APRIL 16–24, 2027
I keep coming back to Vietnam for the same reason I picked up a camera in the first place: it rewards patience and presence in a way few places do.
Every trip I lead here, I try to steer the group away from the postcard shot and toward the in-between moments - the ones that only show up if you're willing to wake up before dawn, sit still at a pagoda instead of rushing through it, or share a plastic stool with a stranger at a noodle stall.
Hanoi Old Quarter's thirty-six streets still carry the names of the trades once sold on them, and the charm hasn't worn off with the centuries. It still looks and photographs great.
Saigon doesn't give you time to think.
If Hanoi rewards patience and you can take your time. In Saigon you need to be faster and sharper.
Saigon moves at the speed of its own traffic, and your reflexes have to catch up to it.
The light changes character too: Hanoi's is soft and usuay hazy, filtered through balconies and tiny alleys.
While Saigon's midday sun is stronger and harder, the space is bigger and you have much more oportunities to play with light there.
It's the same country, but you end up photographing an entirely different city faster, harder-edged, and never quite willing to slow down for you.
The coast resets everything.
After days of being in the city it is a great place to finish our trip.
Fishermen come in at sunrise after a night at sea, the catch gets offloaded and sorted on the sand.
The boats sit stranded on the sand for the rest of the day, waiting for the tide and the next night's work.
All this is beautiful to photgraph
Two visually rich yet completely different cities: Hanoi's thousand-year-old Old Quarter and Ho Chi Minh City's modern energy
Authentic markets and pagodas in both cities.
Tthe smell of incense drifting through a doorway, a stranger waving you onto their plastic stool for a bowl of pho, and the kind of weathered face that makes you forget you're a visitor
Led by a photographer who has already run this exact Hanoi–Saigon route many times and knows precisely where to take you and when
Maximum 5 participants for real individual attention
I limit my workshops at 5 participants.
Vietnam's markets, alleys, and pagodas are narrow and full of life - a bigger group changes the room the moment it walks in, and the whole point of this trip is staying invisible enough to catch things as they really happen.
Five people also means everyone gets real one-on-one time in the field and a properly unhurried portfolio review at the end, not a rushed group critique.
It's an intimate trip by designed that way that you will feel as part of a highly motivated photography dedicated tribe.
✔ 5 participants
✔ 8 full days of shooting and teaching
✔ Transport from Ho Chi Minh to Fisherman village
✔ Daily image reviews and evening critique
✔ Personal 1-on-1 sequencing session
✔Pre-trip support: visas, flights, gear
✔Every location scouted by me personally
Not sure yet? That's what questions are for.
Drop me a message or WhatsApp me at +972-51-5099149 — I reply quickly.
Day 0 - April 15
Day 1 - Fri, April 16
Morning: Hoan Kiem Lake. We start at the spiritual and geographic heart of Hanoi - locals doing tai chi at sunrise, badminton on the pavement and dancing around the lake. It's also Hung Kings Commemoration Day, a national holiday, so expect the city a little fuller with families out and about.
Afternoon: The Old Quarter. Thirty-six streets still loosely named for the trades once sold there. Small alleys buried in laundry. Old temples and plenty of hidden corners to explore.
Day 2 - Sat, April 17
Pre-dawn (4–6am): Long Bien Market. Hanoi's wholesale hub, some 300 tons of fruit moving through by morning, porters hauling loads with practiced precision, women pushing stacked carts, traders haggling under the dim glow of streetlights.
We'll time it to catch the tail end of the rush, right as bicycles start pulling out stacked high with color and weaving off into the waking city.
Afternoon: Dong Xuan Market. Hanoi's largest and oldest indoor market, three floors of produce, textiles, and hardware, and a variety of subjects that makes it, in one visitor's words, "authentic Hanoi" distilled into a single building.
Day 3 - Sun, April 18
Morning: Your choice - market or lake. A second pass at Long Bien or Hoan Kiem, this time shooting with a clear idea of what are you going for
Afternoon: Old city shooting and image review
HANOI PHOTOGRAPHY
Not sure yet? That's what questions are for.
Drop me a message or WhatsApp me at +972-51-5099149 — I reply quickly.
Day 4 - Mon, April 19
In the morning we will fly to South Vietnam the modern capital Ho Chi Minh .
In the late afternoon: we will visit Bui Vien.
