Two Vietnamese photographers are among the list of 10 winners of the SkyPixel Annual Photo & Video Contest 2024.

The winning photo of the SkyPixel Annual Photo & Video Contest 2024 by Nguyen Khanh Vu Khoa

Nguyen Khanh Vu Khoa's photo titled "Silence" (portrait category) ranked sixth, while Pham Huy Trung's "Hunting Together" (nature category) placed seventh among the "Annual Top 10 Photos Winners" of the contest. The results were announced on March 19.

According to Khoa, his award-winning photo was snapped in 2023 at the Tia Spring in the city of Dalat in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong Province, and it evokes a sense of nostalgia and loneliness. In the picture, an old man is sailing on a boat on the lake. The lonely boat looks like a small dot in the immense stream of water, standing out from the nearby leafless winter trees that rise from the water's surface. Time seems to be "frozen" in a peaceful moment in the picture.

Nestled some 15 kilometers from the heart of Dalat, Tia Stream serves as the upstream source of Tuyen Lam Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the place.  Although part of the same water system as Tuyen Lam Lake, Tia Stream has a unique beauty and boasts an impressive mangrove ecosystem.

Another drone photo of Tia Spring, Tuyen Lam Lake, Dalat City by Nguyen Khanh Vu Khoa

The place photographed by the gifted photographer is surrounded by high mountains, forming a depression with a deep lake in the center.

This is a rare place in Vietnam where many water trees are concentrated and is a favorite photo destination of many photographers. In every season, even every moment of the day, the forest has its own beauty.

In the early morning, a mystical mist covers the surface of the water. As soon as the first solar ray hits the water surface, the whole place sparkles in the sunlight. In the late afternoon, the water turns deep blue, carrying the cold and sadness of winter.

According to the photographer, the best time to capture the beauty of Tia Spring is around 6 to 7 a.m. or in winter.

"My work is called 'Silence' because it depicts the quiet beauty of the landscape. From a bird's-eye view, the spindly branches of the trees look like they are just hanging over the water," he said.

The award-winning photo “Hunting Together” by Pham Huy Trung.

In addition, the photo work "Hunting Together" by Pham Huy Trung was ranked seventh in the list of the 10 prize-winning photos of the competition.

“The photo depicts a mother whale and her baby go hunting together in an early morning at De Gi Bay, Binh Dinh Province. This is one of the rare appearances of this whale species in the area, causing excitement for those who see it," the photographer described in his photo.

SkyPixel Annual Photo & Video Contest, the ninth of its kind, was open to any content shot with a drone or a handheld camera. It was the world's largest aerial photography prize, held annually by DJI, a technology company based in Shenzhen, China.

This year's contest attracted more than 130,000 entries, divided into 4 categories including Nature, Architecture, Portrait and Sports.

Below are some photos of Tia Spring recently taken by Nguyen Khanh Vu Khoa:

Tia Stream remains a beautiful "hidden gem of nature" in Dalat City

These solitary branches of Cho trees stand against the backdrop of the pristine whitewater surface, evoking a nostalgic feeling in the viewer.