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Profile reviewed · April 2026 · LinkedIn synced · Mai Tran · senior team member
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Mai Tran

a.k.a. Mai Trần · Trần Thị Mai · Thi Mai Tran
Senior Designer · Cuisine + Old Quarter · Asia Travel Links DMC

I am a born-and-raised Hanoi Old Quarter girl · my family has eaten at Phở Thìn since the 1980s + my aunt used to live across from Bún chả Hương Liên before Obama-Bourdain put it on the map. I joined ATL DMC in 2020 after 5 years curating food experiences for boutique hotels (Sofitel Metropole + Apricot Hotel). My focus is small-group Hanoi cuisine deep-dives · 4-hour food walks · home-cooking classes with grandmothers in Bát Tràng village · and editorial cuisine content for the /cuisine/ section.

📍Hanoi Old Quarter native🍜Cuisine specialist since 2015🥢Phở Thìn family connection 40+ yrs🇬🇧English fluent · curates food guides

Who is Mai

Mai Tran · Senior Designer · Cuisine + Old Quarter at ATL DMC · 10 yrs Hanoi cuisine + Old Quarter walking · Bún chả Hương Liên + Phở Thìn family connections. Trained directly by Robert Nguyen · ATL brand voice + audit framework discipline · WhatsApp 1-hour reply guarantee.

🎯 Senior Designer · Cuisine + Old Quarter🇻🇳 Hanoi-based⚡ WhatsApp 1hr reply
⏱ Assigned by Robert based on trip brief · WhatsApp directly OR ask Robert to route to Mai Tran

Why work with Mai directly

🛂
Vietnam tourism since 2015
🤝
Trained by Robert · ATL brand voice
📋
VNAT-licensed (via ATL DMC)
in
LinkedIn-verified public profile
WhatsApp 1-hour reply guarantee

About Mai Tran

I joined Asia Travel Links DMC after Robert Nguyen recruited me personally · I had previously worked at larger DMCs + boutique tour operators · ATL was where I could combine professional ops experience with the one-named-human accountability model Robert had built since 2011.

Robert trains every senior designer directly · I went through 3 months of Robert-shadowing before taking my first independent trip · learned the ATL brand voice + audit framework + Phase 0.5 component discipline + WhatsApp 1-hour reply guarantee + transparent supplier-vs-fee pricing.

What I love about ATL is that every trip I design gets reviewed by Robert before quote-out · he stays copied for the first 48 hours after booking · and he is the named escalation if anything goes wrong on-trip. I have my expertise · but I am never the only person who has your back.

Trained by Robert · ATL brand voice + one-named-human accountability + transparent pricing. When you work with me, you also have Robert as escalation · not separate · together.

— Mai Tran · Senior Designer · Cuisine + Old Quarter · Asia Travel Links DMC

What Mai personally specialises in

🍜Hanoi cuisine deep-dives

Small-group 4-hour food walks · Phở Thìn + Bún chả Hương Liên + Bánh cuốn Bà Hoành · introductions by name to restaurant owners.

🥢Home-cooking classes

Half-day cooking with grandmothers in Bát Tràng village · Phở broth from-scratch + bánh xèo + nem rán · take recipes home.

🏛Old Quarter walking tours

Old Quarter 36-streets architectural walk · Hoan Kiem Lake morning tai-chi watching · French Quarter colonial café crawl.

🍵Vietnamese coffee culture

Café Giảng egg-coffee 1946 origin · Vietnamese coffee history + brewing methods · roasting workshop with 3rd-gen Hanoi roaster.

🌿Dietary-restricted travelers

Vegetarian + vegan Hanoi food walks · gluten-free options · halal restaurant routing for Muslim travelers.

📚/cuisine/ section editorial

Editorial author on /cuisine/<dish>/ PDP pages · IPA pronunciation + Wiktionary citation + regional variant matrices.

Tours Mai designed personally

These are tour packages I scoped, costed, and signed off on personally · not catalog tours assigned to a designer. Click any to see the full itinerary + my designer notes.

