Mesmeric Vietnam through the seasons

"Catching the wind by the sea in January" was taken at Hon Do Beach, My Hiep Village, Ninh Hai District, central Ninh Thuan Province. The photo is part of Dung’s "Beauty of the Vietnamese landscape" collection. The HCMC-based photographer said the transitional period between the previous and new year was a good time to visit the sea and its moss-covered rocks.

In My Hiep, moss lingers on the high rocks until March. Its green color fades to yellow as time goes and this gets an added shine from the sun beams.

"Watch the stars on a February night" was taken at the Ganh Den beach lighthouse in An Ninh Dong Commune, Tuy An District, the central province of Phu Yen.

About a 15-minute walk from the Da Dia Rock Range, the Ganh Den beach is nearly a kilometer long. Many people visit the place for camping, fishing or simply admiring the view. The lighthouse location offers a great view of the star-studded sky even as it sends its beacons of light to offshore boats.

"Hunting clouds in March" presents the Central Highlands town of Da Lat in Lam Dong Province cloaked in mist and night lights.

Da Lat, a hilly resort destination also known as the town of flowers, attracts landscape photographers wanting to capture its misty beauty at night and dawn. 

"Searching for morning dew on K’Long Lanh mountain pass in April," is shot of the pass that links Da Lat with the coastal town of Nha Trang in central Khanh Hoa Province. The route runs through K’Long Lanh Village, Lac Duong District, Lam Dong Province.

"The silk that is Hang En Waterfall in May" was taken in K'bang District, the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. The waterfall marks the origins of the Con River. The 50 m high waterfall is one of 10 waterfalls in the Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve. The play of water with sunlight creates a lot of rainbows.

Getting to the Hang En Waterfall is a challenge. If you accept it, you have to take the assistance of a local guide because the path is very dangerous for outsiders to navigate on their own.

"Discovering corals in June" captures the shallow coral reef at Hon Yen Islet when the tide recedes. Hon Yen is located in Nhon Hoi Village, An Hoa Commune, Tuy An District, Phu Yen Province.

The place has been attracting increasing numbers of visitors with its pristine beauty and carpets of coral reefs that rise up during low tide. The islet is around 15 kilometers to the north of Tuy Hoa, the capital of Phu Yen.

Phu Yen is rich in its diverse topography of mountains, rivers, lagoons, bays, and islands and a myriad of beautiful natural sights.

"Dawn on the ‘egg’ beach in July" shows daybreak at Hoang Hau (Queen) Beach, Quy Nhon Town, central Binh Dinh Province.

It is one of the most beautiful beaches, getting rave reviews from travelers and bloggers. The beach gets its name because Queen Nam Phuong, consort of King Bao Dai, chose the place for a private holiday with her husband in 1927. Bao Dai was the last king of Vietnam, reigning from 1926-1945.

Perched between the tourist hotspots of Nha Trang and Hoi An, Quy Nhon Town is less crowded but has quickly become one of the most searched beach holiday destinations in recent years. It is blessed with a 42 km coastline, and has been dubbed the "Maldives of Vietnam."

"Hoi An by night in August" is a bird’s eyeview of the old town in central Quang Nam Province, named one of the 15 best tourist cities in the world by the Travel + Leisure Magazine in 2019. This picture was 39th in the top 50 images chosen by judges for the Open Award – Built Environment / Architecture category at the EPSON International Pano Awards 2019.

Dung says that thanks to the development of flycam technology, photographers now can take unique panoramic photos, contributing to promoting tourism in the country.

In a pleasing departure from the norm "Rice harvesting season in September" is not taken in bright sunlight. Instead Dung captures moonlight shining on the terraced fields of Mu Cang Chai District in northern Yen Bai Province. September is when the famous terraced fields such as raspberry hill (pictured) are shrouded in mist.

Mu Cang Chai has become a popular backpacker destinations. With the new Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway opening to traffic, getting to the district and its terraced fields is easier.

The Mong ethnic minority people converted the mountainsides into terraced fields hundreds of years ago.

"The ripening rice season near the border in October" captures fields that have turned yellow glistening in the sunlight along the Que Son stream in Ngoc Con Commune, Trung Khanh District, Cao Bang Province.

The northern border province is also home to the Ban Gioc Waterfall, the largest in Vietnam and the world’s fourth largest waterfall along a national border, after the Iguazu Falls, Victoria Falls and the Niagara Falls.

Seven hours northeast of Hanoi, Cao Bang has more than 200 cultural and historical monuments.

"November season of buckwheat flowers in the border region" is a kaleidoscope of colours as women brightly bedecked in their traditional attire walk through fields of buckwheat flowers in bloom in Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam.

Situated around 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Hanoi, Ha Giang has become an increasingly attractive destination not just because of its spectacular scenery, but also for the narrow, twisting roads and mountain passes that kindle the adventurous spirit among many visitors.

"December tour to Trang An - Ninh Binh" catches a panoramic quiet at the world heritage complex in Ninh Binh Province, 95 km south of Hanoi. The Trang An wharf is located 3 km from the ancient capital of Hoa Lu and 7 km from Ninh Binh Town, capital of the northern province.