Vietnam

Vietnam Photo Tour – £2995.00 (approx)

Due to the Covid situation this workshop is suspended

This tour is an incomparable adventure and once in a lifetime experience. In a rapidly modernising world, the chance to visit and photographic traditional ethnic minorities in their authentic settings and gain an insight into their lives and livelihoods, while exploring such a phenomenal country, is the opportunity of a lifetime.

• Discover Ba Be lake
• Shoot the ethnic Lo Lo people
• Shoot Dong Van Geopark Limestone range
• Discover deep Red Delta life
• Cruise in a remote part of Halong bay

Your photographer Wilf James

Who is this for?

The Trip will be of interest to both those new to Photography as well as the more experienced, either using DSLR or Film cameras. The emphasis though will be how to get the most creativity out of your camera, a rolling work-shop if you will, and not simply visiting photogenic locations. We keep the groups’ small, maximum of six individuals.

Day 1 Arrival in Hanoi:
The journey begins at “Noi Bai,” Ha Noi’s International Airport.
Transfer to downtown Hanoi Afternoon, Check in to hotel, evening welcome and discussion of the North Vietnam WPA Workshop Tour.

Day 2 Hanoi:
Morning, shoot the Temple of Literature.
Afternoon, street shooting.
Night in the hotel.

Day 3 Hanoi – Ba Be Lake:
Departure at 8:00 a.m. for Ba Be Lake, nicknamed “Halong Bay in the mountains,” crossing a region of medium altitude. Stops en route to visit and shoot some ethnic minority villages, including Tay and Nung. Road through stunning scenery near Bac Kan. Arrive late afternoon in the village of Coc Tap the edge of Ba Be Lake, inhabited by the Tay. Free time to relax in a quiet and relaxing environment. Overnight in a Tay homestay located on a remote area of the lake.
After 240 km of road to the north of Hanoi, down sinuous and descendants, fatigue disappears when travelers see before their eyes a blue lake with crystal clear water appear, which began in the mountains, here and there the sky and clouds with here and a few boats that glide peacefully. The visitors then let themselves melt in the total tranquillity of this divine vision of a special wash.

Day 4 Ba Be Lake:
Leaving the Tay home across the cornfields, then a 5-hour hike on the slopes of the mountain overlooking the lake, across jungle and limestone peaks. Stunning views of the lake. The hike ends at Dau Dang waterfall. Lunch at Pirate Ong then embark on a boat. One hour cruise across the lake to return to the Tay home. Dinner and overnight at the Tay home.

Day 5 Ba Be – Bao Lac:
4 hours drive from Ba Be to Bao Lac and the Lo Lo village.
Once on location you are honoured to be permitted to photograph the village and its inhabitants. Lo Lo Village is a fragile and forgotten world, under strict government regulations. A timeless and improbable place and a paradise for photographers or ethnographers, Lo Lo village is located under a rugged massif, surrounded by luscious terraced rice fields. Isolated from other Lo Lo villages, 200 families live in serene harmony.
Adopting Tây (a neighbouring tribe) style the Lo Lo build their homes on stilts. The elevated and lofty homes have wide terraces, which open to the South; an evening exposure of a Lo Lo family out on their terrace is an image to behold. After dinner you are invited to a real insight into the lives of the Lo Lo with an exclusive night shoot inside Lo Lo homes. Night inside a Lo Lo home.

Day 6 Lo Lo:
Immersion with the Lo Lo. Shoot inside rice fields and follow the Lo Lo during their daily life.
Night inside a Lo Lo home.

Day 7 Bao Lac – Meo Vac:
Mountain road from Bao Lac to Meo Vac. Stop en route to visit the villages. Arrive in Meo Vac around 2 p.m.
Visit villages around Meo Vac.
Overnight at a Meo Vac hotel.

Day 8 Meo Vac – Dong Van:
Transfer to Dong Van, a small sized town located in Dong Van highlands. The road winds through spectacular mountain scenery. Several stops are planned along the way, to visit villages and markets, mostly the Hmong ethnic minority and to shot the Limestone ranges.
Stop in Ma Pi Leng pass to shoot the Nho Que river.
Arrive at Dong Van.
Overnight at hotel.

Day 9 Dong Van – Yen Minh:
Morning visit Dong Van market, shoot the old Chinese architecture, then visit Dong Van nearby villages.
Afternoon, transfer to Yen Minh through limestone ranges.
Night in a hostel.

Day 10 Yen Minh – Thac Ba:
Departure to Thac Ba Lake, the largest North Vietnam freshwater reservoir. Arrive at Vu Linh vilage, near the lake, inhabited by Dao in white pants. Installation in a Dao house, perfectly integrated in a natural resting stilts.
Shoot the Dao around the village. Overnight with the Dao.

Day 11 Thac Ba – Hanoi:
Morning, 2 hours boat tour to discover and to shoot people living and fishing; the beautiful scenery of the lake. Covering an area of 23,000 ha, Thac Ba lake was formed during the construction of a dam on the Chay River. With an average depth of 15m to 20m and even 40m in places, it holds 2.9 billion cubic meters of water. Thousands of islands are scattered in the lake, making up a total area of 4350 ha.
Afternoon, road to Hanoi.
Overnight in a Hanoi hotel.

Day 12 Hanoi – Kenh Ga – Thung Nang – Tam Coc:
Morning departure to Ninh Binh province for the discovery the discovery of Halong terrestrial bay. Just before Ninh Binh, first stop in idyllic Kenh Ga (the Chicken Canal) for a moving cruise on the Hoang Long river, grabbing and shooting authentic life of the deep North Vietnam countryside. Lunch at a local restaurant before devoting the afternoon for a tour on the traditional flat-bottomed boat along limestone peaks and and rice fields.
Overnight in Tam Coc Garden Resort.

Day 13 Tam Coc:
Morning, shoot the local inside rice fields. Afternoon, shoot around Tam Coc.
Overnight in Tam Coc Garden.

Day 14 Tam Coc – Halong:
Morning, 4-hour drive from Tam Coc to Halong. Boarding on the junk Jade des Mers for a moving cruise in Halong Bay, on a different route that allows travelers to avoid the tourist crowds.

Day 15 Halong:
Cruise on Halong small Dragon Bay. Morning, shoot in a fishermen’s village.
Afternoon, cruise inside Halong.

Day 16 Halong – Hanoi airport:
Morning, navigation to the main land, then 4-hour drive to Hanoi Airport.

Not included in the Price:

All flights to and from your home country to Hanoi International Airport.

*All prices are quoted and charged in £ – Pounds Sterling. Euro and US Dollar prices are guides only and are updated regularly. To check the latest exchange rate please click here: XE Currency Converter.

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