider’s bike, he will craft an itinerary for you and help you visit many of the magnificent tombs of Hue, but also its villages where you can still feel the presence of the haunting past.

Local guide : Hue’s riders.

Duration : 4 hours.

Price : 26$.

Book now : https://www.triip.me/hue/city-of-tombs-villages-v6-2532/

 Today, we are sharing the story from our Triip Creator- A Local Expert in Hongkong- Clemens. 

Clemens, could you tell us about the place where you grew up?

I grew up with 3 siblings, all younger than me, in a small village in the countryside of Austria. We spent many of our days just hiking around, walking up and down the riverbeds and just enjoying nature. I loved to be outside in the wintertime, do every kind of sport on the snow, skiing, sledding, ice skating, and so on.

Could you share with us your childhood dream?  Spending a lot of time on the skis, i guess i always wanted to be a famous ski racer when i was young.,

And why did you want to be a Triip Creator? 

On our travels, (Me and my girlfriend), we hiked and discoverd many places, often it was challenging and hard work, but it always was beautiful and lost, with nobody else. Even in HK you still find those places, just have to look a little harder.

Once i discoverd Triiip, i really wanted to share this places with other people, they like the same things in nature and discovering new things and places. For the future, i guess i am just looking foreward to meet more nice people, have fun with them, hear their storys, and just keep going as it comes along.

Allan from Taiwan had booked Clemens experience in Hong Kong on Triip.me. Here is the review from Allan for Clemens's triip:

If you want to meet and book a triip with Clemens in Hong Kong, pls visit https://www.triip.me/hong-kong/amazing-lantau-island-9723/ 

On the Journey of bringing joys, happiness to our travellers, and local experts, we will feature more interesting stories from our community.  If you want to share your stories, don't hesitate to contact us and send us an email to [email protected] or send a message via our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/triip.me 

Locally yours,

Triip.me 

  By Bryan Tuong Hoang                                                            

Are you an entrepreneur, experienced or aspiring? Do you find yourself networking everywhere you go? Are you curious and want to know more about the tech startup scene in Asia?

If you answer yes to all three questions, then we have not 1, but 4 recommendations for you! Even though Asia is developing very quickly, personal connection is still king. Therefore, as each of the triip guides is extremely well connected and knowledgeable in the tech scene of their respective city, you are sure to get a top-notch introduction to the entrepreneurship landscape wherever you choose to go. 

 LET’S BEGIN IN BEIJING…

  China is one of the hottest technology markets of not only Asia but also the world. The reason is easy to understand: There are 668 million Internet users in China alone. In the first quarter of 2015, Chinese investors staked about 260 million USD in angel capital, tripling the amount registered in the same period of the previous year.  Now, YOU have the chance to meet visit and meet founders of several high-profile startups across different industries in Beijing, the country’s capital, with Wanlin. 

Wanlin is a student at Virgina Tech whose passion is Chinese entrepreneurship and venture capitals. He has founded 5 startups in 4 years, 2 of which are in daily operation. As a startup founder, he knows deeply how capitals and industrial-related resources are vital for a startup business. By helping his startups finance, Wanlin has the experience of meeting a lot of venture capitalists and thus knows what they look for. Wanlin’s triip will take you to the biggest startup brokeage in China, a 6-billion worth Uber competitor and a venture capital fund founded by a former leader of Google China, just to name a few. 

For specific details, please click here https://www.triip.me/beijing/start-up-tour-exploring-the-next-unicorn-in-beijing-12279/

 NEXT TO TAIWAN

“World-class infrastructure, combined with an entrepreneurial mindset, created a vast pool of export-focused SMEs, as well as a few giants such as Asus, Acer, HTC, and the infamous Foxconn factories, where most of Apple and Microsoft products are manufactured in Taiwan.”- Seedstarsworld

In this Startup triip, you would find out the most friendliest peoples are in Taiwan. The territory is so small but full of the culture, history and abundant in natural resources. We are highly welcome everyone to come here and discover the beauty of the land; to make your own memories in here. The tasty local food, diversity of life style, and a friendly smile or help when you ever need it! And, to share your thought and creation with us!! Wanna Startup in Taiwan? Let Karen help you with that!