Saigon's backpacker strip by daylight and a bar street in the evening a total tonal shift from Hanoi.
All neon signage and plenty of nightlife energy that doesn't fully arrive until after dark.
Day 5 - Tue, April 20
Morning: A very special local market. One of the city's oldest traditional markets.
Afternoon: Flower market and Ha Ton Quyen food street.
Day 6 - Wed, April 21
Pre-dawn (4–6am): Ho Thi Ky Flower Market. Regulars call this "Vietnam's most alive place" at this hour - miles of blossoms stacked shoulder-high, motorbikes weaving the aisles, a side alley of fallen petals that turns eerily beautiful in the half-light. Messy, loud, and un-staged. This is real 3am commerce, not a tourist stop.
Late morning: Cholon:Thien Hau Pagoda. We move to Saigon's Chinese quarter for the true rằm: engraved temple gates, flickering oil lamps, worshippers lighting spiral incense coils and hanging prayers written on paper beneath them.
Afternoon: Rest. After a pre-dawn start, an easy afternoon to recover, edit, and get ready for the coast.
Day 7 & 8 - Thu-Fri, April 22-23
Morning transfer from Ho Chi Minh City to a costal city (4–5 hours by private van).
Afternoon: First look at the fishing harbor and coastal light - a full change of scenary after six days of dense city streets.
Day 8 - Fri, April 23
Morning: Sunrise at a Fishing Village. Boats come in at sunrise after a night at sea, and sorting starts almost the moment the catch hits the sand - skilled fisherwomen who don't let a single shrimp go to waste.
One of the most purely photogenic working scenes in Vietnam, and one that rewards patience over rushing the shot.
Afternoon: Portfolio review & wrap-up. A full group session to edit, sequence, and talk through everyone's strongest images from the trip.
VIETNAM FISHERMAN VILLAGE
My workshops run differently from typical photo tours. Here's what to expect: how we shoot, how we travel, and how to know if this adventure is for you.
In this workshop, the main focus is documentary and street photography. There are no pre-set shoots and no models. We photograph reality as it is. We are there to witness and tell visual stories of the places we visit and the people we meet.
We will usually have two sessions a day, morning and afternoon. We start early, and at some point we break for food, critique, and theory. For some this can be an intense schedule, but don't worry: the moment you feel tired, you can hop in a taxi back to the hotel and rest. No one is pushed to photograph beyond their limits.
I believe theory needs to be paired with practical experience, so hours are set aside during the workshop for photography study. We will go through many slides built with one purpose: to make you a better photographer.
Every day, participants split into small teams of 2-3 and work in a specific area within the same location. I spend time with each of you individually and mix the teams regularly, so everyone gets a fair share of my attention. At the end of the day, we sit together to review and discuss the photographs taken.
There is no limitation on gear, but I encourage short focal lengths, somewhere between 24 and 70mm. Even better, get used to working with primes: a 28mm, 35mm, or 50mm in full-frame terms (roughly 18mm, 23mm, and 35mm on APS-C). Working this way has many benefits, but above all it makes you feel like a participant in the story rather than an observer, and it teaches you to get close to your subjects.
This is an independent-photographer style workshop. You are encouraged to make your own decisions and be self-reliant. Beyond photography, you will learn how to plan a trip to places like these by yourself.
The workshop officially starts early in the morning of day 1 and ends in the evening of the last day. You are welcome to arrive earlier, and I will be around.
Before the trip, we create a shared WhatsApp group to discuss all travel and photography arrangements: visas, flights, gear, what to bring, and more. You will already know each other by the time we meet.
We choose our own accommodation based on the shooting plan. We might stay in different hotels to suit different comfort levels and budgets, but they should be within a short walk of each other so we waste no time getting out to shoot.
We plan our transportation together and navigate like locals: public transport, taxis, rickshaws, whatever works best in the moment. The itinerary can change along the way, but only if the change suits everyone in the group.
First of all, this is not an organized tour. It is an adventure, and it is for people who enjoy stepping a little out of their comfort zone to experience something new.
It is best suited for people with a passion for travel and candid street and documentary photography. "Passion" is the key word, because the workshop is intense. We will shoot and walk a lot. You may need a week of rest afterward, but you will be happy, because you will have taken some of the most memorable photographs of your life.
