VietNamNet Bridge – It is 11.30pm and all the shops in the capital city are closed. But for more than 15 young people gathering on Tay Son Street, this is the best time to pursue their hobby: photographing Ha Noi by night.

Picture perfect: An amateur photographer takes a photo of Con Coc Park on Ngo Quyen Street. Young photographers are finding inspiration in the beauty of Ha Noi at night. (Photo: VNS)

"Whoever lives here for a longer period of time will have fun in exploring the city," Mai says.

For TV journalist and photographer Dong Tien Viet, the rapid development of the capital city has been astonishing. "In the daytime, Ha Noi is dynamic and crowded, but at night, the city reminds me of an old woman - gentle, mysterious and impressive," he says.

The group of amateur photographers take pictures throughout the night, sometimes snapping away until 6am the following morning.

They have photographed some of the city's most familiar places at night, including Long Bien Bridge, Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter. But taking photographs at night isn't simply a matter of snapping away. Night photography requires a thorough understanding of how a camera works, and how nocturnal landscapes and scenes can be best photographed.

The photography enthusiasts use a variety of cameras, including Nikon, Canon or even their mobile phone cameras. One of the group's members is Hoang Minh Thang, an architect who first took photographs at night four months ago, while he was walking along two of the best streets for night photography in the capital: Hoang Dieu and Dien Bien Phu.

Thang says it took him several attempts to get the hang of taking pictures at night.

"During the day, I can take photographs easily as there's lots of light so I can use a very short shutter speed - and this also means I can hold the camera in my hands and not worry about keeping it absolutely steady," he says.

"But at night I have to use a tripod. This is one of my first lessons in taking photographs at night."

Meanwhile, Cao Duy Linh, who works at design consulting company HAD, says he became interested in night photography ten months ago.

"I took night photos when Ha Noi was celebrating its 1,000-year anniversary last year. On those nights, my friends and I walked along the streets, photographing Hanoian food in the Old Quarter," says Linh. "I have taken countless photographs on Saturday nights after my new photographer friends taught me the technique of taking photographs at night."

Knowing their children are wandering the capital city at night does raise concerns among the group members' parents.

Mai, one of three female photographers in the group, says she does not tell her parents about her nocturnal hobby. She admits that it can be dangerous driving a motorbike or walking on the streets at night, but not when in a group. For her and the others, photography is a passion because "a photo can express your view of life".

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News