The idyllic Vietnamese beauty through the lens of Ukrainian photographer

Update: 10/08/2021
Source: Ha Noi Times
Popular photography website Boredpanda.com has just introduced a series of photos by photographer Dima Gilitukha from Ukraine.

The portrait of a Red Dao Lady in Lao Cai Province. Photo: Dima Gilitukha

According to Anastasia Fed-Titova from Boredpanda.com, Vietnam is on the bucket list of many travelers and photographers. To cross it off, Dima Gilitukha, a photographer with a scientific career, sold his equipment, armed himself with a digital and analog camera, and created a portfolio on Depositphotos.com to cover his travels with earnings from photo selling.

The photos were taken during Dima’s recent 200-day journey across Asia. He spent one month in Vietnam to travel from the south to the north, discovering the hidden beauty of Vietnamese people and nature.

Despite having stayed only for a quite short time in Vietnam, this did not prevent Dima from falling in love with the country.

“Vietnam is a magnificent country. Anyone will find something to enjoy: the world’s largest caves, the beautiful Ha Long Bay, tiny colorful villages, Vietnamese coffee, mountains, or the sea,” said Dima.

Dima looked for opportunities to observe modern Vietnamese life. In the Mekong Delta, he visited unique floating settlements and interacted with locals. They spend most of their life on the water and swim daily, regardless of the season.

The residents of Vietnam’s capital made the best impression on the photographer. Every morning, he watched them start their day with group morning exercises. Street food and coffee with condensed milk are also an integral part of the modern Vietnamese lifestyle.

This is how Dima describes people on the streets of a typical Vietnamese city: “A non la (palm-leaf conical hat) is a mandatory item of clothing for saleswomen. In Vietnam, they do not like tanning and often hide their faces under their hats. In 30-degree heat, some people on the streets wear knitted sweaters, long pants, and even gloves!”

For Dima, a month in Vietnam became the beginning of his photography journey: “The country also offers many great places to stop at, and you can find unique and inexpensive street food. Vietnam has developed technology, but at the same time, the locals embrace their traditions, wear traditional clothing, and dedicate their lives to traditional crafts. Vietnam is worth visiting if you enjoy exploring cultures and landscapes,” he stated.

Let’s admire the outstanding photos themed Vietnamese people in their daily life below:

An elderly of the Back H’Mong ethnic in Sapa Town in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

Eventually, the photographer spent several days in a mountain village of Sapa Town, Lao Cai Province: "I got to experience living in a traditional hut. We had no artificial lighting and cooked our meals on bonfires. I once asked a local woman who hosted us what happiness meant to her. She said that happiness was lush rice fields and healthy children,” Dima said.  These two little ethnic girls are in their classroom in Sapa Town.

The mother and girl of Giay ethic in Lao Cai Province are cooking the family’s breakfast.

A woman from Black Dao in Lao Cai Province is back home from work. “People from Black Hmong and Red Dzao ethnic groups speak different languages, but live in neighboring highland villages where they build similar huts without windows. Local women are mainly engaged in handcrafts, and the men grow rice”, according to Dima.

Hmong ethnic minority people join the Can Cau Market in Lao Cai Province.

The photo was taken at the world-famous Cai Rang floating market, where is among Dima’s favorites. 

The female merchant at a vegetable market in northern Vietnam. 

Street food and coffee with condensed milk are also an integral part of the modern Vietnamese lifestyle. A creation of Vietnamese specialty: the Ca phe sua da which condensed milk and ice are added to the black coffee.

Jenna Duong