Days of the Dragon
Lunar New Year Photography Adventure
Start your year celebrating with the hill tribes during Northern Vietnam's festival season.
Join us for Days of the Dragon, a once-a-year photography journey into northern Vietnam during the most vibrant days of the Lunar New Year. From Hanoi’s festive streets to the highland villages of Lai Chau, this 11-day adventure offers rare access to Hmong New Year traditions at their most colourful and intimate. You’ll explore the Tet build-up along Hàng Mã Street, photograph artisans in the Quang Phu Cau incense village, ride the Chapa Express into the mountains, and spend your early days capturing life with Black Hmong families around Sapa—including the lively Muong Hum Sunday market.
Your journey continues in Sin Suoi Ho, where five immersive days place you at the heart of Hmong New Year celebrations. Document family preparations on New Year’s Eve, join first-footing visits, and photograph joyful village festivals filled with traditional games, costumes, and music. Encounters with herbalists, farmers, artisans, and children offer authentic stories at every turn, culminating in further cultural exploration at the San Thang market before returning to Hanoi by sleeper train. With expert photographic guidance throughout, Days of the Dragon is an unforgettable opportunity to build a meaningful visual narrative of Vietnam’s Lunar New Year.
This is a premium photographic adventure, and we’ll enjoy the best accommodation available in the region, from stylish bamboo eco-lodges to mountain resorts and restored H’mong forts. We’ll also taste the most delicious cuisine in a part of the world already renowned for its culinary excellence.
Our close connection to the people of Vietnam, local friendships and many years of experience give us unparalleled access to the authentic life of the locals and the area’s most stunning vistas. As working photographers, with many years of teaching experience, we provide you unique insights and knowledge about Vietnam and photographic storytelling.
Expectations
Photographers on this journey can expect deep immersion in Vietnam’s most visually rich season—the Lunar New Year. The tour begins in Hanoi, where the streets transform into a vibrant mosaic of colour, movement, and festive anticipation. From lantern-lit alleys to Tet markets overflowing with decorations and red envelopes, the city provides endless opportunities for dynamic street scenes, environmental portraits, and fast-paced documentary photography. Visits to places like Quang Phu Cau incense village add striking graphic compositions and vivid colours to your early portfolio.
In the northwest mountains, the photographic experience becomes more intimate and culturally grounded. You’ll spend time with Black Hmong families, gaining access to daily life around kitchen fires, weaving looms, and hillside farms. Tribal markets such as Muong Hum offer an energetic mix of traditional clothing, animated negotiations, and quiet human moments—ideal for capturing authentic portraits and layered storytelling scenes. The region’s winter atmosphere, with mist drifting through valleys and soft mountain light, adds a cinematic quality to both landscape and documentary work.
The heart of the journey unfolds in Sin Suoi Ho during the peak of Hmong New Year. Here, you’ll witness and photograph traditions rarely accessible to outsiders: New Year’s Eve rituals, first-footing visits, family preparations, and vibrant multi-day festivals filled with games, music, and dance. Because you stay within the community, you build relationships with residents, allowing for natural, unposed interactions and emotionally expressive images. Festival days showcase stunning traditional attire, playful celebrations, and a deep sense of cultural pride—an ideal environment for storytelling, portraiture, and action photography.
Throughout the tour, you’ll also enjoy spacious opportunities for landscape work, including golden-hour viewpoints, terraced valleys, mountain passes, and misty highland horizons. Evenings in markets, lively night scenes, waterfalls, and remote village gatherings round out a diverse and visually compelling photographic experience. With professional guidance on composition, approach, and creative technique, photographers can expect to return home with a well-rounded, meaningful body of work that captures the spirit, beauty, and humanity of Vietnam’s Lunar New Year.
Days of the Dragon Registration
| Date | Price | 5 Pax | // |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01/02/2027 | $4500 | 2 Seats Left | Register |
Notes
- Single supplement per person: USD $600
- A USD $500 per person deposit secures your place on the tour.
- Once your reservation is confirmed, you will receive a confirmation email with payment instructions and a schedule for the remaining balance.
- Suitable for photographers of all experience levels, from enthusiastic beginners to experienced professionals.
- Private departures and customised itineraries are also available throughout the year.
Spaces are limited and departures frequently sell out well in advance. Early booking is recommended.
Tour Information
Recommended Equipment
- Digital Camera
- Drone
- Selections of lens
- Cable release
- Tripod
- Memory cards
- CPL & ND Graduated filters
- Laptop/tablet
- Storage device
What's included
- Transfers upon arrival and departure
- Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary
- All transportation
- Meals as indicated in the itinerary
- Daily activities and excursions as indicated in the itinerary
- All gratuities
- local guides and government permits
Whats not included
- Airfare to and from destination, as well as internal airfare unless stated in the itnerary
- Trip cancellation insurance or any other travel insurance
- Visas
- Alcoholic beverages
Seasonality
This is a small private group tour with designated departure dates. However we can tailor this tour or something similar to your required dates.
Guiding Team
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.
