Detailed Itinerary : The Art and Soul of Northern Vietnam
Day 0: (in Hanoi time Zone) - Early Arrival, Clear customs, Transfer to Hotel
Welcome to Vietnam!
We request that participants arrive 1-2 days beforehand to acclimate, rest up, and wander the neighborhood shops. Whenever you arrive, we will pick you up at Hanoi Airport and transfer you to our hotel.
Day 1: - Hanoi
Today is last Arrival Day. In late afternoon, we will hold our required orientation meeting and have our welcome dinner this evening. Tomorrow we awaken early and explore amazing Hanoi, for our Ultimate Hanoi Photography tour!
Accommodation: Hanoi Pearl Hotel
Day 2 - Hanoi
We hit the ground running with our Ultimate Hanoi Photo Tour. Starting at first light, we explore a lesser-known section of Train Street, capturing dramatic scenes as locals begin their day along the tracks. From here, we move to the Thieves Market, a gritty and vibrant maze of vendors selling everything from salvaged electronics to old war relics—perfect for street-style storytelling.
In the afternoon, we will visit the Quang Phu Cau incense village, where bright red incense sticks are laid out in stunning patterns for drying. With guidance from your photographer guides, you’ll see the roots of the process and learn to work with symmetry, color, and natural light for striking compositions.
After an early dinner, we transfer to Hanoi Railway Station and board the Chapa Express—
a comfortable overnight train to Lao Cai in private two-berth cabins. Time to rest and dream of northern highlands.
Overnight Train: Chapa Express soft-sleeper cabin
Day 3 – Lao Cai, Sapa, Lai Chau
We will arrive early in Lao Cai and, after breakfast in Sapa, hit the road west, winding through misty valleys and jagged mountains toward Lai Chau province. Along the way, we stop to photograph harvest scenes in the fields—farmers wading through golden rice paddies with sickles in hand—and do impromptu portraits with tribal traders on the roadside in bold traditional dress.
After lunch in Lai Chau city, we take the winding road up to Sin Suoi Ho, passing through beautiful valleys of rose plantations and rice terraces. After checking into our accommodation, we’ll enjoy a gentle photo walk down through this quiet Hmong village. Late afternoon golden light on the rice terraces at the edge of the village provides stunning opportunities for wide-angle landscapes.
Accommodation: We use: Hoa Lan Bungalow and adjacent A De Homestay, Sin Suoi
Day 4 - Sin Suoi Ho - Lai Chau: Muong So
We rise early to capture a vast sea of clouds (weather-allowing) stretching out across the valley under our accommodation. Mountain peaks and distant treelines poke out of the white clouds. After breakfast, we’ll take a walk through the village, visiting some local houses along the way. This is a good opportunity to capture images of daily Hmong home life, with signs of the rice harvest - tools, threshing machines and bulging bags of rice - in evidence everywhere.
In the afternoon, we’ll venture out further to an enormous bowl of low-lying paddies, surrounded on all sides by towering peaks. The air is cool and clear, and locals are at work in the fields—offering beautifully lit scenes perfect for capturing motion, symmetry, and interaction with the landscape. Those needing photos reviewed can arrange to meet Dave after dinner.
Accommodation: We use: Hoa Lan Bungalow and adjacent A De Homestay, Sin Suoi
Day 5 - Sin Suoi Ho - Lai Chau
We enjoy a relaxed morning to review images or take a final stroll through Sin Suoi Ho before departing for our accommodation in Lai Chau. On the way down, we’ll stop for photo opportunities in the tribal villages and on the many vantage points by the road.
We’ll have a couple of hours to relax at our hotel in Lai Chau before heading out again in the afternoon. This time, we’re following the river valley towards the town of Muong So. We’ll park the minivan and explore this beautiful area on foot as the sun sets, with roadside chess-players, kids cycling home from school, and of course the fertile fields busy with harvesters.
Accommodation: Hoang Nham Luxury Hotel, Lai Chau
Day 6 - Sin Suoi Ho
This morning, we will head into the mountains to Sin Ho, capturing many incredible high-altitude landscapes along the way. In Sin Ho we’ll visit the small minority market, a gathering of Dao, Tay and Hmong people. You’ll work on environmental portraits, motion, and expressive detail. Look out for the tribal traders selling herbs for traditional medicine via smartphone and e-commerce.
In the afternoon, we visit Pa Tan, a valley filled with rice paddies, where farmers in conical hats move like brushstrokes across the fields. As the sun drops, we’ll get in amongst the action, capturing images of the locals bringing in their crop.
Accommodation: Hoang Nham Luxury Hotel
Day 7 - San Thang Tribal Market
Sunday brings San Thang tribal market at its most colorful, with diverse ethnic groups—Ha Nhi, Lu, Hmong, Dzao—arriving from surrounding valleys. The market is an important chance for locals to buy and sell fresh produce, textiles and livestock, but also a weekly social gathering. Look out for plenty of portraits, details and human moments among the color and chaos.
