On 21 September 2026, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism granted Local Vietnam an international tour operator licence for inbound travel. The licence, number 79-2745/2026/CDLQGVN-GP LHQT, is held by THELOCALVIETNAM COMPANY LIMITED, the company behind Local Vietnam. It allows the company to design, sell and run its own tours for foreign travellers in Vietnam.
In December 2025, Local Vietnam announced its move from travel agency to tour operator. The licence makes that step official. The application was handled by Duong Phung (Ni), vice-director and lodge manager.
What the licence changes
Vietnamese law makes a clear difference between a travel agency and a tour operator. A travel agency may only sell tours that a licensed operator runs, and earns a commission on each sale. A tour operator builds the tour itself, sells it, runs it and is responsible for it from the first day to the last.
Before the licence, Local Vietnam planned each trip itself and booked the tours in it through licensed partners. Now the company can create its own tours and take full responsibility for them.
“With the licence, we design and run our own tours, and every one of them is our own responsibility,” says Nhung Phung, CEO of Local Vietnam. “Guests do not have to take our word for it. The licence is in the government register for anyone to check.”
A deposit that protects travellers
The licence comes with a condition. For an inbound licence, the law sets a bank deposit of 250 million VND (roughly 10,000 USD), which must stay in place for as long as the company holds the licence. The money is meant for emergencies. If a traveller has an accident, needs urgent medical care or has to be brought home, and the company cannot pay in time, the tourism authority can release the deposit to cover it.
How anyone can check the licence
The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism keeps a public register of licensed travel companies online. A search for THELOCALVIETNAM in the register shows the company name, the type of licence, the licence number, the date of issue and localvietnam.com as the website. The register works the same way for any travel company in Vietnam. Searching works best with the registered company name, which is often different from the brand name.
Own tours, starting in Ha Giang
The next step is Local Vietnam’s own private tours. The plan is to start in Ha Giang (now part of Tuyen Quang province), where the company already plans its own routes and guests stay at Ha Giang Aya Lodge. Near the lodge, guests can spend a day in Hmong and Red Dao family homes, joining whatever work the season brings. Other regions will follow, with dates announced when the tours are ready.
“Many tour companies in Vietnam copy each other and sell the same tours on the same routes,” says co-founder Marnick Schoonderwoerd. “We already keep our trips private or in small groups to stay away from mass tourism. With the licence, we can go further and build tours ourselves, with local families and in places the standard routes skip.”
What stays the same
For most travellers, nothing changes in how they book. Custom trips, planned around each traveller’s wishes, remain Local Vietnam’s main work, and small group tours from trusted partners stay available for those who prefer one. To plan a trip or ask about the licence, message the team on WhatsApp at +84 32 801 9395.
