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Vietnam 2023 Trip Itinerary

Note: Itinerary is subject to change due to unexpected circumstances.

Day 1. Sep 18 (Mon). Hanoi Arrival (L/D)

Welcome to Hanoi.

Our ground team will arrange airport transfer for the group.

Upon arrival in Hanoi, have lunch at Cha Ca (grilled fish) – a Vietnamese cuisine which is world famous.

• 4.30pm: Pick up for walking & photograph the Old Quarter of Hanoi – the residential and business quarter of the city.
• 7.00pm: End the walk at Blue Butterfly restaurant for our welcome dinner with Vietnamese cuisines.

Overnight in La Sinfonia Delrey (4*).

Day 2. Sep 19 (Tue). Hanoi Street photography (B/L/D)

This morning, explore Hanoi with our cameras. The goal is to capture life in the Old Quarter – the oldest, historic part of the city. With numerous street cafes, sidewalk food stalls, chaotic traffic and much more!

• 6.00 – 8.00am: Walk in the Old Quarter, photograph the local Hanoians at the beginning of their day.
• 8.00 – 9.15am: Breakfast at hotel
• 9.30 – 10.30am: Shooting in the temple of literature with scenes of Vietnamese girls in their traditional Ao Dai costume.
• 12.00pm: Lunch in Ly Club with Vietnamese cuisines. After lunch, transfer to hotel.
• 3.00pm: Pick up, drive to train street
• 3.15 – 4.00pm: Shoot at Train Street at close distance. Train arrives at 3.45pm.
• 4.15pm – 5.00pm: Cyclo ride, experience Hanoi’s center in a relaxing way
• 5.30 – 6.30pm: Walk along West Lake, capture iconic Tran Quoc pagoda
• 7.00pm: Dinner at Hanoi Garden (Address 36 Hàng Mành St.)

Day 3. Sep 20 (Wed). Incense village of Quang Phu Cau - Ban Yen Nhan soya sauce making village (B/L/D)

After breakfast, we leave for the incense village. A unique scene is in front of your lens: Bundles and bundles of incense sticks are drying in the sun. From here, the incense sticks travel to different parts of Vietnam and Southeast Asia and find themselves on altars of families, or temples.

After lunch at Ngon restaurant (18 Phan Boi Chau St), travel to Ban village – one with a century history of making the traditional Vietnamese soya sauce.

Unlike the black soya sauce that you might be familiar with, this is a mix of soya bean and sticky rice. The mixture stays in water for months before the sauce is ready to be served. This sauce goes well with lots of Vietnamese cuisines.

 From the photography point, the lines of jars each contain the mixture create a unique texture for our photos.

Later in the afternoon, we return to Hanoi. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in La Sinfonia Delrey.

Day 4. Sep 21 (Thu). Hanoi early risers. Hanoi – Tu Le (B/L/D)
Distance: 259km. Drive duration: 5.5 hour.

Early morning, we capture the largest market in Hanoi: Long Bien, which sells fruits and vegetables.

After breakfast and check out, we travel to the mountains of northern Vietnam.

Our destination is Tu Le – one of the rice hubs in northern Vietnam. Here, cascading rice fields stretch from one hillside to the other, patching valleys along the way. A masterpiece of human over generations is right in front of your lens.

We check in the Le Champ – a charming mountain resort. In the afternoon, we photograph the valley of Tu Le, taking advantage of the sweet light.

Dinner and overnight at Le Champ.

Day 5. Sep 22 (Fri). Tu Le – Mu Cang Chai (B/L/D)

After breakfast, we travel further to Mu Cang Chai.

The areas of Tu Le – Mu Cang Chai offer some of the most stunning scenes when it comes to rice terraces. In the morning, we’ll have a shooting session at the valleys around Tu le.

Lunch and check in the Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge. Later afternoon, we’ll ride the local motorbike to get to the Horse shoe, one symbol of Mu Cang Chai.

Dinner and overnight at Mu Cang Chai Ecolodge.

Day 6. Sep 23 (Sat). Full day Mu Cang Chai (B/L/D)

A full day for us to capture the landscape of Mu Cang Chai from various corners.

Before dawn, we leave the hotel for the iconic Mam Xoi (nicknamed Raspberry hill). Here, ride 5-minute on the local motorbike to get to a higher elevation, where the full scenery is

captured at the time where there’s much less people.

Later after breakfast, we’ll explore some hidden corners of Mu Cang Chai.

