Street Photography in Vietnam

Shoot low. Much of the action happens at hip height, because street food is eaten on tiny plastic stools. Lower your camera and your frames change.

Make flat pictures. Sidewalks are thin and walls are long. Stand across the street, wait for people to pass in front of a wall and you get a flat, stage-like frame where everyone sits on one layer.

Use the shopfronts. Vendors often work inside a small open rectangle. Use it as a frame within the frame. The shop is usually in shade and the street in sun, so watch your exposure.

Follow yellow. Many walls, especially in Hanoi and Hoi An, are painted a worn yellow, and red flags are everywhere. Yellow and red sit close on the color wheel, so they hold together. See our guide to color photography.

Watch the motorbikes. Traffic is a subject, not only a hazard. Slow shutter speeds turn it into streaks of light. See motion blur photography.

Vietnam gives you a lot of subjects in a small space, so the hard part is choosing. Training that choice is what our online street photography course does, a few minutes a day.

Hanoi is the best street city in the country for most people. The Old Quarter near Hoan Kiem Lake is packed with activity, and on weekend evenings some streets close to traffic. Around the lake it is calmer, with morning exercise and couples doing engagement shoots. Go for texture and gesture.

Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by most people, is louder and more modern. The old Chinatown of Cholon and its markets are the draw, with neon walking streets at night. Go for energy and night work.

Hoi An is small and beautiful, with yellow walls and boats on the river. It is also crowded with visitors from mid morning. Shoot it from about 5:30 to 8:00, when residents still own the streets.

Hue, the old imperial capital between Hanoi and Hoi An, is worth a stop for its quieter streets and river life.

Two weeks lets you cover the three cities:

1. Hanoi, five days. The Old Quarter at dawn and again around 5pm, when the low sun rakes the alleys.
2. Hoi An, three or four days. Fly to Da Nang, then drive about 45 minutes south. Stay in town so you can be out before sunrise.
3. Ho Chi Minh City, four days. Fly from Da Nang. Spend mornings in Cholon's markets and evenings on the walking streets.

With more time, take the Reunification Express train for part of the way. The Hue to Da Nang stretch runs along the coast and is the most scenic. Inside cities, walk or use ride hailing motorbikes. Crossing the street is its own skill: walk slowly and steadily and let the bikes flow around you.

Vietnam has three climates. The north has a cool, gray winter from about December to February, with drizzle and mist that suit moody work, and a hot summer. The south stays warm all year, with a dry season from about December to April and short, heavy storms in the afternoons the rest of the year. The center gets its heaviest rain from about September to December, and Hoi An's old town often floods in October and November.

Tet, the lunar new year, falls in late January or February. The days before it are great for photography: flower markets and people carrying peach trees and kumquat trees on motorbikes. During Tet itself many shops close for several days and cities empty out. The Mid-Autumn Festival, in September or October, fills Hanoi's Hang Ma street with lanterns and children. Hoi An lights its lanterns for a monthly full moon evening.

• Acknowledge people. Eye contact and a smile before you raise the camera work better than any phrase. A wave or a turned back means no.
• Pay for portraits if it feels right. Many vendors earn a dollar or two per sale. If someone gives you time for a portrait, a small tip is fair.
• Skip the posed conical hat shots. In Hoi An and Hanoi some vendors pose for money. It is fine, but it is not street photography.
• Ask about children. Get a parent's okay before photographing kids up close.
• Watch your gear. Motorbike snatch theft of phones and cameras happens, especially in Saigon. Keep the strap on and the camera on the side away from the road.
• Watch your shoes. In Hanoi's Old Quarter, a common scam is a man who glues your sole loose and then offers to fix it. Keep walking and say no.