Ah, Hoi An. If this Vietnamese gem were a color palette, it’d be “Golden Hour” mixed with “Lantern Glow” and a dash of “Why Is Everyone Holding a Coconut Coffee?” (More on that later.)
啊，会安。如果这座越南小城是一盒颜料，那一定是“金色夕阳”混着“灯笼暖光”，再加一勺“为什么人人拿着椰子咖啡？”（这个梗我们稍后细聊）。
Let me set the scene: Imagine a 16th-century trading port where every building wears a sun-bleached yellow coat, silk lanterns swing like hypnotized fireflies, and tourists (including yours truly) wander around looking equal parts awestruck and mildly lost. My family and I landed here during winter holidays, and within minutes, I faced a photographer’s existential crisis: How do I capture mindfulness in a place that’s basically Instagram’s favorite playground?
先说场景：16世纪的古老商港，每栋建筑都披着晒褪色的黄外套，丝绸灯笼像被催眠的萤火虫般摇晃，游客（包括我本人）一脸“哇塞”和“我是谁我在哪”的混合表情。我和家人在这里度过冬日假期，结果五分钟内，我就遭遇了摄影师的灵魂拷问：在一个人人打卡的网红地，怎么拍出“ mindfulness （心静如水）”啊？
Spoiler: I didn’t have a plan. And that’s where the magic happened.
Embracing the “Tourist Tango”
Hoi An’s Old Town is like a living postcard—if postcards had elbows and selfie sticks. My first instinct? Fight the crowds. But then I paused. Why not dance with them instead?
I let my camera wander. A grandma selling persimmons, her wrinkles mapping decades of stories. A toddler in an áo dài, wobbling like a very determined dumpling. Tourists posing with lanterns, their faces lit with that “I’m-living-my-best-life” glow. Instead of resisting the chaos, I soaked in it—the laughter, the clinking coffee cups, the “Wait, does this hat make me look like a local?” debates.
剧透：我没计划。而这就是魔法开始的地方。
第一天：跳一支“游客探戈”
会安古城像一张活着的明信片——如果明信片会挥肘抢镜的话。我的第一反应？对抗人群。但下一秒，我顿悟了：何不与他们共舞？
放任相机流浪。卖柿子的奶奶，皱纹里藏着一本人生小说；穿奥黛的小团子，摇摇晃晃像颗倔强糯米球；游客举着灯笼摆拍，脸上写着“姐此刻绝美”。我不再抵抗喧嚣，而是泡在里面——笑声、咖啡杯叮当、“这草帽让我像本地人吗？”的纠结。
Pro tip: When everyone’s shooting the iconic Japanese Bridge, turn around. The real drama’s in the river below, where duck boats perform slow-motion bumper cars.
秘诀：当所有人拍日本廊桥时，转身。真正的戏剧在河面——鸭子船正在上演慢动作碰碰车。
Nightfall: When Hoi An Dresses in Fire
Come sunset, the town transforms. Thousands of lanterns flicker awake, painting the streets in honeyed light. The Thu Bồn River? Now a liquid mirror, doubling the magic (and the tourists).
入夜：当会安穿上火焰
日落时分，小城变身。几千盏灯笼眨着眼醒来，街道浸入蜂蜜色光晕。秋盆河？此刻成了一面液态镜子，复制双倍魔法（和双倍游客）。
Here’s where the universe handed me a gift: a full moon. The river swelled, turning alleys into shimmering canals. I became a reflection hunter—capturing upside-down lanterns, rippling silhouettes, and a very confused cat judging my life choices from a windowsill.
这时宇宙送我一份礼物：满月。河水涨潮，街道变成闪烁的运河。我成了倒影猎人——拍上下颠倒的灯笼、涟漪剪影，以及一只从窗台对我翻白眼的困惑猫咪。
Mindful Editing: Where the Chaos Settles
After hours of shooting, I escaped to a quiet café (with coconut coffee, because obviously). Scrolling through my photos, I realized something: Mindfulness isn’t about perfection. It’s about noticing the girl adjusting her partner’s hat, the way steam curls off a bowl of phở, the shadow of a cyclist slicing through golden light.
Editing became my meditation. Cropping out distractions, enhancing hues that whispered “Hoi An,” laughing at the 27 near-identical lantern shots. (What? They were all pretty.)
冥想式修图：喧嚣沉淀时
拍了几小时，我逃进咖啡馆（点了椰子咖啡，这不是废话吗）。翻看照片时突然明白：所谓“ mindful ”，无关完美。是那个帮男友调草帽的女孩，是河粉碗上升的蒸汽弧线，是单车骑士的影子切开金色阳光的瞬间。
修图成了我的冥想课。裁掉干扰，调出“会安色号”，对着27张差不多的灯笼照傻笑（干嘛？它们都美啊！）。
The Takeaway (and a Confession)
Yes, I took the cliché shots. The lanterns! The bridge! The coffee! But nestled between them are stolen moments—the ones that felt like mine. A rain puddle reflecting a silk umbrella. A grumpy tailor mid-eye-roll. My brother attempting to haggle for souvenirs… in French. (Spoiler: It didn’t work.)
So, fellow wanderers, here’s my unsolicited advice: Let the chaos in. Let your camera get distracted. And if all else fails, buy the coconut coffee. It’s a great tripod weight.
P.S. Scroll down (and click on pic to see them full size) to see Hoi A through my eyes—lanterns, bloopers, and all. And yes, there’s a photo of that cat. 🐾.. or not …
心得（与一个坦白）
没错，我也拍了俗套照片。灯笼！桥！咖啡！但夹在其中的，是被我偷走的瞬间——那滩映着绸伞的雨水，裁缝阿姨的白眼，我哥用法语砍价的英勇尝试（剧透：失败了）。
所以，亲爱的旅人们，以下是我的不请自来建议：允许混乱入侵，放任相机走神。如果一切失败——买杯椰子咖啡，它还能当三脚架配重。
P.S. 下滑看会安在我眼中的模样——灯笼、废片，应有尽有。对了，那只猫在最后。 🐾
……或者不……
Zen Lens Adventure 