Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi arrival

After your arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport, you will be transferred downtown to the Sofitel Metropole Hotel for check in. The rest of the day is free to explore on your own. Overnight at the 5* Sofitel Metropole Hotel in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi City Tour - Overnight Train to Lao Cai

Rise for an early morning photo shoot at 5:30am of the Flower Market then head back to hotel for breakfast before embarking for a tour of Hanoi including Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and his house on stilts, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature. After lunch at Indochine Restaurant, visit the Quan Thanh Temple and the Tran Quoc Pagoda on the edge of West Lake. In the later afternoon, photograph the sites of the busy Old Quarter from a 1.5 hour Cyclo Tour – a cyclo is a tricycle with a seat at the front for passengers with the driver seated behind. Visit the Lake of the Restored Sword and Ngoc Son Temple. After dinner we will depart for an overnight train to Lao Cai.

Day 3: Lung Khau Nhin Market - Sapa

Your train pulls into Lao Cai at approximately 5am. After breakfast, take a 2.5 hour ride through the lush farm land of Lao Cai Plateau along the Chinese border. Visit the Lung Khau Nhin market nestled amongst mountain and forests with people from nearby villages including: Flower H’mong, Zao, Tay, Zay, Tu Zi, Pazi.

After the market, take a short walk to the Black Zao Village before our lunch in Muong Khuong. The journey back to Lao Cai and Sapa will be highlighted with many photo ops of breathtaking scenery along the way. After checking into your hotel in this rugged mountain region, enjoy a free afternoon to explore Sapa. Dinner at the Victoria Hotel. Over night at the 4* Victoria Sapa Hotel.

Day 4: Sapa Villages (Lao Chai, Ta Van, Giang Ta Chai)

After breakfast at the hotel, take a walking tour to local market of Sapa, followed by 5 km transfer by Jeeps to Lao Chai. Our 2-hour trek includes a visit to the Lao Chai village of the Black H’mong where you’ll capture rich images of the terrace rice paddies at their peak green color and dynamic portraits of locals. Continue on to the Ta Van village of the Zay people before taking the jeeps to the Giang Ta Chai village of the Red Dzao where you’ll capture images of a scenic waterfall and rattan suspension bridge and more verdant rice paddies. Dinner will be served at Victoria Sapa Hotel. Over night at Victoria Sapa Hotel.

Day 5: Sapa – Can Cau Market & Flower H'mong Tribe – Bac Ha

After an early morning photo shoot of the sunrise in Sapa from the top of the Ham Rong Mountain (the best panoramic view of Sapa from the center of town) we’ll have breakfast at the hotel before heading out for a 2.5-hour drive to the Can Cau Market. This relatively tourist free market is located in a rural setting that is home to the Flower H'mong people – one of the largest ethnic groups in Vietnam. Of all different H’mong Hill Tribes, the Flower H’mong women are the most colorfully dressed and will make for vivid environmental portraits set against a mountainous backdrop. You will have the opportunity to experiment with our off camera flash equipment to capture uniquely lit portraits of the Flower H’mong people.

We will then transfer to Bac Ha (a small highland town and home to 10 different indigenous groups) and check in to the hotel and have lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Ban Pho Commune of the Flower H’mong and Tay people - scattered villages on rolling hills with wooden houses and lush gardens. Overnight at Sao Mai Hotel in Bac Ha.

Day 6: Bac Ha Market - Trung Do Village - Chay River Boat Trip - Sapa

After breakfast, we will walk to the bustling Bac Ha Sunday Market - the largest, most colorful market in the North West region brimming with local food and home brews of rice wine and corn liquor. In the afternoon, photograph Trung Do, a Tay Village nestled along the Chay River where hundreds of wooden houses co-exist in harmony with the natural landscape. Photograph this scenic region from a boat trip along the Chay River. Over night at Victoria Sapa Hotel.

© Mirjam Evers

Day 7: Sapa – Binh Lu - Overnight Train to Hanoi

You have the whole morning free to relax at the Victoria Hotel or explore on your own. In the afternoon, we will visit and photograph the breathtaking Binh Lu Valley and the Silver Waterfall, and experience the daily life of the most vibrant ethnic minorities in the region including the colorful Flower Hmong and the Lu minority where the women are distinguished by their purposefully blackened teeth. This evening we will drive to Lao Cai for an overnight train back to Hanoi.

Day 8: Hanoi to Halong Bay, Charter Boat

We will reach Hanoi’s Railway Station at approximately 4am and then leave for 4-hour journey to Halong Bay. Upon arrival, you will embark on a traditional wooden boat for this magical cruise through over 2000 limestone islands in this world heritage site. We will explore Dog Island, Incense Urn Island, Fighting Coq Island, Finger Island, Hoa Cuong Island and Sung Sot Cave (surprise cave). Shoot the spectacular sunset on the bay. Lunch and dinner are served on board. Over night on boat.

Day 9: Halong Bay - Lan Ha Bay

After an early morning photo shoot of the sunrise on the bay, the cruise will continue to Lan Ha Bay where you’ll hone your landscape photography. Lan Ha Bay is considered the most beautiful seascape in Halong Bay with exclusive scenery of pristine limestone mountains, small bays and gulfs of emerald water with sandy strips of white beach. On the way back, we will visit Van Gia fishing village. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 10: Halong Bay - Flight to Saigon

Explore and photograph the impressive Con Vit and Ba Hang islets before disembarking at Halong Wharf at noon for a transfer to the airport for 2-hour flight to Saigon. Once in Saigon, transfer to hotel for check in.

Saigon is Vietnam’s largest city - a mega metropolis where commerce and culture are the driving force and an estimated 4 million motorbikes on the streets are the main source for transportation. It’s a place where history, tradition and the modern world co-exist in a city that never sleeps and has it all.

In the afternoon and evening hone your street photography and panning skills in Saigon with one of the most interesting traffic jams in the world. Endless photo ops include a collage of food carts, vendors and millions of people riding motorbikes. Take advantage of Saigon’s unusually wide sidewalks for great photo ops. Overnight at Rex Hotel.

Day 11: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) – Mui Ne Peninsula

After breakfast at the hotel, we will head out for a 4-hour drive to the Mui Ne Peninsula. Check in to the L’anmien Resort and enjoy the beach or resort facilities. In the afternoon, we will set out for a photo shoot of the impressive Sahara-like sand dunes and historic fishing village. Over night at the 4* L’anmien Resort in Mui Ne.

Day 12: Mui Ne Peninsula

You will have more time to photograph the fishing village and sand dunes in the early morning light as well as capture action shots of the wind and kite surfers that are drawn to the big winds and waves of this region. Over night at L’anmien Resort in Mui Ne.

Day 13: Mui Ne - Saigon

Transfer back to Saigon for departure.

More information from Photo Quest Adventures :

• View trip on provider's website
  www.photoquestadventures.com/quest_global.php?quest_id=94…
• Company profile, experience, and history
• View all of their trips