Backpacker is no longer a strange phrase in recent times. Sometimes this phrase is used to label people with bad behavior in tourism. But 28 years ago in 1994, there was a man on a motorbike traveling from Asia to Europe and bringing good values ​​to community tourism.

A tall, thin man with a dark face and dirty shoes got off his BMW F800 GS. Nguyen Anh Tuan (50 years old, Hanoi) has been driving motorbikes through many routes across Indochina and organizing tours for international tourists to experience "backpacking" from Vietnam to Europe for the past 28 years. Now, he has decided to choose Dien Bien as the next place to develop community tourism.

You have spent more than 28 years “backpacking” through many countries and organizing tours for tourists to experience. What inspired you to start your journey in tourism?

I officially started my career in the tourism industry in 1994. At that time, tourism was just starting out and international travel was still new. My first job was as a receptionist for a small hotel on Dinh Liet Street. At that time, I and 6 French guests, the whole group rented a car from Minsk for our first trip to the Northwest. In 1996, we opened the travel agency MotoTour Asia.

I like to do difficult tours and was also one of the first people to guide tourists across the country in Vietnam. The first tour in 1998 went from Hanoi to Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, taking 21 days. Each trip tried to go to every nook and cranny of the villages in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. At that time, we only had paper maps, so we asked for directions and asked to stay at local people's houses. The ethnic people were also very lovely, they gave us food and lodging but absolutely did not charge us money. *laughs*

What international programs have you organized? And how has the service changed?

In 2007, I switched from Minsk to Honda 150. In 2013, I started using Royal Enfield. And in 2018, I switched to BMW. Businesses also have to constantly listen to customer needs and change to be more suitable.

In 2016, I organized the first trip from Hanoi to Tibet, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, then to Eastern European countries through the Alps, France, Spain and ending in Portugal. In early 2020, I also led a tour from Vietnam to Thailand, Myanmar, then Turkey to Milan. The COVID-19 pandemic hit, and it can be said that this was the most difficult time in my career. Currently, I choose Dien Bien as the place to develop community tourism to attract international visitors to Vietnam.

Clip of the journey to Dien Bien:

In your opinion, how is motorbike touring different from other forms? What preparations are needed to start a motorbike trip?

When traveling by car, I can’t fully feel the natural air outside, just looking at everything through the window. When traveling by motorbike, I can be proactive, truly blend in with nature, and connect with the community.

When starting the trip, the convoy must prepare enough technical vehicles, chefs, and doctors to serve customers best. I do community tourism, training local people to provide services, cook, and guide tours to introduce beautiful landscapes at each destination. Tourists who enjoy attentive service are very satisfied. When they come to our country, they also want to experience and learn about local culture rather than resort services.

Some sharing from Mr. Tuan to young people who love to "travel"

Where were the first places you did community-based tourism?

Mai Chau is the first place I did community tourism. Tourists have now abandoned Lac and Pom Coong villages. These two villages used to be very well developed, with a large number of international tourists. But now they have built multi-storey houses, motels, and luxury hotels. They have lost their original identity.

During the two years of the pandemic, I spent all my time researching Dien Bien. People often think of Dien Bien with the Campaign Command Headquarters, Octagonal Bunker… But they don’t know that the nature is very majestic.

What difficulties have you encountered when working with the community in Dien Bien?

The first is to convince individuals to join us. They join hands to renovate houses, rebuild toilets and bathrooms with local materials such as bamboo, wood and stone. The facilities must also meet the standards to welcome tourists.

The second is how to build a common culture. It is necessary to mobilize all people to have cultural standards of behavior, not to use herbicides, not to use plastic bags and to comply with the garbage collection and classification system.

Thirdly, many people have lost faith in the tourism company. People are afraid that after renovating their houses, tourists will not come because there are many "pie in the sky" projects. We have to gradually convince them. Earlier this year, I brought 5,000 tourists to Dien Bien and now they trust me more.

What do you think about the tourism industry now after the difficult time due to the Covid19 pandemic?

Nowadays, tourism is very competitive due to the internet and the flat world. In the past, tourism was not popular, but now it is more commercialized, anyone can do tourism. But after the pandemic, those who still stay in the tourism industry until now are doing it out of passion. Passion for traveling the roads, bringing the best experiences to customers.

Some of his shares about the happiness of people working in tourism

Thank you very much.