“I live in Kaohsiung, the second-largest city in Taiwan. As a salesman, I spent a lot of time to go through every street and lane in this city, if you are interested in this friendly city, I would love to share what I have known with you. And I love to travel, to know the difference between every culture! Welcome to join my world............^^”- Karen- Triip Creator in Taiwan.

For specific details, please click here: https://www.triip.me/taiwan/startup-tour-in-taiwan-discover-the-peral-of-asia-14610/ 

…DOWN TO HO CHI MINH CITY…

 Vietnam’s startup scene, according to Tech in Asia, is the most “aggressive” in Southeast Asia. Having recently welcomed 500 Startups, a Venture Capital firm from Sillicon Valley, the startup spirit here is booming. With a tight-knit ecosystem where everyone knows each other, personal connection is all the more important. Follow Ngan or Tam, two outstanding connectors, to get an insider look into the startup world in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s most populous urban area.

I personally went on a triip with Ngan a few months ago and was impressed by the quality of her insider knowledge and of the founders she chose: With a rich experience working in the startup field in Vietnam, she sat down with our group and gave a quick overview of the Vietnamese startup landscape and its characteristics over coffee before taking us on a tour to different offices and meeting the founders at each place. One thing that I personally am grateful for is how open and patient the Vietnamese founders are. You can throw any question at them, no matter how personal, and they will answer most. Coming from the United States where the chance to meet high-profile speakers personally is extremely competitive (since there are so many people who want to do the same thing), I was pleasantly surprised to find myself talking with the heads of well-known startups over coffee for half an hour each. After the tour, Ngan made sure to follow up with her own analysis report of the country’s tech entrepreneurship landscape.

Check out her triip here: https://www.triip.me/ho-chi-minh/start-up-tour-an-adventure-into-start-up-world-of-vietnam-831/

 Also offering the chance to peek into Ho Chi Minh City’s startup world, unlike others, Tam wants to give you the full welcome experience. He takes you to the cultural landmarks, to the food and relaxation massage so he can introduce you to a modern Ho Chi Minh City. This gives you the context of an extremely unique, dynamic and energetic urban area that spurs innovation. He also will show you the tech startup spirit by taking you to Lazada, VC Corp, VNG, Lu Gia Plaza- HCMC’s startup hub, and to GrabTaxi— Southeast Asia’s answer to Uber where he works. With 10 years of experience in the tech field, Tam sure is a valuable guide to all-things- startup related in Vietnam.

For more information regarding Tam’s triip, click here: https://www.triip.me/ho-chi-minh/tech-startup-culture-food-relaxation-8605/

 … AND TO JAKARTA.

  With 42 percent of population falls below 24 years old, Indonesia is one of the most exciting markets for tech entrepreneurship globally. Come on board with Armand as he takes you to visit several startup pioneers and key players in Indonesia over the span of 2 days in Jakarta, the country’s capital. 

Why 2 days? Because he does not compromise quality. His philosophy is “better to take it slow but sure rather than to have everything hurried.” Thus if you take the triip with him, you are sure to be in good hands.

Armand will take you to 2 co-working spaces, a financial technology company—the first and only of its kind in Indonesia certified by Visa’s and Mastercard’s POS Equipment Security Guidelines, a wedding vendor platform, and most excitingly, Go-Jek—Indonesia’s answer to the famous GrabTaxi’s motorcyclist function GrabBike.

Furthermore, Armand is also a local expert on other non-startup related matters. Just ask him about the local culture, the best restaurants, unique attraction spots and places to visit not only in Jakarta, but also around Indonesia and he will be happy to answer.

 See Armand’s triip here: https://www.triip.me/jakarta/startup-tour-jakarta-a-startup-scene-introduction-in-jakarta-12081/

“Claiming only people who were born in Barcelona can create a local visit of Barcelona is irrelevant.”

