Advice on Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia?
keithinmelbourne
Registered Users Posts: 92 Big grins
I'm heading to Vietnam and Laos (principally) in September for five weeks. We plan to travel to stop major towns or cities and tour locally, starting and ending in Ho Chi Minh City. We're not sure what direction we're heading in (clockwise or anti-clockwise), but we want to cover Hoi An, Hanoi, Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Ankor Wat. Each stay we will tour around the surrounding districts. I'll be taking a fair bit of equipment. Can anyone share their experiences of this region, especially from a photographer's point of view? I'd be especially interested in anything we need to be wary of. I'd also be interested in seeing your shots:huh
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I've talked to this person a few times, he actually only lives a few blocks away from my house, I believe he has family from Vietnam.
Send him an E-mail, he's very friendly, I'm sure he would love to share his knowledge of that region with you. Good luck on your journey, looking forward to some of those pictures
My Smugmug Site
Mumon is right! "Every day is a good day!"
http://www.keithbroadphotography.com/
here are some of the shots i've shot there: link (fist shots are from thailand) and here is the journey on dgrin:
Part 1 Hanoi: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=103813
Part 2 Sa Pa: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=103726
part 3 Saigon: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=105997
part 4 Ha long - Cuc phuong: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=124298
part 5: Whale island - Hoi An - Mui Ne: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=124820
part 6: Dalat - Cu Chi - Mekong delta: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=126400
The countryside is just amazing and Vietnam is accessible but not yet developed so you have a lot of authentic scenes, especially if you rent a bike and just go of the route and cycle between the ricefields. In the cities its great to just photograph the people on their bikes and motors and all the huge piles of produce they deliver with it (see last pages of smugmug gallerie)
In general you can shoot whereever and whenever you like altough you may encounter people that want $$ if you want to take their portrait (i think this is fairly generic in poorer countries). I've heard reports of grabbing of bags by motorcyclist, never encountered it though but used a fairly inconspicuous bag and always wore it opposite the street side just in case. I used to store it in the hotel vault mostly or take it with me since theft from hotel rooms is not uncommon (in the budget section at least) and police can be corrupt. bringing along a bag that says CANON very largely on it is asking for trouble imo, you have to understand the yearly wage is in all prob. lower than the contents of your bag.. In general the vietnameze are honest people but there are some that will amaze you with their unhuman cold heartedness.. so be wary and especially check with local tourists about the place to be and not to be. its a great way of meeting other people too!
Oh and if your going to Sa Pa (beautiful northern mountainvillage, especially the surroundings are
Nhanphoto is a vietnameze photographer and a very nice person, he could tell you more. search him via the search button or the shooters button.
Hanoikids is a great group of youngsters that voluntarily tour people around in hanoi to advance their english. its a great way to get to know the city and you only have to pay your own entrance fees/food etc. they use the lonely planet forum as their HQ but if you want i can look up their email adress.
Not sure about cambodia, my girlfriend has been there and shot some decent shots. its poorer than vietnam but i would say fairly similar although robberies may be more present at night. Ankor wat is definitely a go see but go in the early morning or evening and rent a guide to take you to places (its huge!) away from the crowds.
Have fun!
We hired a tuk tuk for the day U$15 including driver. The guy was great so we had the same one each day and gave a good tip at the end. He knew the best places and would just wait at each place while we went round. Here are some other thoughts for you.
Take an NDG, I didn't use one on the first day and the skies were all (or nearly all) blown.
Don't eat at lunch time. Most of the groups go back to Siemreap and it is the best time to get shots without people in them.
You can hire your own guide for the day who will travel around with you and give details at each place.
Don't miss the floating village on the lake.
Gear: I took a 20D and G9. Most used lens on the 20D 10-22 and 28-70. Plus 100-400 for details (like the heads) at a distance. You will need ultra wide angle.
Weather: yep it was hot, drink lots of water. Plus it was supposed to be starting the dry season but it rained quite a bit, make sure you gear is protected.
I have a gallery here http://www.howardsheardphotography.com/gallery/8391304_hsCVy#550776162_UEDMv
exif I think all intact. Ask if you have questions and I'll try to answer.
