Overview
Discover a fascinating part of Danang little-known to tourists while learning the fundamentals of travel and documentary photography. We explore the city’s bustling waterfront as it wakes for the new day, and deep-sea trawlers bring in their overnight catch. Fishermen carry their haul in bamboo coracles to a small curve of beach, where a vibrant market awaits. On the horizon, traditional teakwood trawlers lay at anchor in the East Sea as the rising sun turns the sky gold. It’s a spectacular start to a unique photographic adventure, and we’ll be looking at composition for stunning landscapes, shooting in low-light, and how to capture people amidst busy activity. From seascapes and markets, our photographic focus turns to portraits of working life, as we head up to Danang port. We mingle with ice-loaders, and capture the rhythms of their sweat-drenched labour. It all makes for an unforgettable adventure in Danang’s maritime heart, with stunning pictures to document it.
What you will be doing
Fishermen are bringing their overnight catch in from the East Sea, rowing tiny coracle boats across the tide. On the beach, a lively market is already underway, as traders sort and sell the haul of fish, squid and shrimp.her chance for a great establishing shot, overlooking the scene. Hundreds of blue Vietnamese fishing trawlers, many flying the national flag, dock together here. The city’s mode
After an introduction to the tour and the 3 picture story, we’ll be focusing on shooting in lowlight. We begin with an establishing shot to set the scene as the sun rises over the East Sea, then move into the market
We’ll stop for a quick coffee on the way, review what we’ve learned so far, and feedback on some of the shots we’ve taken.
We'll have another chance for a great establishing shot, overlooking the scene. Hundreds of blue Vietnamese fishing trawlers, many flying the national flag, dock together here. The city’s modern skyline of gleaming office buildings and hotels forms the background.
Workers are shuttling and loading ice for the boats. We’ll look in more detail at how to create a story around people’s work, with composition techniques for relationship and portrait shots. In the harbour, we then explore the boat building area, workers hammering, sawing and fitting the pieces of these huge vessels together. Huge cubes of ice disgorge from an ancient, growling machine and the workers use steel picks to send each block to the crusher. In the boatyard, both men and women maintain, repair and rebuild the huge teak trawlers, from oily mechanical innards to the huge orange planks that form their bows. We complete our picture story with detail and portrait shots from this enthralling corner of the city, and key to this is learning how to approach people and keep an eye out for the telling image.
We head out of the harbour to a nearby cafe, with a local breakfast and time to review pictures take during the tour.
Where we'll meet
🧭 Meeting/pick-up point: We will pick you up from your hotel
🗺️ Instructions: We will pick you up from your hotel
Things to know
Accessibility:
Not wheelchair accessible
Fitness requirement
Moderate fitness level
Tour Language
English
License requirement
None
Additional information:
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
Hotel pickups commence approximately 30 - 60 minutes prior to this time, and the exact pickup time will be advised on confirmation.
Bring your own camera, with a fully charged battery, wide-angle or zoom lenses
Inclusion ✅
Pick up and drop off transport
Tour guide
Exclusion ❌
Gratuities
About your host
Vietnam in FocusWe run acclaimed private and small-group photo tours throughout north, central and south Vietnam. Whether you are a beginner, serious amateur or professional photographer, we can help you to capture incredible shots, and enjoy an unforgettable, authentic experience of this fascinating country. Our photo tours have been recommended by Lonely Planet, The Guardian and Le Petit Fute, as well as holding a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor for over a decade. We are officially licensed by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism to run tours and workshops, and have led groups from National Geographic and the Travel Channel. We also love to make a difference. We work with local NGOs like Peace House Shelter, Change, and the Centre for Women and Development to raise awareness about social and environmental challenges in Vietnam.
For every trip booked, Kodama Travel donates £1 to Just One Tree to restore our forests and the ocean.