Write to us, and get a real answer

The first number and the first address are for planning a trip. The second number is the line for guests who are already travelling, and it is staffed around the clock by someone who can open your itinerary.

You will get a usable quote from the first reply, rather than a request for more information, if the message contains these six things. Two lines each is plenty.

1. Dates, or the month. Fixed dates are best. “Second half of February, flexible by a week” is almost as good.
2. How many of you, and ages if children are coming. Group size moves the per-person price more than anything else on the list.
3. How many nights you have on the ground, not counting the flights in and out.
4. A budget per person per day for land arrangements, or a total. A range is fine. Without it we guess, and a guess wastes a round.
5. Two or three things you refuse to miss, and one thing you would rather avoid. The second half is more useful than the first.
6. What standard of hotel you sleep well in. Say it in plain terms: simple and clean, good four-star, or the best in town.

If you are not sure what a realistic budget looks like, read the pricing page first and quote a band from it. That single line usually saves a week of back-and-forth.

Every travelling guest gets a single in-country number, printed on the front of the final documents and saved to your phone at the airport meeting. Use it for anything that needs to change today: a flight moved, a driver not where you expected, a stomach that has given up, a hotel room you want swapped.

For anything that can wait until tomorrow, message your planner instead. They see it at the start of the Hanoi working day and can move the rest of the trip properly rather than patching one afternoon.