Frequently Asked Questions

How can I trust the quality of the tours that I buy from Absolute Asia Tours?

Absolute Asia Tours has been established since 1990 and we provide all the services for each holiday by hand picking the best guides, hotels, vehicles available. Our sales staff are there to ensure that you book the right holiday that is tailored to your needs and they love nothing more than to recommend places based on past experience. All our guides are first aid trained and have plenty of experience and a wealth of information about the country. They are passionate about their job and that’s why 98% of our clients are highly satisfied with their holiday and keep coming back for more!

Will I be traveling on a private tour or in a group?
The majority of our tours are on a private basis so it’s just you, your family, friends or group, and your local guide. No long queues or waiting around for people to take photos, you can ask the questions you want to know and really get to know the country. By traveling on a private basis you are less obtrusive when visiting local villages etc and you can really decide on what you want to see and cut out anything that is not of any interest. After all it’s your holiday and valuable time so make sure you get the most out of it!

We offer a selection of group day tours in Hanoi, Hue and HCMC with a maximum of 8 people and also for those who are keen on volunteering you can sign up and join our Indochina set departure voluntourism tour. It’s fab!

How do I book and pay?

All our quotes are in USD so we will take X amount from your credit card/bank account on the day the 30% deposit and full payment is due. Due to the fluctuating exchange rates the amount of your trip will fluctuate daily unitl a deposit payment is received. We accept Visa/Mastercard by either directly giving us your card details or using our secure payment online, bank transfers or cash. For day trip, flights, hotels we charge a 2% to 3.5% credit card fee but for customized tours this is not necessary.

CUSTOMISED TOURS
We have put together a few sample itineraries to get your taste buds going but as they are just suggestions its best to email us directly with your requirements so we can help you to get the perfect tailor made tour. Once you have agreed on an itinerary we will ask for a 30% deposit and start making reservations for you. Once all reservations have been made we will confirm back to you. The final balance is due 5 weeks before your holiday.

DAY TRIPS AND SHORT EXCURSIONS
For some day trips you can book and pay online by following our easy online payment form. For others, please fill in the enquiry form and we will book the tour for you. Once it’s confirmed we will email you back and ask for full payment.

HOTELS
As we do not have instant confirmation of hotels please fill in the enquiry form and we will request the hotel for you. Once it’s confirmed we will email you back and ask for full payment

FLIGHTS
To search for tickets, please select the destination city, arrival city, the dates and whether it is one-way or a return ticket. Then, please select from the available price and schedule options and proceed to bookings.

Currently, we cannot check availability of these flights online. To inquire about a flight, please either book the flight with payment information and we will wait to charge you until after the flight has been confirmed, or inquire online with customer service at Inquire Now, by email at info@halongbaytrips.com , or by phone at +84 902 011 200.

Payment is due on confirmation of the flight either by credit card, bank transfer, secure online payment or cash (for those living in Vietnam). Please note that The airline reserve the rights to change the fares at any time, and taxes and airport fees can also be changed at any time.

Will you ever ask for more money than originally quoted?

All our quotations are in USD so we will take X amount from your credit card/bank account on the day payment is due. Due to fluctuating exchange rates the amount taken from your bank account will change on a daily basis if you bank account is not in USD.

For tours and hotels, once the services have been confirmed we will not ask for any more money unless there is an increase beyond our control. For more information please see our terms and conditions.

For flights, we will inform you of the fare at the time that you inquire about the booking, but the fare is not guaranteed until the time that you issue the ticket. We therefore suggest that you pay in advance so that we can issue the ticket and guarantee the cost of the flight.

How will I receive my travel documents?
As soon as your booking is confirmed and full payment has been made we will email you a service voucher along with any hotel vouchers. Most airlines now issue electronic tickets which are convenient and for those who do not we can issue for free of charge in HCMC and Hanoi and for those coming in from abroad we will arrange for them to be delivered to your hotel on arrival or give them to your tour guide.

What if need to cancel or change my itinerary?
For all bookings you will need to sign our terms and conditions on our reservation form. This clearly states our cancellation policy. We insist that all our clients have adequate travel insurance that covers them for cancellation and curtailment. Click here to download our terms and conditions.

If you wish to change your itinerary after full payment has been made we will try our best to accommodate any changes but it depends on each individual supplier. We therefore take it case by case.

Can I find cheaper prices if I wait and book directly when in country?
In Vietnam, there are a range of budget tour operators that compete with bargain bottom-dollar prices, so you can always find a better price for any of these tours. You pay for what you get.
At Absolute Tours, however, we believe that it is important that you have a good experience as at the end of the day who wants to cut corners and risk ruining a once in a lifetime opportunity? We ensure that your holiday is carried out with minimum impact to the environment, (for more information about our responsible travel guidelines please click here) we pay our guides well so that they enjoy their job, they all speak very good English and we ensure all our vehicles are of a good standard. We book restaurants that are of a high quality and take time to do routine hotel inspections.

Please also bear in mind that Vietnam is a popular place for tourists and many hotels, flights etc get booked up months in advance, so to avoid disappointment and the chance of spending your holiday tying to book your holiday, we recommend booking as much in advance as possible, then you can sit back and relax.

What if I have special needs for the tour?

If you have special requirements – for example, if you have a large group or young children, if you are handicapped or have physical limitations, if you have special transportation needs, or if you are vegetarian or have other food allergies – please let us know, and we can work with both you to ensure that we can meet your needs.

What happens if something goes wrong? Do you have an out of office phone number?

We try our very best to ensure the smooth running of your trip but some things are taken out of our hands. Before your holiday we will email you out of hours emergency contact numbers so that in the unlikely event of a problem occurring you can always contact one of our staff. We also provide you with the cell phone number of your consultant so that if there is a problem you can call them and they will be able to help.

All our guides are first aid trained and if there is a medical problem we will help to get you the assistance you need (providing you have adequate medical insurance). We ensure that we have your emergency contact information for someone at home so they can be contacted if necessary.

There is also a western customer service manager should require their services.

For any more questions please email info@halongbaytrips.com and someone will get back to you shortly.