Affectionately known as ‘Vinny’, Mr Vinh has done it all. After graduating from university with a tourism degree, Vinny became a tour guide and tour leader before moving into ground operations in 2001 – and still not a grey hair to show for it!  

Vinny creates amazing experiences for travellers young and old. He’s kayaked and camped with adventure groups in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, escorted student groups on treks along the Vietnam-China border and explored the ancient ruins of Cambodia. One of his proudest achievements has been arranging ground operations and logistics for collaborative house building projects by schools, which he’s done for over 20 years. 

Outside of work, Vinny is a passionate supporter of non-government organisations (NGOs) and charities that help street kids and disadvantaged minority groups. He is, however, seriously terrible at karaoke. 

Mr Hung – aka ‘Mr Asia’ – has been everywhere and done everything in the field of tour leading. He’s a virtual encyclopedia of local knowledge, which he complements with technical expertise. Hung holds a Bachelor’s degree in tourism (2000) and a Master’s degree in sustainable tourism development (2007). He has terrific leadership and communication skills, a strong duty of care and a wicked sense of humour.  

Hung is known for his impeccable foresight and problem solving. He can anticipate any issue in advance and have it sorted before it even eventuates! His 20+ years of experience leading student and adult groups is invaluable to our team, especially for our newer guides, who he mentors.  

In his downtime, Hung enjoys off-road motorbiking in remote mountain areas. His pool playing skills are legendary; his fashion sense, though, still needs some work! 

Jennifer is a qualified local guide and regional tour leader from beautiful Guilin, a city in southern China. She brings seven years of experiences and a positive attitude to her role. Of the pandemic’s impact on travel, she says: ‘Even though tourism has been affected by COVID-19, I remain optimistic. China is such an interesting and diverse country with a very long history. In China, we have a saying: “Don’t curse the darkness — light a candle.”’ 

Jennifer regularly leads school groups through China’s Golden Triangle regions of Guilin-Yangshuo-Longsheng. She’s driven by her passion for encouraging young people, so they become well-rounded future leaders. 

Jennifer is renowned for revealing ancient traditions and hidden areas of natural beauty. She’s an expert in guiding travellers through backroads and cobblestone villages. Plus, being married to a Westerner, she’s also talented at bridging the expectations of travellers with those of local cultures. 

Miss Lien is one of the most conscientious tour leaders you’ll ever meet. Having started her career as a local guide in Vietnam, Lien has expanded her skills and now leads tours in Vietnam and Cambodia, often travelling between the two countries along the Mekong River. Lien graduated with her International Tour Guide Licence in 2016 and has completed courses in highland trekking and mountain biking. She’s also led numerous school groups through their service-learning activities. 

Lien’s strengths are her enthusiasm, diligence and professionalism. She has a strong background in tourism and prides herself on her people skills and problem-solving skills. Lien’s work is guided by the personal philosophy: ‘Our working attitude defines who we are.’ 

Lien’s hobbies include adventurous travel and reading detective stories. However, she confesses her interests don’t extend to what she calls ‘indoor office work’ – she much prefers life in the great outdoors! 

Hien is a ball of energy and a walking encyclopaedia of Pan-Asian insights. Since obtaining his international tour guiding licence in 2015, Hien has travelled the length of the Mekong countless times. His extensive training across four countries means he’s just as confident escorting travellers through Bangkok’s megacity maze as he is exploring quiet villages in Cambodia and Laos.

Hien is detail-oriented and always plans ahead to get the best results for his travellers. His energetic, hardworking character makes him an ideal leader for student trips and private group tours alike. You’ll often find him holding an enormous map, explaining how history and culture are intertwined in the country you’re visiting.

In his free time, Hien loves trekking in the highlands of Laos and Vietnam. He enjoys adventure activities, learning new skills and visiting bookstores to look for new knowledge to share with travellers. Hien, unlike most of our team, has a keen fashion sense.

Amit worked in the corporate sector before following his dual passions: travel and environmentalism. Originally from Mumbai, Amit prefers life out of India’s largest city. He thrives best when he’s escorting travellers through forests and nature reserves, and teaching them about the latest successful environmental programs. 

Amit’s strengths are team building and outdoor education – whether leading groups on tiger safaris, or working with charities across India. He’s an excellent public speaker who always conveys information in a thought-provoking way. 

Amit has travelled extensively outside of India and spent time living in South America. His interests include birding, nature photography and reading about global issues. He holds a National Tour Guiding Licence in India and a Master’s degree in commerce. 

Yawan is a member of the White Karen ethnic minority group in northwest Thailand. He speaks three languages and is an expert in guiding and tour leading groups of all ages around Thailand.  

