As the final destination of a 210-day Asian exploration, Vietnam left many impressions and helped Dima Gilitukha take the best photos.

Dima Gilitukha, from Ukraine, is a photographer who posts and sells photos through very successful stock sites like Depositphotos. Dima’s stock photography is mainly a collection of photos on the road as well as on research trips.

Dima spent 210 days traveling to many Asian countries, including a whole month of experiences in regions in the S-shaped country. Dima’s travel luggage never lacks digital and film cameras. He calls himself a travel photographer but he also shoots portraits. The picture above is a photo of an old woman from the mountainous ethnic group in northern Vietnam.

“I capture my surroundings by capturing real moments. It can be portraits, landscapes or architecture,” Dima shared.

In April 2016, when coming to Vietnam, Dima chose to move from South to North, experiencing the life of local people in different regions from big cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Hanoi… to the countryside and mountains. Among the photos taken in Vietnam, Dima liked the series of photos taken in the Mekong Delta the most.

After crowded Ho Chi Minh City, Dima came to Can Tho, walked around Cai Rang floating market, and then went back to the Central to Hoi An old town, enjoying filter coffee before going to the North.

When he was still a student, Dima went to the market and fell in love with a film camera, so he bought it and practiced shooting. Years later, after graduating and majoring in science, but realizing he could make money from photography, he switched from film to digital and started traveling more.

The 210-day Asia tour helped Dima develop more personally, and understand herself better when turning to photography. Vietnam is the last country on the trip, he had the opportunity to interact with many people, many ethnic groups in different lands.

Dima told about her decision to change careers: “Six months before the trip, I was still a scientist working at Kyiv University, but then traveling helped me expand my consciousness. And let my dream of travel come true. I actually had to find a new source of income to help me travel. So I set up an account on Depositphotos and started selling my personal photos.”

During the trip to Vietnam, the Ukrainian photographer spent time exploring Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, where there are many large and small caves with captivating beauty.

Dima’s impression after a month in Vietnam: “Vietnam is a wonderfully beautiful country despite the difference in language and culture. Any visitor who comes here will find something that makes them love like caves. beautiful, Ha Long Bay, small villages, filter coffee, mountains or islands”.

Dima didn’t expect much when planning a trip to Vietnam, but the trip gave him a different perspective than he thought. The country is developing, the people are not so friendly as Malaysians and Indians, but the landscape is really attractive with bright colors.

A corner of Can Cau market, Si Ma Cai, Lao Cai, colorful and traditional costumes of the H’Mong.

In the last 3 days of the journey, Dima and his friend rode 450 km on a motorbike in the mountains of Lao Cai to Sa Pa to admire the terraced fields, but he knew he was going at the wrong time because the field was long past the time of harvest. However, he did not ignore the exciting market in Can Cau with many H’Mong and Dao people.

Another special experience when in the Northwest, Dima and their friends used to stay at a homestay to take documentary photos. They live in a house without electric lights and cook dinner on a wood stove. He once asked the mother in that family what happiness means to her and received the answer “Her happiness is a bountiful harvest and healthy children”.

According to Dima, in order to take many good photos in Vietnam, it is necessary to find a common language with the locals or begin to identify their expressions. Of course, that’s not easy. However, their faces speak louder than words, especially when it comes to language differences.

Khanh Tran (According to Boredpanda, Brightside )