Accommodation: Hoang Nham Lux Hotel, Lai Chau
Day 8 - Lai Chau to Mu Cang Chai
We’ll enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the hotel before hitting the road south. On the way, we stop by a Hmong blacksmith’s workshop to capture images of the craftsmen fashioning knives in their forge. After lunch among the tea hills of Tan Uyen, we climb higher into the mountains, taking a detour to a remote valley offering jaw-dropping views. A river tumbles down the mountainside, through volcanic rock formations and scattered villages, and we’ll get as far as we can by car to capture images of Hmong life among the crags.
We arrive in Mu Cang Chai in the late afternoon and relax for the evening.
Accommodation: Chiba EcoLodge
Day 9 - Mu Cang Chai
Dawn finds us high among the stepped terraces—views synonymous with Vietnam’s northern rice harvest. Some spots have become victims of their own popularity, but still afford breathtaking landscape opportunities. Breakfast is back at the ecolodge before we head out again for a visit and portrait shoot with a Hmong family. We’ll enjoy a delicious lunch at their home too.
In late afternoon, we’ll capture golden sunset light in another arena of beautiful stepped terraces.
Accommodation: Chiba EcoLodge
Day 10 - Tu Le
Today we continue south to Tu Le, a peaceful valley rich with culture and natural beauty. We’ll check in to our gorgeous accommodation overlooking the valley and have time for a dip in the resort’s hot springs, so consider bringing a bathing suit.
Don’t get too comfortable! We'll have another late afternoon shoot in a village deep in the valley. Along the way, we stop for spontaneous portraits and field scenes in the golden light. We’ll have a truly delicious home cooked dinner with our local friends in their house overlooking the paddies. This evening is a good time to process photos you want to review with Dave tomorrow after breakfast.
Accommodation: Le Champ Tu Le Resort Hot Spring & Spa
Day 11 - Tu Le
Enjoy the buffet breakfast at the resort. Afterwards, we have a relaxed morning and group photo review session, we focus on building out your harvest season story—refining selections, receiving feedback from Dave. Even if you don't have images ready, it's a great opportunity to learn from each others feedback too.
We are then free to enjoy the landscape, process, etc. We’ll have an optional sunset photowalk through a nearby village. It's a well-deserved relaxing day.
Accommodation: Le Champ Tu Le Resort Hot Spring & Spa
Day 12 - Xoi Farmstay
We depart Tu Le and head to Xoi Farmstay, located in a valley surrounded by forest and fields. Along the way we’ll come across busy plywood producing factories, an interesting subject for documentary and people photography. In the afternoon, we photograph local forest workers and farmers, building a series of environmental portraits and candid scenes. We may also venture up
to a secluded forest waterfall on foot.
Accommodation: Xoi Farmstay
Day 13 - Xoi Farmstay
Time for an early morning photo walk. The area is blessed with beautiful rice paddies, and we’ll spend today exploring the area on foot and by bicycle, enjoying and photographing classical Vietnamese rural life.
Our last night in the highlands is quiet and meaningful, offering time to reflect and relax, or select your best shots from the tour to contribute to our group slideshow on a Thumbdrive. You can also seek a 1:1 session review from Dave.
Accommodation: Xoi Farmstay
Day 14 - Return to Hanoi
Transfer to Hanoi Airport for later day flights home unless overnightin or leaving for our Extension.
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Three-Day Extension: “North Coastal Traditions”*
An Unforgettable 3-day Photo Tour through the rare cultures of Vietnam's Northeast seaboard.
Infinity Beach, Shellfishing, Net Repair, Dong Chao, Silk Production, Cathedral, Storytelling
This exclusive extension offers a rare glimpse into a coastal region of Vietnam that few Western travelers ever experience. From Hanoi, we’ll journey eastward to explore a stretch of shoreline rich in traditional maritime culture and vibrant daily life, all with extraordinary photographic potential.
Vietnam’s northeast coastline boasts some of the most stunning seascapes in the country, as well as rustic fishing life, colorful craft villages, and salt farming practiced the pre-industrial way. While much of Vietnam develops at breakneck speed, the provinces along this coastline are like a portal to the past, where silk is still produced from worm to spool in one village, and fishermen’s wives spend their mornings mending nets on the town high street.
Foreign tourism is virtually unknown here, meaning warm and authentic encounters with the friendly locals, and plenty of chances for intimate portraits. And of course, the sea itself, vast and bright under the sun, offers ethereal imagery and reflections like Infinity Beach. We explore all of this through our lenses on our Coastal Traditions photography adventure.
This is a premium photographic adventure, and we’ll enjoy the best accommodation available in the region, from local lodges to coastal resorts. We’ll also taste the freshest seafood cuisine in a part of the world already renowned for its culinary excellence. Our close connection to the people of this region, local friendships and many years of our experience give us unparalleled access to the authentic life of local communities and the area’s most stunning vistas. As working photographers and journalists, we provide you unique insights and knowledge about Vietnam and photographic storytelling. You’ve traveled this far, so don't miss this unique trip to the coast!
Accommodation: New Dong Chau Resort
En route to return to Hanoi, Dave can provide final 1:1 photo reviews of selected images.
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@ This extension requires at least three pre-booked travelers.
@ Please note that itineraries can change due to weather, timing, and discovered opportunities.
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