The story behind TUBUDD: How a motorbike trip across Vietnam became an app connecting travellers with local buddies

Hey everyone, I'm Annie Vu, founder and CEO of TUBUDD, a Vietnam-based travel company. I studied and worked in the UK before building a business in Vietnam.

The story behind TUBUDD

TUBUDD (short for "Tour Buddy") started with two Canadian friends, a motorbike journey across Vietnam, and a word that became part of our identity: "Buddy".

When I was an undergraduate, two Canadian friends came to Vietnam and I spent around two weeks travelling with them by motorbike from north to south. Somewhere along the way they started calling me their "Buddy", and told me that having me with them made Vietnam feel like a second hometown. That comment stayed with me. What if more travellers could experience a country through the eyes of the people who live there, with hospitable, multilingual locals who enjoy sharing their culture, food and everyday lives? It was an exciting idea, but I had neither the resources nor a clear business model to make it happen.

Years later, while studying for my Master's in International Events Management in the UK, I travelled solo around Europe and often used Couchsurfing to meet local people. I wanted more than a checklist of attractions; I wanted to understand how people lived and what made each place different. Those trips showed me both sides: the joy of connecting with locals, and the uncertainty of arranging those connections informally, especially when travelling alone.

That became the starting point for TUBUDD, short for "Tour Buddy". The platform lets travellers connect with independent local Buddies, and gives local people a way to earn from their language skills, knowledge and enthusiasm for their home. Travellers choose the people and experiences that suit them, rather than following a fixed itinerary.

Over 1000 trips for travellers

Today, TUBUDD is a travel app where travellers can browse, connect with and book a Local Buddy based on their interests, then shape their own trip together. We chose the word "Buddy" deliberately instead of "guide": a Buddy is meant to be a companion and friend for the journey, not someone reciting a script. The app now has more than 700 Local Buddies, has supported over 1,000 trips for travellers from more than 100 countries, and has started connecting Vietnamese travellers with Vietnamese Buddies living in Korea, Japan and Taipei.

Take a look at our platform and learn more at tubudd.com

Lessons learned on my journey

Turning a nice idea into a business is another journey entirely. Building trust, setting clear expectations, maintaining service standards and making the economics work are all essential. A human connection might inspire a business, but it takes a sustainable model to keep it going.

What matters most to me is making local people active participants in the travel economy: not just people working behind the scenes, but people who help create the experience. Technology makes it easier to discover, book and coordinate, but the technology is not the experience. Often what a traveller remembers most is the person who helped them understand a place, feel welcome or see something they'd never have found on their own.

Thanks for reading my story and feel free to ask any questions!