Most participants come with some experience, but beginners are welcome too. In an environment like this, you can progress very fast.
You should be in good physical health and able to handle long days outside with limited comfort. You can always take a few hours off, but that time comes at the expense of shooting or classes.
HO CHI MINH PHOTOGRAPHY
VISA
Visa: To enter Vietnam, most foreign nationals require a visa, although a number of countries (including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea) are exempt for stays of up to 30 days
Applications are managed entirely online through Vietnam's official E-Visa system - no embassy visit needed. Valid up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, USD 25–50.
Apply here: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/web/guest/trang-chu-ttdt
MONEY
INTERNET
BOOKING
Booking.com or Agoda are widely available.But there is an industry of fake reviews there, so always crosscheck the reviews with Google Maps.
Tuition: my full experience and knowledge at your disposal throughout the journey. Daily teaching, image reviews, personal guidance, and a 1-on-1 sequencing session.
Trip curation: I select the right hotels, plan transportation and build the shooting itinerary. You book, I guide.
Support before the trip: help with visas, flights, gear choices and any questions, starting from the moment you sign up.
In this trip I have also included the transportation to the fisherman village and back to Ho Chi Minh.
NOT included: flights, travel insurance, visas, lodging, meals, local transport, and personal expenses. I keep tuition separate so you control your own comfort level and budget.
Reserve your spot with a $300 deposit through the booking form. The balance is due about 2 months before the workshop starts.
A minimum of 3 participants is required for the workshop to run.
After you sign up, I'll personally confirm your registration and tell you when to start booking travel arrangements. Don't book flights before my confirmation.
You can cancel anytime. Your payment is refunded (minus transaction fees) if another participant takes your place. I'll do my best to fill the spot, but if nobody does, the deposit is non-refundable.
If I have to cancel the trip, you'll be notified promptly and receive a full refund of everything you paid me. I can't cover costs beyond the workshop fee, such as flights, accommodation or insurance, which is why travel insurance is required.
I'll always do my best to help you in any difficulty, but I'm not responsible for personal loss, accidents, or health-related issues. Travel insurance is mandatory for all participants.
I'm Gil Kreslavsky, a street and travel photographer and educator. For more than a decade I've traveled full time through Asia and Africa documenting human stories, with work featured by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, UNESCO, Britannica and others.
Kathmandu is a city I keep returning to. I've photographed it across many visits and seasons, during festivals and on ordinary days, and I know its streets, temples, and rhythms firsthand. Every location in this workshop is a place I've scouted and photographed myself. I never lead a workshop in a place I don't know deeply.
Today I teach through my workshops, online classes, and my YouTube channel.
If you've ever joined a group of 10+ photographers, you know how frustrating it is: everyone hunting the same shot, nobody getting real attention.
I check in with every participant consistently, so you get all the personal guidance you need.
We go where locals go and meet real people. I only lead workshops in places I've explored in depth myself, so you get authentic immersion in the culture and a deeper understanding of how to photograph it
Only 5 participants per workshop. Once the spots are gone, they're gone.
A €300 deposit reserves your place, with the balance due 2 months before we start.
Prefer to talk before booking? Email info@kreslavsky.com
I encourage participants to work with short focal lengths and get close and personal with their subjects.
You'll capture more intimate, expressive photographs, and convey a real sense of your subject's surroundings and context.
The style we practice is reportage. No staged shots, no fishermen throwing nets for the camera. We find our subjects ourselves and photograph life as it actually happens.
Telling a visual story means approaching a subject from many angles. By exploring different perspectives and vantage points, you'll learn to capture the essence of a scene and convey its message in the most powerful way.
The internet is full of graphically pleasing street photos, but few of them tell a real story. Our focus is telling stories with the camera, not just making a pretty frame.
There is no such thing as bad light, only different ways to use it to your advantage. You'll learn to solve complex lighting problems on the street and make strong images in any conditions.
Color combinations carry real emotional weight in a photograph. We'll learn to see and understand them, and to use color contrast and harmony deliberately to make images that resonate.
Each evening we sit together and examine the day's photographs from a compositional perspective: framing, balance, negative space, and what makes a composition hold.
By the end of the workshop, you'll have developed a sharper compositional eye.
We'll also work on editing: color correction and fine-tuning exposure, contrast, color, and sharpness, so your final images match your vision.
