St Josephs Cathedral was built in the late 19th century during the French occupation of Vietnam. It is a neo-gothic styled church in the style of Notre Dame de Paris. A very impressive architectural building it nows serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi. Mass is every Sunday and can be very crowded with parishioners spilling out into the courtyard. You…
Train Street in Hanoi is a very popular tourist destination particularly with the Instagram and TikTok content creators.. Cafes set up tables along the tracks where the train comes by just a meter or two away. Occasionally the local police will try to shut it down but it always seems to reopen. The cafes have a list of times that the train passes though its…
The temple of Literature dates back to 1076 when it was Vietnams first university or Imperial Academy. Lovely grounds and architecture with lots of quiet corners and street style photography opportunities. You will often see children having graduation photos taken here.
The Hanoi Opera House is a beautiful example of French architecture. It was modeled after the Palais Garnier in Paris and built during the French Colonial occupation of Vietnam starting in 1901.
In the heart of West Lake in Hanoi there is a well known lovely temple on an Island. Quanh Thanh Temple cast amazing reflections in the lake and a great source of photographs around sunrise and sunset.
Lenin Park is near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum area and a very popular place to visit. There are little cars for children to rent and of course a statue of Lenin.
Hanoi has to be the best city in Vietnam for treet photography. The old quarter, Hoa Kiem lake, and the streets around them are great starting points. I tend to find a good scene and just wait for life to pass in front of it.
The famous prison where John McCain was kept during the American War (Vietnamese don’t call it the Vietnam War). Not the cheeriest of places so I try to go with it and shoot some “darker” subjects.
Some lesser known photography spots.
The Thang Long Citadel is a Unesco World Heritage site. Built by the Ly Viet Dynasty to mark the independence of the Dai Viet from China.