How it started
In 2012 a group of Hanoi students wanted more English practice than a classroom could give them. Their solution was to offer visitors a free walk around the city. It worked in both directions: the students spoke English every weekend, and travellers got a version of Hanoi that no guidebook prints.
The club has kept that double purpose ever since. We are not a travel agency with a charitable side project. We are a student organisation whose main activity happens to be showing people around a thousand-year-old city.
Where we are now
- Thousands of tours completed every year, with guests from more than 80 countries and territories.
- Five main tour themes covering culture, history, architecture and Hanoi cuisine.
- Hundreds of new members recruited each year to keep up with demand.
- Regular side activities: trainings, museum visits, meet-ups and club events.
How the club is organised
Running a hundred volunteers takes more structure than most people expect from a student club.
| Part of the club | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sponsors | Asia Group Tour Company and Vietnam Package Travel Company cover the club's running costs, provide professional support and maintain the website. |
| Club management | Runs day-to-day operations, assigns guides and keeps the tour calendar. |
| Communications board | Handles the club's public face, from social media to guest enquiries. |
| Event committee | Organises the club's annual activities and internal events. |
| Members | More than a hundred students who guide the tours and represent Hanoi to visitors. |
What our members actually do
Two things, in roughly equal measure.
Guiding free tours
- Culture: the Old Quarter, the French Quarter, the Temple of Literature.
- History: the Ho Chi Minh Complex, the Military History Museum, Hoa Lo Prison.
- Food: Hanoi street food, in the evening, on foot.
Learning
Every tour is an English lesson with real stakes. Between tours there are trainings, member meetings and practice sessions, which is why guides who have been with us a year sound very different from the ones who joined last month.
Joining as a member
We recruit two to three times a year, mainly among students living in Hanoi. We look for enthusiasm, a willingness to learn and a schedule flexible enough to take a tour on a weekday morning. Previous guiding experience is not required — the training exists for that.
Recruitment rounds are announced on our Facebook page. If you are studying in Hanoi and this sounds like your kind of weekend, watch for the announcement.