 At Triip, we like to introduce you to our local guides from all over the world. Today, we meet Aime Coenders, co founder and head tour guide for Gids in Barcelona. While listening to Aimé’s story and testimonials, I realized that I had my own preconceptions of what a local tour guides should be, and I found myself wrong.

With Gids in Barcelona, you can enjoy Barcelona by night, wander in small streets, discover forgotten churches, some hidden places only the locals know. But what is your, my definition of a local? Because I’ll tell you what : Aimé was born in Netherlands

“Two years ago, I finished a master in history in London and started figure out what I wanted to do. Most of the young adults of my age would have a plan when going back to Netherlands, but I had nothing sorted out. One very good friend of mine had this idea of opening a touring agency in Barcelona, that would not bring the travellers to the big tourists highlights, but rather hidden places.”

When asked why Barcelona specifically, Aimé answers: “First, it was commercially interesting tourism has blossomed here, location and weather are perfect. But you know, as a child, I used to travel to south of Spain with my parents. 2000kms in a car, no air con, we would always stop in Barcelona as half way point”.

There, my inner thinking had started. Somewhere in my mind, I realized I had always taken for granted that you had to be born and raised in a city to claim yourself a “local expert” of it. But what if you are from another part of the world, have a special connection with a place and dedicate all your time and energy to wander through every single meter square of it to select the most local, genuine spots?

 “In fact, many “locals” would take you to the biggest touristic attractions, because they believe that is the only reason you came here. Claiming only people who were born in Barcelona can create a local visit of Barcelona is irrelevant. When you spend years doing nothing else but seeking for authentic experiences, study history, gain experience, you can be a “local expert” too.”

As a Dutch guide in Barcelona with a great travel background, Aimé has enough hindsight to realize what is “local” or not. A Sagrada Familia tour on a Segway with 10 other tourists? No. An intimate walk in an hidden district where the inhabitants meet after work? Yes.

 For the moment, 80% of the customers are Dutch or Belgian, but Aime is currently working on the English version of his websites and alreading had non dutch speaking travellers on his side.

Aimé tries not to be too wordy during his tours, he likes to hear the travellers talking about their story too. Besides, he does not want to be the only one talking. During the tapas tour, he would always take the travellers to a Bodega who has been ruled by 4 generations of fathers and sons, and where Pepe and his son David always have a story to tell around Pescatori, Pupo a la Plancha, or Pimentes del Patron.

However, Aimé has many stories and fun facts to share to any traveller eager to hear them.

“In the central Cathedral, you can see living geese in the side cloister. They are dedicated to Santa Eulalia, a martyr of the Roman Times, who was put in a barrel full of knives that was dropped from a hill. There is one goose per year Eulalia lived”.

I am very glad I got to know Aimé, who changed my perception as part of Triip team. As long as you have the passion, the will, the knowledge and the talent to make somebody else love the local life of a city, you are undoubtedly able to share it with travellers from all over the world, as Aimé does everyday.

"Whenever you would come to Philippines, don’t book the hotels, don’t book the tours, don’t bring your money or even clothes, we’ll take care of you! Only your passport is enough."

- Lovely Paul and Heinrich told me when I was taking them on a motorbike tour around Saigon and that made me laugh for a while.

I'm not going to say it is a nice experience. I'm going to tell you it is an irreplaceable experience of my  young days.

3-4 is the number of foreign travelers I’ve been meeting every week these days. Swiss, Croatian, English, Filipino are their nationalities. Fun, kind, knowledgeable are their identities. Seeing the world & sharing their worlds are what they are doing.

I’m a Saigon Lover who is taking foreign travelers around Saigon every week. So when a young student, travelling beginner gangs up with above people, these things happen:

1. English is not a boring subject, it is a connector. It isn’t challenging, it is fun!

I would never thank those English centers I participated in the past for how much money they have earned from me. This real life interaction has been what boosted my English much more effectively.

Listening to different accents and using a diverse vocabulary to describe places and tell stories, English is now like a game.

2. I can find my future host virtually on Couchsurfing, or I can find them now in real life, in Viet Nam.

We make appointments. We make promises. We keep in touch and keep each other updated with the travelling news and situation in our countries. Sure we’ll see each other again and that will be when we’ll switch our roles.

