Da Nang startup model towards sustainable community-based tourism

LocalLife.Asia was born from the personal experience of Mr. Tran Dang Huy, a resident of Hoa Xuan Ward, Da Nang, and his partner Tran Hai Thanh.

“We realize that most of the profits from tourism do not return to the community. Local people only receive a small benefit of the growing tourism market. Meanwhile, many young people leave their villages because they do not have opportunities to develop in their homeland” shared Mr. Tran Dang Huy, founder of the LocalLife.Asia project.

Motivated by that concern, LocalLife.Asia is developed as a digital tourism ecosystem where travellers can have personalized, and rich-in-identity experience. At the same time, their spending directly supports the community.

Designed as an open platform, LocalLife.Asia enables local people directly post accommodation services, cultural experiences, and local products to access the global tourism market.

According to Mr. Huy, the project aims for responsible tourism. On the platform, each house, lifestyle, dish or folk song can become an interesting experience for tourists. The special thing is that people can easily create booths, manage services, receive reservations, and share transparent revenue.

“This platform is not only a place to introduce homestays or tours, but also a bridge connecting local communities and global travellers, offering diverse and unique tourism products to attract more domestic and foreign tourists. We want each experience at LocalLife.Asia to be a journey of cultural discovery - where tourists not only come to sightsee, but also to listen, experience and understand the culture and people there” added Mr. Huy.

Mr. Huy revealed plans to develop a user-friendly website and mobile app with secure booking and payment systems, aimed at reducing transaction costs and preventing fraud.

The platform will apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and user data to personalize travel recommendations, enhance user engagement, and optimize the planning process.

In addition, cloud storage technology will be used to build a cultural data warehouse, ensuring safety, accessibility and long-term preservation.

LocalLife.Asia has completed an in-depth market research phase, clearly identifying the potential and needs of community tourism in the Asia - Pacific region. It is expected to launch the MVP (minimum viable product) version with full basic features in August 2025.

To date, over 1,100 tourism products, including accommodations, experiences, and services, have been cataloged, with more than 700 ready for sale.