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.

A Scooter Through Hoi An’s Narrow Streets

This is another side of Hoi An that I enjoy photographing. A woman riding her scooter through an incredibly narrow passage between the old yellow walls, with a row of red lanterns hanging above her. There is barely enough room for the scooter to pass, which makes the scene feel almost surreal. For me, it is exactly the kind of everyday moment that tells more about Hoi An than another postcard view of the Old Town.

I chose 49mm to compress the narrow space slightly and keep the focus on the rider, scooter and lanterns without introducing too much wide-angle distortion.

I used f/8.0 because I wanted the walls, lanterns and rider to remain clearly recognizable throughout the frame. 1/250s gave me enough speed to freeze the scooter as it approached.

With the available daylight, ISO 400 was enough to keep the image clean while allowing those settings.

I didn't wait for a perfect pose. The moment was already there – I just had to be ready for it.

Hoi An by Night – Life on the Thu Bon River

After dark, Hoi An changes completely. The Thu Bon River fills with small wooden boats carrying visitors, each one lit by colourful lanterns. Across the water, the old town glows with warm lights, while people crowd the riverside and the historic streets behind them.

I wanted to capture more than the lanterns. The boats, the people, the reflections and the old buildings all belong in the same frame. Together they show why Hoi An at night has such a distinct atmosphere.

At 36mm, I could cover a wide section of the river without making the boats feel too distant. f/2.8 was essential in the low light, while 1/60s was a compromise between gathering enough light and keeping the moving boats reasonably sharp.

That meant pushing the ISO to 6400. Normally, I would prefer a lower ISO, but at night I would rather accept some noise than lose the atmosphere by using flash or making the image too dark.

The reflections were the final reason I stopped here. They add movement to the lower part of the frame and make the whole scene feel alive.

This is Hoi An after sunset – busy, colourful and constantly movin

A Morning Encounter in Hoi An

Walking through Hoi An, I often find the real character of the city in moments like this. A local street vendor is carrying her goods through the Old Town, her traditional conical hat standing out against the weathered yellow and blue shopfront. Her shoulder pole and woven baskets are part of everyday Vietnamese street life, while the smile she gives me makes the moment feel personal rather than staged.

I used 52mm to bring her closer into the frame while still showing the shop, the hanging goods and the baskets. Those details matter because they give the portrait its context.

f/8.0 was a deliberate choice. I wanted both the woman and the surrounding details to remain sharp enough to tell the complete story. At 1/250s, I could capture her naturally as she moved through the street without worrying about motion blur.

With ISO 400, the daylight gave me a clean file and plenty of room for those settings.

What I like most about this photograph is her expression. I was looking for a piece of everyday Hoi An – and she gave me a smile I could not have planned.

Fishing Life on the Water – Hoi An

Away from the lanterns and busy streets of the Old Town, Hoi An has another side that I also wanted to include in this series. Here, a local fisherman stands on his small wooden boat, handling a fishing net on the calm waters near the city. In the distance, the green coconut palms and low houses along the riverbank complete the scene.

What caught my attention was the simplicity of it. The old boat, the fishing net, the wide sky and the quiet water tell a very different story about Hoi An – one connected to work and the river rather than tourism.

I used 70mm to bring the boat and fisherman closer while keeping plenty of space around them. I wanted the wide landscape to remain part of the photograph.

f/8.0 gave me the depth of field I needed to keep the fisherman, boat and distant shoreline clearly defined. With 1/1600s, I could freeze the movement of the net and the small ripples on the water.

The ISO 400 was a practical choice in the strong daylight.

For me, this frame is about a quieter Hoi An – the life that continues beyond the historic streets.

Working Boats on the Water

Not every photograph from Hoi An needs lanterns, old houses or crowded streets. This scene caught my attention because it shows a much more practical side of life around the water. Two weathered wooden fishing boats are moored close to the riverbank, one loaded with what appears to be fishing nets and equipment. Behind them are simple riverside buildings, palm trees, small boats and signs of everyday work.

I used 70mm to bring the boats closer and make them the clear centre of the frame while still keeping the riverside environment visible behind them.

The bright daylight allowed me to work at f/8.0, giving me enough depth of field to keep both the boats and background details sharp. 1/800s was chosen to freeze the movement of the water and any movement on the boats.

At ISO 400, I could maintain that combination of shutter speed and aperture without unnecessarily pushing the sensor.

What I like about this frame is its lack of polish. The worn paint, tangled nets and working boats tell a simple story about the relationship between Hoi An and the water.

This is another side of Hoi An – less postcard, more everyday life.

A Street Full of Life

This is the kind of scene that makes me stop while walking through Hoi An at night. A small restaurant opens directly onto the narrow street, with people eating, talking and being served under warm lantern light. Above them, Vietnamese flags hang from the ceiling, while outside the wet pavement reflects the lights and passing life of the Old Town.

I used 24mm because I wanted to keep the whole scene together. The restaurant, the people, the narrow street and the activity outside all belong to the story. A longer focal length would have isolated the restaurant and lost that connection.

With f/2.8, I could make the most of the limited available light. 1/320s may seem fast for a night scene, but people were moving constantly, and I wanted to freeze those spontaneous moments rather than accept motion blur.

That required ISO 5000. I was comfortable pushing the ISO because keeping the atmosphere of the existing light was more important to me than having a technically cleaner image.

The wet pavement adds another layer. It picks up the lanterns and street lights and makes the whole scene feel even more alive.

This is the Hoi An I enjoy finding – ordinary street life, captured as it happens.