Refund & cancellation policy — TVPalm
This policy explains when and how much you can be refunded if you cancel a TVPalm tour or an Ecolodge stay. It applies together with our Payment Policy, which contains the full payment terms.
TVPalm works directly with local Dao families, guides, porters, and community partners. Many costs — food, permits, porter days, homestay nights — are committed weeks before you arrive and cannot be recovered. Our refund rates reflect that reality rather than a standard tourism formula.
1. Deposit
A booking is confirmed only after TVPalm receives the required deposit and sends written confirmation.
For tours, the deposit is not refunded in cash. For Ecolodge stays, section 3 applies. The deposit covers commitments made early with local guides, porters, and homestays. If you cancel in writing at least 15 days before the original departure date, the deposit is kept as credit for 12 months. You can use it on another TVPalm booking or transfer it to another person. For one-day treks and half-day walks, the notice period is 7 days.
Deposit deadlines:
- Tay Con Linh Summit Trekking: 45%, due within 48 hours of the confirmed quotation.
- Dao Village Trekking, Ha Giang – Cao Bang Loop: 30%, due within 72 hours.
- Half-Day Walks: 20%, due within 72 hours.
- One-Day Treks & Walks: 30%, due within 72 hours.
- Trail of the Snub-Nosed Monkeys: 45%, due within 48 hours of the confirmed quotation.
- TVPalm Ecolodge stay: 50% of the stay, to hold the room. We hold the room for 24 hours from our quote.
For bookings made within 30 days of departure, the deposit is due immediately.
2. Tour Cancellation — TVPalm Adventure
Refund percentages below apply to the total tour price. A refund never exceeds what you have paid beyond the deposit, and any amount kept above the deposit is not credited. Notice is measured from the date TVPalm receives your written request at info@tvpalm.com.
| Tour Type | Early | Mid | Near | Cutoff / no-show |
| Summit Trekking & Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Tier 3) | 55% (45+ days) | 30% (30–44) | 15% (15–29) | 0% (under 15 days) |
| Dao Village (Tier 2) | 70% (30+ days) | 40% (15–29) | 20% (7–14) | 0% (under 7 days) |
| Ha Giang – Cao Bang Loop | 70% (30+ days) | 50% (15–29) | 30% (7–14) | 0% (under 7 days) |
| Half-Day Walks (Tier 1) | 80% (7+ days) | 50% (3–6 days) | — | 0% (under 3 days) |
| One-Day Treks & Walks (Tier 1) | 70% (7+ days) | 50% (3–6 days) | — | 0% (under 3 days) |
Some tours carry additional conditions — wildlife tours and Tay Con Linh summit routes in particular. The full schedule for your tour is in its policy pack and on its product page.
3. Stay Cancellation — TVPalm Ecolodge
| Notice period | Refund of deposit | Note |
| 14 days or more before arrival | Full deposit refunded | |
| Less than 14 days before arrival, or you do not arrive | No refund | You can change your dates once if you tell us at least 72 hours before and a room is free |
| Tet, public holidays and peak nights | No refund and no date change | We say so in the quote |
| Landslide, flood, storm or a road closed by the authorities | Free date change, valid for 12 months, or full refund |
4. Non-refundable Cases
No refund is given in the following situations:
- You leave the tour voluntarily, or do not arrive at the meeting point at the agreed time.
- You do not provide valid proof of personal travel insurance by the deadline for your tour. See section 5.
- You do not meet the health, fitness, or age requirements for the tour and did not tell us in advance.
- A child is booked onto a tour below its minimum age. We do not accept children under 14 on the Tay Con Linh summit treks (2 days 1 night and 3 days 2 nights), because of the 600 m high-altitude ascent. Our village treks, one-day treks and half-day walks accept children from 10 with parental supervision. These are safety rules, not commercial ones, and they apply without exception.
- Services already used or partly used during the journey.
5. Insurance — Required for All Tours
Personal travel insurance covering the activities of your tour is required for every TVPalm tour. This is a condition of participation, not a recommendation.
| Tour | Cover Required | Proof Deadline |
| Tay Con Linh Summit Trekking | Mountain trekking at altitude + emergency medical evacuation | 21 days before departure |
| Dao Village Trekking, Wildlife tours | Trekking and outdoor activity | 14 days before departure |
| Ha Giang – Cao Bang Loop | Motorbike riding as rider or passenger, or vehicle travel | 14 days before departure |
| Day & Half-Day Walks | Outdoor activity and hiking | At time of booking |
Every guest is also covered by PVI Inbound 2 travel insurance (cover up to USD 25,000 per guest), included in the tour price. It does not fully cover trekking at altitude, motorbike riding, or emergency medical evacuation. It is a safety net, not a substitute for personal insurance.
If valid proof is not received by the deadline, you cannot join the tour, and the standard cancellation terms in section 2 apply. We would rather tell you this clearly at booking than turn you away at the trailhead.
6. Force Majeure
For severe weather, natural disasters, landslides, government restrictions, road closures, or other events beyond TVPalm’s control:
- If the trip cannot start: full deposit refunded, or transferred to new dates.
- If the trip is interrupted mid-way: the itinerary is adjusted where possible, and a partial refund is assessed case by case.
We do not lower a route’s difficulty grade or push a departure through unsafe conditions in order to avoid a refund. Safety comes before revenue. We will contact you as early as we know, and work with you to find a fair solution.
7. Date Changes Instead of Cancelling
We would rather move your dates than lose your trip. Date changes must be requested in writing to info@tvpalm.com and are subject to availability.
- Summit Trekking: free 30 or more days before departure. A 30% adjustment fee applies 15–29 days before. Within 15 days, written approval only.
- Dao Village and Loop tours: free 15 or more days before departure. A 20% adjustment fee applies 7–14 days before. Within 7 days, written approval only.
- Day and Half-Day Walks: free more than 3 days before departure. Within 3 days, written approval only.
One free postponement applies within a 12-month window. Returning guests, and international travellers who can show a changed flight, may receive additional flexibility. Peak-season dates have limited availability.
8. How to Request a Refund
- Send your request in writing to info@tvpalm.com, or by WhatsApp to +84 366 885 955. Written requests set the notice date.
- Include your booking confirmation or order code, your name and phone number, and the reason for cancelling.
- We respond within 1 to 3 working days. If any cost is non-recoverable, we tell you exactly what it is and why.
- Once the amount is agreed, we process the refund to your original payment method.
9. Refund Processing
- Refunds are processed within 15 to 30 business days to the original payment method.
- Where possible, refunds are returned through the same channel used for payment — bank transfer, Wise, Revolut, PayPal, or card.
- Bank transfer fees, where they apply, are deducted from the refund amount.
- PayPal does not return the original processing fee. That fee is deducted from the refund amount. This is why we recommend Wise or Revolut for international payments.
10. Policy Updates
TVPalm may update this policy to match legal requirements and operating conditions on the ground. Changes are published on this page with the date of the update. The terms that apply to your booking are the terms in force on the date your booking was confirmed.
11. Contact
- Email: info@tvpalm.com
- Hotline & WhatsApp: +84 366 885 955
- Sales: Chloe — info@tvpalm.com
- Ecolodge: Khuoi My village, Ha Giang 1 ward, Tuyen Quang province, Vietnam
• Hanoi office: 667 Lac Long Quan, Tay Ho, Hanoi
