Vietnam - The North Photo Tour.
Take exquisite portraits in the Land of the Blue Dragon.
The Tour.
Are you ready for an incredible photography tour of Northern Vietnam? Our carefully crafted journey provides a vibrant mix of cultural, landscape, and portrait photography opportunities, focusing on three main components: the dynamic streets of Hanoi, the breathtaking rice terraces, and the fascinating ethnic minorities of Ha Giang.
We begin our adventure in the heart of Old Hanoi, where you'll immerse yourself in the city's pulsating rhythm. Explore the bustling streets like a local, capturing the essence of daily life through your lens. From street vendors balancing their wares on traditional shoulder poles to the lively atmosphere of roadside eateries, every corner offers a new photographic opportunity.
From the urban excitement, we transition to the awe-inspiring landscapes of Ha Giang, a stunning region near the Chinese border that is a dream come true for landscape photographers. Here, you'll witness some of Vietnam's most spectacular scenery, with dramatic mountains, winding roads, and the iconic rice terraces that seem to defy gravity as they cascade down steep hillsides. We've thoughtfully timed our tours to coincide with the annual rice harvest, ensuring you can capture the rice terraces at their most colorful and photogenic. Imagine golden fields stretching as far as the eye can see, punctuated by the vibrant traditional dress of local farmers working the land.
Ha Giang isn't just about landscapes. This region is home to numerous ethnic minority groups, each with their unique customs and traditional attire. We've designed our itinerary to follow the local market circuit, providing you with authentic interactions and portrait opportunities. You'll meet hill-tribe people living their traditional lifestyles, from the flower Hmong with their vivid outfits to the Dao with their distinctive red headdresses.
During the tour, we'll visit ethnic minority villages, allowing you to capture intimate moments of daily life. We'll also explore flower fields, photograph the unique karst mountains, and visit an exquisite lake that offers perfect reflections for your landscape shots. With 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam, cultural diversity is at the heart of our tour. We’ll have plentiful opportunities to interact with local people, whether in bustling marketplaces, quiet village streets, or terraced fields.
Led by Nathan, and accompanied by our trusted local guide who provides invaluable cultural insights, this tour is designed to help you capture the very essence of Northern Vietnam through your lens. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your photography while experiencing the beauty and diversity of the country.
Photo Highlights.
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Hill tribes
54 recognised ethnic groups
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Rice terraces
Beautiful seasonal colours
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Mountains
Spectacular scenery
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Local markets
Carefully timed to include weekend markets
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Flower fields
In season
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Portraits
Friendly locals
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Hoan Kiem lake
Early morning ballroom dancing
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Harvest season
Plenty of action in the fields
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Temple of Literature
Main tourist attraction
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Dong Van
Karst plateau geopark
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Ancient Villages
Interesting characters
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Organized shoots
Trusted connections
Check out our photo book below:
Here’s a photo book we made from the tours in 2022/23. We’ll provide you with templates (including suggested text) and help you to upload your own images, so that you can make your own on the tour and print it when you get home.
Tour Details.
Est. 2016
Duration: 13 days, 12 nights, 11 days of shooting
Dates and Prices
2025
September 24 - October 6
US$6450
Past participants will get a special discount.
Our fee includes hotels, breakfast, bottled water throughout the tour, as well as all transport including airport transfers. We base our fee on accommodation in a single room, (always A/C with private bathroom) though we offer discounts for couples sharing rooms, as well as for non-photographers. If you need help with insurance for this tour, please let us know and we can put you in touch with a broker that should be able to help you.
Our Itinerary.
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Day 1
Arrive any time: Enjoy free transfer to your hotel
PM: Optional technical and aesthetic travel photography workshop for those who need it
Sunset: Meet Nathan and the group
Sleep: Hanoi luxury hotel
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Day 2
Sunrise: Hoan Kiem Lake
AM: Explore Hanoi like a local
PM: Temple of Literature
Sunset: Hanoi's railway tracks
Sleep: Hanoi luxury hotel.