3. What is another way instead of going around the world to approach different cultures? – Talk to the travelers.

Travellers  have a vision of this world. They have lived through places where people, culture, weather, terrain and landscape vary. They understand difference as a nature of human.

- You know what? Comparing to some other Asian countries, Vietnam is much more clean & organized.

- One of the most impressive places I’ve been to is an island in Indonesia. People sleep on the floor, do the farming and planting things in the jungle. Coconut and banana are the only choices for daily meals. I went there and just realized how blessed I am.

Your companion is a library and that library will show you any strange, weird things around the world (or even in your country) that will either make you “Wow”, change your way of thinking or simply widen your horizon.

4. No same places are the same. You think you know much about your country, you actually don’t.

Yes, it happens when you go to same places with different people each time.

- No countries among those 15 ones I’ve visited have their museums closed at 5 pm. And you know what even more surprising for me? The War Remnants Museum I visited yesterday closed during the lunch break! - I do notice in other countries they open their museums until night, but don’t their staff stop working for lunch break, which makes the museum will have to close during the time? - They don’t. And since then I’ve noticed that it is because Vietnam is a Socialist country and that is your way.

- Why are you all driving motorbike? - Because car is too expensive for us. - Comparing to Philippine’s, our average wage is equivalent, so is the price of cars, but we do drive cars much more than motorbike.

Then you’ll realize the way you used to explain things just doesn’t work out fine. Sometimes you just won’t realize it yourself, but a kind foreigner will show you the bigger picture that will challenge how much insightful you are about your motherland.

5. Something called international-friendship is born.

I once told my Swiss companion:

- It is only a few years recently that young Vietnamese people started to travel & discover the world. Parents are usually our biggest problem. They prefer to be in their comfort zone and would like their kids to just do the same thing. 

so he replied: - European children are thrown out to the world since we are in high school. Going to college or not is our decision. I didn’t go to college. I worked and quit my job to travel around. My parents do worry, but they let me live my life.

- Yup, we live our lives no matter how people are often trying to interfere. So we do travel even sometimes it pisses off our parents.

and because I was driving, we didn’t do a high-five.

What stays behind all of these things and matters the most is this friendship you are going to build. You have friends at school, at work, in your neighborhood. But this kind of friend is going to share with you what the others won’t.

He or she can be 40s, working at Google, living in a suburban area & riding horses or coming from the homeland of Rolex and being on his journey exploring the world. You’ll never know.

Is working for Google in real life similar to what we see in that “Internship” movie? Is it easy to quit our jobs and go away from home for 14 months? How is it like to start-up your own venture? This kind of friend who have seen the world quite a lot is going to share with you such kind of wisdom.

I don’t know how taking foreign travelers around the city sounds like to the others. I am young, have not much to lose but a lot to learn. This experience has opened my window to not only the outer world but the inner me, been turning me into a global citizen and making my everyday into new adventures.

Interesting. Fun. And worthwhile. With the right people at this right time of my young days, nothing is possible to substitute the joy & wisdom I have been gifted through this experience,

Kim Trinh, Saigon Lovers

Saigon Lovers is a community of students or young people who are passionate about travelling and enthusiastic for sharing with travellers truly local experiences in the city they are living in - Saigon.

Visit us for a free tour around Saigon.

Ever since Buddhism became the main religion in Vietnam, visiting pagodas weekly, monthly and especially at the very end and beginning of the year has been Vietnamese long-standing custom. Either asking for a sortilege, praying for good luck or resting our relatives’ remains – every single Vietnamese individual always find a good reason to walk in pagodas. It is exciting even for a Catholic like me to burn some incense and pray on every new year eve at my local one.

Since Buddhism has been the brightest color in the picture of religions in Vietnam, getting to know this belief is like touching the most traditionally spiritual part of the country.

So I am not sharing with you  the “Top 3 must-visit pagodas” on Trip Advisor.  We let you travel like a local & thus experience Buddhism like a local Buddhist. These 4 pagodas are the oldest, most original and least touristic ones in Ho Chi Minh City.

