Vietnam Cultural Photo Tour

NOTE: ITINERARY MAY BE CHANGED FOR THE BETTER EXPERIENCE IF ANY
 

DAY 1 - 11 OCT 2024: HO CHI MINH CITY ARRIVAL
Welcome to the Vietnam Cultural Photo Tour organized by An Bui.
I will pick you up at the Ho Chi Minh City Airport, transfer to hotel and relax after long flight to Vietnam.
You can arrive in Ho Chi Minh City in any flight schedule time on this day, or you can arrive few days before the trip to explore the city, then join with us on this day. Ho Chi Minh is the biggest and modern city in Vietnam, you can find good travel service here. Moreover, there are many international ATM or money exchange as well as card accepting in most of the restaurant or shop in the city center. Relax to prepare our trip soon to begin in next day.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 2 - 12 OCT 2024: HO CHI MINH / MOC HOA
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning visits the temple and enjoy photography with the lady in Ao Dai in the temple (Model setup for photography). Ao Dai is the traditional costume in Vietnam, and the people normally wearing ao dai in the most important festival in Vietnam such as Tet Holidays or their wedding day. And photography with lady in ao dai is suitable in the location of temple, pagoda or a place with ancient architecture due to it is a native cultural of Vietnamese people. We will photograph the model wearing the ao dai in Ho Chi Minh City, with the support of our local photographer for her posing.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon transfer to Moc Hoa with 3 hours of driving. Moc Hoa is the rural place in Mekong Delta with basic travel service. We will stay overnight and have meal at the local hotel in there. The room is clean with basic facility, toilet with hot water. There are not many choices for hotel in this place, and this hotel is near our shooting place.
Dinner at local restaurant in Moc Hoa.
Overnight at hotel in Moc Hoa (Basic accommodations).

DAY 3 - 13 OCT 2024: MOC HOA / CAN THO
Enjoy sunrise photography with the water lily flowers (Model setup for photography). The main blossom season of water lily flower is from Sep to Dec, so with this period we have chance to shoot the activities of people transport flower on the rowing boats. Our local photographer will support to arrange boat with full of water lily flower, then we can shoot from the good view in the morning. And off course this shooting setup is most ideal for drone photography, but shooting by camera is also good too.
Back to hotel for breakfast.
Morning transfer to Can Tho with 3 hours of driving.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon visiting the local village and enjoy photography at the handicraft village of tofu skin making. This is a 100-year handicraft village making tofu skin. To access the village, currently we need to walk on the path along the small river about 1.5 km to get there, on the way you will have chance to see the daily life of local people living in the Mekong Delta. Most of the house have garden with fruit and flower in front of their house opposite to the river. Tofu Skin Handicraft Village was established more than 100 years ago, now was supported by Vinh Long tourism to remain for tourism. Every time I come for photography, I often buy some, it is really good food.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Can Tho.

DAY 4 - 14 OCT 2024: CAN THO / CHAU DOC
Enjoy sunrise photography with the floating market in Can Tho. The floating market in Vietnam now is not the major place to buying goods in Vietnam than before due to the development of infrastructure and modern technology. People will have more benefit to change traditional market in the river to modern market in land. However, in Can Tho still have floating market suitable for tourist and photographer to come and enjoy.
Back to hotel for breakfast.
Morning transfer to Chau Doc with 4 hours of driving.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon enjoy photography with the fishermen throwing the fishing net (Model setup for photography). We will enjoy photograph the fishermen throwing fishing net to the river with the support of posing from our local photographer. The shooting place is very convenient, we stand on the bridge and shoot the fishermen right below on us, it looks like using drone for this setup.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Chau Doc.

DAY 5 - 15 OCT 2024: CHAU DOC / RACH GIA
Enjoy sunrise photography with the palm trees in the rice paddy fields.
Back to hotel for breakfast.
Enjoy morning photography with cow racing in Mekong Delta (Model setup for photography). Cow Racing is one of the attractive activities of the Khmer minority people living in Chau Doc, yearly before the new crops, people often celebrate the cow racing festival, then raise for the new successful crop. This time we set up a private cow racing for our shooting. One cow driver will control 2 cow to run in the path with water. Each time 2 drivers will challenge to run, and we are mainly shoot in the arrival point with the most active of 2 drivers and cows.
Enjoy portrait photography with the monk in the Khmer Pagoda (Model setup for photography). The photograph in the Khmer pagoda, depend on actual situation, we can shoot the monk or Khmer children around the pagoda as portrait photography.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon transfer to Rach Gia with 3 hours of driving.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Rach Gia.

DAY 6 - 16 OCT 2024: RACH GIA / BAC LIEU
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning enjoys photography with drying fish in Rach Gia (Setup for photography). For long time ago, Rach Gia is very famous of making drying fish, now there are some factories of drying fish. With the sun and shadow the photo of drying fish is really nice.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon transfer to Bac Lieu with 4 hours of driving.
Enjoy sunset photography at the wind electric farm in Bac Lieu. If luckily, we can see local fishermen go fishing on the beach. Before there are a lot of people go fishing on the beach, now it not much. They mostly harvest clams living on the sand. They use a very special tool to harvest it and it make a very nice view for photography. But when this place turns into a wind electricity place, it covers our background and not many people go fishing there.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Bac Lieu.

