Ukrainian Photographer Captures the Diverse Beauty of Vietnamese People

A Vietnamese man cleans his fighting chicken.

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 ge took while traveling.

Vietnam is on the bucket list of many travelers and photographers. To cross it off, Dima Gilitukha sold his equipment, armed himself with a digital and analog camera, and created a portfolio on Depositphotos to cover his travels, cited Bored Panda.

Dima set an ambitious task for himself: to spend more than 200 days in Asia and make his travel dream cost-effective. He decided to photograph his adventures and publish them to his stock photography account.

Dima spent 210 days traveling to many Asian countries, including a whole month of experiences in regions in the S-shaped country, Viet Reader reported.

Dima’s travel luggage never lacks digital and film cameras. He calls himself a travel photographer but he also shoots portraits.

The photographer did not attempt to capture his travels in a particular genre. He said “My content is closer to travel photography, but I don’t usually focus on the rules of a particular photography genre. I just capture the life around me, so I equally love shooting landscapes, portraits, and architectural details.”

Let’s take a look at Dima’ photos taken in Vietnam and explore the beauty of people and landscapes.

City Life

The residents of Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, 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.

Vietnamese Faces

An old woman from an ethnic group living in the northern mountainous area of Vietnam.

“In 2015, I set a goal to turn my stock portfolio into a source of income. Although I was told that it was almost impossible to achieve in six months, I decided to try it out. The first stock images that brought me real profit were photos that documented a scientific experiment. I researched forest fires and methods of fighting them,” Dima Gilitukha told the Bored Panda about his first steps in stock photography.

Life on Water

Dima looked for opportunities to observe modern Vietnamese life, and he often found them. 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.

Photos taken at the world-famous Cai Rang market are among Dima’s favorites: “These images convey certain values. They argue that the joy of life is not always about material things.”

The photographer admits that he didn’t choose the best time to visit Vietnam. In the wintertime, world-famous rice fields in the rocky north look lifeless. Even Cat Ba Island in Ha Long Bay, which is one of the natural wonders protected by UNESCO, was a little ominous. But the bay was framed by high, picturesque rocks, and the water was absolutely clear.

However, unfavorable weather conditions did not prevent Dima from falling in love with Vietnam: “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.”

Ha Long Bay

Phong Nha Ke Bang Natioanl Park

Life on Mountain

Eventually, the photographer spent several days in the mountain village of Sapa: “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.”

In northern Vietnam, the photographer was impressed by the beauty of local landscapes and the ethnic diversity of the region. Dima managed to visit a unique market called Can Cau, where all mountain tribes from China and Vietnam gather once a month, on Saturdays.

A corner of Can Cau market in Si Ma Cai, Lao Cai. Local people wear colorful and traditional costumes of the H’Mong ethnic group.

“Imagine a courtyard with a wooden house, a teak alley, and a garden with bananas, coconuts, and cardamom. That’s where we stayed on the very first days of our trip. The room was similar to old-fashioned movies: a big fan on the ceiling and colorful walls. So, here we were, in the middle of Asia, at a place where you could expand your consciousness,” Dima said.