Land-only DMC · Vietnam · Cambodia · Laos
Land programmes · Pricing
How a land quote is built
We do not publish net rates. This page shows what goes into a land quote for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, which variables move it and by how much relative to each other, and how to compare our quote with another ground handler's line by line.
Why there is no rate card on this site
A land price for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos is the sum of a few dozen supplier prices, each with its own season, its own minimum stay and its own rules for children, single rooms and groups. A published “from” price would be true for one hotel, one group size and one week, and misleading for everything else.
Registered agents receive net rates per trip, itemised, after sending a request. What this page does is explain the structure, so that the number you receive can be checked and compared, and so that your product team can predict roughly how a change in the brief will move it.
The components of a land quote
| Component | How it is priced | Shown in our quote as |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels | Per room per night, by named property and room category | One line per city, hotel named |
| Ground transport | Per vehicle per day or per transfer, by vehicle size | One line per sector, vehicle size stated |
| Guides | Per guide per day; travelling guides add their own flights and hotel nights | Guide days per city, language stated |
| Boats and cruises | Per cabin or per boat, by vessel and route | Separate line, boat and route named |
| Entrance tickets | Per person, at the published rate on the day of the visit | Separate line, per site |
| Meals | Per person per meal, by restaurant or set menu | Listed by day |
| Domestic and regional flights | Per seat, at the fare on the day of ticketing | Separate block, outside the land total |
| Handling and operations | Our own cost of planning and running the trip | Stated on the quote, not folded silently into another line |
The structure is the same whether the request is a private couple or a series of thirty departures. What changes is which line dominates. For a private couple, hotels are usually the largest part. For a group of 25 on a coach, the per-person cost of transport and guides falls and hotels and meals take over.
Variables that move the price, in order of effect
- Group size. A vehicle and a guide cost the same whether two people or six are on board. Going from two to four travellers usually changes the per-person land price more than any other single decision.
- Hotel level and the specific property. Two hotels with the same star rating on the same street can be far apart in price. We name the hotel so that you can see which one is in the quote.
- Season and dates. Peak weeks carry hotel supplements, minimum stays and compulsory gala dinners; see the next section.
- Routing. Each internal flight adds a fare, two transfers and often a guide day lost to travel. A route that crosses a border by road or river changes vehicles and guides at the border.
- Guide language. English is standard. French, German, Spanish and other languages are quoted on request; on peak dates they may not be available at all.
- Single rooms. A single room usually costs close to a double. Groups with many single rooms move the per-person price noticeably.
- Meal plan. Every included meal is a cost; a programme with all meals named will always be quoted higher than one with breakfasts only.
Peak dates and festival weeks
Three periods are quoted separately rather than as a supplement added to a normal rate.
| Period | What happens to land costs | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year (Tet), Vietnam | Many hotels raise rates or set minimum stays; shops, markets and some sights close for several days; guides and drivers are scarce | Quote Tet departures on their own; plan sights that stay open |
| Christmas and New Year | Hotels in Hoi An, Siem Reap and Luang Prabang often attach compulsory gala dinners to 24 and 31 December | Show gala dinners as separate lines so you can see them |
| Mid-April new year, Cambodia and Laos | Khmer New Year and Lao Pi Mai close offices and some services; road traffic is heavy around them | Avoid border crossings on the holiday days where possible |
For 2027, the first day of the Lunar New Year falls on 6 February, with the official public holiday around it. Series departures planned for the first half of February need an early decision on whether to run through Tet or pause.
Sources: Wikipedia — Tết; Global Holidays Calendar — Tet 2027 (provisional) · checked .
Third-party costs you can check yourself
Some costs in a land quote are public. We pass them through at the published rate; if they change after quoting, the change appears as its own line.
| Item | Published figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Angkor Pass, one day | USD 37 | Reported rate; check before you travel |
| Angkor Pass, three days | USD 62 | Valid for use within 10 days of purchase |
| Angkor Pass, seven days | USD 72 | Valid for use within 30 days of purchase |
| Cambodian tourist visa, e-visa or on arrival | USD 30 | Paid by the traveller; not in our land price; check before you travel |
| Lao visa on arrival | USD 35 to 50, by nationality | Reported range; paid by the traveller; check before you travel |
Sources: Visit-Angkor.org — Angkor Pass prices (blog); Wikipedia — Visa policy of Cambodia; Travelfish — Laos visas · checked .
What we leave out of the land price, and why
- International flights. You ticket them on your own contracts and fares; mixing them into the land price hides both.
- Visas. Each traveller applies for their own. Rules depend on nationality, and the traveller is the one who signs the application.
- Travel insurance. It belongs in the contract between you and your client, under your own market's rules.
- Tips. Left out by default because markets differ. If you want a fixed tipping amount included for a series, we add it as a line.
- Drinks and meals not named. Leaving them out keeps the comparison between quotes honest.
How a cheaper land quote is usually made
When two land quotes for the same programme differ widely, the gap is rarely efficiency. These are the usual ways it is made:
- Hotels described by star rating or “or similar”, then confirmed at a cheaper property
- Guides included only on sightseeing days, with transfer days left to the driver
- One guide for a group large enough to need two
- A shopping stop added to the itinerary, paid for by the shop
- A boat named as a category, so that a large, crowded vessel replaces a small one
- Domestic flights left out of the total without saying so
- Entrance tickets listed as “visits” but not included
Ask for every quote, ours included, to name the hotel, the boat and the number of guide days. Comparing those three lines usually explains the difference.
Common questions
Questions agents ask
Why is your quote higher than another DMC's?
Usually because the other quote leaves something out or describes it more loosely: a hotel "or similar", fewer guide days, a larger boat. Put the two quotes side by side on the named hotel, the boat and the guide days.
If they are genuinely the same services, tell us. We would rather check our supplier rates than lose a programme on a misunderstanding.
How long is a quote valid?
The validity of a quote is stated on the quote and governed by the agency contract. Hotel and flight availability is never held by a quote alone.
Can you quote in a currency other than USD?
Our quotes are in USD by default. Other currencies can be discussed as part of the agency contract.
Are entrance fee increases passed on?
Yes. Published third-party fees such as the Angkor Pass are passed through at the rate on the day of the visit, shown as a separate line if they change.
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Start planning
Send a land quote request
Request type, group size and travel month are enough to start. Add your agency name so we can match the request to your contract. We reply by email with an itemised land quote or the questions needed to write one.