Small Tours, Big Change | Thanh Thanh Pham | TEDxSaigon Studio

Quick Overview

Thanh Thanh Pham advocates for promoting authentic Vietnamese life and culture, particularly through small, meaningful tours led by young local guides, rather than relying solely on major tourist attractions, to foster genuine connection and cultural understanding among visitors.

Key Points: Vietnam welcomed approximately 15.4 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of 2025, a record-breaking number showing the country's growing appeal. There are over 42,000 licensed tour guides nationwide, comprising both domestic and international specialists, who are the storytellers of Vietnam. The speaker, Thanh Thanh Pham, is the runner of "Saigon Hotpot - Travel with local youth," a non-profit organization. Saigon Hotpot offers free walking street tours led by volunteer university students to promote Vietnam's beauty and create a dynamic environment for self-development. The speaker initially feared judgment regarding her English accent/grammar but realized tourists valued her authentic stories about local life, food (like Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk), and culture over perfect language skills. The core message is encapsulated by the motto: "Small tours, big change," emphasizing that intimate experiences create deeper connections than visiting only major landmarks. The speaker encourages travelers to seek out young local guides to share authentic stories, fostering genuine connection beyond typical tourist sights.

Context: The video features Thanh Thanh Pham delivering a TEDx talk, likely TEDxSaigon Studio, against the backdrop of a scenic Vietnamese landscape, possibly Ninh Binh, which is credited as a destination support location. Pham is the founder of Saigon Hotpot, a non-profit initiative utilizing volunteer university students as local guides to offer free walking tours focused on authentic experiences in Ho Chi Minh City.

Detailed Analysis

Thanh Thanh Pham, the runner of Saigon Hotpot, presents her vision for tourism in Vietnam, highlighting the country's massive success in attracting international visitors, noting 15.4 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of 2025. She emphasizes that the true backbone of this industry lies with the 42,000 licensed tour guides who carry the nation's stories. Pham explains that her organization, Saigon Hotpot, is a non-profit where university students volunteer to lead free walking tours, such as showing visitors hidden spots in Ho Chi Minh City—including underground war bunkers and local food experiences like Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk—instead of just focusing on famous attractions. She recounts an initial fear of judgment over her English accent and grammar, but this was overcome when she realized tourists genuinely cared about her authentic stories and local perspective. This experience led her to adopt the philosophy, "Small tours, big change," suggesting that deep, personal connections facilitated by young locals are more valuable than standard, impersonal tours. The talk concludes with an appeal for travelers to seek out these young guides to understand Vietnamese tradition and culture more deeply.