Street Photography in Hanoi

Hoan Kiem Lake is the social center of Hanoi. At dawn, people do tai chi and ballroom dancing along the shore. Vietnam Streets recommends 6 to 7 am, with the red The Huc bridge in morning mist. Walker's favorite time is just before sunset, when an outdoor gym with old free weights fills up with regulars. He says they do not mind photos and may invite you to do a set, and it is a good place to try flash. Shoot a lifter against the lake for a clean background. Caution: the lakeside paths are busy with joggers at dawn, so do not stop in their lane.

Dong Xuan is the largest covered market in Hanoi, with wholesale traders on several floors. Walker prefers the streets around it, full of street sellers and workers pulling carts. The building's walls give you shadows and color to play with. Come early. Thanh Ha Market, an outdoor produce market just south, packs up by midday, so go there first. Stand at a corner where carts turn and wait for a porter to pass through a patch of light. Caution: carts and motorbikes squeeze through gaps you would not think possible, so keep your back to a wall.

Quan Chuong Gate is the last surviving gate of the old city walls, and it opens into the Old Quarter, the historic trade district. Streets are still named for their old trades. Picture the World lists Hang Bac for silver and Hang Ma for paper decorations, among others. Vietnam Streets suggests starting around 6:30 am on Hang Buom as sweet shops open. Look for women in conical hats with shoulder poles, and cooks on the sidewalk. Walker says the narrow alleys are where the photos are. Use a dark alley entrance as a frame and wait for someone to cross the light. Caution: at night, Ta Hien, known as beer street, gets rowdy.

Along the railway, small houses stand a few steps from the tracks. Walker describes laundry on lines and kids playing, with doors left open. When a train comes, everyone steps back and the street shrinks to a gap. Vietnam Streets gives train times of about 3:30 pm and 7 pm, but check locally. The best frames show daily life going on around the rails. Caution: access has changed often. Authorities have restricted the busiest section, and police usually let visitors in only as customers of approved cafes. Buy a coffee and stay off the tracks.

St. Joseph's Cathedral is a French neo-Gothic church modeled on Notre-Dame, which locals call the Big Church. Mass lets out several times a day and fills the street. The small square in front draws young people on stools with lemon tea in the evening. Picture the World notes yellow colonial townhouses and fruit vendors in the side streets. Late afternoon light falls on the facade. Shoot from low across the cafe stools so the drinkers sit in front of the church. Caution: be quiet and discreet during services, and do not photograph inside without checking the rules.

Long Bien Bridge is an old steel bridge across the Red River, used by motorbikes and trains. Below it, Long Bien Market is a wholesale produce market. Vietnam Streets says to arrive by 5:30 am, when it runs in near-darkness with trucks unloading and motorbikes piled high. Use ISO 3200 or more and a fast lens. Later in the morning, walk onto the bridge for river light and traffic passing through the steel frame. Caution: the bridge walkway is narrow and uneven, and the market is a working place, so step aside for porters.