Six steps, and nothing you have to chase
What happens between your first message and the morning you leave Hanoi, what we need from you at each point, and how long each step takes.
The six steps
- You send an enquiry. Trip, month, group size, and whether you want the film. Use the form on this page, WhatsApp, or email. Takes you two minutes.
- We reply within one working day with a written itinerary, a total price, what is not included, and whether a filmmaker is free on your dates.
- You ask for changes. Most people do. Different hotel, an extra day, a later start, drop the film. We send a revised version, usually the same day.
- You accept in writing and we send an invoice for thirty per cent. The booking is confirmed when that deposit arrives, and not before — we do not hold unpaid places, because holding them is how people lose them.
- Balance twenty-one days before departure. We send a reminder seven days before it is due. Booking inside twenty-one days means paying in full at once.
- Seven days before departure you get the final pack: pickup time and place, guide's name and mobile number, packing list, and the filmmaker's name if you booked one.
What we need from you, and when
| What | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Full names as printed in passports | At deposit | Homestay registration and the Ha Giang permit |
| Passport number and nationality | At deposit | Border-area permit; required by law in Ha Giang |
| Travel insurance policy number | Before balance | Compulsory. We check it covers motorcycling if you ride |
| Dietary needs and allergies | Before balance | Homestay meals are cooked for the group, not to order |
| Anyone who does not want to be filmed | Before balance | So the edit is planned around it from the start |
| Arrival flight and hotel in Hanoi | 7 days before | Pickup. A wrong hotel name costs you an hour |
Ha Giang is a border province and requires a travel permit issued in advance from passport details. We cannot obtain it on the morning of departure. Passport details arriving late is the single most common reason a Ha Giang booking has to move dates.
Paying
Thirty per cent to confirm, balance twenty-one days before you travel. We accept international bank transfer, a one-off card payment link, and cash in Hanoi for the balance only. Full detail, including bank charges and what clears when, is on how to pay.
Our bank details never change mid-booking. If you receive an email that looks like it is from us saying the account has changed, it is not from us. Call the office number on this site — not a number in that email — before sending anything. This is the most common way travellers lose money to travel companies, and it costs nothing to check.
Changing or cancelling
Date changes more than thirty days out are free if we can move the suppliers, which we usually can outside October and November. Inside thirty days a change is treated as a cancellation and a new booking.
The refund ladder runs from a full refund minus committed supplier costs at more than thirty days, down to no refund inside seven days. It is written out in full, with the exact bands, in the booking terms. If we cancel for any reason, you get everything back including the film package.
If you are already in Vietnam
Call rather than email. The street food night can often be arranged for the same evening. Ha Long usually needs two days' notice because of cabin availability. Ha Giang needs four working days minimum for the permit, and there is no way around that — it is a government process, not our paperwork.
The film package at short notice depends entirely on whether a filmmaker happens to be free, and in October and November they generally are not.
Ready when you are
Send the month and the group size. You get an itinerary and a total price back within one working day.
What people ask before booking
Is my place held while I decide?
For seven days, once we have sent you a quote, and we will tell you if somebody else is asking about the same date. After seven days the quote stands but the date does not.
Can I pay the whole amount up front?
Yes, and some people prefer it to avoid a second transfer fee. It does not change the price or the cancellation terms.
What if my flight is delayed and I miss day one?
Call the guide's mobile, which you will have. For Ha Long we can usually get you onto the boat by road later the same day. For Ha Giang, missing the first morning generally means missing the trip, because the vehicle is on a route.
This is exactly what travel insurance is for, and it is why we require it.
Do you need my passport before I arrive?
We need the details, not the document: full name, number, nationality and expiry. A photo of the page by email or WhatsApp is the usual way.
Read next
Tell us your dates and we will send a plan with a price
Dates, how many of you, and whether you want the film package. You get an itinerary and a total in writing, not a brochure.