“Frustrated” because staying at home for so long due to Covid-19, Le Hoang wanted to try something new – an online coffee making tour.
Le Hoang (1993, Hanoi) is a tour guide with 3 years specializing in leading foreign visitors. Since March 2020, like many colleagues in the industry, he is unemployed because of the epidemic.
“Bored, but because I still like to serve tourists and tell stories about Vietnam, I try to find a new direction. Reference online, I know about Airbnb’s new online experience platform, where tour operators have to choose. An activity that can bring value to viewers. I love and often learn about coffee, so I always have the idea of a coffee tour for foreigners, “Hoang said.
With the desire to bring the beauty of Vietnam to many people in the world and can make coffee everywhere, Hoang’s luggage to prepare for the tour includes a phone, tripod, noise-canceling microphone, powder, filter, coffee beans. Coffee, cup, condensed milk, small folding chairs and tables.
The tour is conducted in real time, Hoang directly interacts with guests through the small screen. “It is like teaching online but I will move on the street, share knowledge about Vietnamese coffee, culture, history … depending on the requirements of the guests,” he said.
Each tour of Hoang takes place within 1 hour for coffee tour, selling for more than 10 USD per person (about 240,000 VND). In addition, he also incorporates an additional 30 minutes of sightseeing walking for the special tour. Guests can choose the destination they want, or you can choose. In Hanoi, Hoang chose spots such as Sword Lake, West Lake, and Old Quarter. Occasionally, guests will see the scenery of making coffee in Da Nang, Hoi An, Mu Cang Chai …
“Because of the long way to make Vietnamese coffee, me and my guests have a lot of time to chat. This is also what makes Vietnamese coffee culture – friends talk together while waiting for small coffee. drops. I will often introduce coffee culture, instructions on how to make, ingredients, and answer customer questions “, Hoang said.
After booking the tour, guests need to prepare the necessary items when making Vietnamese coffee such as filter, coffee, condensed milk … “Most guests can make a fairly standard cup of coffee, can have taste similar if enough condensed milk, filter. Looking at the screen, based on the coffee color, I can see if they brew too little coffee or give too much water, brew in time, “the 27-year-old turned on eyelids.
90% of Hoang’s tour booking has tried Vietnamese coffee and they are curious to know why Vietnamese coffee is so concentrated. “The filter is very strange to people, so are the seeds. Information such as when I drink coffee, who to drink with, what to drink is the details that customers often ask,” he said.
To date, Hoang has received more than 100 tour bookings. Initially, he only had individual visitors. Gradually, he changed the ad content and had more customers placed in groups, the larger the group, the more discounts. Tourists book tours quite diverse, sometimes up to 25 people tour.
“It could be that the company uses the tour as an activity to relax before an online meeting, an activity at a birthday party, or an hour of studying for students in the travel industry,” he said.
Most impressed by Hoang was the coffee making instructions for a couple from South Africa, but they had to live in two different cities due to Covid-19. “It was their wedding anniversary so they bought a tour to make coffee together. I feel like a bridge for them on a special day”, he laughed.
“Sometimes sitting on the street, the security guard thought I was selling water, so they asked to move, especially at Sword Lake. Since then I have to ask a friend to help me explain, and I continue to guide the guests. “, Hoang told about a memorable incident.
“Although I do not go on many tours like before, perhaps my favorite thing about doing online tours is getting compliments from customers about the Vietnam scene. It sounds very good,” he shared.
Hoang’s tour site on Airbnb received many positive reviews, currently reaching 4.98 out of 5 stars. Michael, a tourist commented: “Hoang spoke very clearly and easily, you not only told us a lot about Vietnamese coffee, but also the Vietnamese culture and lifestyle behind it. Love the way we both make coffee and chat. “
After deployment, Hoang realized that this field was very new and had many directions in the future. “My core value is for guests to see Vietnam, and coffee as a vehicle. Instead of coming to Vietnam, guests can spend a small fee for an hour to admire the scenery and choose a seat at will. If I develop, I can develop more food, “he said.
“Although making online tours more leisurely and the income is fine, but personally I do not find this form to create as much cohesion as traditional tours. Direct interaction with guests is still more lively over the phone. Early translation was controlled so that everyone and I would come back to lead the tour soon “, Hoang said.
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