It is always good to get off the beaten track!

1. To Dinh Giac Lam Pagoda

(565 Lac Long Quan St., Ward 10, Tan Binh Dis.)

Along the history of 300 aged Buddhism in Vietnam, this 270 year-old pagoda is the “grandfather” of all pagodas in Saigon. It is where Lam Te Tong Zen Buddhism sect was founded and has been nurtured since 1744. From its early days, the pagoda has become a school for monks of the whole Southern Vietnam, where they learn about classics & commandments. It is now a national cultural & historical relic of Vietnam.

Not many pagodas in this overcrowded city has a large precinct, this is one of a few exception. Evergreen space surrounding,  peaceful Buddhist atmosphere, and fresh natural environment - such a place you would not easy to find in this such a hustle & bustle Saigon.

2. Giac Vien Pagoda

( 161/85/20 Lac Long Quan St., Ward 3, Dis. 11)

Just few steps from To Dinh Giac Lam Pagoda, Giac Vien Pagoda is a “grandson” of its ”grandfather” To Dinh Giac Lam Pagoda.

Since 1804, Giac Vien Pagoda has no longer been a wood warehouse but a well-constructed and -decorated pagoda. A century after its construction, the pagoda has been recognized as a national cultural & historical relic of Vietnam. It has been not only a praying place but also a prayer book printing center for Buddhists in Southern Vietnam and a museum of more than 200 Buddhist ancient sculptures. You are going to discover the history of Vietnamese Buddhism through this huge collection of statues & partition.

3. Phung Son Pagoda

(1408 Ba Thang Hai St., Ward 2, Dis. 11)

Now this place is going to take you to some Vietnam traditional folk creed experience.

By putting a  A Linh Son Holy Mother sanctuary is put next to in the same place with an Ong Ta Temple and  beside those To Towers are placed beside, - this pagoda has brought  brings the colors of folk creed of old Southern Vietnamese & Khmer people together in its own place. Every pattern of its architecture, every statue and corner of altars displaying in this pagoda showcases the sense of Vietnamese worshipping custom.

4. Sung Duc Pagoda

(50 Road No. 3, Town No. 6, Truong Tho Ward, Thu Duc Dis.)

With red-lacquered antiques, dozens of ancient statues and scrolls, including and the biggest gemmed statues of Buddha in Vietnam, it is one of the very few pagodas to be recognized as a National Architectural & Cultural Relic.

Think the ancient religion world somehow has been lost, it is actually not. Living through centuries, these pagodas bring to this hustle & bustle city a glimpse of the past days & a touch to Vietnam national religion Buddhism. More than 200 years old, ancient architecture, all wooden furniture, green surroundings and huge collections of valuable antiques. They are themselves history.

Burn an incense stick, pray for your own luck & goodness, ask for some sortilege and take time to rest your soul like a local Buddhist. We do need to slow down some time and when it came to me, I didn’t only find peace at these pagodas, but also the lost soulful spirit that could not be found at those modern ones.

Kim Trinh, Saigon Lovers

Saigon Lovers is a community of students or young people who are passionate about travelling and enthusiastic for sharing with travellers truly local experiences in the city they are living in - Saigon.

Visit us if you would like a free tour around Saigon.

We handpick travel experts around the world whose projects and tours are meaningfull and truly local to us. We like to let our travellers meet these experts and therefore have decided to hold interviews with them on our blog. Recently, we featured a new Triip in Taiwan from Topology : the Sweet Potatoe Mama Tour. It was designed by Topology, who developped a whole category of tours called “live as a local” tours.

“They are for our customers that want to have a very deep and authentic approach to the Taiwanese way of life”. This is why Topology designed the Sweet Potato Mama Project tour.

Many single mothers in Taiwan, whose husbands died or are in jail, live in dreadful conditions and sometimes happen to commit suicide. Topology decided to feature one of their tour with a fondation that provides these mother with machines, hoven, oil and sweet potatoes so they can start their own culinary business. The traveller would give 33$ that would be sent to the fondation, and be taught how to cook with a sweet potato mama. He would also learn the Chinese vocabulary to help them selling in the streets. It is a very educative activity that lets the travellers interact with Chinese people.

