North Vietnam Photography Scouting Tour 2027

Note: This is a photography scouting tour, where you join me as I scout (explore and research) North Vietnam to build an itinerary for a future photography tour. See below to find out more about what a scouting tour entails.

Tour dates: 24 May – 4 June 2027
Tour led by: Seng Mah
Maximum 4 guests only.
Pace: Easy to moderate.

I’d like to invite you to join me on a photographic journey into the North of Vietnam, far away from the tourist-trails and the Instagram crowds, to photograph and experience rural life and landscape in the region’s mountains and valleys.

I’ve always wanted to photograph Vietnam. Having spent many years photographing in South East Asia and South Asia, I’ve somehow managed to miss Vietnam, and this is an opportunity for us to turn our lenses and eyes on the people and places of North Vietnam.

Why the North, you might ask?

The travel photography that I enjoy the most has always been away from the well-trodden trails and tourist tracks, where there is a very probable risk of getting caught in the crowds or having to jostle with content creators at those (terrible) “Instagram-worthy” locations. I’ve always found that I get the best photographs when I am connected to people and place, where the experience of being with locals, enjoying their company, observing their lives and work in natural and authentic settings. The North of Vietnam is about as far from the Instagram worthy locations as you can get, but it is also a region rich with tradition, culture, ethnic groups and authentic lived experiences.

We will be visiting the North during the planting season, so the rice terraces will be busy with farmers and resplendent with water, offering reflections of the surrounding peaks and skies.

The North is also home to the Hmong, Tay and Dzao people, who live traditional lives and frequent local markets to buy and sell their local wares and crafts. This, and the magnificent mountainous landscapes, make the North of Vietnam a real photographic drawcard for me.

What is a scouting tour?

This is a scouting tour, which means that it is offered at a very generous discount, compared to a full-fledged tour. Unlike my full photography tours which have been extensively researched and scouted by me, a scouting trip means that it’s my first time there. You’ll participate in my itinerary and shoot where I shoot; but you will need to be a self-directed photographer during our photography excursions. There will only be a maximum of 5 photographers (including me), which means that there will be plenty of room and space to photograph.

If you are looking for 110% immersion in photography, with great opportunities to mingle with locals and enjoy the expertise of a local guide and fixer, then this is for you!

Tour Highlights

Days 1 – 2

Arrive in Hanoi and transfer to our hotel in central Hanoi. Welcome lunch to meet our Vietnam team and an introduction to the adventure ahead.

Long Bien night market visit in the evening.

The next morning, a dawn shoot at Reunification Park where locals partaking in calisthenics give us the opportunity for documentary photography.

Quang Phu Cau incense village in the afternoon for striking displays of incense sticks being manufactured from raw materials.

After dinner, we board the train  (two berth cabins) for our overnight ride to Lao Cai.

Day 3

Arriving in Lao Cai, we board our transfer and drive west through deep valleys into the province. Along the way, we stop at early season terraces for capturing the rice terraces filled with water.

We ascend towards Sin Suoi Ho. In the afternoon, we take a gentle photo walk through the village, photographing portraits, daily life and sunset reflections on the newly flooded terraces.

Day 4

The day begins with a dawn shoot across the mist-covered valleys. In the morning, we visit local Hmong homes for travel and environmental portraits. We will also capture the details of village life and agricultural preparation: tools, seedling trays, steaming life pots… signs of living close to the earth.

In the afternoon we descend to the vast bowl terraces — where farmers transplant rice seedlings in ever widening arcs. If you bring a drone, this is also a great spot for views from above, looking over the rice terraces.

Day 5

We depart Sin Suoi Ho for Lai Chau, stopping at scenic viewpoints and small hamlets to capture terraces and reflections.

At Laoi Chau, we travel along the river to Muong So, taking in rural life along the rice paddies and irrigation channels: children splashing in canals, farmers planting the first seedlings, water buffalos wandering through the flooded fields.

Day 6

The morning focus on the Sin Ho Markets where local Dzao, Tay and Hmong people come to sell their wares and fresh products. Lively interactions set amid the bustle of the markets make for great photographs!

In the afternoon we return once more to capturing rural farm life in Lai Chau, all framed against the mountainous landscapes.

With energy to spare, we hit the Lai Chau, which features musical performances and local community gatherings.

Day 7

This is a Sunday, and the day of the San Thang Market, which brings colourful local ethnic groups together. Expect vivid woven fabrics, smoky food stalls, spontaneous encounters and friendly interactions as we wander the markets and meet people drawn here from neighbouring regions.

We travel South, stopping at a Hmong blacksmith’s workshop where sparks, motion and hammer strikes make for impactful images. We then continue deeper into the mountains, stopping at remote villages where terraces cascade in sculpted layers.

We arrive at Mu Cang Cai and prepare for an epic sunset shoot over the terraces.

Day 8

An early rise to photograph the light of dawn and sunrise over the rice terraces. We visit a local Hmong family in their hillside home to learn more about life here. Enjoying a home-cooked lunch as well as opportunities for authentic portraits.

In the afternoon, we head deeper into the valleys for late afternoon and sunset photography.

Day 9

We depart Mu Cang Cai and travel to Yen Bai, where we enjoy a farmstead. Along the way, we visit local rural workshops for photography. 

Xoi Farmstay is set in a beautiful valley surrounded by forest and farms, a location truly off the tourist track. We visit local forest workers and farmers, creating a series of environmental portraits and working scenes.

At Laoi Chau, we travel along the river to Muong So, taking in rural life along the rice paddies and irrigation channels: children splashing in canals, farmers planting the first seedlings, water buffalos wandering through the flooded fields.

Day 10

At Yen Bai, we visit local Tay communities. The area is one of gorgeous serenity: hamlets, rice paddies and scenes of rural Vietnamese life.

In the afternoon we venture to a local waterfall to capture images of locals enjoying the cascades.

Day 11

The last day of the scouting tour gives us the opportunity to enjoy the surrounds of our homestay in the morning. We check out at noon and journey back to Hanoi for a group farewell dinner in the Old Quarter.

We overnight in Hanoi.

Day 12

After breakfast, we bid each other farewell and transfer to the airport for our outbound flight from Hanoi.

INCLUSIONS

Local photography guide/fixer.

Airport transfers (one airport pick up and one drop off per guest).

Meals (Day 1 LD, Days 2 – 11, BLD)

Accommodation as per itinerary (single occupancy at hotels, double occupancy on train and in ecolodges).

Mini-van transportation during the tour.

All entrance fees and village access.

Local guides where required.

EXCLUSIONS

Air travel to and from Hanoi.

Visa fees for entry to Vietnam.

Comprehensive travel insurance (mandatory for all guests).

Gratuities (Tipping).

Personal expenses (eg. wifi, eSim, laundry etc).

TOUR PRICE

Single Occupancy: AUD $8,199

Double Occupancy: AUD $7,399

JOIN ME

A deposit of AUD $2,000 is required to hold your place on this scouting tour. Deposits are due on reservation, with the balance paid by 23 February 2027. Note that deposits are fully refunded if the tour is cancelled by Venture Photography.

For details of the Terms and Conditions of our tours, including cancellation charges, please read our Photography Tours Terms and Conditions.

To join this tour or contact us with your questions, please use the form below or email seng [at] venturephotography.com.au or telephone +61 417 604 614.