Hidden Saigon is a new tour that takes you down hidden alleyways and into long forgotten buildings. Delve deeper into the everyday life of the Saigonese people. Hear their personal stories, taste their food and see the work of those living, working and creating in modern Saigon.
These intimate tours give you a glimpse into those stories that form Saigon
What Is It?
They are all storytellers creating their own personal history every day. These intimate tours give you a glimpse into those stories that form Saigon. You will meet and talk with local residents, street food vendors, artists, artisans, and culture makers.
Hidden Saigon’s intimate tours explore different areas outside of the city centre. This is an experience for those who want to go beyond the typical sites and hear stories different to the usual war narrative. Learn more about modern Saigon, what inspires people, what struggles they face and how they work to overcome them.
What Will You Experience?
Hidden Saigon’s tours will drop you into vintage apartment building complexes, homes, and shops. You will meet the local residents, explore their homes, their workplaces and hear more about their lives, the neighbourhood, the work they do and the building’s history. You will visit a culture-maker’s workspace (artist, dancer, musician, artisan) where you will meet the artist, learn about their work, their creative process and what it’s like working in the creative industry in modern Vietnam. All along the way you will be stopping and sampling delicious, unique Vietnamese street food from local eateries and markets that you may never knew existed.
How Hidden Saigon Came to Form
“You should do a tour of hip Saigon.” These words were constantly re-iterated to Linh Phan by visitors and friends alike. Each time, Linh brushed it aside, instead focusing on her film and community work. Then in 2018, while scouting locations for a UK feature film, meeting and talking to the local residents and street café owners, those words came rushing back.
Seeing the joyful reaction of the UK team as they went to the locations and talked to the local residents, the idea of Hidden Saigon started to form. What if she could introduce the hidden side and hidden stories of Saigon to people visiting? This concept aligned with the storytelling work and projects showcasing a different side of Vietnam that Linh had been doing over the few past years and Hidden Saigon was born.
Cost
The standard cost for a half-day tour is VND2 million (US$86) per person. Included in the fee is transportation during the tour, food and drinks, tour guide, translator and goodie bag. (Surcharge for groups 1-3 people).
Currently Hidden Saigon is offering a promotional rate of 20% discount per person per tour on all tours.
About the Founder
Linh Phan is a Vietnamese-Canadian Creative Producer based in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, whose work over the past 11 years has focused on storytelling and showcasing another side of Vietnam besides pho, banh mi and conical hats. Linh ran a media production company for five years that focused on art, culture, and music content. She is the founder of HERE AND THERE, a project that captures community-generated digital content of Vietnamese immigrant and refugee experiences. She is the co-founder of VIETNAM NOW, an international art, music, film and food festival that showcases modern Vietnam. Linh is also a DJ and has been an event promoter for the past 10 years in Saigon. Her parties were featured in the Lonely Planet Guide Vietnam and Southeast Asia as one of the “hippest club nights in Ho Chi Minh City.” Her extensive knowledge of the city, work with community people and passion for showcasing the new modern Vietnam, led Linh to start up Hidden Saigon.
Socially Responsible Tourism
Hidden Saigon understands that tourism can impact the lives of those living in the city in both positive and negative ways. The founder’s past work in Vietnam and abroad has informed how Hidden Saigon approaches itinerary development. Sensitivity to the community’s needs is a priority and she works very closely with the local residents, shop keepers, sellers and culture makers to ensure that their voices are heard during the development, tour and feedback phases.
Hidden Saigon tries to reduce negative impact as much as possible by doing the following:
• Reduced group numbers
• Multiple locations per tour package to reduce impact in one specific location or neighbourhood
• Reduced usage of plastic. They encourage you to bring your own refillable water bottle and reusable bags
For More Information, contact Linh Phan, Founder at:
linh@hidden-saigon.com | +84 (0)908 477 079 | www.hidden-saigon.com
Facebook: @hiddensgn
Instagram: @hiddensaigon
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