WorkPhotography

Vendors from Above: Photographer captures the colourful traders of Hanoi

In her series Vendors from Above, Dutch photographer Loes Heerink loves to capture the traders of Hanoi as they cycle underneath a bridge, carrying all of their colourful goods on their bicycles to the local market.

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Overhead view of three flower vendors cycling through Hanoi with colourful chrysanthemums and blooms arranged on their bicycles

She explains: "I have lived in Hanoi for some years. Photographing the street vendors became a little project of mine. I would spend hours on top of a couple of locations in Hanoi waiting for vendors to walk underneath the bridge. I once spent five hours on a location with no shots. This project started my fascination for the women carrying their goods. They have no clue how beautiful their bicycles are, no idea they create little pieces of art every day."

According to Loes, Hanoi's street vendors are often female migrants that spend most of their days trying to make a living on selling fruit, vegetables, snacks and other small items.

She now aims to turn the series into a book to highlight the beauty of Hanoi's vendors with pictures – she's almost finished a successful Kickstarter campaign to make that dream a reality. She adds: "I want people to see they beauty that I see, and the art street vendors create every day! I think they make Hanoi the city that it is. So beautiful and colourful."

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Loes Heerink

Overhead view of a vendor on a bicycle wearing a conical hat, carrying bunches of yellow bananas on the handlebars and a basket of green bananas on the front rack, photographed from above on a grey street
Overhead view of a street vendor in Hanoi carrying stacked trays of green limes, orange fruits and garlic on a bicycle, wearing a conical hat, photographed from above on grey pavement
Overhead view of a street vendor on a bicycle carrying baskets of green peas, orange persimmons, green apples and mushrooms, with a conical hat visible
Overhead view of a vendor cycling through rain carrying two overflowing baskets of vibrant cut flowers in multiple colours on a bicycle
Overhead view of a vendor on a bicycle laden with orange calamansi limes, green apples, herbs, and ginger root on a grey street in Hanoi
Overhead view of a vendor on a bicycle carrying bundles of orange and green fruit, wearing a conical hat, on a grey street in Hanoi
Overhead view of a street vendor on a bicycle wearing a blue jacket and conical hat, carrying an enormous bouquet of red, purple, yellow and white flowers beneath a bridge in Hanoi
Overhead view of a vendor in a blue shirt and conical hat carrying a woven basket filled with green peas and pale melons, with garlic bunches below on the pavement
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