In this interview, we meet Allan who  let us know a bit more about his compagny, and the beautiful stories that hide behind it. Meet Allan!

Hi Allan, could you tell me what « Topology » stands for?

Oh this is a little bit tricky to explain. Topology is a scientific term, the studies of spatial relations. But in the beginning, our founder Peter named it after “tuo po” (拓樸). It is the Chinese name for the process of “polishing” jade, to turn it from a stone into a true jewel.

So Peter is the founder?

Yes he is! Four years ago, Peter noticed that Taiwan was not such a popular destination among westerners, and therefore introduced the 1st free walking tour of Taipei, rather targeting students and backpackers. But it was hard to make a living out of it. He started to expand tours, uploaded videos on Youtube that gave him visibility. It is how I got to know Topology and decided to join. 

Slowly, family groups started to book our tours that we customized according to their preferences and needs : DIY activities, fruit picking for children…

Who are the guides?

Very often, they are retired locals who used to have an English-speaking job (and therefore can interact very easily with foreigners) and… who are looking for some action! Many of them want to occupy their days and make friends with foreigners. That explains why most of the feedbacks we have from our travellers is that their guide was extremely friendly and ended up being like a relatives with them more than a tour guide.

They also have some policies they must respect: they should not take the travellers do some shopping and pick them up afterwards, unless the travellers ask to.

Is there a special story you would like to share with us ?

One of our particularities is that we help people with Taiwanese roots to find the track of their family’s history through a customized tour. A couple of years ago, we were reached by an old American couple, around 70yo. The husband used to be a US soldier in Taiwan in the 50s/60s, and a baby-sitter was in charge of their young son. After 45 years, they wanted to find her back. It was a very challenging mission, we only had one photo and the pinyin name. We tried our best, reached the government, the media… We had a report on TV news about our quest. We could not find her, but managed to relocate their former house and organise a visit with the owner. The whole story was edited in the local newspaper. They brought back an edition, framed it and brought it back to America! 

You can book the Sweet Potatoe Mama Project tour from our platform directly here :

https://www.triip.me/taipei/sweet-potato-mama-volunteer-tour-8663/

21, June 2015- By Nico Jannasch

After writing this article I spoke with the founder of Triip, a company that empowers locals to become tour guides! I thought it was so cool and relevant to this post that I had to mention it.

If you want to have 'unique' experiences while traveling, you need to do something unique.

If your idea of an exciting trip to Asia is visiting the big pagodas so that you can take your picture and prove you were there, then by all means do it. Pay your entrance fee and the 'cultural experience' will probably also include an gift shop where you can buy your Made In China (but somehow authentic) bracelets.

Me? I'll choose something more out of the ordinary.

Last week I found myself in Hue, Vietnam. I was on an 'open' bus ticket down the coast, and I'd decided to stay here for a couple days.

When I arrived I rented a motorcycle and blazed my way to the beach. The white sands were beautiful and the water was warm, but what really caught my attention where the two 40 foot fishing trawlers parked about 200 meters offshore.

Man, I just had to get out there.

"Who's on those ships?" I wondered.

The typical thing to do would have been to put it out of mind but I decided to board those vessels. The boats are far out in the bay and as my motorcycle would be useless for that final stretch of the journey the situation seemed hopeless.

This is the point where I made the decision most people wouldn't have made.

The coastline was littered with upturned rowboats owned by the locals. An oar lay inside one of the bigger vessels, and with it I dragged one of the smaller hulls towards the ocean. The journey to the big blue fishing boats ensued.

Once within 20 feet of the ships, a man popped out of a window, shouted, and motioned for me to lash up my little cruiser to the rope he was holding.

After tying up, I hopped on board to discover a rowdy group of pirates just finishing lunch. They threw some extra crabs in the boiler for me, we cracked open a few beers, and one of them took my phone to snap some memorabilia.

