An Editorial Photoshoot at Banana Garden Market in Ho Chi Minh City

Model seated among fruit stalls at Banana Garden Market, Ho Chi Minh City — editorial lifestyle photography

Banana Garden Market (Chợ Vườn Chuối) in District 3 doesn't look like a fashion set. It smells like citrus and motorbike exhaust. Vendors arrange their stalls before the heat arrives, and the morning light cuts low between the buildings. For me, that was exactly the point.


I'd been wanting to do something rooted in real Saigon street life — not as a backdrop, but as an actual part of the story. Watermelons, mesh shopping bags, fresh orange juice, narrow alleyways, concrete walls baked in afternoon sun. The market gave us all of it.

Editorial portrait of a woman holding two watermelon halves at Banana Garden Market, Ho Chi Minh City — street fashion photography by Anasta
Model seated among fruit stalls at Banana Garden Market, Ho Chi Minh City — editorial lifestyle photography

Julia and I have worked together several times now, and each shoot pushes the creative further. She has this rare quality: she fully inhabits a concept and then adds something unexpected to it. The moment we stepped into the market, she was already in it — sipping juice by a fruit stall, hauling a watermelon through the lane like it was the most obvious fashion accessory in the world, playing with light and shadow between the vendor rows. Brave, playful, completely present.

Close-up portrait of a woman licking a watermelon slice at a Saigon street market — playful editorial photography by Anastasia Sokyrka

We shot two looks. The first — a red bomber jacket, long black dress with a leg split, silver shoes, and a mesh bag of oranges — leaned into the vibrant chaos of the stalls. The second — black blazer, bucket hat, a green-and-white striped jumpsuit, white boots, and a whole watermelon — felt more editorial, more deliberate, but no less fun.

Model in a red bomber jacket carrying a mesh bag of fruits in Saigon — street editorial photography.
Fashion editorial portrait of a woman in a green striped jumpsuit and black bucket hat holding a mesh bag at a Ho Chi Minh City market

What I love most about this kind of street editorial photography is the contrast it creates: bold color against weathered concrete, polished styling inside completely unpolished surroundings, a model dressed for a magazine cover while the city just carries on around her. Vietnam has that quality naturally — it's vivid and layered and endlessly photogenic once you stop looking for the "right" location and start paying attention to the one you're already in.


Some of my favorite frames from this session came from simply wandering, reacting to the light, and letting the market do what it does. No elaborate setup. Just a good idea, good company, and a hot morning in Ho Chi Minh City.



🍉

Model seated among fruit stalls at Banana Garden Market, Ho Chi Minh City — editorial lifestyle photography
Model drinking fresh orange juice at a fruit stall in Saigon — candid editorial portrait photography by Anastasia Sokyrka
Model playing with fresh oranges at a Saigon street market — vibrant editorial portrait photography by Anastasia Sokyrka
Model playing with fresh oranges at a Saigon street market — vibrant editorial portrait photography by Anastasia Sokyrka
Full-length editorial portrait of a woman crossing a street in Ho Chi Minh City wearing a black blazer and white boots — urban fashion photo
Model seated among fruit stalls at Banana Garden Market, Ho Chi Minh City — editorial lifestyle photography
Model drinking fresh orange juice at a fruit stall in Saigon — candid editorial portrait photography by Anastasia Sokyrka
Model seated among fruit stalls at Banana Garden Market, Ho Chi Minh City — editorial lifestyle photography
Editorial portrait photography at Banana Garden Market, Ho Chi Minh City — street fashion shoot by Anastasia Sokyrka
Flat lay of a mesh bag with watermelon and oranges on concrete at a Vietnamese street market — editorial prop styling