Northern Vietnam Photography Tour

Hanoi Arrival / Walks and Rest (D)

Arrival in Hanoi.

After completing the formalities, welcome by our driver only (without guide), who will pick you up at the airport and transfer you directly to the hotel to leave your luggage.

Rooms are only available around noon.

While waiting for your room to become available, you will take a walk around the city for photos and your first discoveries.

Meet at the hotel at 6:30 PM for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant, depending on your arrival time.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi / Visits, Discovery, Walks and Photography (B,L)

Breakfast.

Meet the guide at 8:00 AM for a full day of sightseeing, walks and photography:

Visit the Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (exterior) + One Pillar Pagoda, and Tran Quoc Pagoda for beautiful photos.

Lunch featuring a Hanoi specialty (Cha Ca).

In the afternoon, explore Dong Xuan Market and the small alleys of Hanoi for photography, then enjoy a walk along Long Bien Bridge (Paul Doumer Bridge), built by Gustave Eiffel, for beautiful views and photos over the Red River.

Sunset on the bridge if the weather and sunlight permit.

Enjoy a pleasant walk toward Long Bien Bridge (also known as Paul Doumer Bridge during the French colonial period) and take a look at the “Train Street” area.

Return to the hotel for rest. Dinner on your own. Overnight at the same hotel.

Hanoi - Ban Giuong (Phuc Hoa) / Walks and Discovery (B,L,D)

230 km – approximately 5 hours by road without stops

After breakfast,

Meet at 8:00 AM for departure toward the mountains through Lang Son and Cao Bang provinces. The road is beautiful and passes through magnificent landscapes.

Stop for a visit and photos at the beautiful Bo Da Pagoda, where you can see Buddhist stupas.

Lunch stop along the way and arrival at Giuong Village at around 3:00 PM – a very poor village inhabited by Tay ethnic people.

Visiting this magnificent and authentic village is an opportunity to meet ethnic communities and interact with local people.

Please note that you will still be among the first foreign tourists to discover this site and immerse yourself in local life. This is an exceptional new discovery by our agency, which we offer exclusively.

Living conditions remain very basic and rustic, with the smells of farm animals around the village.

Dinner and overnight at a local homestay.

Please note that tonight you will sleep in one of the poorest villages in Tonkin, in a very simple stilt house equipped with a small mattress, a sheet, a mosquito net and a fan. This experience allows you to discover the difficult realities of life in a remote area of Vietnam, surrounded by the atmosphere of the countryside, the smells of animals and especially the local sounds made by them. It will help you better understand authentic local life and is a good way to become closer to the local people.

The idea is to create a solidarity photography journey, helping the village develop and potentially bringing new perspectives from European culture for future generations.

Phuc Hoa / rural activities and discovery (B,L,D)

In the morning, enjoy a very local Vietnamese-style breakfast, either before or after the rural activities with the villagers, depending on the conditions of the day.

Follow the local people and participate in seasonal rural activities, such as planting vegetables, picking crops, harvesting rice or corn, etc. You can help with the activities yourself or take photographs of the villagers during their daily work.

Simple lunch and midday rest.

In the afternoon, continue following the local activities, then relax, explore or take photos around the village.

Evening and dinner in the same village.

Phuc Hoa - Ban Gioc Waterfall / Visits and Walks (B,L,D)

150 km – approximately 3 hours without stops

In the morning, enjoy a local Vietnamese-style breakfast at the homestay.

Travel toward Ban Gioc Waterfall (approximately 4 hours by road), a beautiful location where you can spend plenty of time taking photographs throughout the day.

Stop to discover Nguom Ngao Cave and other ethnic villages along the way.

An ideal location for photography and a refreshing escape into nature.

Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight in a family-run homestay belonging to the local Tay ethnic community near Ban Gioc.

Please note that standard Vietnamese hotels in this region (guesthouses, 2-star hotels or even 3-star hotels) are not highly equipped and offer very simple comfort.

Mattresses are generally quite firm compared with those in France, as they are adapted to the tropical climate.

Ban Gioc - Phia Thap / visits and walks (B,L,D)

80 km – approximately 1 hour 30 minutes without stops

In the morning, enjoy a Vietnamese-style breakfast at a restaurant next to the hotel, accompanied by Vietnamese coffee or green tea.

Early discovery of Ban Gioc Waterfall, exploring several different viewpoints for beautiful photographs.

