Going to Vietnam for about 10 days. Flying in and out of Saigon. Everything else is up in the air. Most likely will do HCMC, Mekong delta, Da Nang, and squeeze in Hanoi if I can (although that will be tough). Any recommendations on photo-centric locations and activities? Interests are landscape, city-scapes, people, night photography.
When I am looking for this information I do searches on guided photo tours in the area as that tells me where are good places to go and how much time to allocate. That is a starting point but it helps to put together an initial itinerary.
If it were me I would fly into Saigon and out of Hanoi which would provide more time taking pictures and less time traveling. Don't overlook any opportunities to get out on the Mekong River and other waterways of the country. From a boat a 80-400mm or similar focal length range lens is invaluable.
I was planning on leaving my long lenses behind since it's not a wildlife-centric trip. But your point is valid. I think my 100-400 is too big and heavy for the kind of trip I'm planning. My Canon 70-200 f4 might be better, but of course of limited FL.
I would leave your 100-400 at home...way too big and heavy to lug around crowded humid / hot alleys.
If you are planning on going into Da Nang, I would definitely spend a few days in the Hoi An area. The city is just so picturesque and renting a bike and seeing and photographing the surrounding country is amazing.
With 10 days, I'd skip going to Hanoi as you just won't give it, and the other places you visit enough time to really enjoy. I'd spend a few days in HCMC and surrounding area, maybe 3 days in the delta and then head up to Da Nang and Hoi An for the rest of your time.
I'll probably be able to do only 3 or at most 4 of the above. Which ones I'll do will depend on the realities on the ground (I keep my travel plans open and make reservations only at the last minute). My suspicion is that I'll leave out Hanoi for another time or do a hurried Hanoi trip by flying from Da Lat and leave out Hoi An.
I'm tempted to take the drone, but if there's one thing that I value more than having flexibility in terms of photography, it's traveling light. As @chez said, in hot, humid places every ounce matters (and translates to a pound for me). So it will be my iPhone 11 Pro as second camera and the A7rIII + Loxia 21 + Tamron 28-75mm + Canon 100 f2 with Sigma MC-11 adapter. After considering the following, I'm thinking of leaving them behind: Canon 70-200 f4 IS, Canon 200mm f2.8, Contax G 90mm 2.8, Sony 100-400mm.
I got a great many pictures from boats with my 80-400mm lens and I used it only on the boats. The rest of the time I used a fisheye and 24-70mm f/2.8 and a flash. I always take lenses that will be with me at a location but not necessarily in my camera bag at all times.
It is for this reason that my checked luggage is a Pelican hard case with my clothes in a duffel bag. When I arrive at a destination I will pull out the duffel bag and then use the hard case with good locks (not the TSA type) to secure everything inside which includes photo gear and laptops and other items I cannot replace while traveling.
Take precautions against mosquitoes by treating your clothing with permethrin before you go. It is cheap insurance at a cost of pennies per piece of clothing.
It will be hot and humid and for this reason I favor hiring a driver with an air conditioned car whenever possible. If I can get a 30 minute break from the heat and humidity it helps a great deal.
Proper clothing and a hat also help with comfort and the non-cotton shirts made for fishermen are great. They have long sleeves that can roll up and be cinched with a strap. Last month I was in the Pantanal with more heat and higher humidity than I have ever encountered in SE Asia and even coming from coastal California where the humidity was half as much and the temperature is 30 degrees cooler, I was OK as I had the right clothing which included a hat (and gloves and a neck gaiter as I was out on a boat for 8 to 9 hours each day.
At the last minute, I decided to take my Canon 70-200mm f4 instead of the 100 f2. For the first half of the trip, the zoom saw zero action, while the Loxia 21, Tamron 28-75 and the iphone 11 pro did all the work. Then one day I decided I need to use the Canon for some candids in Hoi An. Boy, for the first time in the decade since I've owned this lens, I've actually put it to use. Using that FL range is a mental adjustment. Once you make it, it is incredibly useful for impromptu portraiture, candids and landscape. Add to that, this lens' one finger zoom capability and it's really easy to use it (this despite the limitations of the EF-E Sigma adapter). And, as elkhornsun suggested, that FL range came in handy at the floating market in the Mekong Delta.
Now I'm really looking forward to the Tamron 70-180.
Where was this? Unfortunately, I didn't venture too far away from Can Tho. The air was smoggy, so not very good light for photography. And the canals were a bit of a let-down: not much activity at the floating market, and the side canals I visited were dirty. Can Tho, however, was interesting. There was a free public music festival when I visited. Very friendly people -- and curious about me -- with lots of opportunities to photograph them.
bvphotos wrote:
Where was this? Unfortunately, I didn't venture too far away from Can Tho. The air was smoggy, so not very good light for photography. And the canals were a bit of a let-down: not much activity at the floating market, and the side canals I visited were dirty. Can Tho, however, was interesting. There was a free public music festival when I visited. Very friendly people -- and curious about me -- with lots of opportunities to photograph them.
It's in Chau Doc City. Another beautiful place that you may want to visit is Dong Thap Mat Weaving village. It's colorful and very interesting as the whole village produce mats.
