Hoi An’s Open Air Market: Color, Chaos, and Culture Through the Camera Lens

Rob Hammer October 11, 2025

Photographs of Hoi An’s Open Air Market in Vietnam

First Impressions of Hoi An’s Market

Hoi An has a rhythm all its own, and nowhere is that more alive than in its open air market. The morning I walked through, the air was heavy with the scent of lemongrass and fresh fish. Woman in colorful clothes and conical hats called out aggressively, bargaining with customers who darted from stall to stall. I felt like I had stepped straight into the city’s pulse and was stimulated by all five senses. There is a reason Vietnam’s markets are so famous, because there is nothing else like them in the world!

It wasn’t staged for tourists. It wasn’t polished or quiet. It was busy, messy, colorful—and absolutely real. Come to think of it, I can’t remember seeing one other person at the market who wasn’t Vietnamese. As a photographer, that kind of energy is gold. Every direction I turned, there was a new scene unfolding: a pile of dragon fruit glowing under the morning sun, women throwing water on their fish, and scooters weaving through crowds loaded with fresh greens.

The Details That Make It Special

Markets like this are all about details. The textures of weathered hands scooping rice, the metallic shine of fish laid out on woven mats, the soft lines of conical hats leaning in the corner. Light spilled in from gaps between tarps, bouncing off everything—bright oranges, deep greens, pale pinks.

I slowed down, tried to blend into the background, and let the camera do the watching. The result was a series of photographs that capture not just what the Hoi An market looks like, but what it feels like to be there. These are the kinds of images that carry memory and emotion, long after the morning rush has faded.

Hoi An Market Photography and Prints

Photographs from Hoi An’s market aren’t just travel snapshots—they’re visual records of daily life in Vietnam. For collectors, designers, or editors, these images translate into striking prints or versatile editorial visuals.

Whether it’s a wide scene of the market’s bustle or a close detail of produce piled high, these photographs work as fine art wall prints, as editorial spreads for travel publications, or as authentic imagery for brands looking to highlight Southeast Asian culture.

Authentic Vietnamese Market Images for Licensing

For anyone searching for stock photos or licensing imagery of Vietnam, authenticity matters. These photographs were taken on the ground, in the real flow of the market—not staged or recreated. That means they carry the credibility that audiences are drawn to.

Editors can use them to anchor travel stories. Brands can bring them into campaigns that celebrate culture, color, and connection. Interior designers might even use them to create a vibrant focal point in a restaurant or office space.

If you’re looking for images that convey the spirit of a Vietnamese open air market—colorful, crowded, and deeply human—this collection is available for licensing and prints. Contact me for details - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Photograph of the Hoi An Market in Vietnam — Hoi An Market - Vietnam

Photograph of a Vietnamese woman in a beautiful blue Non La — Vietnamese woman in blue Non La

Photograph of woman buying meat from a street vendor in Vietnam — Buy meat at the Hoi An Market

Large bowls of fresh seafood at an Open Air Market — Bowls of fresh seafood at open air market

Photograph of a street vendor selling fresh prawns at the Hoi An Market in Vietnam — Seafood street vendor in Hoi An

Man riding motorbike past a street vendor selling fresh seafood in Vietnam — Motor biking through Hoi An Market

Photograph of a woman selling squid at an open air market in Vietnam — Fresh squid for sale at open air market

Piles of fresh chickens for sale at Vietnamese open air market — Fresh chickens marked with ink stamp

Woman sitting on stools cutting up fish for sale at Hoi An Market — Cutting up fish at Hoi An Market

Photograph of fresh eggs piled high on top of a motorbike at the Hoi An Market — Motorbike piled with fresh eggs

Woman in Non La buying meat from a street vendor — Woman in conical hat buying meat at open air market

Photograph of kids sleeping at Hoi An Market — Kids sleeping at Hoi An Market

Vietnamese women in Non La's on street in Hoi An — Woman in traditional Vietnamese hats selling food on street

Photograph of a man on his motorbike pulled up to a street vendor selling meat at the Hoi An Market — Man on motorbike buying meat from street vendor

Piles of fresh fish for sale at the Hoi An Market in Vietnam — Piles of fish for sale at open air market

Photograph of woman riding her bicycle in a Non La in Vietnam — Woman in Non La riding bicycle

Street food at the Hoi An Market, Vietnam — Open air market - Hoi An

Photograph of a Hoi An street vendor — Street vendors - Hoi An, Vietnam

Fresh seafood vendors at the Hoi An Market — Seafood for sale on the street in Vietnam

Photograph of people filling the street at the Hoi An Market in Vietnam — Bustling streets at the Hoi An Market in Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam Photography

Rob Hammer May 1, 2023

Hanoi, Vietnam Street Photography

Available for editorial and commercial licensing

Hanoi has an energy that gets under your skin. The streets are alive with movement — motorbikes weaving through alleys, kids chasing each other between fruit stands, vendors setting up shop on the sidewalk like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Every corner has its own rhythm, and walking with a camera feels like stepping into a never-ending stream of stories.