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Day 3
Sunrise: Hoan Kiem Lake (Tai chi)
AM: Bac Ha drive
PM: Head for the hills
Sunset: Hmong Palace with models
Sleep: Sao Mai hotel
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Day 4
Sunrise: Market drive
AM: Can Cau market
PM: Ban Pho village walk
Sunset: Local fields
Sleep: Sao Mai hotel
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Day 5
Sunrise: Bac Ha Sunday market
AM: Coc Pai Market
PM: Pan Hou drive
Sunset: Rice terraces
Sleep: Pan Hou eco lodge
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Day 6
Sunrise: Local terraces with models
AM: Drive to Hoang Su Phi
PM: Walk to local Red Dao village
Sunset: Rice terrace vantage point
Sleep: Hoang Su Phi bungalow
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Day 7
Sunrise: Local terraces with Dzao tribes
AM: Quan Ba drive
PM: Heaven’s Gate
Sunset: Dao cultural show
Sleep: Dao Lodge homestay
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Day 8
Sunrise: Dao Lodge village walk
AM: Flower fields
PM: Lung Cam village
Sunset: Walk to H'mong village
Sleep: Dong Van hotel
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Day 9
Sunrise: At rest
AM: Dong Van market
PM: Meo Vac via Ma Pi Leng Pass
Sunset: Boat ride Nho Que river
Sleep: Meo Vac Clay House
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Day 10
Sunrise: Meo Vac
AM: Bao Lac drive
PM: Tay, Nung, Man people
Sunset: Ba Be lake
Sleep: Ba Be luxury hotel
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Day 11
Sunrise: Ba Be Lake
AM: Organized shoot on Ba Be Lake
PM: Puong Grotto and the Dau Dang waterfall
Sunset: Post production workshop
Sleep: Ba Be luxury hotel
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Day 12
Sunrise: Free time
AM: Hanoi drive
PM: Hanoi street walk
Sunset: Hoan Kiem Lake
Sleep: Hanoi luxury hotel
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Day 13
Depart any time and enjoy our airport transfer
or consider spending a few more days in the city or perhaps even a cruise around Halong Bay which we can help you to arrange.
We know you will have had a fabulous time!
Bon Voyage
Make the dream a reality.
Tuition.
On any of our tours, stunning photography is the name of the game, and our objective is for you to leave with a collection of images that you'll be proud to show off. Indeed, many of our past participants have gone on to win awards and competitions with photographs taken on our tours.
Nathan’s teaching approach is very hands-on, as he believes in learning by doing. He will guide you through technical challenges, provide artistic inspiration, and lead by example in approaching locals for great portraits. You'll be amazed at the striking and authentic images you'll be able to capture.
We also offer Lightroom workshops during our tours, where we cover workflow management and picture processing. We'll show you the tools to take your travel photography to the next level and provide tips on saving your pictures for various outputs like social media, e-books, and printing.
If this is your first tour with us, you can also join Nathan’s pre-tour workshop, designed to equip you with essential skills for travel photography. Covering technical competence, creative observation, and ethical responsibility with a focus on people and culture, this workshop is perfect if you’re new to travel photography or need a refresher. The workshop runs on the first day of the tour from around 1-5pm. Enhance your photography skills and capture breathtaking moments to treasure forever. Apply via our tour request form and prepare to take your photography skills to the next level.
Hotels and transport.
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Charming hotels
Accommodation is of course an essential element of any tour, and we have gone to great lengths to secure the best available hotels throughout the journey, to make your nights as comfortable as possible. You will enjoy a luxury hotel each time you are in Hanoi and a private Junk boat in Halong Bay.
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Eco lodges
We can reasonably describe some parts of the tour as 'off the beaten track', where our usual high standard of accommodation simply isn’t available. Here we use charismatic home-stays and eco-lodges with natural spas or lake views, all of which of course have great photo opportunities right on their doorsteps.
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Spacious minibuses
Transport is a key consideration of a photography tour. We recognise your unique needs as a photographer and know you will always want to travel with the camera bag conveniently and safely close to hand. In this respect, we typically travel in a bus big enough to give you seats for both you and your bag.
TripAdvisor.
Unnar Magna - February 2019
Well, I must sit down for a moment, take a break as a busy photographer for a few minutes and write this review because it is absolutely mandatory to inform everyone of the awesomeness they will experience after signing up for a tour with Nathan. If you are just thinking about it, not truly sure if it will be worth the money or the experience, think no more because the trip, whatever one you take will blow your mind. Well worth the investment - so just go for it, you will not regret it for a second, I just wished it never ended and would give it hands down a 10-star rating if possible!
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