Beautiful Landscapes & Beautiful People

Vietnam Photo Tour

Vietnam is one of the most friendly places you will ever experience in the world. Along with the friendly nature of the people is an amazing culture of street food. This is where we will find our interactions with every day people and photos to go with it. There will be lots of markets and street vendors to photograph along with temples, relics and an amazing landscape. Expect interactions with people every day of this trip and expect to take lots of photos.

Zim was born in Vietnam and speaks Vietnamese fluently, she acts as language, culture and food interpreter and photography teacher all at once. Not only will you have a great travel experience but also a great photo experience too.

Itinerary

Day 1 & 2
Your journey begins with a welcome dinner in the capital city of Hanoi and a city tour of Hanoi, visiting the Temple of Literature and Citadel and of course the obligatory temple or two.

Day 3
Head to Ha Long Bay via private van for an overnight stay on a cruise boat. Giving us an opportunity for both a sunset and a sunrise shoot in the bay.

Day 4-6
After returning to the main land we'll by pass Hanoi and head directly to Nghia Lo (about a 7 hour drive), where we'll find rice terraces and a small town with few tourists. The next morning after spending the morning in the market, head into the hills where we'll find tea plantations and hundred year old tea trees, before going to an eco-lodge in Mu Canh Chai with terraced rice fields everywhere. We'll spend 2 nights out there relaxing and shooting. We'll get a chance to work on some long exposures during the day if you bring 10-15 stop ND filters. There will be opportunities to do a little bit of hiking if you like or take a motorcycle taxi to get into the local villages. This area is also inhabited by several of the 54 (that's FIFTY FOUR) ethnic minorities in Vietnam.

Day 7
Return to Hanoi

Day 8
Head to Hoi An via Da Nang and stopping at Marble mountain on the way.

Day 9-10 & 10
Hoi An. We'll spend 2 days walking through the market and exploring the town with our cameras. You'll have free time to do some shopping or shooting.

Day 11
Transit to Hue Hue in the morning taking 8 hours to do a 3 hour trip passing through fishing villages and the City of Tombs.

Day 12 - 13
Will be spent in Hue visiting the tombs of Ancient rulers like Minh Mang and Khai Dinh and many others. There will be a few temples to explore as well. We'll also take a half day on a boat visiting a couple of temples and photographing the local fishermen to give everyone some time off their feet.

Day 14

Return to Hanoi in the morning. The afternoon will be free for ya'll to finish your shopping and we'll finish with a trip to the water Puppet show and the night market.

Day 15 - Departure
Transportation

You will be responsible for all international transportation requirements. This photo tour will begin in Hanoi (exact hotel and meeting location will be provided after registration) and end in Hanoi. Once the photo tour begins, all internal transportation costs are included in the registration fee including flights & airport transfers. We will be using private vehicles and walking within city limits when possible. When moving between cities we will use private cars to get from city to city. We will begin our trip with a meet and greet on Day 1 in Hanoi and end in Central Vietnam. You will be flown back to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (your choice) so that you may catch your departure. If you need to lengthen or shorten your stay please let me know.
Accommodation

You will be staying in local hotels with a 3-4 star western standard rating (usually considered 5+ stars by local standards) . We will also spend one night on a cruise ship in Ha Long Bay. Two nights will be spent at an ecolodge. One night will be spent in a 1 star hotel.
Meals

On your journey you will have the opportunity try lots of local foods. Hopefully never repeating anything twice. All breakfasts will be included plus 2 lunches and 4 dinners. . No beverages are not included. Please note that a couple of breakfasts will not be available right away because we will be leaving too early in the morning. Please bring 2-3 of your favorite power bars to get you through 1-3 hours before we can find something! There are no McD's breakfast drive through in Vietnam!
Medical

As with all travel outside a first world country it is recommended that you have all of your childhood immunizations up to date and/or boosted. The United State's Center for Disease Control also recommends that you are immunized against Hepatitus A and Typhoid. For more information on which vaccinations are necessary please visit the CDC website. Please contact your doctor for further information.
Documents

Visa requirements for visiting Vietnam. Citizens of most western countries with a valid passport are required to apply for an entry visa to Vietnam. You may apply via your local embassy or consulate office. Although our session will only be in Vietnam if you plan to continue on in Asia and return to Vietnam after you will need to apply for a multi entry visa. You are responsible for fulfilling your own visa requirements. Registration does not include visa fees. US residents may apply for visas 6 months prior to their visit via the consulate office.
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