11 Apr 2023
Waking two jet-lagged teens at 4:45am on a rainy morning isn't always easy but my kids' excitement about the On the Tracks photo tour got them up and moving quickly. And the tour did not disappoint. As soon as we met our photographer guide Brian and photojournalist Hoang outside our Old Quarter hotel in the pitch black and mist we knew it was going to be a great morning.
My kids love trains and photography, so the tour was perfect for them, and walking along the tracks in a local neighborhood gave us an incredible look at life in Hanoi, something that can be hard for tourists to find. One of my kids is about to start a photojournalism program in college, so learning directly from two professional photographers gave him amazing insight into photography as a possible career. Learning about the local neighborhood, watching its morning market open, getting photos of dancing couples at a local park and shots of market goers from the Long Bien bridge gave us such a wonderful look at regular Hanoian life.
Brian was a terrific guide, super friendly, knowledgable, and helpful in teaching us how to set up shots and find the right locations and angles for getting impactful, interesting photos. Hoang shared a lot of great technical tips and advice, too, about being a working photojournalist. In addition to the photography skills they shared, we loved getting coffee at a local cafe and learning Brian's tip on making an early-AM banh mi even better, by adding an egg! In addition to the photography, we learned so much more that morning about Hanoi and Hanoians than we ever could have on our own.
We've gotten a lot of great feedback on our photos and have so many fun memories from that morning. We highly recommend the Vietnam in Focus tours to our friends. Thank you to Brian, Hoang and VIF for such a terrific and memorable experience.