Welcome to Vietnam! Our adventure begins when we meet you upon arrival at No Bai (HAN) International Airport. We will transport you to our 4-star hotel in Hanoi where you can relax and recover from your travels until 4pm when our group gathers for introductions and Workshop Overview meeting followed by an evening stroll around Hanoi’s Old Quarter and group dinner.

A free day to explore Hanoi on your own, waiting for the long journey next day.

Our first full day is a busy one with a predawn start at Long Bien, Hanoi’s central market where we’ll witness the organized chaos of vendors and suppliers trading all manner of produce and seafood. Then we’re off to famous Train Street and Hoan Kiem park to photograph early morning life in these iconic neighborhoods. After breakfast and a chance to catch our breath, we board our private minibus for the drive to Mai Chau, known for its vast tea plantations. This is also our first opportunity to experience village life and hospitality – you will be.

Rise early to wander Mai Chau’s tranquil lanes and fields. After breakfast, we’ll visit a local tea planation before starting our drive to Mu Cang Chai, which contains the most spectacular terraced rice fields in all of Vietnam – that’s saying a lot! We’ll spend the afternoon exploring the region, photographing stunning landscapes and visiting with the locals in their villages and fields.

We’ll explore this amazing region with our cameras from dawn to sunset capturing its jaw-dropping landscapes and its inhabitants.

In the morning we head north towards Ha Giang, which most Vietnamese agree is their most beautiful province. Both the drive and destination are off the charts beautiful, so we’ll take our time exploring the nooks and crannies in search of both grand landscapes and more intimate visions of its inhabitants.

We’ll continue our exploration of scenic Ha Giang province as we make our way to the town of Dong Van. The journey once gain is the destination, so we’ll make lots of stops for photos along the way. It doesn’t seem possible, but as we approach Dong Van, the landscape gets even more dramatic as undulating rice terraces give way to steep limestone mountains known as karsts.

An early start to catch sunrise on famed Ma Pi Leng pass with its dramatic karsts and lush vegetation. Then a break for breakfast before descending to the valley floor to board a boat for a river tour. Later, we’ll visit several H’mong villages where ancient traditions are kept alive by their inhabitants.

We depart early to catch the Sunday market in Meo Vac where villagers from across the region gather to eat, socialize and trade all manner of produce, goods and livestock. It’s an amazing scene, full of opportunities to capture authentic images of locals interacting in their incredibly ornate and colorful attire. Then it’s off to Ba Be lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in Vietnam.

Our primary destination today is majestic, multi-tiered Ban Gioc falls on the Quasy Son river, which forms the international border with China.

We depart early for the drive to the breathtaking Bac Son Valley. A multitude of steep karsts rise dramatically from the flat floor of the Red River Delta to create an amazingly photogenic landscape. We’ll explore this territory with our cameras from multiple vantage points. We’ll also visit with members of the local Tay ethnic minority, see their traditional stilt houses and learn a bit about their way of life.

We make our way slowly down the scenic Red River valley towards the coast, making multiple photo stops along the way. We arrive at the harbor in the late afternoon and board our private ‘junk’ (traditional ship) for an overnight cruise in world-famous Halong Bay. The bay and its iconic karsts are such a popular attraction that it’s impossible to avoid the tourist throng altogether, but having our own vessel allows us to minimize the impact of the crowds on our experience and photography. Cruising amongst steep karst formations rising dramatically out of the water is a breathtaking experience, especially as the sun begins to set.

A second day in Halong Bay allows us to leave most of the tourist boats behind and truly explore this amazing UNESCO World Heritage site. The scenery is breathtaking, but this is also a great opportunity to just relax and recover from our busy schedule or perhaps begin plowing through the mountain of images you’ve accumulated. Ken will share some of his favorite post processing tips & tricks with the group while onboard and also be available for one-on-one image reviews.

We start our third day on the water with an early morning visit to a floating village where can photograph the locals prepare for a day of fishing. After breakfast, we’ll cruise through greater Halong Bay as we make our way towards shore. Once back in Hanoi, you can do a little shopping or just relax in the hotel until our farewell dinner in the evening.

A free day in Hanoi after a long journey

If your flight schedule allows, you can enjoy some last-minute shopping or dining in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Otherwise, we’ll transport you to the airport in plenty of time to catch your homeward flights