For two decades, Ivan Man Dy’s Manila walking tours have helped Filipinos reclaim their identity—one historic street at a time.
In the early 2000s, Ivan wasn’t yet a tour guide. He was a heritage advocate, deeply concerned about the quiet erasure of Manila’s historic neighborhoods. Even before he led anyone through Intramuros or Binondo, he already viewed the city as something more than a concrete sprawl.
He saw it as a living archive. An urban museum. A city with a soul—layered, messy, and endangered—but worth saving.
“Identity is the history that has gone into bone and blood.”
— Nick Joaquín
It’s a quote Ivan rarely says aloud, but it shapes everything he does. Through Old Manila Walks, he’s spent 20 years turning complex history into human narrative. His tours aren’t just strolls; they’re acts of memory—ways for Filipinos to reconnect with place, heritage, and belonging.
The Sound of Two Cities
Intramuros and Binondo sit side by side, divided by a wall—and by history. One whispers. The other crackles.
Inside Intramuros, church bells echo over cobblestones. Fortresses and friar churches stand still, remnants of Spain’s long rule. There’s reverence in its silence.
Cross into Binondo and you enter another rhythm: the clatter of woks, the scent of soy and garlic, hopia cooling on racks. The world’s oldest Chinatown is alive with the sound of survival and adaptation.
Ivan walks between these two worlds every day, using their contrasts—and deep connections—to tell the story of Manila itself.
Students and young guests on Ivan Man Dy’s tour discover a side of Manila they don’t see in textbooks—where food, heritage, and history come alive through storytelling.
How It All Started
“I didn’t have an epiphany during a tour,” Ivan shares. “It came before, when I got involved in heritage conservation. The tours just became my medium.”
He remembers his very first walk like a first date. “Only one guest came. A woman. I was nervous.”
That quiet beginning would become Old Manila Walks, a platform that has guided thousands—students, diplomats, balikbayans—through the city’s oldest quarters.
The Binondo Food Wok: Stories You Can Taste
Among his most popular offerings is the Binondo Food Wok, a multisensory dive into Chinatown through its flavors.
“Food is just the entry point,” Ivan explains. “Then the deeper stories can come through.”
Stops include iconic eateries like Quik-Snack and Simplicity Café, along with lesser-known neighborhood spots that carry deep cultural meaning. At each one, Ivan weaves in stories of migration, Chinese-Filipino identity, and family traditions—including his own. New Po Heng, once a beloved tour stop, sadly burned down a few months ago. Tour stops may occasionally vary depending on the season, establishment schedules, or availability—but the heart of the experience remains the same.
These aren’t just food tours. They’re edible histories. Every dish reveals something about how communities lived, moved, and made meaning.
“Food is just the entry point. Then the deeper stories can come through.”
— Ivan Man Dy
Intramuros: Not Just a Place, but an Idea
When Ivan walks through Intramuros, he’s not just pointing at old buildings. He’s translating the silence.
Nick Joaquín once wrote:
“Intramuros was a high altar. To go there was a ritual. To be inside was to come home.”
It’s that spiritual weight Ivan brings to life. At Fort Santiago, San Agustin, and even the ruins of postwar Manila, he doesn’t just explain—he evokes.
Come dusk, when the bells toll and the lamps flicker, the walled city seems to whisper. Ivan helps you hear it.
The Heart of the Work
Ask Ivan if he’s ever been moved by a guest and he chuckles. “Ang drama ng tanong!” But the answer is yes.
He recalls hand-drawn thank-you cards from students. A 97-year-old guest who joined both Binondo and Intramuros tours in a single day. Balikbayans who return with their kids.
Even actor Donny Pangilinan, who revisited the tour ten years later and remembered every stop. “He called it a core memory. That made me smile.”
Beyond Tourism
“If there’s one legacy I want to leave,” Ivan says, “it’s that culture and heritage are real resources. If we protect them, they can bring real value—not just tourist pesos, but pride and purpose.”
The challenges remain: lack of government support, estate disputes, urban congestion. “Our tours don’t solve these problems,” he admits. “But we show up. We tell the stories anyway.”
The Next Generation
To young Filipinos drawn to heritage work, Ivan has simple advice: “Know your history. Then find creative, entrepreneurial ways to protect and share it.”
For him, heritage isn’t nostalgia—it’s an active choice to preserve meaning in what remains.
Still Walking, Still Telling Stories
The pandemic almost stopped everything. “We were jobless for two years,” Ivan shares. “We even ran the Binondo Food Wok online.”
But Old Manila Walks continues, with new routes and evolving ideas: Rizal-themed trails, Art Deco architecture walks, and explorations of underappreciated districts.
What hasn’t changed is the purpose.
“Walking with meaning means leaving a trail behind,” Ivan says.
In a city that often forgets, Ivan Man Dy chooses to remember. With every step, he brings Manila back to itself.
To learn more about upcoming schedules or to book a heritage tour, visit oldmanilawalks.com or follow @oldmanilawalks on Instagram for updates.
More about Intramuros: Intramuros Coffee Shop Guide: 5 Chill Cafés to Sip, Snack, and Soak in Old Manila
