Trần Văn Hiện – Nam Định – 1986 – 18 years of experience

Since I was a teenage boy, I’ve always loved traveling. This passion led me to pursue a degree in tourism, and after four years, the industry naturally became my career. During my university years, I worked various jobs (waiter, salesman, even shoeshine boy) to pay for my studies, but I never stopped dreaming of becoming a tour guide. These experiences, though seemingly unrelated to tourism, taught me the essential qualities of a service provider.

My first tour as a guide was with a group from Thai Binh General Hospital to Hue. As I shared stories about the ups and downs of the Nguyen dynasty, the golden age of Vietnam under the last feudal dynasty, and the twists and turns of history, the visitors were captivated and fascinated and developed a deep appreciation for our nation’s history. That’s the joy of being a tour guide—connecting modern Vietnamese to the generations that came before.

Many people think a tour is like a play where the guide repeats the same lines. But for me, it’s a continuous journey of discovery, creativity, and innovation. A guest can travel with me ten times on the same tour without feeling bored or like it’s repetitive. With each trip, I present historical stories from a different perspective and angle. Some stories I learn from historical documents, others from the people who lived through history – veterans, and senior citizens. They are living witnesses, a part of history themselves.

Guests often describe me as enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and genuine. If you’re open-minded, not afraid of a little discomfort, and willing to engage with locals personally, you won’t regret traveling with me.