DAY 7 - 17 OCT 2024: BAC LIEU / HO CHI MINH CITY
Early morning enjoy photography with the monks in the pagoda (Model setup for photography).

Breakfast.
Morning enjoys photography in the handicraft village of mending the fishing net (Model setup for photography). Mending the fishing net in Bac Lieu is the major handicraft job in the past. Now there are not much factory have mended the fishing net than before but still have available. We will visit one factory of fishing net mending like this and enjoy photography in here with the support of our local professional photographer to arrange the background and concept to create art photo with the model as local workers.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon transfer to Ho Chi Minh City with 5 hours of driving.

Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

DAY 8 - 18 OCT 2024: HO CHI MINH CITY / PHAN RANG
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning transfer to Phan Rang with 6 hours of driving.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon enjoy photography at the sand dunes with the Cham minority people (Model setup for photography). One of the best places for art photography I think it is the sand dunes in Phan Rang, this place has nice lightning year-round, less rain and the shape of the dunes is nice both the view on sunrise and sunset. With the best support of our local photographer, we will enjoy photography in the sand dunes with minority model walking in the sand. Before this is the place of minority people and they often walk through the dunes to the town and turn back home.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Phan Rang.

DAY 9 - 19 OCT 2024: PHAN RANG / HANOI
Enjoy sunrise photography with the seascape in Phan Rang. Phan Rang also a nice place for seascape photography in Vietnam. This morning, we will enjoy photography at the Nui Chua National Park with the view of the seascape Hang Rai. There is a big flat ancient coral at the seaside, and it also very nice place for photography with it with the big wave covering it. When the water going out from the coral, it makes a nice moment to capture photo. After that, we can walk around the site with many nice stone along the beach.
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning enjoys portrait photography in Phan Rang with the elderly (Model setup for photography). The scars on an elderly face are very clear and beautiful for photography. If luckily, we can visit the 100-year-old man, he will pose for us for photography with the support of our local photographer.
Lunch at local restaurant
Afternoon transfer to the airport of Nha Trang for local flight to Hanoi.
Arrive Hanoi in late afternoon.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

DAY 10 - 20 OCT 2024: HANOI / LANG SON

Breakfast at hotel.

Morning enjoys photography with the handicraft village of making fishing trap (Model setup for photography). The local house of making fishing trap is located inside a small village, we need to walk around 500 meter to get there going through small alley. Mostly only the elderly working this handicraft job during their free time, not much young people continue with this handicraft anymore. Similar to other situation of handicraft villages in Vietnam, due to the modern life, lots of handicraft village is soon ruin and disappear.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon transfer to Lang Son with 3 hours of driving.

Dinner at local restaurant.

Overnight at hotel in Lang Son.

DAY 11 - 21 OCT 2024: LANG SON / BAN GIOC

Breakfast at hotel.

Morning transfer to Ban Gioc with 5 hours of driving.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon enjoy photography of the greatest Ban Gioc Waterfall. 

Enjoy photography with the minority people in the traditional dress in Ban Gioc (Model setup for photography)

Then enjoy sunset photography at Ban Gioc Waterfall.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Ban Gioc.

DAY 12 - 22 OCT 2024: BAN GIOC

Early morning we will go to Phong Nam village to enjoy the view of sunrise. If luckily, we will have mist or cloud surrounding the mountains, it should be a great moment for photography in Cao Bang. The village is surrounding by very beautiful color of Quay Son River. Phong Nam is a very rural village of the minority people. People in here mainly doing agriculture especially rice. 

Enjoy morning photography with the fishermen in the river (Model setup for photography)

Breakfast at local restaurant.

Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon visit minority village and enjoy afternoon shooting with the minority in Cao Bang (Model setup for photography).

Enjoy sunset photography with the nice view of the Cao Bang landscape. To get the shooting point it need to climb about 20 minutes.

Dinner at local restaurant.

Overnight at hotel in Ban Gioc.

DAY 13 - 23 OCT 2024: BAN GIOC / LANG SON

Enjoy sunrise photography with the mountainous view of Cao Bang, we need to climb to the top of the hill around 45 minutes. This morning, we will challenge of 1 km trails to the shooting place in Ngoc Con hill with 600 meter high, with the view high view to the hill with the river surrounding in the sunrise light. The trail is not much heavy, it takes about 45 minutes to finish with normal health. 

(The other option if your fitness it not suitable for trekking, you can enjoy morning shooting with the Ban Gioc waterfall).

Breakfast and relax.
Morning transfer to Lang Son with 5 hours of driving.
Lunch at local restaurant.

Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Lang Son.

DAY 14 - 24 OCT 2024: LANG SON / DUONG LAM / HANOI

Breakfast at hotel.

Morning transfer to Hanoi with 3 hours of driving.

Enjoy photography of the handicraft village of making tofu sauce (Model setup for photography).

Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon enjoy photography at the handicraft village of making incense (Model setup for photography). Nowadays, the handicraft villages are mainly remained in the north of Vietnam especially surrounding Hanoi. Today we will visit the handicraft village of making tofu sauce and incense. With the support of my local professional photography, we will setup background as well as posing the local workers for our photography.

Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.

DAY 15 - 25 OCT 2024: HANOI DEPARTURE

Breakfast at hotel.

Morning transfer to airport for your next destination. End of service.