The polarization of the light field plays an important role in the interaction of light and matters. In the past few decades, most research works have been based on scalar light fields with a uniform distribution of polarization. Recently, with the development of light field generation and manipulation, the vector beam with non-uniform spatial polarization distribution has attracted much attention. The vector beam has multi-dimensional controllable degrees of freedom and unique focal field properties, which offers great research value and broad application prospects in classical and quantum communication, optical manipulation, microscopic imaging etc. The study of the interaction between the vector beam and matters enriches the understanding of the vector properties of the light field, but also promotes the new development of light field manipulation in different media. Due to easy polarization and more controllable degrees of freedom, the atomic medium provides an ideal platform for exploring the characteristics of the vector beam and realizing the manipulation of the vector light field. In this review, we highlight the recent progress in the interaction between vector beams and atomic media, such as spatial anisotropy, coherent control, frequency conversion, and nonlinear transmission using vector beams. Specifically, we first describe how to manipulate a vector beam using the spatial anisotropy of atomic ensembles. Vector beam has a spatially structured polarization distribution that can produce unique atomic polarization. On the one hand, atomic polarization depends on the polarization state of the light field. As a result, the intensity and polarization of the light field can be modulated by spatially atomic polarization. On the other hand, magneto-optical rotation modifies the polarized state of the light by causing the anisotropy of the atomic medium with a magnetic field. This technique could be used to control the polarization and intensity distribution of the vector beam. Secondly, many research teams typically employ a single path or mono-polarized light to modify the collective spin of atoms and achieve the goal of light field modulation by leveraging the quantum coherence effect of the interaction between light and atoms. Spatially distributed atomic spin waves can be created when a vector beam is utilized to create an interaction between light and atoms. Slow light and storage of the vector beam can be achieved by co-coupling with the control beam in the three-energy level atomic medium by decomposing the vector beam into orthogonal single polarization states. In addition, the spatial position-dependent atomic spin coherence can be built due to the complex polarization structure of the vector beam, which also can realize the specific modulation of intensity and polarization of the optical field. Vector beam, as a coupled state between spin angular momentum and orbital angular momentum, can effectively match Zeeman sublevels and the rotational frequency shift of atoms, so the broadening effect on the transmitted spectrum can be effectively observed. However, when the magnetic field direction is perpendicular to the light polarization, the light field still couples the atoms with the left and right spin circular polarization components, making it difficult to form the spatial dark state and increasing refraction. In contrast, when the magnetic field direction is parallel to the light polarization, the light field couples the atoms to the coherent dark state, which enhances light transmission. As a result, the polarization distribution of the vector beam can be used to record the spatial atomic coherence generated by the magnetic field and then to realize magnetic field visualization. Thirdly, we investigate the study of the interaction between the vector beams and atoms based on nonlinear effects in atomic ensembles. The atomic ensemble is the perfect media for producing, transmitting, and modifying light beams because they have high coherence qualities, effective nonlinear processes, and customizable absorption and dispersion features compared to crystalline media. The four-wave mixing process can realize the light field with different wavelengths. Meantime, light transmission can be modulated by adjusting the refractive index of media through the Kerr effect. Therefore, the vector beam's frequency conversion and nonlinear transmission can be implemented. Experimentally, the vector beam is decomposed into orthogonal polarization states by building a Sagnac setup, and the wavelength conversion of the two orthogonal polarization states is achieved by four-wave mixing. Thus, the wavelength conversion of the vector beam is realized by interference in the output port. The cross-phase modulation between the two orthogonal elliptically polarized light components will cause an additional nonlinear phase shift based on the Kerr effect, changing the polarization state of the outgoing light field and realizing the nonlinear modulation of the vector beam. At last, we also discuss and outlook the potential research aspect in this rising field.