In the afternoon, after lunch and some rest explore for more scenery during the golden hour.

Day 7. Sep 24 (Sun). Mu Cang Chai – Tan Uyen – Sa Pa (B/L/D)

This morning, rise early and make our way to the Mam Xoi hill (nicknamed Raspberry hill)

After lunch, we leave for Tan Uyen. This is home to one of the largest tea plantations in Vietnam.

Tea plantations are great places for photography. Those taken in Vietnam,

however, stand out with the iconic conical hats of the Vietnamese along the tea lines.

Our afternoon is at the tea plantation, shooting the subjects until later afternoon. Then we drive to Sa Pa for dinner & an overnight stay.

Day 8. Sep 25 (Mon). Sa Pa – Ha Noi. Flight Hanoi – Nha Trang (B/L/D)

A day on the road.

After breakfast our van takes us straight to the Noibai International Airport. Our lunch is at the airport area. We then board our afternoon flight to Nha Trang, leaving at around 2.30pm. Check in our hotel in Nha Trang at around 6.00pm. Dinner and overnight in Nha Trang.

Day 9. Sep 26 (Tue). Nha Trang fishing life (B/L/D)

This morning, rise before dawn and head for Luong Son fishing port. Early morning, boats loaded with the night catch come into the dock and a busy scene of unloading fish taking place. We’ll photograph this whole activity, taking advantage of the morning gossamer light.

Later on after breakfast, enjoy your photography review session with Jeff. We go through the photos we have taken over the days. Pick the best of your shots and see how you could improve it.

After lunch, we head for Hon Ro, a harbor in the Nha Trang area. Here, expect to see the photogenic scene of fishermen fixing their net. Then, drive for 1 hour to get to Hon Khoi, check in our accommodation and have dinner. Overnight in GM Doc Let beach resort.

Day 10. Sep 27 (Wed). Van Gia fishing village (B/L/D)

Before the dawn, we depart for Van Gia fishing village. Expect to capture the early morning fishing activities of the locals. Later on, head back to the hotel for resting.

After lunch, we head for Ba Ha, a fishing community

with small houses lining by the beachside. This offers a great way to capture shots that depict daily life of the local fishermen.

Day 11. Sep 28 (Thu). Nha Trang - Saigon (B/L/D)

This morning, after breakfast, we check out the hotel and leave for our flight to Saigon – the most energetic city of Vietnam. Flight VN7341 11:10-12:20.

After lunch at Pho Hoa, we tour the city of Saigon. Check out the historical landmarks including the Presidential Palace – head of the South Vietnam regime in the 60s- 70s. Also, photograph at the colorful Thien Hau temple.

Dinner in Hoa Tuc restaurant. Overnight in hotel Grand Saigon (5*).

After dinner, we’ll have a night shooting session. In which, with our tripods, we capture some skylines of the city, along with shooting from a vantage viewpoint.

Day 12. Sep 29 (Fri). A day in Saigon (B/D)

This morning after breakfast, we head out to the streets of Saigon. Within a timeframe of 4 hours, we’ll photograph what Saigon has to offer when it comes to daily

life in Vietnam’s most vibrant city.

Lunch on your own. Afternoon free at leisure. Perhaps do some shopping or enjoy a cup of coffee near the hotel while capturing the flow of traffic/people.

Our farewell dinner is at the charming Le Mandarin restaurant. Overnight in hotel Grand Saigon.

Day 13. Sep 30 (Sat). Departing Saigon (B)

Today is the last day of the package and you might stay further in Saigon for your own travel or depart for home. Airport transfer is included in the package.

Inclusions & Exclusions

Inclusions

• English speaking tour guides throughout the trip

• Transportation in air-conditioning vehicles

• Water/soft drink during drives

• All entrance fees as per itinerary

• 4* accommodations when possible. Exception is Day 5, 6 (2* equivalent).
  Accommodation details are in “Accommodation” section beneath. 5* in Saigon.

• All meals as mentioned in itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)

• Scooter rides in Mu Cang Chai

• 1 drink (water/soft drink/beer for lunch & dinner)

• Internal Flights: Hanoi – Nha Tran and Nha Trang - Saigon

• Gratuities for random models (i.e the ordinary working people who we might stop to photograph)

• Tipping for drivers

• Tipping for bellman of all hotels

  Exclusions

• International Airfare
  

• Personal expenses

• Other tipping rather than mentioned in the “Inclusions”

Hotel information