I carried one body and one lens, and let that limitation push me into seeing differently. Some moments you catch, others slip away, but that’s the beauty of street work. It’s fast, unpredictable, and brutally honest. These frames from Hanoi are part of a larger body of travel work I’ve been building, and they’re available for editorial and commercial licensing.

Why Photograph Hanoi This Way

I wanted to keep it simple — one lens, one perspective. The city doesn’t need much help telling its own story. Life spills out everywhere: coffee brewed streetside, scooters stacked three deep at stoplights, laundry hanging above sidewalks. Photographing it felt less about finding “shots” and more about staying open long enough to let them find me.

Street Life and Daily Rhythm

Markets buzzing before sunrise, old men playing checkers on plastic stools, women carrying baskets balanced across their shoulders — Hanoi’s everyday life has a timeless quality. These photographs are less about the place on a map and more about the pulse of human movement.

Licensing Use Cases

These images are available for:

Travel and culture magazine features
Editorial stories on Southeast Asia and Vietnam
Commercial campaigns for tourism, hospitality, and lifestyle brands
Website or social content for companies wanting authentic imagery from Hanoi

Licensing Information

Each project is unique. I offer a range of options — from single-use editorial licenses to commercial rights packages — depending on how the images will be used. If you’re working on a story, campaign, or brand project and need photographs of Hanoi street life, I’d be glad to put something together for you.

The streets of Hanoi have a way of pulling you in. They’re noisy and chaotic, but at the same time full of small, quiet moments worth holding onto. That’s what I wanted these photographs to be — honest reflections of a place in motion.

If you’d like to license these images, or discuss a project that needs photography in this part of the world, reach me directly at rob@robhammerphotography.com..

Hanoi, Vietnam street photography available for editorial and commercial licensing — Hanoi, Vietnam street photography

Stock photograph of a street food vendor in Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam street culture photography - Travel — The streets of Hanoi, Vietnam

Photograph of chickens in a cage on the street before being killed for serving in a street restaurant — Caged chickens at a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam

Stock photograph of a woman cleaning chickens on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam — A woman preparing dead chickens to cook at a restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam

Photograph of various fried fish for sale on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam — Fish for sale on the street in Vietnam

Photograph of various shellfish for sale on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam — Shellfish for sale on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam

Photograph of a woman selling fruit on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam — Stock photograph of a woman selling watermelons on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam

Stock photograph of man and his shoe repair station on the street in Hanoi, Vietnam — Shoe repairman on the street in Vietnam

Stock travel photography of Hanoi, Vietnam

Fresh eggs hanging on a motor bike on the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam — Hanoi, Vietnam Street Photography available for editorial and commercial licensing

Stock photograph of the world famous "Train Street" in Hanoi, Vietnam. Available for editorial and commercial licensing — Train Street in Hanoi, Vietnam

Stock photograph of a woman's bike in Hanoi, Vietnam stacked with fruits and vegetables — A Vietnamese woman carrying food on her bicycle to sell on the streets of Hanoi

Kreuz Market - Lockhart Texas

Rob Hammer November 23, 2021

Texas BBQ - Photography - Food Culture

Kreuz Market - Lockhart - Texas BBQ Trail

If you know BBQ, then you know Kreuz Market. They’ve been slinging world class BBQ since the early 1900’s in Lockhart, Texas. Which, some say is the BBQ capital of the world. Anyone that would argue otherwise is just a moron. In the span of a square mile (give or take) you can go to 3 top shelf BBQ joints with a handful of others also in the area. Aside from Kreuz, you’ve also got Smitty’s and Black’s. I’d personally vouch for all 3.

The list of photo books in my collection is vast and growing at an alarming rate. All of them are special to me for different reasons, but there are always a handful that any photographer/collector will keep going to back to over and over again. 2 of them for me are Wyatt McSpadden’s books on Texas BBQ. They are a beautiful documentation of the historic BBQ institutions all around the state. I’ve been obsessed with BBQ for quite a while not, but Wyatt’s books taught me a lot about the culture and where to focus my trips in order to get the best smoked meat. Obviously, Kreuz’s Market is on his shortlist.

Click HERE to see more from this ongoing series.