We also went to Hanoi a few years ago. Busy and often very narrow streets, your wide angle will be useful again. We were not harassed at all, people were great. Will certainly return. I'll see if I can turn up some shots.
Mumon is right! "Every day is a good day!"
http://www.keithbroadphotography.com/
here is the email adress: hanoikidsvn@gmail.com
the easiest way of visiting Sa Pa at least is taking the nighttrain from hanoi to sapa (you can book this at the train station but i would suggest booking a air con soft sleeper). we rented a motorbike (125 cc) in sapa and just cruised around but i know there are motortours that go further off road (you'll probably need a motor license for that) and tours with jeeps. you can also book these in sa pa. if your ever in sa pa, visit bagguette & chocolat! its a great little hotel run by disadvantaged kids and has a great bakery/restaurant where you can get picknick bags full of wonderful sandwiches (ooohhh thinking about it makes me droooooool)
you know where to find me if you need more adresses in Viet Nam
Thanks Howard for the reply. I looked at you Angkor Wat gallery and was very impressed. I'll be happy if any of my shots are half as good. I will take a graduated ND filter, my only worry is the amount of camera gear I am taking. What's the story on porters? Do they cost much?
Mumon is right! "Every day is a good day!"
http://www.keithbroadphotography.com/
porters? as in to carry your bags??
Thanks Keith, glad you liked them. I never did make dawn but I have seen some great shots. At dawn the sun sould be roughly behind Ankor Wat and I would expect good reflections in the water. Don't take my word though try googling for examples. We did go back to Ankor late afternoon and the light is a wonderful golden colour on the temples when viewed from the front. I tried walking through to the back of the complex but the light in the sky wasn't good that night.
While I remember take good care of your pass. The ones for a week (I think) are laminated but the others are just on paper. I was nearly bared entrance at one temple because mine had got a bit wet and the pring ran in a small section.
Howard
as the scenery is incredible and the people are great. We were only in Cambodia for a about a week, Phenom Penh is a very interesting city and you can't go wrong with Seim Reap and the temples. (do a sunrise and or sunset ride out to them, less tourists and great light) Overall I didn't go to an area that didn't have something outstanding to see. Gear wise a smll tripod would have been handy and a girlfriend with a bit more patients for a photog that just wants to keep stopping and taking a pic or two or three or maybe four ...
http://mushy.smugmug.com/Holidays/481394
Yep!
Mumon is right! "Every day is a good day!"
http://www.keithbroadphotography.com/
Looked at your site. You have a lot of great shots. I definitely think that SaPa and Seim Reap will be on our agenda.
My partner is used to hanging around while I get the right shot. I make it up to her by being patient while she shops for clothes and stuff. She doesn't mind carrying the Gitzo either, because its pretty light. I think we have what is called a symbiotic relationship.
Mumon is right! "Every day is a good day!"
http://www.keithbroadphotography.com/
pffeewwhh... :oogle
Dawn @ Angkor Wat is a total clusterboink. Get there an hour before sunrise if you want to stake out a decent spot for the "typical" morning shot across the pond. What you don't see in the shot, if you do it right, is that there are about 300 other photographers next to you. They keep the pond filled with water all year round, even though it normally only fills during the rainy season...it's always revenue-generating-national-treasure-season.
The nicest wide-angle shot I found was on the other side of the Wat. At around this time, though, you might find that they're still restoring parts of the facility, and have annoyingly bright blue tarps covering certain areas of the Wat, making a rather unpleasant 21st century spot in an otherwise 18th century scene. This shot has been heavily edited (and sloppily edited too, I might add). At that time in the morning, the treeline beyond the frame make for a naturally vignette-like shading on the green foreground
Thanks Spectrum! I thought that the mornings and evenings would be crowded, but you're the first to to say so. I'm not sure how much time we'll have there, but I was figuring on 3-4 days. I was also thinking about the balloon ride, but I haven't investigated that yet, either. Often, I have found that only a few people use balloons and you also need to be lucky with the weather.
As for the tarps, I think my best example was visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing in 2006, only to find that most of the main buildings were covered in scaffold and tarps. They still charged the same entry fee, and you didn't find out until you went in. I felt like a real sucker!
Mumon is right! "Every day is a good day!"
http://www.keithbroadphotography.com/