1. Calculate the total number of people:
72 + 9 = 81
2. Divide the total number of people by the number of seats per van:
\frac{81}{12} = 6.75
3. Round up to the nearest whole number, because you can't have a fraction of a van:
\lceil 6.75 \rceil = 7
Therefore, 7 vans are needed.