The signature of Saigon & Mekong Delta

  • icon-date7 DAYS
  • icon-date10 Meals

It’s amazing how the North, the Middle, and the South of Vietnam are different from each other. The North is known for the stunning landscapes and hill tribe villages, the South, in contrast, offers everyday street life and colorful images of whatever local people do from selling fruits at a floating market, harvesting water lilies on a small wooden boat wearing a conical hat and “áo bà ba” to mending net in vivid color. The beauty of the Saigon & Mekong Delta Photography tour will definitely sell the best of the south in your camera gear.

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    Photography Guide: Diep Van/ Chau Quang Dien

    Dear photographers,  please note that only major locations/dates are written in stone. All our photography tours are handcrafted to maximize the best image-making opportunities possible. There will be several happy surprises and great photo opportunities that happen along the journey depending on certain circumstances. Learn more: Photography tour Vietnam

    Day 1: Welcome to Saigon! (D)

    On arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, our guide & driver will pick you up and then transfer you to the hotel to drop off luggage and get some rest. After that, we head out for a street shoot around the CBD. Then, we’ll position for high-angle street scenes using tripods for twilight, motion blur action around the Saigon River area. There will be a sumptuous Vietnamese welcome dinner waiting for us at a local restaurant once we are done with the shoot. 

    Day 2: Saigon Street photography – Ben Tre (B, D)

    After enjoying our complimentary breakfast at the hotel, we will do street photography in China Town & Thien Hau Pagoda which is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess, Mazu. The interior has colorful roof decorations representing scenes from the nineteenth century in a Chinese city.  Moreover, the most well-known interior design work which dominates the main altar is the three statues of the ‘Lady of the Sea’. After that, make our way to Ben Tre province, Mekong Delta region where we can sight-seeing lively activities along the river such as fishing and water transferring. By the afternoon, we will photograph different handicraft villages starting with coconut village which held many processing workshops. Here, people open a coconut by hand (husking coconut) and still keep the coconut making in the traditional way. You might have tried our Vietnamese fresh and delicious fresh spring rolls but might not know how people make rice paper here, so let’s participate in one of the workshops to learn and capture the making process. The last village of today is a highlight of the day- fishing nets mending village. Our guide and team will be setting up the nest and other compositional elements to make sure we have the best possible light and perfect working model for the shoot.

    Day 3: Ben Tre – Tra Vinh- Soc Trang (B, D)

    Spend our last hours capturing a handicraft village in Ben Tre then make our way to Tra Vinh to photograph “sedge grass” farm. It is recommended to use a drone for better results if you have it with you. In the afternoon, documentary & portrait of monks at a Buddhist monastery in Tra Vinh before heading to Nga Nam where we will stay this evening.

    Day 4: Soc Trang – Bac Lieu- Can Tho (B)

    Wake up in the early morning for a sunrise shoot at the most authentic floating market in Nga Nam then head to Bac Lieu for the blue fishing nets. We will do the best set up with our local models to make sure the photoshoot is stunning. After lunch, we shall head to Can Tho where we can find the most vibrant southern lifestyles.

    Day 5: Can Tho- Sa Dec – Moc Hoa (B, D)

    Early in the morning, our guide will take you on a boat to the biggest floating market in the Mekong Delta, Cai Rang Market. There’s a bridge here that serves as a great vantage point for photography. This is a wholesale market, so look at what’s tied to the long pole above the boat to see what they’re selling. Hundreds of boats are stacked with mango, coconut, durian, pineapple forming a complicated maze above the river. Discovering the unique way of advertising: people hang their selling goods so that they can be seen from a distance. Beer, wine and soft drinks are sold on small boats that go among the other boats serving market-goers and visitors. 

    Depart to a small town of Sa Dec- a comparatively peaceful city of tree-lined streets and fading colonial villas, ringed with orchards and flower markets. Sa Dec has the largest flowers planted in the Mekong Delta region. Situated by the bank of annually windy Tien River, this flower village covers an area of 600ha of flowers and ornamental plants. Don’t like any other village you have ever come to before. The flowers are not planted on the ground but in bamboo baskets to avoid submersion and the villagers tender these flowers by boating in between the rows. Make our way to Moc Hoa in the afternoon.

    Day 6: Farewell Moc Hoa- Sai Gon (B)

    Before returning back to Sai Gon, we will participate in “water lilies” harvesting with locals and photograph one of the most beautiful southern signature images with workers, local women wearing the iconic conical hats, “khăn rằn” (a black-white checked scarf) and “Áo Bà Ba” (traditional Vietnamese southern outfits). Return to Sài Gon where you can have your night free and relax after an amazing journey.

    Day 7: Goodbye Sai Gon (B)

    Enjoy your last hearty breakfast and say farewell to your photography companions before being driven to the airport according to your departure time and given a fond farewell. You’ll be tired and probably ready to go home, but part of you will miss not getting up in the morning for another shoot!

    INCLUSIVE: 

    Photography guide & tutor in English speaking

    All accommodation as itinerary

    In-country flights, airport & ground transport in the latest model

    Meals as mentioned in the itinerary

    Plenty of bottled water & refresh towels throughout

    All entrance, zone, and camera fees

    Local model & village donations

    EXCLUSIVE: 

    International airfare

    Personal purchases (drinks in meals or hotels, laundry….)

    Medica travel insurance & Medical Expenses

    Gratuities for hotel porters, drivers, or photography guide

    Vietnam visa fee

    Reviewed by

    Diep Van

    Phone: +84901166884

    Email: diep.van@ftripvietnam.com

    Diep Van

    Founder & Photography Guide

    Specialties: Culture, landscape, portrait, hiking, active and adventurous tour

    Besides my unlimited passion for traveling, a professional tour guide for over a decade, I have been taking photographs since sitting at Hanoi of the University of Culture in the early 2000s. Photography started as a hobby but it was seriously taken due to my work relations and my significant passion for the beauty of our world, especially in Southeast Asian parts such as Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

    Within a few years of taking photographs, my works began to be recognized by many reliable international publications such as AFAR Travel, The Times, and The Daily Telegraph newspaper. In addition, I continuously add to my growing profile by winning numerous major awards: 3rd Position of The Independent Photographer 2018, 1st Position of Amateur Photographer of the year 2018, Grand Prize Winner of the AFAR Travel Photography 2019, and a Gold Award of San Francisco Bay International Photography 2020.

    I photograph a wide variety of subjects, from travel to landscapes to street scenes. I enjoy documenting the East’s rich cultural heritage and its land soaked in glorious sunrise or sunset light in remote and secluded spots. And, I am very happy to share my knowledge and experience with you. You can visit Luminousvietnamtour to explore tour!


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