Hanoi Old Quarter Food Walk (Phở Thìn + Bún chả Hương Liên)
🪪 Designed by Mai

Hanoi Old Quarter Food Walk (Phở Thìn + Bún chả Hương Liên)

📅 4 hours📍 Old Quarter · 6 restaurants
From $55/pax
Bát Tràng Village Cooking Class Half-Day
🪪 Designed by Mai

Bát Tràng Village Cooking Class Half-Day

📅 ½ day📍 Bát Tràng pottery village
From $75/pax
Hanoi Cuisine + Old Quarter 3-Day Immersion
🪪 Designed by Mai

Hanoi Cuisine + Old Quarter 3-Day Immersion

📅 3 days📍 Hanoi · 9 food experiences
From $620/pax
View all 3 tours Mai designed →

What clients say about working with Mai

Testimonials specifically about working with Mai personally · NOT site-wide ATL reviews. Each Review JSON-LD has itemReviewed: Person.

Mai walked us through Old Quarter for 4 hours · she introduced us to the Phở Thìn lady (her mother knew her growing up) · we got the secret stir-fried beef step explained personally. Felt like eating with a Hanoi family.

Daniel + Emma · Couples · UKOld Quarter Food Walk · April 2026→ Hanoi Old Quarter Food Tour

Vegan in Hanoi felt impossible until Mai routed us through 8 vegan-friendly spots over 4 days · including a vegan bánh mì shop I would never have found. She speaks the dietary language fluently.

Rebecca H. · Solo · USA4-day Hanoi vegan cuisine · Feb 2026→ Plan a vegan trip with Mai

Cooking class at Bát Tràng with the grandmother · Mai translated the 60-year-old phở broth recipe step-by-step · we made bánh xèo + nem rán + actual phở from scratch · took the recipe home in Vietnamese + English.

Family of 4 · SingaporeHalf-day cooking class · March 2026→ Bát Tràng Cooking Class

Working with Mai · FAQ

Can I request Mai to design my trip specifically?🔊 Audio summary

Yes · WhatsApp ATL central +84 917 506 881 with "Direct to Mai" · or ask Robert to route your brief to Mai based on your specialty fit. Robert reviews every team-member assignment before quote-out.

What does Mai personally specialise in?

Mai specialises in Hanoi cuisine deep-dives + Old Quarter walking · 10 years of experience · trained directly by Robert Nguyen in ATL brand voice + audit framework + one-named-human accountability model.

What languages does Mai speak at customer-service level?

Mai speaks VI/EN at customer-service level. For other languages, ATL has dedicated language-speakers across the 24-member team · we route by language need.

Does Robert oversee Mai's trips?

Yes · Robert reviews every Mai-designed trip before quote-out · stays copied on the customer thread for the first 48 hours after booking · and is the named escalation if anything goes wrong on-trip. Mai has expertise · Robert is backup accountability.

How do I contact Mai directly?

WhatsApp ATL central +84 917 506 881 with "Direct to Mai" · email Mai's ATL alias OR LinkedIn DM. Response time: WhatsApp 1-hour reply guarantee Mon-Sun 7am-11pm ICT · email 4-hour business hours.

Verified sources about Mai

Other team members you might work with

Mai personally vetted and trained each senior designer · click any to see their specialisation.

View full ATL DMC team →

💰 Hire Mai as private guide

Mai is available for private-guide assignments per day. Rates below cover guide fee · pre-trip briefing · WhatsApp on-trip support. Not included: client meals · entry tickets · transport (book separately or bundle into a package).

Duration🇬🇧 ENbaseline🇻🇳 VN−20% local🇫🇷 FR+10% premium🇯🇵 JP+15% premium
Half Day 4 hours · morning OR afternoon
$120
$96
$132
$138
Full Day 8 hours · most-booked
$200
$160
$220
$230
Multi-day overnight per day · 2+ nights · accommodation extra
$170
$136
$187
$195.50
Rates per language premium multiplier (EN baseline · VN −20% local · FR +10% · JP +15%). All-inclusive: guide fee · pre-trip briefing · WhatsApp on-trip support · post-trip follow-up. NOT included: client meals · entry tickets · transport (book separately or bundle into a package).
🇬🇧 EN · Full Day · all-inclusive guide day-rate
🤝 Hire Mai as private guide · Get quote (no payment yet)
⏱ WhatsApp confirms availability within 1 hour · Mai personally vets every direct-guide booking · payment via secure link after confirmation

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