Exploring beyond the tourist trail
QuangOneTrip
Quang — OneTrip
📍Hanoi, Vietnam
Quang believes some of Vietnam’s most meaningful stories are found outside its usual tourist landmarks.Trained as a materials engineer, Quang was drawn instead to storytelling. He was inspired by his grandfather, a war veteran whose memories shaped the way he understood Hanoi’s history.Today, through his Airbnb Experience, Quang brings guests into lesser-known neighbourhoods such as Chợ Giời and Khâm Thiên, where local history, everyday life, and small businesses come together in ways many visitors would never discover on their own.
Check out Quang’s Experience in Hanoi
For me, it is very meaningful to act as a connector between guests and locals. We can create something meaningful that helps guests understand local life from a different perspective.
Sharing the Hanoi many visitors miss
Quang first started hosting food tours in Hanoi, but soon realised that many visitors knew little about Vietnam’s history, especially from the lens of a local. That inspired him and his team to create experiences that help guests understand Vietnam through personal memories, local voices, and the everyday places shaped by history.For many guests, the experience becomes a rare chance to see Hanoi through the people who live there, including veterans, shop owners, café operators, and residents who still carry these stories with them.
Guests often thank us for helping them understand the local perspective. Many veterans and their families return to Vietnam, and they are happy to see how the country has developed.
Bringing visitors into overlooked neighbourhoods
Bringing visitors into overlooked neighbourhoods
Two of the places Quang brings guests to are Chợ Giời and Khâm Thiên.Chợ Giời was once an important trading area during and after the war, before becoming known as a second-hand market during Vietnam’s planned economy period. For years, it was also misunderstood as a place visitors should avoid.Khâm Thiên carries a different history. The neighbourhood was heavily impacted during the Christmas bombing in 1972. Today, the area has been rebuilt, with a monument where locals continue to remember those who were lost.Through his Experience, Quang helps visitors see these places with more care, context, and respect.
These are stories rarely seen in traditional tours. We take guests to these lesser-known neighbourhoods and areas to help them understand more about local life.
Unlocking a hidden local economy
Quang’s Experience supports a small but meaningful local value chain.A typical tour begins at a neighbourhood coffee shop, continues through Chợ Giời, includes a short taxi ride to Khâm Thiên, and ends at Train Street with another local coffee stop.Along the way, guests spend time with small businesses that are often outside the usual tourism routes, including a veteran-run bia hơi stall where beer is kept affordable so other veterans can still enjoy it every day.
We directly support several local people and small businesses. Since we started this tour, we have become one of the main sources of customers for Café 24 and the coffee shops on Train Street.
Creating connection
For Quang, the real value of tourism is seen in the moments of connection between guests and locals. When he first brought visitors into these neighbourhoods, many residents were surprised. Some asked where the guests came from, whether they liked Vietnam, and why they were not visiting more famous places like the Opera House or Old Quarter. Elderly residents would shake hands with guests, happy to welcome visitors into places where tourists rarely went. Small shops added a few more seats and tables, but kept their character and way of life.
These shop owners are very happy to welcome visitors, show them where they live, and share a good laugh together.
Supporting Vietnam’s tourism future
Quang sees experiences like his as part of Vietnam’s tourism future, especially for communities that may not benefit from mass tourism.By bringing visitors into lesser-known neighbourhoods, Airbnb Experiences can help spread the economic benefits of tourism to small businesses, local guides, informal vendors, and communities with stories to share.For Quang, this is how tourism can grow in a more local and meaningful way, by helping guests understand Vietnam through its people while creating income for the small businesses that keep these neighbourhoods alive.
We connect guests and locals through meaningful stories, helping people understand everyday life in Vietnam from a different perspective while supporting local communities.