Even on the most overcast of days, Hoi An’s streets are replete with color.
Salespeople stand before crumbling, mustard-colored buildings, enticing the young — and the young at heart — with bunches of fluorescent balloons.
Nearby, market stalls overflow with vibrant-colored produce. There are miniature bananas, silk scarves of every hue, and blue-and-white dishes with abstract landscapes delicately painted on them.
Fluffy, ginger-colored dogs rest on the pavement, watching the world go by.
Tricia A. Mitchell is a freelance writer and photographer. Born in Europe but raised in the United States, she has lived in Valletta, Malta; Heidelberg, Germany; and Split, Croatia. An avid globetrotter who has visited more than 65 countries, she has a penchant for off-season travel. Tricia has learned that travel’s greatest gift is not sightseeing, rather it is the interactions with people. Some of her most memorable experiences have been sharing a bottle of champagne with distant French cousins in Lorraine, learning how to milk goats in a sleepy Bulgarian village, and ringing in the Vietnamese New Year with a Hanoi family. She welcomes any opportunity to practice French and German, and she loves delving into a place’s history and artisanal food scene.
A former education administrator and training specialist, Tricia has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in international relations. She and her husband, Shawn, married in the ruins of a snowy German castle. They’ve been known to escape winter by basing themselves in coastal Croatia or Southeast Asia.
Her writing has appeared in Fodor’s Travel, Frommer’s, and International Living.
View more posts
Wow, what incredible photographs! They are so vibrant and full of life – I have never been to Vietnam before, but whilst looking at these images I could literally hear the laughter, bustle and chaos, and smell the sweet incense. Not many pictures transport me like that. Thank you :)
Furtherbound, what a great compliment – I’m flattered; thank you! I’m pleased that the photos allowed you to have a virtual sensory tour of Vietnam.
I’ve left out a few other quintessential Vietnamese experiences in this post, specifically the delicious cuisine and the sea of motorbikes that whiz by in the busiest cities. Hopefully someday you’ll have the chance to visit Vietnam too. Will you do so on your ’round the world trip?
the colors and human connection in your photos are so rich! How did your latest travel transition go? We can’t wait to do Vietnam before it changes! – Renee
Hello Renee! I’ve been out of the loop this past week – flight from Germany, St. Louis, Chicago, family in Wisconsin, and now Canada. We’re really enjoying Toronto and seeing family here – it’s such a multicultural city!
In case you couldn’t guess it, I highly recommend a visit to Vietnam. I think we spent three weeks there. Its diverse landscapes really surprised me. I don’t think it’ll change too much between now and when you eventually trek there, so no rushing! :)
Thank you as always for your kind comment. I’ll touch base via email shortly.
Tricia,
Hope you’re getting settled back in stateside! I should also be in Toronto sometime in July to take my mother over to visit U of Toronto archives to research a Canadian ancestor of ours.
You must be in a frenzy getting adjusted and health ins and stuff out of storage. Might make an interesting post b/c so few people understand all those logistics of the international wanderer!
Best, Renee
Hello again, Renee! Sounds as though you have such interesting family backgrounds – on both sides. I’m really enjoying our time in Canada; we’re now in Québec.
Surprisingly, we’ll be returning to Europe after our weeks here in North America. We haven’t finalized much beyond that, but perhaps that’s a blog post in and of itself – new chapters yet undiscovered. :) Hope your summer’s still going well.
Fantastic photos!! Greetings from (this time) Maine, Cornelia
We are here to attend a wedding and will be leaving on Sunday. I’ll be on a press trip next month to Montreal and Quebec City on invitation of the Quebec Tourist Office. Looking forward to that!! There are many French Canadians in Maine.
Cornelia, I bet Maine is beautiful this time of year! We’ve been on the go a great deal this past week, but I look forward to checking out your pics from the U.S. in the coming days.
It seems we’re headed to many of the same spots too. We’re hoping to get to Quebec City and Montreal in the coming days. We’re having a fun road trip of North America.
Enjoy the wedding and the upcoming weekend!
Safe travels to you.
Great images, Tricia. The first and fifth photos are my favorites. Ban mei, ho teiu, pho’, goi ga are some of the Vietnamese foods I really miss. The strong coffee was also memorable. Thanks for sharing.
Jessie, I’ve just had a wonderful North American dinner, but am tempted by your mention of Vietnamese food! Like you, I also took a great liking to pho — also bánh xèo (seafood pancakes wrapped in rice paper) and traditional spring rolls. And the coffee was quite good! We had fun moments getting acquainted with the Vietnamese coffee press our first morning there.
Thank you as always for your kind comments and hope you enjoy the upcoming weekend.
