Exotic Vietnam & Cambodia:
A Guided Photo Tour

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Overview of the Photo Tour

Join us as we travel into the heart and soul of Indochina. Starting off in Vietnam, cruise through dramatic karst scenery on a boat tour of Halong Bay, step back into the world of the country’s last emperors in Hue, soak up the old-world charm of Hoi An and be awed by the endless energy of Ho Chi Minh City. In Cambodia, discover the country’s fascinating history and culture in Phnom Penh’s heaving streets and in the awe-inspiring temples of Angkor. Combining highlights of both countries, the Best of Vietnam and Cambodia tour will open your eyes to the delights of Indochina and leave you awe-struck by these magical locations.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1, Sept 22: Arrival Hanoi – Transfer to Halong Bay (-/-/D)

Xin chào! Welcome to Vietnam!

Upon your arrival, be picked up by our local guide and driver, and then be transferred to Quan Ninh City. Along the way to Halong Bay, we can stopover at some points to take the countryside landscape and people. Arrive Halong Bay, check-in hotel and if time permit, we will drive to shoot sunset on the Bai Chay bridge and some points for Sunset. Dinner will be served at local restaurant in town.

After dinner, we will walk around the town for observing and hunting nice shoots Halong life nights. Overnight in Bai Chay, Halong Bay.

Day 2, Sept 23: Halong Bay – Ninh Binh – Tam Coc (B/L/D)

Sunrise in Halong Bay is quite early, started from 5:30~6:00 AM.

Wake up early morning; we will drive to Hon Gai market and fishing village to shoot the sunrise and local fisherman, local people purchase at the fish market. Shoot the sunrise and Halong Bay view from mountain views.

After shooting sunrise, we will return to our hotel to have the breakfast, take a short rest then check-out the room.

9:00 AM. Meet our local guide and driver again, then we will drive around the Hon Gai and surrounding places for shooting.

Drive back to Tuan Chau Harbor, take a private boat to explore the main bay.

13:15 Lunch with Vietnamese cuisine & seafood

Exploring Thien Cung cave (the cave of the heavenly palace – famous for its stalagmites and stalactites, the cave has only opened to the public since 1998), Cruising to Ba Ham Area. Free time to seat on cruise’s sundeck to relax and gazing Halong Bay Sunset.

16:30 Disembarking and get on the car, drive straight to Ninh Binh.

Along the way to Ninh Binh, we will stopover some points to shoot the countryside landscapes.

Arrive Ninh Binh at around 19:00 PM. Check-in Eco-lodge resort based in the middle of rice fields. Dinner will be served at restaurant resort. Overnight in Tam Coc.

Day 03: Sept 24: Tam Coc – Hanoi  (B/L)

Sunrise in Tam Coc is quite early, started from 5:30~6:00 AM.

Wake up early morning; we will drive to Van Long Nature Reserve and floating Kenh Ga village to shoot the sunrise and Van Long nature reserve views.

After shooting sunrise, we will return to our resort to have the breakfast, take a short rest then check-out the room.

9:30 AM. Drive to the Tam Coc harbor, take a short bamboo boat trip to shoot the Tam Coc Landscape and caves.

After Tam Coc boat trip, return to harbor and drive to Bich Dong, climb up to the top of mountain to take the overview of Hoa Lu area.

At 4:30 PM. Drive back to Hanoi.

Today we will drive back to Hanoi earlier to take the rest and free to have dinner yourself in town. There is no activity in the night time. Enjoy exploring the old town quarter your own, take rest and get ready for the long exploration mountain routes next day! Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 04: Sept 25: Hoian – Nghia Lo (B/L/D)

Breakfast at hotel. Meet our local guide and driver, then departing Hanoi northwards towards Nghia Lo town on 32 highway, this journey passes through stunning mountainous landscape, featuring with fertile hilly area covered with green tea plantations, the mountains get higher and higher. Along the way we can stopover for taking the beautiful landscape of the forests cover high mountains.

Spending about 4 hours walking through a narrow and long valley, meet three tribal setting their villages in different ways which reveal their traditional customs and living style: The Thai occupy the low land almost at bottom of valleys, near river or streams from which they build up water wheels for transfer water to rice paddies on which they farm wet rice intensively. The H’mong settle at the highest elevation, grow corn and dry rice on the burn-over land and the Zao live in the middle practice both methods of farming and it is easily to realize that they learn a lot of farming technique from the Thai.

Arriving in Nghia Lo, a pretty mountainous town, we spend the remaining hours of the day wandering the town including the market area to take photo local market and people, we then will check into the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Nghia Lo.

Day 05: Sept 26: Nghia Lo – Mu Cang Chai (B/L/D)

After breakfast, we transfer from Nghia Lo to Tu Le. The road ride today takes only 2 hours so we have a lot of time exploring the area for real mountainous life of the local ethnic minority people. Fancy a four hour trekking along a trail which connect villages to villages, we will have many chance to take photo with different tribal people such as White Thai, Black Zao, Red H’mong…who seem very surprise, staring at you for the first moment and turn out very friendly and inviting you to their homes in which you will be hosted with tea or homemade wine. Next to Mu Cang Chai, we enjoy another home staying in a large Thai village, which offers fantastic hours for your culture discovery. On arrival Mu Cang Chai town, we will check into the guesthouse. Dinner and overnight in Mu Cang Chai.

Day 06: Sept 27: Mu Cang Chai – Hanoi (B/L)

Wake up early enjoy the clean air of Northeast mountainous landscape. We will trek down to the valley from homestay to photograph the beautiful rice terraces with ethnic black Hmong models carrying the kids on their back or with rice backsets…

We then walk back to our homestay for breakfast.

