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Long has it been an inspiration to a minority of local photographers, there’s a corner of Northern Vietnam where life has been reserved pristine and people tell a super story of how human raise above nature in quest of life. Nestling to high mountains are beautiful tribal villages in which life has remained the same for the last hundred of years. The amazing mountainous scenes, the exotic curves of rice paddies, the colorful tribal markets…all beckon a real adventure to photographers.
Once upon a time, Vietnam, to many people, was a war. In recent times Vietnam has been known as a country of natural beauty and friendly people. Still, little knows that 75% of the country is mountainous and these regions are home to amazing natural landscape and exotic tribal cultures.
Located roughly 300 km North and Northwest of Hanoi are two provinces: Lao Cai and Ha Giang. These are the northernermost mountainous provinces of Vietnam. The two have been known as the acmes of mountain landscape and tribal cultures. It seems that little of civilization has been able to make way here. The local life very much remains in the way it has been for the last century.
We reach Lao Cai province as the beginning of our photography quest. An overnight ride on the train will bring us to Lao Cai city – the capital of Lao Cai province. A drive on a sinuous road passing mountains and deep green valley brings us to Ta Giang Phin – a beautiful village nestles amid rice fields and high mountain peaks. The friendly locals - H’mong people, with their rudimentary way of life offers great opportunities for our photographic creativities. Afterwards we drive to Den Sang – the rice hub of the province. This place is where terraced rice fields shape like great golden carpets stretching from the mountain peaks down to valleys. We got ourselves lost here to capture the acme of landscape from different angles. The day ends with our dinner and overnight in a local homestay – an experience to photographers.
Ha Giang is the next province after Lao Cai. This province is located to the northernmost point of Vietnam and the majority of people are ethnic groups. The location of the province has been an obstacle to infrastructure development, thus the local way of life remains pretty untouched. Among the most special things about this province are tribal markets. A market here usually comes at once a week, where thousands of local carrying their home made goods like vegetables, woven clothes, animals… for exchanging. We make our way to two of the most colorful markets: Meo Vac market and Pho Cao market.
A world of photo opportunities with the landscape, sound, smell and breath of life is awaiting to be captured by your camera. And this is truly a photographic experience to every photography lover.
Itinerary from Sep 24 - 30
Day 1. Sep 24th, 2012. Overnight train to Lao Cai (D)
The tour leader will meet and greet you at the hotel’s meeting room. A tour briefing is delivered to get us prepared with the upcoming trip. Following by a welcome dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant.
Afterwards we leave for Hanoi railway station and board overnight train to Lao Cai.
Day 2. Sep 25th, 2012. Lao Cai - Muong Hum (B/L/D)
Early this morning, we arrive at Lao Cai train station. Then a 1hour drive will bring us up hill to Sa Pa - a nice town located on a mountain top. We will have time for refreshment and breakfast here before heading to Lao Chai - a village which is set amid hills and terraced rice fields. We have a walk into the community, capturing the local harvesting rice and other scenes of everyday life. We also visit a simple village’s school and interact with the children. The humble and simple school reflexes how children are brought up here.
The rest of the morning is for panoramic shooting from different commanding view points, capturing the panoramic beauty of the valley patched by amazing terraced fields.
We have picnic lunch today in the village of Ta Giang Phin
In the afternoon, a 2-hours drive will bring us to Muong Hum. Check in our homestay, setle down and take a rest before we meet up again and head out to the rice hub of the region, Den Sang, a large terraced field with high peaks fencing around, making the whole scene a gold carpet during the harvest season. The quick seasonal rain here would only intensify the gold color of rice. The afternoon is spent taking photos of the terraced rice field from a variety of angles. Back to our homestay by late afternoon.
Dinner and accommodation tonight is at local homestay of the Dzay people.
Day 3. Sep 26th, 2012. Muong Hum - Sa Pa (B/L)
After breakfast, we leave our homestay and continue our drive on this scenic road to Y Ty. visit a local village of the Ha Nhi people. About 14,000 Ha Nhi live in Vietnam in the rugged northern mountainous corner of the country. Ha Nhi people originally came from Tibet, according to their records, which have respectfully been passed down from generations, they wandered through China and finally settled in Lao Cai and Lai Chau province in Vietnam. We witness their untouched way of life inside homes, at school, or out on rice paddies....which have been practiced though some 20 generations. Continue our walk down the valley near the border with China for some rice field and landscape shooting. Back to Y Ty for lunch in the home of H'mong tribe. After lunch, we will have some time for shooting indoor with our model in her traditonal costume from H'mong tribe.
Afternoon, we head back to Sapa and enjoy more shooting on the winding road. Check in our hotel in Sapa, you are free on your own in this nice and cozy hill station.
Day 4. Sep 27th, 2012. Sa Pa - Ha Giang (B/L/D)
Today we drive on sinuous trails connecting Sa Pa and Ha Giang - the northernmost province of Vietnam. Ha Giang is home to a variety of tribal groups and breath-taking scenery - a heaven of photography long ruled by Vietnamese photographers and photography lovers. In the afternoon we have a short drive to the nearby villages of Ha Giang town, where we capture the daily life of the local and of course the peaceful moutainscape.
Day 5. Sep 28th, 2012. Ha Giang - Dong Van (B/L/D)
An early drive brings us to Pho Cao - home to one of the most beautiful tribal markets of North Vietnam. The market of Pho Cao is, no doubt, one of the highlights on our photography trip. Here, you will find yourself lost in colors, sound of some thousands of tribal people attending, bringing along their pigs, cows, chickens and a variety of domestic products. The morning is reserved for capturing this unique character of mountain life. After our morning shooting in the market, we drive to Dong Van, check in to our hotel then we will have lunch here.
After lunch, we have a rest til meeting time, to start our afternoon shooting in the Old Town of Dong Van, a great combination of old rocky architecture of the town and rice field at harvest season just hidden nearby.
Dinner and Overnight at hotel of Dong Van
Day 6. Sep 29th, 2012. Dong Van - Meo Vac - Quan Ba (B/L/D)
This morning, things are never the same in different conditions of light. We head out back again to the rice field to take photo of locals busy havesting their rice from early morning, at dawn break. Getting back to our hotel when finish shooting here, have our breakfast, check out the hotel.
Then we leave for Meo Vac via most famous pass of North Vietnam, Ma Pi Leng. Lunch on the way in Yen Minh then continue our drive to Quan Ba, We will do timing to catch the golden light in the afternoon to be recording the symbol of the province, Twin Mountains, on the viewing flatform before checking into our hotel in Quan Ba.
Dinner and Overnight in Quan Ba.
Day 7. Sep 30th, 2012. Quan Ba - Hanoi (B/L)
This morning is our last chance to capture another mountain market, and this is clearly the biggest one of its kind in northern mountainous region of Vietnam: Quan Ba market. We get to see the colors of a dozen of different tribal groups coming over to exchange their products. Market goers, who live far from the market, have to walk their cattles several miles, climb mountains and cross streams to get here. However they don’t appear to be tired, instead they are smiling and cheerful. Meanwhile, many locals do not sell their cows, dogs or pigs at the market, they just bring them there to show off for fun, or just gather for some bottles of home-made maize wine, which no H'mong man can afford leaving the market without having some!
After shooting at this market, we get back to our hotel, check out and go for breakfast before leaving this amazing mountainous area for Hanoi. We have our lunch on the way, back to hanoi by late in the afternoon. Services end.
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