After 3 crabs, 2 beers, and many shouts of 'Cheers' and 'Finish it!' in Vietnamese, I shimmied back down to my own boat, waved goodbye, and paddled to shore.

Upon approaching the drag marks I had left in the sand 30 minutes earlier, it was apparent that a not-too-happy man with a stern expression was curious to know where his boat had gone.

Maybe he saw that I hadn't meant any harm or many it was that I comically fell out of the boat as I approached the shore, but he smiled after a few heartfelt 'Thank You's' in Vietnamese and we parted ways.

--==--

I had a similar experience in Hoi An, when once again I chose to avoid the main tourist traps in exchange for a slightly different experience.

Once again mounted on a motorcycle, I drove out into the rice paddies that lined the highway as far as the eye can see. Dismounting and walking into the middle of a paddy, I approached a group of women who were working.

They laughed when they saw me, and again when I picked up one of their tools.

Upon giving the universal 'Can I help?' body language, they nodded. I removed my shoes and plopped into the mud. One of the main duties in the rice field is to use a long 'hoe' like tool with prongs to pick up individual rice stalks and move them to less filled areas of the field. This was my job, and I did okay with 1 hour of training.

When the heat of the day was upon us, the women stopped working and I went on my way with one more unique Vietnamese experience under my belt.

--==--

You don't get much more off the beaten trail than these two experiences. By doing something a little out of the ordinary I got away from the inauthentic tourist traps and shared experiences that are far out of the realm of a 'typical' trip to Vietnam.

After visiting the exceptionally touristy Ha Long Bay tours (UNESCO heritage site) where we were herded onto boats like cattle and had worthless knick-knacks waved in our faces the whole way, I knew which experiences I found to be the most enjoyable.

Vietnam unilateral visa exemption for travelers to Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Spain !

Yesterday June 17th, the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam signed a brand new resolution: From the 1st of July this year, travelers from 14 european countries, including Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Spain, will enjoy visa exemption for Vietnam for stays of 15 days and under.

"This is one of the new policies, one of the steps of the Government of Vietnam to create favorable conditions for tourism development. This is one of the policies that we have persistently suggested during the last few years, so this is great news for the tourism industry in Vietnam "- Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, head of Vietnamese National Administration of tourism, said.

Vietnamese and international representatives showed high agreement with this new policy. Talking to Infonet, Tran Chi Cuong, Vice of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Danang explained: “This is great news for Da Nang tourism in particular, and something the whole country had long awaited”.

This decision is meant to attract more tourists, especially from the five countries mentioned. It is also likely to elvolve to help increase market activity of Vietnam tourism businesses. “Currently, Vietnam’s neighbours such as Thailand and Malaysia have visa exemptions for 30 to 40 countries. It brings them growth, plus a huge number of tourists! "- Mr. Tran Chi Cuong said.

According to him, visa exemptions for Japan and Korea already proved very efficient in the past years, enabling a raise of passenger traffic and the opening of more flights from Danang International Airport.

Here is the exhaustive list of the lucky countries :

Brunei for 14 days.

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Italia, Russia, Japan, South Korea for 15 days.

Philippine for 21 days.

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore for 30 days

Is your country in the list? 

It is time to pay a visit to the world’s biggest cave: Son Doong and enjoy truly local experiences with Triip 

This month, we are very happy to introduce a proud local expert from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam- Dang Tran who would share his stories to all friends around the globe on Triip.me 

Dang Tran has just joined Triip.me recently as a local expert in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. He has crafted some experiences which are what he loves to do and share with friends and got requests, bookings, and reviews from travellers.

Here’s what he said on his triip's profile: “ My friends on facebook hate me due to my pictures from my trips. Because I'm not the one who prefer a "salon"trip with early buses, nice hotels or resorts and visit landscapes for fun. I choose a trip in very different way, sleep on the beach at a wild island where I just jump into the crystal clear water to enjoy the heaven of coral. I could find myself when I stayed with locals, inspired me about life and their stories bring me to another fantasy land. Currently, I'm an officer, working for a bank. But my dream is travel with 5$/day to Paris, where I could propose my girlfriend in romantic :)) Crazy? Yes, that's me, somehow!”