After breakfast, check out we will return to Hanoi. On the way, we stop at Kim Noi Hill to take photograph and see the full views of Mu Cang Chai Town, next we will trek up to “Mam Xoi” on the season of grain or Sky Mirror on the falling water to photograph & enjoy beautiful landscape. Continue to Nghia Lo Town to relax and have lunch here. Arrival in Hanoi our guide say good bye to you, see you again in another journeys.

Arrive Hanoi, free at your own leisure.

 Day 07: Sept 28: Hanoi – Da Nang – Hoi An  (B/L)

In the morning, start our photo tour early to take sunrise in Long Bien bridge and Chuong Duong market, railway lines and old city of Hanoi. Return to our hotel for check-out and free at your own leisure until transfer to Noi Bai Airport for your departure flight to Danang.

Upon your arrival in Danang, be picked up by our driver, then transfer to your hotel in Hoi An. Free at your own leisure, enjoy beach and swimming in My Khe beach.

At 17:45 PM. Meet our local guide and driver again, transfer to the fishing villages and surrounding beachside to hunt the sunset shoots and local life. We then stopover Dragon Bridge in Danang to take sunset.

The time is flexible, so you can have dinner at local restaurant and explore around the city to hunt the night time shoots local life night, Han Bridge…

Return to our hotel. Free at your own leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 08: Sept 29: Hoi An (B/L)

Sunrise in on the beach in Danang is quite early, started from 5:30~6:30 AM.

Wake up early morning; don’t forget to take your camera and ready for the sunrise shoots on the beach and fishing villages and markets. For portrait photographers the golden hour is the perfect time to shoot. The warm soft glow of the sun creates a beautiful atmosphere and some of the best light of the day.

In the village we will have more contact with locals and do some portrait photography.

After shooting sunrise on the beach and fishing villages, we will return to our hotel to have breakfast, take a short rest then check-out the room.

After breakfast, meet our local guide and driver again, drive to Hoi An Town. Upon arrival Hoi An, we then take a walk to the town and meet our 2 local model girls wearing Ao Dai to follow our group.

Our lunch will be served at local restaurant in town.

In the afternoon, we will drive out the town to countryside. We will explore fishing villages and beachside in Hoi An, spend times in countryside villages, palm villages.

As the sun sets further we will walk along the river towards the boat, which brings us back to Hoi An.

Arrive Hoi An town, take short rest at your hotel and walk to local restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we will walk to Japanese bridge and surrounding to hunt the best shoots Hoi An night life. Walk back to our hotel for staying overnight.

Day 09: Sept 30: Hoi An – Transfer to Airport (B/-/-) 

In the early morning, meet our local guide again, we then walk to Hoi An morning market. We have whole morning in the Hoi An Market and surrounding Hoi An town for photographing.

Free at your own leisure. Wait until transfer to Danang airport, take the flight back home or people continuing tour to Cambodia travel to Cambodia.

Vietnam Part of tour Ends

Cambodia Tour

Day 01: Oct 1: Arrival in Seam Reap (-/-/D)

Afternoon arrive in Siem Reap and meet your fellow travelers. This afternoon, stroll through the city.

The rest of the day is free to relax and explore this charming town on your own.

Evening

Tonight, gather for a festive welcome dinner, or enjoy the night market / walking street. Overnight in Siem Reap

Day 02: Oct 2: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Phnom Bakheng Temples (B/L/D)

Morning Rise early this morning and be rewarded with views of sunrise against Angkor Wat revealing its timeless beauty, harmony & grandeur. Return to the hotel for breakfast. You will visit the wonderful Angkor Thom composed of 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 smiling faces of Avalokitesvara. Lunch is Khmer style in a local restaurant.

Late Afternoon/Evening visit to the Phnom Bakheng temple, located on a slope hill where thousands tourist are grouping on the hilltop to catch a memorable time of life when viewing the marvellous sunset, the distant Angkor Wat in the jungle. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 03: Oct 3: Ta Prohm Temple, Phluk Floating Village, Srah Srang (B/L/D)

Morning (Ta Prohm Temple) the sunrise is not the focus of this temple. The magical atmosphere is. With almost no one around and with the giant trees towering above, it’s as if you’ve journeyed back in time to that ancient Angkorian period. Watching the morning unfold at Ta Prohm is just amazing.

Afternoon Kampong Phluk Floating Village-Tonle Sap. Explore this great ecosystem by way of canoeing and hear the calls of the macaque monkeys while observing the forest beneath the lake’s surface. We will see the Buddhist temple is standing on the island with some beautiful Buddhist life painting on the calling.

Evening (SrahSrang) seeing the Sun’s reflection in this royal pond could be a great way to start the day. People do not frequent SrahSrang often, so this could provide some time for reflection if you need it. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 04: Oct 4: Phnom Bakheng Temple, Angkor Wat  (B/L/D)

Morning (Phnom Bakheng) with a view of Ankor Wat and the Western Baray from the top, this is another great place to watch a sunrise. Be sure to factor in the 30+ minute hikes to the top, that way you can make sure to get up early enough to catch the sunrise.

Afternoon (Ta Som)

Evening (Angkor Wat temple) you can roam around the galleries and see how the Angkor Wat temple bas-relief looks in low light, or see how the sun turns the stones at the second level to a golden color. Then of course there’s that sunset shot again, available from the back of the pond. Overnight in Siem Reap.

Day 05: Oct 5: Phnom Bakheng Temple, Angkor Wat  (B/L/D)

Morning There is a surprise offer for our participants. Where they can click the ANGKOR and take in the aerial view while this is the day that you bid farewell to this historic country.

The rest of day is on your own leisure until transfer to the airport for your flight to the next destination. End of base tour service.

TOUR ENDS

Your Tour Mentor

Sahil Fauzdar

Virtual Tour of Exotic Vietnam & Cambodia

through the eyes of Xploring Light