Travel like someone who lives here.
Vietnam’s leading platform for authentic local experiences
The Origin Story
From a personal journey to a mission for Vietnam
Nguyễn Tiến Huy (Huy Pencil) is not just a brand and technology strategist - he is also a traveler who has set foot in 25 countries, constantly seeking the most authentic local cultural experiences at every destination. In 2011, Huy organized The Road photo exhibition - a portrait collection of the local people he met across Asia.
Every photograph is a story - that was the moment Huy realized: the true value of tourism lies not in scenic attractions, but in the people.
The question that followed him for years: Why does Vietnam - with its cultural depth, regional diversity, and famous hospitality - have a much lower international tourist return rate compared to many other countries? The answer is not a lack of beautiful scenery or hotels. The answer is: tourists have not had the opportunity to genuinely connect with the people and life of the places they visit. They take photos, check in, and leave. They have not truly lived there.
Localis was born from the belief that every Vietnamese person is already living an experience that someone would cross the world to join.
What is Localis?
Localis.vn is a platform that connects travelers with cultural, culinary, and everyday-life experiences designed and led by Vietnamese people themselves. We believe the soul of Vietnam is best discovered through its people — their craft, their stories, and the way they live.
"Localis" - The title for local experience leaders
On the Localis.vn platform, experience leaders are called localis. They are artisans, artists, chefs, farmers, cultural researchers, and local guides — people who transform their daily lives into meaningful experiences for travelers. Every localis is a cultural ambassador of their homeland.
We don’t sell trips. We open doors.
Localis empowers Vietnamese people to tell their own stories. We create a space where travelers can meet the real Vietnam — not through checklists of attractions, but through genuine human connection.
Vision
To become Vietnam's leading platform supporting sustainable tourism development - where technology, strategic consulting, and marketing communications co-create value for the tourism industry.
Mission
Connecting travelers with authentic local experiences while creating sustainable livelihoods for local communities through tourism. Localis helps every Vietnamese person transform their daily life into an economically valuable tourism product.
Core Value
Locality
Every experience must be rooted in local culture, people, and stories.
Empowerment
Localis (experience leader) is the center - the platform serves them, not the other way around.
Sustainability
Tourism must bring long-term value to the community, avoiding short-term exploitation.
Quality
7-Criteria moderation system: Ensuring every experience lives up to expectations.
What We Do
Three Pillars of Value Creation
1. Technology Platform
- A marketplace connecting travelers directly with localis (experience leaders).
- The platform provides comprehensive tools for localis (listing experiences, managing bookings, receiving payments) and for travelers (discovering, booking, reviewing).
- Multi-layered AI integration: personalized suggestions for travelers, listing optimization support for localis, and insights for Destination Management Organizations (DMOs).
2. Tourism Development Consulting
The Localis team accompanies local authorities, tourism management boards, and residential communities in three main consulting areas:
- Sustainable tourism destination brand strategy consulting: Building the positioning, identity, and tourism product ecosystem for destinations.
- ESG reporting consulting: Assisting businesses and localities in measuring and reporting the environmental, social, and governance impacts of tourism activities.
- Destination marketing campaign execution consulting: Designing and operating multi-channel tourism marketing campaigns, from planning to execution.
3. Tourism Media and Marketing
With a foundation from Pencil Group - an entity with two decades of experience in strategic communications - Localis implements multi-channel tourism marketing campaigns, User-Generated Content (UGC) creation, destination branding, and international media connections to bring Vietnamese experiences closer to global travelers.
Strategic Experience
5 Strategic Experience Categories of Localis
01 Arts & Culture
Partnering with creative cultural spaces across Vietnam - from galleries and contemporary art studios to community creative hubs. Travelers experience art as a part of life, not just looking from the outside in.
02 Culinary
Alongside chefs, restaurant owners, and culinary artisans - the keepers of family recipes and regional flavors. From family cooking classes to food tours led by locals themselves.
03 Craft Village
Alongside artisans and the succeeding younger generation - those preserving and renewing traditional crafts like ceramics, silk, lacquer, and bronze casting. Travelers get hands-on practice and bring home their own creations.
04 Community Village
Community-based tourism experiences in ethnic minority villages and rural areas - where travelers live alongside locals, participate in daily activities, and understand the culture from the inside.
05 Cultural Research
Alongside cultural researchers, ethnologists, and historians - who can guide travelers deep into the hidden layers of meaning behind familiar destinations.
Founding Team
A combination of strategy, technology, and tourism marketing
Nguyễn Tiến Huy
FOUNDER & CEO LOCALIS
Nguyễn Kim Ánh
CO-FOUNDER & COO LOCALIS
About Pencil Group
A solid foundation for a major goal
Localis.vn is a strategic product of Pencil Group - an entity operating at the intersection of technology, media, and sustainable development. With two decades of experience in brand consulting, digital strategy, and technology platform development, Pencil Group brings Localis a combination of creative thinking and execution capabilities.
The core strengths of Pencil Group - from brand strategy and technology development to multi-channel communications - are the very pillars Localis needs to fulfill its mission.
Localis is not a startup beginning from scratch, but the crystallization of capabilities proven through numerous national and international scale projects.