Two Expats Become Tour Guides in Vietnam

Liam Gordon and Sarah James came to Hanoi in 2023. They planned to stay for a short time, but the people were very friendly. So, they decided to stay.

They made a website to help travelers. They wanted to share their experiences with others.

They built the website six months after they arrived.

At first, they posted on Instagram for their friends and family. But strangers started asking them for travel advice.

They saw that many travel websites had too many ads. They wanted to give honest advice to travelers.

Liam says, 'When you come to Vietnam, you'll see that it's a great place.'

He says Vietnam is safe and has many exciting things to do.

Liam eats Vietnamese food at a restaurant.

Liam and Sarah have a rule to find good food. They call it the '40:1 rule'.

If a restaurant is full of locals, it's a good sign. There should be 40 locals for every one foreigner.

They found a great noodle shop in Da Nang using this rule. They also found a good restaurant in Hanoi.

They say the '40:1 rule' always works.

Vietnamese food is fresh and has many flavors. There are many different types of food in different regions.

Many people ask them for travel advice. They get 8,600 messages every week. Liam made a tool to sort the messages.

Liam also made a feature to help users find information from videos.

They make free travel plans for visitors.

Sarah wants to help travelers love Vietnam like she does.

Liam and Sarah explore the Mekong Delta.

Liam first came to Vietnam in 2017. He loved the food and the friendly people. He wanted to live in Vietnam.

But he had to stay in Britain for work. He met Sarah in 2020.

They became close during the Covid lockdowns. In 2023, they decided to spend a year in Hanoi.

The first few months were hard. It was hard to find an apartment and open a bank account.

The pace of life was different. The traffic was overwhelming.

But the people were very friendly. They never thought about leaving.

One time, their motorbike broke down in the rain. A Vietnamese man helped them, even though they couldn't speak the language.

He used a translation app to explain the problem to the mechanic.

The kindness of the people changed their plans. They decided to stay and help visitors.

They loved the daily life in Hanoi. They loved the street food and the friendly neighbors.

They decided to stay and help travelers find the real Vietnam.

Sarah says, 'When you connect with the people here, you'll understand why visitors love this country.'

Many travelers send them messages after they go home.

One message said, 'Thanks to your tips, our trip was amazing. Thank you for answering our questions.'

Liam says, 'Those messages are the best reward we could ask for.'

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