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About Local Vietnam - A Local & Specialized Vietnam Travel Agency
Who We Are
Local Vietnam is a locally based travel agency and tour operator that creates authentic travel experiences across Vietnam. We combine local knowledge with Western travel experience to design tours that are personal, realistic, and well-organized.
Unlike most online agencies that resell the same standard tours, we craft and operate our own — built from years of travel across every corner of the country. Our base in Vietnam allows us to work directly with local guides, drivers, and small accommodations, while our international background helps us understand exactly what travelers expect in comfort, safety, and flexibility.
The result is a unique blend: tours designed with real local insight and run with international quality standards.
Our Story
Local Vietnam began more than ten years ago as a small personal project by Nhung, from Vietnam, and Marnick, from the Netherlands. At first, it was a simple travel blog — sharing honest advice about Vietnam and helping local travelers explore the world. Over time, the focus shifted to helping international travelers experience Vietnam in a more authentic way.
After years of traveling together through over fifty countries across six continents, we noticed that many tours in Vietnam felt repetitive — focused only on famous highlights, often rushed and impersonal. We knew Vietnam could offer more.
So we started designing our own tours: unique routes, authentic activities, and meaningful local encounters. What began as a blog slowly evolved into a full travel agency, then a tour operator, and now also a creator of boutique lodges — all sharing one purpose: to bring travelers closer to the real Vietnam.
Our Philosophy: Real, Local, and Responsible Travel
We believe travel should feel genuine. That means connecting with real people, enjoying the beauty of nature without damaging it, and seeing famous places in a more personal way.
Our approach is simple:
Yes — to local markets, minority villages, homestays, trekking through rice fields, and cultural discovery.
No — to mass tourism, packed buses, and staged experiences that make every trip look the same.
Local Vietnam is built on honesty and expertise. We don’t oversell; we tell the truth. If a destination is crowded or less special, we’ll say so — because travelers deserve realistic information and well-crafted experiences, not marketing slogans.
Our tours are small-scale and mostly private, combining comfort with authenticity. By working directly with local families, guides, and small accommodations — including our own lodges — we create intimate journeys that feel personal, not commercial.
What We Offer
Local Vietnam offers more than just tours — we create personal travel experiences designed from deep local knowledge and firsthand exploration.
Every itinerary is hand-built, not copied. We design routes that connect Vietnam’s highlights with lesser-known places, ensuring each trip feels balanced, authentic, and enjoyable. Our focus is on private and small-scale travel, where flexibility and genuine interaction matter more than rushing through a checklist.
We work directly with our own network of guides, drivers, and family-run accommodations to guarantee quality and consistency. From scenic motorbike adventures in Ha Giang to peaceful boat rides in the Mekong Delta or cultural walks in Hanoi, every tour reflects our core values: authenticity, honesty, and care for both travelers and locals.
By operating our own tours and developing our own lodges, we can offer something rare in Vietnam’s travel scene — complete experiences that are truly designed, operated, and hosted by us.
Responsible Travel
Tourism has the power to support communities — but only when it’s done the right way. Local Vietnam aims to make every journey sustainable, fair, and respectful.
We prioritize small-scale tourism that benefits local people directly. Many of our guides come from ethnic minority groups; many homestays and lodges we use are locally owned. By choosing these partnerships, your travel spending stays in the region and helps preserve local traditions.
We also work to reduce the environmental footprint of our tours. We avoid activities that harm wildlife or the environment, promote responsible waste management, and continuously seek new ways to operate more sustainably.
Responsible travel isn’t a marketing term for us — it’s part of how we design and run every experience in Vietnam.
Meet the Founders
Nhung Phung and Marnick Schoonderwoerd are the founders of Local Vietnam — partners in both life and travel.
Nhung was born and raised in Vietnam and brings deep cultural understanding, strong local connections, and the ability to make things happen anywhere in the country. She manages local operations, works closely with guides and communities, and ensures every trip runs smoothly.
Marnick, originally from the Netherlands, has lived in Vietnam for over ten years. Having traveled through more than fifty countries, he combines global travel experience with an honest, realistic view of Vietnam’s tourism industry. His focus is on designing meaningful tours, improving quality, and developing new local projects such as Aya Lodges by Local Vietnam.
Together, they share one vision: to create authentic, well-organized, and sustainable travel experiences that show Vietnam through local eyes — and make every journey personal and memorable.