When Yawan was young, he dreamed of becoming a guide so he could impart his vast local knowledge: ‘I wanted to relate my many wonderful experiences to students and travellers from all over the world, while they immerse themselves in Thai and ethnic culture,’ he says. Since then, he’s acquired his National Tour Guide Licence, worked as a local guide for over 10 years, and has led many service-learning programs. 

As part of his Karen upbringing, Yawan learnt to live with the land. He’s passionate about environmental conservation and water resource management. He’s also a keen traveller, astrologist, reader and cook. 

Youssa is a veteran local guide with over 25 years of experience guiding student and adult groups around the Temples of Angkor near Siem Reap, Cambodia. He knows every bike trail through the temple complex and exactly the best time to be at a specific spot. 

Over the years, Youssa has refined his guiding skills to blend fact and storytelling, making him a very engaging guide. Student groups adore his great sense of humour.  

Youssa runs a small not-for-profit organisation called Partnering Against Poverty Association (PAPA). This organisation focuses on grassroots education and sustainable infrastructure projects for rural communities on the outskirts of Siem Reap. When he has free time, Youssa enjoys karaoke, fishing and overseeing an English language school. 

Hoang is an experienced tour leader who’s led student groups for over eight years, plus adult and adventure tours for a further five years. He obtained his International Tour Guide Licence in 2005 and has also completed courses in tourism and psychology.

Hoang’s love of travel, meeting people and learning from new experiences drew him to a tour leading career. His leading style takes a balanced approach: he explains the big picture first, then narrows down into the details.

Hoang’s hobbies include photography and reading history. When he isn’t running tours, you’ll find him chasing the best angle – up a tree, on a mountain edge, or in the thick of the action – snapping photos and filming all aspects of society and nature. He has a particular fascination with the French colonial period of Indochina and enjoys sharing his knowledge with almost every group.

Cambodia is Samnang’s homeland. He is the youngest of three siblings working in the tourism industry. 

When Samnang was 18 years old, he decided to become a Buddhist monk for five years. Having a dual education from within the temple and a government school gives Samnang a thorough appreciation of education, religion, community and cultures. 

In 2008, he became a licenced English-speaking tour guide based in Phnom Penh. With 15 years of educational travel and tourism under his belt, Samnang feels very comfortable tour-leading and guiding groups throughout his country, especially on school trips with Edventure Travel.  

“I am an ambassador of my country, and I can’t wait to share my knowledge and experiences to give travellers of all ages an unforgettable experience. My dream is to help more poor people in Cambodia and to travel worldwide,” Samnang reveals. 

Samnang’s favourite hobbies include reading and researching, riding offroad bikes to see more of his country, and singing! Please, don’t get him started!

Chai graduated from Thailand’s Chiang Mai University with a degree in tourism. He’s been a local guide around northern Thailand for over 25 years and knows the region like the back of his hand. He’s adept at outdoor activities, having trekked many times through the mountains, and rafted and ziplined his way across the northern provinces. 

Chai is well known throughout many remote villages, having returned year after year. His enduring relationships with village chiefs make Chai our ideal logistics guru, and he facilitates logistics for many of our service-learning programs in northern Thailand. 

In his younger days, Chai was a novice monk for 11 years. More recently, he’s been working on reforesting land in Chiang Rai province. His interests include building, collecting Buddhist amulets and learning about traditional medicines from his country’s ethnic minority groups. More often than not, you’ll find Chai wearing his favourite straw hat. 

Aidan is a gifted natural leader and a highly experienced tour leader and guide. He’s been on the road for 15 years leading student trips and private tours.

Previously, Aidan trained as a chef in the NZ Army and has an IT degree – which means Aidan’s tours are never dull and his catering is delicious! He also has a vast knowledge of New Zealand and loves sharing this with his groups and getting them to experience the best New Zealand has to offer.

He has a great sense of humour, adores the outdoors and is mad keen on rugby. Aidan also loves winter sports and competes in surf lifesaving competitions in the surf boats. To us, he’s Mr Action Man!

Huey is a New Zealand Māori with tribal affiliations to Tuhoe, Ngai Tahu, Tainui and Nga Puhi peoples, as well as a touch of Native American ancestry. He’s passionate about his Māori culture and has specialist knowledge of the Maori War years (1840s-1870s).

Huey loves guiding manuhiri (visitors) around New Zealand, ensuring they leave with happy memories that will last a lifetime. He’s based in the North Island, but regularly travels to every corner of the country. Best of all, he’ll help navigate your tour bus past those famous flocks of sheep that occasionally block the road.

When he’s not guiding travellers, Huey enjoys working with youth, listening to music, playing guitar, cooking and performing Kapa haka (traditional Māori performing arts).