Expats Find New Calling as Tour Guides in Vietnam

When Liam Gordon, 30, of the U.K., and Sarah James, 25, of Canada arrived in Hanoi in 2023, they were eyeing a brief stay, but say the warmth of the Vietnamese people has kept them back. That same warmth turned them into online guides for travelers through their self-built platform, Two Peas Abroad. They built it six months after arriving. It started with Instagram posts meant for friends and family back home. But strangers began sliding into their DMs, asking about itineraries and safety. They noticed that a lot of the Vietnam travel content was cluttered with ads and seemed to lack authenticity. They wanted to offer honest guidance to travelers. "Once you come here, you'll realize all your worries beforehand had no basis," Gordon says. Vietnam is safe and rich enough in experience to satisfy every kind of traveler, he says. Liam Gordon eats banh xeo (crispy pancakes) at a Vietnamese restaurant. Photo courtesy of Liam Gordon The platform built its reputation on what Gordon and James call the "40:1 rule", their formula for finding top-class food in the country. "If a restaurant is packed with locals, about 40 Vietnamese to every one foreign visitor, that's a good sign," Gordon says. The couple wander into alleys to put the rule to the test, and thus found a packed noodle shop in Da Nang and a Hanoi eatery where they are now regulars. They insist that the 40:1 rule never fails. For them, Vietnamese food stands out for its freshness, balance of flavors, and regional variety. Their platform inbox is usually flooded with messages with 8,600 consultation requests coming every week. Drawing on his background as a software developer, Gordon built a message sorting tool to spot what travelers are asking about most. He also developed a feature for users to paste in a video link, based on which the system pulls up itineraries, locations, and supporting links. The duo puts together free travel plans for visitors. James says their goal is to help travelers fall in love with Vietnam the way she has. Liam Gordon and Sarah James explore the Mekong Delta. Photo courtesy of Liam Gordon Their connection with Vietnam began with Gordon's three-week trip in 2017. He fell in love with the lifestyle, drawn in by Hanoi's street food grills and the friendly vibe all around. The landscapes of the northern mountains inspired him to make Vietnam his home. But his career kept him in Britain, and it was not until 2020 that he met James. The Covid lockdowns brought them closer, and in 2023 the two decided to spend a year in Hanoi before returning to the U.K. or Canada. The early months were harder than expected, and even renting an apartment and opening a bank account seemed difficult. The pace of life was different, and the traffic was overwhelming. But the people's warmth meant they never once thought about leaving. James recalls an occasion when their motorbike broke down in the middle of a Hanoi downpour. The two of them were stressed and unable to communicate with a Vietnamese man who helped push their bike to a repair shop. He used a translation app on his phone to explain the situation to the mechanic. "That sense of community flipped all our plans upside down," James said. Then there was the daily life in Cau Giay Ward, morning street food, and friendly neighbors, which too made leaving impossible. Soon they decided to stay and dedicate themselves to helping visitors find the real Vietnam. "Once you connect with the people here, you'll understand why visitors fall for this country and keep coming back," she says. Their inbox continues to fill with notes from travelers who have returned home. One recent message read: "Thanks to your tips, our trip to Vietnam became unforgettable. Thank you for always answering our questions so kindly." "Those messages are the best reward we could ask for," he says.