Departure for Phia Thap Village through beautiful mountainous landscapes, with stops for visits and photographs in ethnic villages, including Khuoi Son for beautiful photo opportunities.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Discover Phia Thap Village upon arrival.

Dinner and overnight at a local homestay.

Phia Thap / Rural Activities and Discovery (B,L,D)

In the morning, breakfast at the homestay, either before or after the rural activities with the villagers, depending on the conditions of the day.

The program can be adjusted locally to visit the sugarloaf-shaped mountain areas around Ta Lung or Tra Linh for photography, depending on your preferences and the temperature of the day.

Follow the local people and participate in seasonal rural activities such as:

planting vegetables, picking crops, transplanting rice, harvesting rice or corn, etc.

or learning how to make incense sticks from leaves,

or learning traditional forging in Phuc Sen Village.

Simple lunch.

In the afternoon, continue following the local activities, then relax, explore or take photographs around the village.

Dinner and overnight in the same house.

Phia Thap - Black LoLo / Visits and Discovery - Dong Van (B,L,D)

210 km – approximately 5 hours without stops

Breakfast at the homestay, then departure for Dong Van, a district in the far north of Vietnam, travelling through magnificent mountain landscapes and beautiful passes.

Stop to visit and meet the local people at a Black Lo Lo ethnic village, well known from the documentary program “Rendez-vous en terre inconnue.”

Lunch along the way.

Continue toward Dong Van via Meo Vac, a beautiful area, before reaching Vietnam’s most spectacular mountain pass, Ma Pi Leng Pass, with photo stops from the summit.

Arrival in Dong Van, direct transfer to the hotel for rest, followed by dinner and overnight in Dong Van.

Dong Van / Ethnic Market, Weekly Fair, Visits and Walks (B,L,D)

Breakfast.

Follow local ethnic people to Dong Van’s weekly market, a traditional fair held once a week. Dong Van Market takes place only on Sundays.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, take a walk through a village on the outskirts of town for photography and encounters with ethnic communities.

Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Dong Van / Visits - Ha Giang / Ethnic Village on the Outskirts of Ha Giang - Thon Tha Village (B,L,D) 

150 km – approximately 3 hours without stops

After lunch,
Meet at 8:00 AM for the journey to Ha Giang City, with stops for visits and photographs in ethnic villages:

Visit the Hmong King’s Palace (Dinh Vua Meo), dating back nearly 100 years.

Visit Pho Bang Village, mainly inhabited by members of the Hoa ethnic group who immigrated from China.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Continue toward Ha Giang via Quan Ba Pass, with a photo stop at the summit offering views over Quan Ba town and the famous Fairy Twin Mountains (Nui Co Tien).

After leaving Quan Ba town, arrive at Thon Tha Village, on the outskirts of Ha Giang, toward the end of the day.

Dinner and overnight at a local homestay.

Thon Tha Village / Walks – Hoang Su Phi / walks (B,L,D)

90 km – approximately 2 hours without stops

After lunch at the homestay, enjoy a walk around the village for local encounters and photography.

It may be possible to see the sunrise if weather conditions permit.

Continue toward the Hoang Su Phi area, where you will discover magnificent terraced rice fields.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Upon arrival in Nam Hong Village, enjoy approximately one hour or more of walking through the villages, depending on how much time you wish to spend taking photographs, before arriving at Pan Hou Resort, located in the middle of a village beside a natural spring.

Dinner and overnight at Pan Hou Resort.

Hoang Su Phi / Walks, Discovery and Photography (B,L,D)

After lunch,

Meet at 8:00 AM for a full day of photography in the area, following trails from Nam Hong Village toward the Red Dao village of Khau Loa, along a path winding between terraced rice fields.

Stop beneath magnificent century-old tea trees before crossing the first bamboo forests.

Lunch at a local homestay or picnic, depending on the time you wish to spend taking photographs.

Take time to appreciate the impressive scenery.

Ban Le Waterfall provides a refreshing stop before you continue walking toward Nam Son Village.

The vehicle will be waiting to take you back to the same hotel.

Dinner and overnight at the same hotel.

Hoang Su Phi - Hanoi  (B,L)

270 km – approximately 6 hours without stops

After breakfast, enjoy a full day of travelling with many photo stops in ethnic villages.

Lunch along the way.

Arrival in Hanoi and direct transfer to the hotel for rest.

Evening and dinner on your own. Overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi / Free Time – Departure (B)

Breakfast included.

Free day, with check-out around noon.

Meet the driver only (without guide) at the hotel for the transfer to the airport for your return flight.