Moc Chau Love Market - 3 Day Photo Tour in Northern Vietnam

Traditional Vietnam Festivals

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Tour Length:

3 Days

Location:

Mộc Châu

Departure Date:

August 31, 2024

Group Size:

6 People

TOUR TYPE:

Photography Workshop

Moc Chau Love Market

Moc Chau’s annual Love Market attracts thousands of hill tribe people from all over Northwest Vietnam as they search for new love or old flames, bringing a unique carnival of colour and festivity to this scenic mountain town. Moc Chau fairground plays host to traditional ethnic minority games and performances. As night falls, the streets of Moc Chau fill with torch-lit tribal processions and young couples courting amidst the crowds. It all makes for an unforgettable experience of Vietnam’s mountainous north, and a fantastic photographic adventure.

Moc Chau

We travel from Hanoi to Moc Chau by private minibus on the evening of 31st August.  On the morning of the 1st, we head into Moc Chau for the Love Market, spending the day and evening enjoying and photographing this unique event.  Our base is at a comfortable hotel in town, giving us a tranquil respite from the crowds and a place to share feedback on our photography. There’s plenty of action to photograph, including singing and cooking contests, brocade making, as well as the novel sight of hundreds of tribal people from the surrounding areas enjoying themselves.

On the 2nd, we travel out to Long Sap village, on the Laos border, where we’ll be exploring more traditional festivities. These will include folk games and contests such as buffalo fighting, arranged to celebrate both Vietnamese independence day and cross-border friendship with Laos. After passing by another minority village celebrating with its own festivities, we return to Hanoi, arriving in the capital in late afternoon.

Departure from: Hanoi
Date: 31st August 2024
Price: $449 per person

What to Expect

5:30-6 pm – Hotel or home pick up by minibus before heading out to Moc Chau. We’ll have dinner on the way. 10:30 pm – Arrival at our hotel in Moc Chau.

5:00 am – We have an early start to capture sunrise. Minority people are already arriving in town, by bike and on foot, and we’ll photograph them in the dawn light.

7:00 am – Time for breakfast and a brief workshop at the hotel. Our tour leader assigns her special photographic project for the day.

9 – 11:30 am – The group explore Moc Chau town and fairground, pursuing their assigned stories. The streets are full of colourfully-attired visitors, and the fairground plays host to a variety of traditional games.

12:00 pm – We have lunch at the hotel, followed by a feedback and critique session. Then we have a short break before rejoining the market.

2 – 4:30 pm – The group have more opportunities to capture life around the town, as the streets fill with young H’mong, Thai and Nung people from the surrounding mountains.

4:30 pm – We return to the hotel to relax and freshen up before dinner. Our tour leader introduces the key elements of night photography.

5:30 pm – Dinner

6:30 pm – The streets of Moc Chau fill with processions and torchlit parades, as well as exuberant courting couples. We head out to capture the colourful night-time scenes.

7:30 pm – We return to our hotel

5:00 am – We rise early again to capture sunrise in the stunning valleys near our homestay.

7:00 am – Breakfast

8:00 am – We now head out for Long Sap commune, on the Laos border.

9:00 am – Long Sap is a hive of activity, with various festivities and communal games happening. The perfect chance to practice our skills in all aspects of documentary style and travel photography. 

11:30 – We return to Moc Chau for lunch

12:30-1:30 – Lunch, followed by coffee and a picture review session.

1:30 – 2:30 pm – If time, we will visit Ang village for more pictures of tribal festivities, before hitting the road back to Hanoi

5-6:00 pm – We will stop at a few spots for sunset landscape shots, especially between Mai Chau and Hoa Binh 

7pm – Arrival in Hanoi and hotel or home drop-off.

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 the 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.

Image Gallery

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

  • Hotel Pickup and Dropoff
  • Accommodation as indicated in the itinerary
  • All transportation
  • Meals as indicated in the itinerary
  • Daily activities and excursions as indicated in the itinerary
  • local guides and government permits
  • Photography Workshop with our photographer leader

What's not included

  • Gratuities
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Trip cancellation insurance or any other travel insurance
  • Visas

Level of Difficulty

Moderate Physical activity (Walking)

Tour Length

3 Days
Hotel pickups commence approximately 30 minutes prior to this time

Seasonality

Moc Chau love market is an annual event on the given dates. however Moc Chau is well worth visiting at any stage during the year and we are happy to arrange such tours on request.

FAQ

Yes. We offer a 10% early bird discount on all featured tours if bookings are received 6 months in advance of departure.

We take an initial holding deposit of $500 per person, which is non-refundable (unless we call off the trip for some reason). The remainder is due 3 months in advance of the departure date. We also confirm tour departure at this point, and people can go ahead and book flights.

Our Cancellation policy includes the following fees and cut of periods:

90 to 61 days before departure is 25% of the trip price.

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

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

We take a maximum number of 5 guests per 1 tour leader.  With larger groups we will split between 2 tour leaders.

Yes, you do.  You will be asked to sign a legally-binding liability disclaimer before tour departure

Please see the What to Bring list included in each itinerary

It’s a good idea to do this, as you’ll have a chance to get over the jetlag and do a bit of exploring before the action begins.  We can help you arrange accommodation and adventures.

Yes, apart from your own shopping and alcohol (but we’ll cover some wine and beer along the way, don’t worry)

As early as possible – tours book up fast

Please see terms and conditions included on each tour page

View More Vietnamese Festivals

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Moc Chau Love Market Photo Tour

Customize Your Photography Experience

Our unparalleled knowledge of travel and culture in Vietnam, and where and when to get the best shots, mean we are experts in designing tailormade photo tours.  We have planned and run tours for everyone from professional photographers on a mission to amateurs who want to get to know their cameras better on an adventure.  Each person and group is different, so once you’ve completed the few questions below, expect to answer a few more before we can create your ideal photographic adventure.