Hi Sonali – thank you! I snapped thousands of pictures while in Vietnam – from the ladies’ hats, to the marketplaces (which were some of my favorites) there was so much to capture there.
Greetings, Victor, and thank you! I’ve missed seeing everyone’s posts this past week while on the road, and wonder what fun parade or travel moment you’ve captured lately. Enjoy the weekend!
Rachael, summer is a busy time for all of us it seems! I’m still trying to catch up on my photographic inspiration sites too. :) We’re planning to be in the western U.S. in a few days – I’m so looking forward to seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time!
How kind, John, and additionally flattering coming from such a talented photographer! I feel very fortunate to have visited Vietnam and much of SE Asia. Hoi An was a picturesque spot, with so many photogenic faces.
Here’s hoping that you enjoy the upcoming weekend! Will you be indulging your inner shutterbug? :)
As its my wife’s birthday we are hoping to visit Castle Kennedy Gardens tomorrow……. even if its flooded…. so I may capture some flowers with rain drops on them.
Best regards, and thanks for the compliment….
John.
John, sounds like a lovely birthday experience for her! Rain can cast such a romantic mood on a subject. Here’s hoping your wife’s birthday was enjoyable and that your photo sessions were a success. I shall look forward to seeing some of the blooms on your site soon.
A great bunch of very colourful photo’s, thanks Tricia.
Hello Mark – welcome back! Yes, Hoi An was a vibrant place – from the mustard-colored buildings, to the colorful produce and flora, it was such a joy to photograph.
Hope you’re enjoying the weekend, and I look forward to seeing more of your adventures!
Doug, yes, I’ve been very fortunate to have tiptoed to many special spots throughout the world. I have my parents to thank for my travel bug, and I lived in Germany for a decade, which allowed me to see much of Europe.
I have a Nikon D5100 with an 18-200 mm lens. That’s the extent of the equipment for now, but there are a few more gadgets that have caught my eye!
Glad to have connected – I found your site via your Santa Fe post, a city we’ll be exploring today and tomorrow.
Merci, Roger; I’m pleased that you enjoyed a glimpse of Hoi An life. Have you had the chance to visit there?
I’m so pleased that I found your site, via Marina’s, and look forward to more photographic inspiration!
Travels With Tricia 
Wonderful colourful post, great photos :-)
Thank you so much, Karen. :) Enjoy the weekend.
love the vibrancy and the liveliness of the photos … thanks for sharing
Hi Jensine – I’m so happy you enjoyed them – thank you!
well they are pretty wonderful
More great shots. Thanks.
Thrilled you enjoyed them, Dave! Vietnam is indeed a photogenic country.
Wow, what incredible photographs! They are so vibrant and full of life – I have never been to Vietnam before, but whilst looking at these images I could literally hear the laughter, bustle and chaos, and smell the sweet incense. Not many pictures transport me like that. Thank you :)
Furtherbound, what a great compliment – I’m flattered; thank you! I’m pleased that the photos allowed you to have a virtual sensory tour of Vietnam.
I’ve left out a few other quintessential Vietnamese experiences in this post, specifically the delicious cuisine and the sea of motorbikes that whiz by in the busiest cities. Hopefully someday you’ll have the chance to visit Vietnam too. Will you do so on your ’round the world trip?
Happy you stopped by! Thanks again.
the colors and human connection in your photos are so rich! How did your latest travel transition go? We can’t wait to do Vietnam before it changes! – Renee
Hello Renee! I’ve been out of the loop this past week – flight from Germany, St. Louis, Chicago, family in Wisconsin, and now Canada. We’re really enjoying Toronto and seeing family here – it’s such a multicultural city!
In case you couldn’t guess it, I highly recommend a visit to Vietnam. I think we spent three weeks there. Its diverse landscapes really surprised me. I don’t think it’ll change too much between now and when you eventually trek there, so no rushing! :)
Thank you as always for your kind comment. I’ll touch base via email shortly.
Tricia,
Hope you’re getting settled back in stateside! I should also be in Toronto sometime in July to take my mother over to visit U of Toronto archives to research a Canadian ancestor of ours.
You must be in a frenzy getting adjusted and health ins and stuff out of storage. Might make an interesting post b/c so few people understand all those logistics of the international wanderer!
Best, Renee
Hello again, Renee! Sounds as though you have such interesting family backgrounds – on both sides. I’m really enjoying our time in Canada; we’re now in Québec.
Surprisingly, we’ll be returning to Europe after our weeks here in North America. We haven’t finalized much beyond that, but perhaps that’s a blog post in and of itself – new chapters yet undiscovered. :) Hope your summer’s still going well.