Some photos of Dang Tran and Travellers: Kevin, Kathy who booked his experiences on triip.me.

Dang Tran, His friend and Kevin

With Kathy

Kevin

“Dang Tran loves to bring smiles and happiness to all travellers around the globe. “

Thanks so much Dang Tran for being our local expert and delivery wonderful experiences and happiness to friends around the globe.

For more information about Dang’s experiences/tours on triip.me, pls visit: 

https://www.triip.me/users/5892/profile/ 

How to become a local when traveling?

We hear it all the time in travel advice: do what the locals do. Acting like a native in a new city means behaving like it was your home. While learning the language and customs is important, it's also about going where the locals go. It's a fantastic advice, but if you're in an unfamiliar city, it's a lot easier said than done. What it really means is ditching the travel guide, and hitting up all those "hidden gems" within a city.

On May 21st, Triipmeet@Saigon 3rd was featuring Joe Ruelle and Rosemary with their stories on how they have been enjoying Vietnam like the locals.

Rosemary, a corporate interior designer with over 25 years of experience in London and has worked all over the world, decided to move in Saigon 5 years ago. She has been traveling back and forth to Vietnam since 1994 and watching the country change dramatically.

"It's not easy for an expat to get where only the locals know. You have to be very creative sourcing style in furniture and fashion in Saigon. You have to explore to find interesting things and ask a lot of questions" said Rosemary. A year ago, she started Saigon city treasure hunts, a lifestyle, art & design tour as a way to help people discover hidden treasures, places of interest and fun venues, exposes them to feel more confident and creative exploring the city through an expats eyes. With expert knowledge, she would not take people to the typical high street shops or the big name brands that everybody knows but the best local designer boutiques and fashion houses, experiencing the best of Vietnam’s style and creativity that she has spent almost 5 years to discover. She has been guiding and showing ideas of what to buy, what you can do with items and how to put things together. Even she can give all the Treasure Hunters an insight into bargaining and how to explore without fear of going into some strange and wonderful doors, streets and markets.

Joe Ruelle, a famous Canadian author of two top-selling books written in Vietnamese. He has also hosted various television shows and maintains a regular column. After spending a time living in Japan in 2014, Joe come back to Vietnam, and work for- Hotel Quickly beside his writing career.

It was a joyful and great time when listening to Joe's experience- his 4 days on bike travelling to Northern Vietnam from Ha Noi to Ba Vi, to Ha Giang. A wonderful sharing from a man understand Vietnam deeply- always curious about things and always keep asking. It even remind Vietnamese people how wonderful the country is in term of Travel, History, Culture, People, and also spend more time to understand Vietnam. A question about " Lợn Tên Lửa"- " Rocket Pig"- is still waiting for us to answer.

We would like to thanks Joe Ruelle and Rosemary for sharing their journey. We would also like to thank nest by AIA and Uber, Carewithlove for sponsoring us.

Don't forget! Triip will be hosting the next TriipMeet. Be sure to follow Triip for the new stories and support your fellows as they could share their travel stories by giving us a reference or email us at [email protected].

By Travolution.co.uk 

Start-up sharing site Triip.me, based in Vietnam, won the first World Tourism Forum Innovation Award.

Triip.me offers local tours and experiences in destinations in southeast Asia, bringing the Airbnb idea to tours and tour guides. It aims to expand globally.

Founder Hai Ho said: “There is no standard database for tours, no standard system and no easy way to book a local experience. We help travellers book local experiences easily and allow locals to share and preserve their culture. We have about 6,600 local experiences and about 6,000 users [to date].”

The site is based in Ho Chi Minh City. It takes 10% commission on each transaction and has a staff of six.

Hai Ho collected the $10,000 first prize at the forum on what was his first trip to Europe. Fellow finalists Kelly Garofalo, co-founder of US-based World Connect, and Annie Beaulieu, founder of Canadian-based Freedom, each won $5,000.

The award was judged by a panel including British Hospitality Association chief executive Ufi Ibrahim and Pacific Asia Travel Association chief executive Mario Hardy.