Sunrise In Town

On this Sunrise In Town tour you will be at the heart of the photogenic scenes. As the first glimpses of light appear above the iconic Hoi An skyline you can see everything coming alive. People are starting their day, one of the rare moments to enjoy everything without constant noise. The town is still quiet, all shops are closed and the tourists are still asleep.

We meet in the old town, where we photograph the sunrise. After the best colours start to fade away we have breakfast and coffee. From here we have a nice view on the river and the old town. Before we continue we talk about photography. When the sun rises everything lits up beautifully and we move around to benefit from the best light.

Once the best light is gone, the locals start racing around on their motorbikes and the first tourists show up. Time to move into the alleys. There we experience local life, still in the old town, but away from the madness. Often you will see Vietnamese women dressed in traditional clothes with the conical hat. See how easy it is to approach them and to take photos of them. Here we focus more on Vietnamese culture, learning how to take portrait photos and tons of other things. We may be invited to visit people’s homes, something that gives the trip a special touch.

If there is still time left we head to a different side of Hoi An, with all sorts of different trades. Depending on the photographic opportunities we will also pass a local market, away from the crowds. This area is also a tour on its own (the 7AM till 10AM tour), without having to get out of bed ultra early.

A sunrise in town – is it worth getting up early?

In photography there are an awful lot of things you cannot control. A nice sunrise is one of them. The only way to find out is to go and hope for the best. Not going means getting nothing at all. But despite the weather, life will start every morning and the actual sunrise only lasts for a very short time. So in the event the skies are grey, 96% of the tour will still be a pleasant experience. When the clouds are dramatic, even 100%!

On tour you will receive a password, which gives you access to the “clients” section. There you will find many articles on things I talk about on tour, especially the technical issues. When you hear all the options the main camera settings have to offer, you may feel confused at times. These articles make sure you will never forget what you learnt! Another place you may want to check out is a Hoi An Photo Walks page (dedicated to tours in Hoi An only). It gives an insight on how to create images.

Each tour is weather dependent. In case of heavy rain the tour may be postponed or cancelled. We will contact you no later than half an hour before the start of the tour and we will reschedule. If you already have paid and there is no other possibility to do the tour, we will refund the money.