Every morning, Ho Chi Minh City’s streets fill with a heady mix of ambling cyclists, farmers arranging fragrant produce, carts dishing out pho and incense trailing from hundreds of pagodas. It is the city’s golden hour. Over many weeks, Gemma Cagnacci photographed parts of the city she has called home for three years just as dawn was breaking. Here is her guide to the best carts, stands, stalls and markets for your next trip with PRIOR.
District 2 residents socialize by the Saigon River before the heat of the day kicks in.
A quiet moment with two bicycles against a wall near a market area in District 1
In the cool of the morning, most city dwellers are up and exercising in parks and along canals that run throughout the city.
District 5 is famous for its markets of varying sizes and specialities, which all come alive as the sun comes up.
Prawns from the Mekong Delta, just a few hours south of the city
Fish, prawns, crabs and cockles—seafood is a big part of Vietnam’s cuisine due the country's concentrated river delta systems. Here, a fishmonger at Hoa Binh market
While markets are usually located in a central building in each ward, they often also spill out into surrounding streets and alleyways.
