Localis.vn by Pencil Group Signs Strategic Partnership with Apex Event and GDL JSC to Foster Vietnam’s Indigenous Cultural Tourism
Ho Chi Minh City, April 2026
HO CHI MINH CITY – Localis.vn, the local experiential tourism platform under the media and technology collective Pencil Group, has officially signed a strategic partnership with two key entities: Apex Event, a specialist in destination marketing festivals, and GDL JSC, the operator of GDL Network and the “Việt Nam Ơi!” community. This collaboration aims to launch a nationwide search for 34 Cultural Ambassadors representing 34 provinces across the country—the platform’s inaugural “localis” guides.
Context: Vietnam’s Tourism Needs a New Narrative
According to the Vietnam’s Travel Landscape 2026 report by The Outbox Company, Vietnam’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) stands at only 24.2 points—significantly lower than the regional average of 53.4 points. Additionally, the average spending of tourists in Vietnam remains lower than that of direct regional competitors.
These figures indicate that while Vietnam does not lack tourism resources, it lacks a sufficiently deep, indigenous storytelling method to retain visitors and elevate their experiences. This is the gap that the partnership between Localis.vn, Apex Event, and GDL JSC seeks to bridge.
Collaboration with Apex Event: Destination Marketing Festivals
Under the agreement with Apex Event, both parties will co-develop destination marketing festivals across various provinces. This initiative combines Apex Event’s state-level event operational expertise with Localis.vn’s technology platform, network of local experience guides (localis), and tourism data infrastructure. Specifically, the partners will:
Design and organize cultural tourism festivals in key regions, directly connecting tourists with heritage, cuisine, craft villages, and local life.
Integrate the Localis.vn platform into the festival series to digitize the experience, connecting visitors with “localis”—individuals with profound knowledge of local culture.
Coordinate with tourism authorities, Departments of Tourism, and local Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion Centers to integrate these festivals into the Destination Marketing strategies of each province.
Collaboration with GDL JSC: Search for 34 Cultural Tourism Ambassadors
Parallel to creating destination festivals, Localis.vn has partnered with GDL JSC – the operator of the GDL Network (150+ channels covering all sectors with over 100 million members) and the “Việt Nam Ơi!” community. This community consists of 1 million members, including photographers, local tour guides, and travel vloggers across 34 provinces. Together, they will launch the “Hành trình trở thành Đại sứ” (Journey to Become an Ambassador) contest to find 34 cultural ambassadors.
This marks the first time a tourism experience platform in Vietnam has collaborated with a large-scale social network to recruit and train local guides using a community-based model rather than traditional recruitment. This model allows Localis.vn to rapidly build a network covering 34 provinces from its launch phase while ensuring quality through a multi-round screening, training, and field-testing process.
About Localis.vn – “Travel like someone who lives here”
Localis.vn is an indigenous experiential tourism platform developed by the media and technology collective Pencil Group. It connects domestic and international tourists with “Localis”—local experience guides with deep knowledge of culture, cuisine, craft villages, arts, and regional life—across five areas: Arts & Culture, Cuisine, Craft Villages, Villages, and Heritage.
Localis.vn operates on a three-sided marketplace model , while simultaneously deploying DMO Hub (Destination Management Organization Hub) infrastructure for tourism promotion agencies. A flagship project is visithcmc.vn – a strategic partner of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center , officially announced at the 22nd Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival in April 2026.
About Pencil Group
Pencil Group is a media and technology collective with over a decade of experience in strategic communications, digital marketing, and platform development. In 2023, Pencil Group was honored at the ASEAN Public Relations Network Awards for its exceptional contributions to Vietnam’s tourism industry. The group is also a partner of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) for the APEC Community Tourism Portal project.
About Apex Event – “Strategic Event Creation Partner”
Rooted in a foundation of meticulous operations and discipline based on administrative-political principles, Apex brings methodical strategic thinking and a youthful spirit of innovation to the field of event organization, particularly for local socio-economic events and strategic corporate events. The core strength of Apex lies in its ability to create and operate large-scale, complex events that demand high discipline and synchronization, aiming to deliver profound and long-lasting impacts on the development of organizations and society.
The Apex team positions themselves as “young strategic event creators” – a generation that fully inherits roles, responsibilities, and cultural roots to continue telling Vietnam’s stories through more modern, civilized, and profound forms. For Apex, meticulousness is not just an operational standard but a way to express profound respect for history, leadership, and organizations, identity is not merely a design detail but the ultimate goal to which every event must contribute.
About GDL JSC and “Việt Nam Ơi!” Community
GDL JSC is the operator of Green Social Network — a social media ecosystem with over 150 channels covering all sectors, totaling more than 100 million members, with a primary focus on the Southern region. Green Social Network operates based on the core values of “Kindness — Ethics — Sustainability,” building a network ecosystem that operates on the core value pillars: Clean Interaction — Sophisticated Content — Green Community. …about synergy.
The “Việt Nam Ơi!” (VNO) community is the flagship channel of GDL Network in the tourism sector, gathering 1 million members across 34 provinces, with over 7 million views and a reach of 3.7 million people. VNO members are primarily photographers, local tour guides, and travel vloggers passionate about promoting the image of Vietnamese tourism — creating an ideal talent pool for selecting and developing localis.
Shared Vision
Mr. Nguyen Tien Huy, CEO of Pencil Group and Founder of Localis.vn, stated: “Festivals are where local identity comes alive most vibrantly, and people are the only bridge for tourists to truly step into that life. By combining Apex’s national-level event expertise, GDL’s community strength, and Localis’s infrastructure, we believe every festival will become a gateway that makes tourists want to return.”
Ms. Le Quynh Thu, CEO of Apex Event, affirmed: “Apex’s mission has always been to create events that depict Vietnamese identity on the world map. This partnership allows us to bring that spirit into tourism—where indigenous cultural stories deserve to be told through experiences that truly touch the traveler.”
A GDL JSC Representative shared: “The ‘Việt Nam Ơi!’ community has gathered millions of people who love Vietnamese tourism. Partnering with Localis.vn is an opportunity to turn that passion into real value—helping our most dedicated members become professional local guides who tell authentic stories about every corner of Vietnam.”
PRESS CONTACTS
- Localis.vn by Pencil Group – Email: hello@localis.vn | Website: localis.vn
- Apex Event — Email: apex@apexmedia.vn | Website: apexevent.vn
- GDL JSC – Email: [contact@gdl.vn] | Website: [Website: gdl.vn]