Fantastic photos!! Greetings from (this time) Maine, Cornelia
What a globe trotter you are, Cornelia! It seems we’ve both hopped to the same continent. We’re now in Toronto. How long will you be in Maine?
We are here to attend a wedding and will be leaving on Sunday. I’ll be on a press trip next month to Montreal and Quebec City on invitation of the Quebec Tourist Office. Looking forward to that!! There are many French Canadians in Maine.
Cornelia, I bet Maine is beautiful this time of year! We’ve been on the go a great deal this past week, but I look forward to checking out your pics from the U.S. in the coming days.
It seems we’re headed to many of the same spots too. We’re hoping to get to Quebec City and Montreal in the coming days. We’re having a fun road trip of North America.
Enjoy the wedding and the upcoming weekend!
Safe travels to you.
Great images, Tricia. The first and fifth photos are my favorites. Ban mei, ho teiu, pho’, goi ga are some of the Vietnamese foods I really miss. The strong coffee was also memorable. Thanks for sharing.
Jessie, I’ve just had a wonderful North American dinner, but am tempted by your mention of Vietnamese food! Like you, I also took a great liking to pho — also bánh xèo (seafood pancakes wrapped in rice paper) and traditional spring rolls. And the coffee was quite good! We had fun moments getting acquainted with the Vietnamese coffee press our first morning there.
Thank you as always for your kind comments and hope you enjoy the upcoming weekend.
Thank you so much Tricia,it is a wonderful introduction to Vietnam.
Hi Sonali – thank you! I snapped thousands of pictures while in Vietnam – from the ladies’ hats, to the marketplaces (which were some of my favorites) there was so much to capture there.
You have such a great eye for composition Tricia! Fab shots.
Madhu, what a flattering remark – thank you! Now, it’s time that I learn some of my camera’s complicated settings. :)
Great essay as always, Tricia.
Greetings, Victor, and thank you! I’ve missed seeing everyone’s posts this past week while on the road, and wonder what fun parade or travel moment you’ve captured lately. Enjoy the weekend!
Outstanding, thanks, love the pics…
Many, many thanks, Kolkatakev!
I somehow missed this. Lovely, colourful post full of life.
Rachael, summer is a busy time for all of us it seems! I’m still trying to catch up on my photographic inspiration sites too. :) We’re planning to be in the western U.S. in a few days – I’m so looking forward to seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time!
a very enjoyable photo essay :)
Mille grazie, Alessandro! It’s a pleasure to connect and to explore your energetic images from Italy too.
Beautiful pictures!
Glad you enjoyed them, Color Odyssey. Many thanks!
What a lovely variety of fresh and beautifully taken photos….. so glad the I dropped by!
How kind, John, and additionally flattering coming from such a talented photographer! I feel very fortunate to have visited Vietnam and much of SE Asia. Hoi An was a picturesque spot, with so many photogenic faces.
Here’s hoping that you enjoy the upcoming weekend! Will you be indulging your inner shutterbug? :)
As its my wife’s birthday we are hoping to visit Castle Kennedy Gardens tomorrow……. even if its flooded…. so I may capture some flowers with rain drops on them.
Best regards, and thanks for the compliment….
John.
John, sounds like a lovely birthday experience for her! Rain can cast such a romantic mood on a subject. Here’s hoping your wife’s birthday was enjoyable and that your photo sessions were a success. I shall look forward to seeing some of the blooms on your site soon.
A great bunch of very colourful photo’s, thanks Tricia.
Hello Mark – welcome back! Yes, Hoi An was a vibrant place – from the mustard-colored buildings, to the colorful produce and flora, it was such a joy to photograph.
Hope you’re enjoying the weekend, and I look forward to seeing more of your adventures!
My, you have been to some very interesting places in this world. Great photography as well. What equipment are you using, if I may ask?
Doug, yes, I’ve been very fortunate to have tiptoed to many special spots throughout the world. I have my parents to thank for my travel bug, and I lived in Germany for a decade, which allowed me to see much of Europe.
I have a Nikon D5100 with an 18-200 mm lens. That’s the extent of the equipment for now, but there are a few more gadgets that have caught my eye!
Glad to have connected – I found your site via your Santa Fe post, a city we’ll be exploring today and tomorrow.
Beautifully seen pictures – very fine post.
Merci, Roger; I’m pleased that you enjoyed a glimpse of Hoi An life. Have you had the chance to visit there?
I’m so pleased that I found your site, via Marina’s, and look forward to more photographic inspiration!
Beautiful pictures. So full of color. :)
Thank you, Texasrodies! Hoi An is a colorful jewel of Vietnam. :)
A very nice set of images.
Thank you!