Date(s) April 21 — May 1, 2025

Skill Level

Cost $ 3,850

Duration 10 Days

Instructor(s) Our photographers are no ordinary guides. We’re adventurers, teachers and assistants, as well as experienced shooters. We’re up at dawn to catch the best light, and always looking out for unexpected moments and details that make for great photography. Our guides are committed to making sure you enjoy exploring Vietnam through photography as much as we do. Your pictures and your experience are always the priority. Photographer Phuong Le XUAN PHUONG LE Documentary and Travel Photographer Photographer Minh Do MINH DO Fashion, Street and Travel Photographer Photographers Phuong Le & Minh Do will lead our 2024 Vietnam by Rail Tour. Phuong is a Hanoi-based photographer and writer specializing in documentary photography, with her work featured in major national media outlets like VnExpress, Saigoneer, and Travellive. Holding a BA in International Relations from Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences, she is passionate about cultural exchange and understanding. Her bilingual stories cover topics such as coastal Whale-Worshiping communities, traditional craftsmanship in Hoi An, and life in Ha Giang’s secluded mountain villages. Recognized with awards from Heritage magazine, Phuong views photography as a powerful medium for authentic visual storytelling, enhancing viewer awareness and emotion. Born in Saigon in 1994, Minh is a versatile, systematic, and playful professional photographer with a BA in Digital Media from RMIT University of Vietnam. Over the past five years, he has specialized in Fashion and Commercial Photography, working with leading sportswear brands such as Ananas. Minh, a seasoned traveler, has lived and studied in Thailand, gaining proficiency in Thai alongside English and his native Vietnamese. He combines digital and analog photography to bring purity to his images, drawing inspiration from the rapidly changing landscape of his hometown, Saigon. Minh now shares his unique insights and access to the city and its surroundings as a photographer guide at Vietnam in Focus.

Group Size Limit 5

Travel from Saigon to Hanoi on the legendary Reunification Express, while creating a stunning visual narrative of life in all three regions of Vietnam. From street photography in Saigon’s Chinatown and little-known railway village, we’ll head up the eastern coastline, to the serene white sand dunes of Mui Ne. By the sea, we’ll explore colorful fishing villages and sleepy harbors, snap portraits of traders and fishermen at work with their nets, before continuing north through magical Nui Chua National Park.

Between World Heritage-listed Hoi An and the Imperial capital of Hue, we’ll cross the Hai Van Pass, one of the world’s most spectacular short train journeys. Then it’s north to the scenic splendor of a cruise on Ha Long Bay, before we roll into Hanoi, Vietnam’s richly-cultured and highly photogenic capital. Over the course of the tour, with the guidance of our Vietnam in Focus photography tour leaders, we capture a visual story of life throughout this diverse, dazzling country.

This is a premium photographic adventure, and we’ll enjoy the best accommodation available along the way. We’ll also taste the most delicious cuisine in a part of the world already renowned for its culinary excellence. Between short train journeys, we travel by spacious and comfortable minibus, with an extra vehicle to transport our luggage between accommodation. The trip also includes two domestic flights.

Our close connection to the people of this region, local friendships and many years of experience give us unparalleled access to the authentic life of locals and the area’s most stunning vistas. As working photographers and journalists, with many years of teaching experience, we provide you unique insights and knowledge about Vietnam and photographic storytelling.

Expectations from Vietnam by Rail

From south to north, prepare to shoot a huge range of images, from street photography to epic landscapes and photographic series about time-honored craft production. The railway uniting Vietnam’s three regions provides an evocative theme, but our images will be as diverse as the country itself, and you’ll be encouraged to pursue your own photographic style and interests. Our own focus on tour tends mostly to the Vietnamese people and their daily lives, particularly where the old world meets the modern.

We always aim to tell authentic stories with our images, and this means mixing and interacting with the locals, whether in a Saigonese temple, a fishing harbor in Danang or a skiff on Ha Long Bay. Along the way, we’ll develop our skills in all aspects of photography, from image composition to lens selection and use of different settings. We’ll have regular review sessions, as well as feedback on the go, drawing on the experience and know-how of our expert guides, and the input of our fellow photography-loving travelers.

We take an initial holding deposit of $500 per person, which is non-refundable, unless Vietnam in Focus calls off the trip.

The remainder is due at least 3 months in advance of the departure date. This is also our latest date to confirm tour departure at this point, and guests can go ahead and book flights.

In the event that we have our minimum number of guests booked in for the tour earlier than 3 months before departure, we will confirm the tour, and guests are free to book their flights.

Your initial $500 reservation deposit is non-refundable, except in the event that Vietnam in Focus cancels the trip. The deposit can however be put towards a future trip with Vietnam in Focus.

If you cancel your booking with us, our cancellation policy includes the following fees and cut-off periods:

If canceling 90 to 61 days before departure, the guest is liable for 25% of the trip cost.

60 to 46 days before departure is 50% of the trip cost.

45-0 days prior to departure is 100% of the trip cost.

Vietnam in Focus run acclaimed photo tours throughout north, central and south Vietnam. We research, design and lead tours that help you to experience authentic local life as well as improve your photography. Whether you are a beginner, serious amateur or professional photographer, we can help you to capture incredible shots, and enjoy an unforgettable experience of this fascinating region.

Our team boast credits in The New York Times and Vice Magazine, among many other publications, meaning the knowledge we impart is top-level. Meanwhile, our tours have been recommended by Lonely Planet, The Guardian and Le Petit Fute, as well as rating five star at Trip Advisor since 2012. We’ve even led groups from National Geographic and the Travel Channel through Vietnam.

We also love to make a difference. We work with local NGOs like Peace House Shelter and Change Vietnam to raise awareness about social and environmental challenges in Vietnam.

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