Street Photography - Hanoi

Vietnam Travel Photography - Wall Art - Prints

Emily and I recently took a trip to Vietnam, and from the first 30 minutes in Hanoi we were both sold. The street culture there is infectious, if you’re into that kind of thing. We are. Our trip consisted of four major destinations - two in the northern part of the country, one central, and the last down south on the Mekong Delta. This post will strictly be showing street photography from Hanoi, but check back soon to see more from the rest of the trip.

From years of travel we learned a valuable lesson the hard way, that lighter is better. Now it only goes with us if it can fit in a carry-on, which has worked out really well for a number of years. For this trip it was the first time I limited my gear to one camera body and one lens (50mm). And I have to say it was amazing. Knowing that you only have one lens is actually quite freeing because you’re not overthinking each shot, and it forces you to shoot in a different style than all those times when you’ve got 3-5 lenses in your bag.

What about Hanoi? Loved it. Really loved it. We stayed in the Old Quarter for a few days and did all of our exploring by foot. Which, in my opinion, is the BEST way to see a city. You’re free to move at your own pace. Anywhere you’re willing to go is available to you. The first day we logged 16.5 miles and ate almost as many meals. Prior to this trip we’ve been lucky to visit places like Istanbul, Turkey, and New Delhi, India, so the chaotic street culture wasn’t new to us. One thing that stood out about Hanoi is the people and their general demeanour. The streets of New Delhi are pure chaos, filled with desperate people trying get your money by any means possible. (Side note: New Delhi might be my favorite place ever.) Hanoi was different. While most of the people are “poor”, they seem genuinely happy, and could have cared less that a couple Americans were wandering their streets. At the same time, they were also very inviting and happy to have us. There was no desperation in the people. They just do what they need to do with a smile on their face. Hopefully these images give you a feeling for what it’s like to be on the streets of Hanoi. If you need any more convincing, just look up what Anthony Bourdain had to say about Vietnam, and Hanoi in particular.