Vietnamese Cafés Turn Into "Photo Studios"—Foreign Tourists Stunned by a Camera Crew of Over 50

May 7, 20262026年8月2日

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A "camera corps of over 50" at a Hanoi café — the scene that startled a Malaysian tourist

Malaysian traveler Nur Delima, stepping into a café in Hanoi's Tay Ho district, nearly turned on her heel at the scene inside.Over 50 young people and a "forest" of camerascrowded the narrow interior, reflector boards blocked the aisle, and women changed into one outfit after another and struck poses.

"I thought it was an influencer event and was about to leave," Nur says. But this wasn't a special event; it was a scene of the "café photo culture" that has become everyday in Vietnam's urban areas.

The background of how cafés became "the ideal studio"

A shoot that costs 250,000–500,000 VND (about 1,500–3,000 yen) an hour at a professional studio can be done at a café for the cost of one drink. Spaces with natural light, interiors that change by season, photogenic walls and greenery. For social-media-generation youth, these function as a "free photo studio."

The model Le Thuy puts it this way: "Rather than paying 250,000–500,000 VND for a studio, I choose a café. There's a rich variety of spaces and you can take natural photos." A user in Ho Chi Minh City frankly admits that the desire for validation on social media is the motive for café shoots: "Taking photos at a place that's a talking point in the community gives me the sense of keeping up with trends."

The gear and behavior of the shooting crews — already a "film set"

The gear of the shooting crews descending on cafés isn't limited to smartphones. It's not uncommon for people to bring DSLR cameras, tripods, reflector boards, and portable lighting. Bringing two or three outfits and changing in the restroom or parking lot has become customary. Makeup is done in the café too, with cases of applying full makeup over an hour.

Behavior	Details	Impact on ordinary customers
Bringing in gear	DSLRs, tripods, reflector boards, lighting	Blocks aisles, making it hard to move
Outfit changes	Bringing 2–3 outfits, changing in the café or restroom	Long occupation of the restroom
Makeup	Even full makeup over an hour	Table occupation, cosmetic smell
Length of stay	Can run to 2–3 hours for a shoot	Lower seat turnover
Group shoots	Shooting teams of 10–20 people too	A state where ordinary customers can't enter

The cafés' response — ban it, or monetize it

Shops that ban pro cameras and introduce shooting fees

At some cafés in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, a move to ban bringing in professional cameras (DSLRs and mirrorless) is spreading. Even shops that permit shooting have begun charging a shooting fee of 300,000–600,000 VND (about 1,800–3,600 yen) per hour. Some shops even set an additional overage fee of 150,000 VND (about 900 yen) for long makeup use.

Shops that welcome it as "promotional effect"

On the other hand, some owners actively welcome shooting. Ho Chi Minh City café owner Duy Nam says, "When people come to take photos, the café's name recognition rises. We change our seasonal decorations with the shooting customers in mind too." More shops treat photos spreading on social media as free marketing and deliberately provide easy-to-shoot lighting and props.

Response policy	Specific measures	Areas where introduced
Ban on pro cameras	No bringing in DSLRs or mirrorless	Parts of Hanoi and HCMC
Shooting fee	300,000–600,000 VND/hour (about 1,800–3,600 yen)	Hanoi and HCMC
Makeup overage fee	150,000 VND/hour (about 900 yen)	Parts of Hanoi
Shooting time limit	Up to 1–2 hours	Introduction spreading among popular shops
Welcoming shoots, enhancing the staging	Seasonal decorations and prop setup	New shops aiming for social-media draw

Foreign travelers' reactions — bewilderment at the "cultural difference"

Malaysian traveler Nur Delima: "I thought it was an influencer event and was about to leave. I just wanted to quietly drink coffee at a café."
ロシア人のロシア語教師: 「最初はああいう場所に何か特別な歴史的意味があるのかと思った。単にSNS映えスポットだと知って驚いた」
Western travel blogger (from a social-media post): "Vietnam's café culture is world-famous, but I never thought it had evolved into a ”café photo culture.” Culture shock in a good way."

Impact on travelers — three points worth knowing

Avoid the times when shoots concentrate

The times shooting crews tend to gather are 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m. Early morning (7–8 a.m.) and evening onward are often relatively calm times to enjoy coffee. Weekends are especially crowded, so a weekday visit is recommended.

Choose small back-alley cafés

What becomes a talking point on social media is mainly large cafés along main streets or landmark-like ones. In the back alleys of Hanoi's Old Quarter and Ho Chi Minh City's residential neighborhoods, there are countless cafés full of local feel that the shooting crews don't come to.Like the back alleys of Ho Chi Minh City's Phu Nhuan district,hunting for hidden gems beloved by locals is also one of the real joys of travel.

Try enjoying the shooting yourself

As long as you're here, in the spirit of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," it's also fun to try enjoying café photos yourself. Shooting with a smartphone is welcomed at nearly every shop, and taking a commemorative travel photo at the shop's photo spot becomes an experience unique to Vietnam.

Ripple effects on the industry — is "café × shooting" a new business model?

Vietnam's café photo culture is blurring the boundary between the food-service and photo-studio businesses. Shops that introduced shooting fees have secured a new revenue source in shooting fees on top of drink sales. Conversely, shops that welcome shooting use the spread on social media as marketing at "zero" customer-acquisition cost.

The rise in Vietnam's freelancers and content creators is a tailwind too. The demand to "shoot at a photogenic place" and cafés' supply of "providing a photogenic space to draw customers" mesh completely. This structure resemblesthe way Korean-style food-service chains in Hanoi draw young people, and can be called one example of Gen Z consumer behavior changing Vietnam's food-service industry.

As with Ho Chi Minh City launching fireworks at a record eight locations on Reunification Day, in Vietnam the culture of "sharing experiences on social media" has permeated society as a whole. Café photo culture is a phenomenon at that forefront.

Item	Details
Phenomenon	Pro- and semi-pro-level photo shoots at cafés have become everyday
Main cities	Hanoi (Tay Ho district), Ho Chi Minh City
Going rate for shooting fees	300,000–600,000 VND/hour (about 1,800–3,600 yen)
Makeup overage fee	150,000 VND/hour (about 900 yen)
Ban on pro cameras	Introduced at some shops in Hanoi and HCMC
Compared with studio fees	Studio 250,000–500,000 VND/hour → café is just the drink cost

Frequently asked questions

Is photography banned at cafés in Vietnam?

Shooting with a smartphone is allowed at nearly every café. As for professional cameras like DSLRs and mirrorless, some shops ban them or charge for them. We recommend checking each shop's policy on social media or reviews in advance.

How do you find hidden-gem cafés with few shooting crews?

Avoid popular shops along main streets and hunt for cafés in back alleys and residential neighborhoods, and the chance of running into a shooting crew drops. Choosing shops with few review counts on Google Maps (under 100) is one method.

How can travelers experience café photo culture?

The easiest way is to visit a stylish café in the Tay Ho district (Hanoi) or Districts 1 and 3 (Ho Chi Minh City) and casually shoot with a smartphone. By taking photos among the local youth, you can have a cultural experience unique to Vietnam.

Author of this article

Rei Kojima

In my third year living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I launched this specialist Vietnam travel information site hoping to share local knowledge you simply can’t get by visiting as a tourist — the kind of thing you only understand by being here.