Hoi An – Where History Still Lives

Hoi An is a place where the past is still part of everyday life. Located along the Thu Bon River in central Vietnam, the city became an important international trading port between the 15th and 19th centuries. Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and European influences shaped its architecture and culture. When the port declined, Hoi An escaped much of the modern development that changed other Vietnamese cities. In 1999, the Ancient Town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

But Hoi An is far from being a museum. People still live and work among the old yellow houses, small shops, markets, cafés, restaurants and bars. After sunset, lanterns transform the historic streets, while just beyond the familiar tourist images, everyday life continues.

This is the Hoi An I want to photograph.

In my Behind the Lens – Frame by Frame series, I am not simply documenting famous sights. I want to show Hoi An as I experience it with my camera – through people, street life, architecture, light, atmosphere and those small moments that are easy to miss.

I will take you behind each photograph: what caught my attention, why I pressed the shutter and, where relevant, how I created the image.

This is Hoi An, frame by frame – seen through my eyes, behind my lens.

Street Life After Dark – Hoi An

This is the kind of scene I look for when I walk through Hoi An with my camera. A small street food restaurant is already busy as evening arrives. The woman at the food cart is talking to a customer, while people sit close together on small plastic stools, eating, talking and laughing. Nothing is staged. It is simply everyday life happening in front of me.

I chose 30mm to keep the people and the surroundings together in the frame. I wanted the food stall, the tables, the scooters and the deep blue evening sky to remain part of the story rather than isolating one person.

With f/4.0, I had enough depth of field to keep the scene readable while still giving the main subjects some separation. 1/200s was important because people were constantly moving. I didn't want to lose the spontaneous moments through motion blur.

The light was already fading, so ISO 5000 gave me the exposure I needed without using flash. For me, that was essential. The existing light is part of what makes this photograph feel real.

This is Hoi An as I experienced it – busy, informal and full of everyday moments

The Japanese Covered Bridge – Hoi An at Night

The Japanese Covered Bridge is one of Hoi An’s best-known landmarks, but I wanted to photograph it in a way that shows more than the bridge itself. At night, the warm light brings out the details of the historic structure, while the canal below becomes a second part of the image. Small floating lanterns follow the edges of the water, creating reflections that lead the eye towards the bridge. On the right, people gather along the walkway, adding life and scale to the scene.

I chose 42mm to bring the bridge closer into the frame without losing the canal and its reflections. f/2.8 was important because there was very little available light. I wanted to keep the bridge sharp while still collecting as much light as possible.

At 1/50s, I was working at the slowest shutter speed I felt comfortable using handheld. The ISO 6400 was necessary to maintain that balance between shutter speed and exposure.

I deliberately worked with the existing light. No flash – the warm illumination, the dark surroundings and the reflections are what make this Hoi An night scene work for me.