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Russian man paints pictures about Vietnam after traveling to 63 provinces

He traveled three times from South to North by motorbike and back. Each trip lasts from one to three months. He said the cost of moving each day is about 400,000 VND, which is a small number for him. Freelancing also helps Ivan comfortably make trips across Vietnam.
In the first years, Ivan explored Binh Thuan, then neighboring cities and villages such as Da Lat (Lam Dong), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), and Phan Rang. His journeys are getting longer and longer because the more he knows about the country and people of Vietnam, the more attractive Ivan becomes.

 
It is also the premise for his trip across Vietnam. In the summer of 2020, Ivan traveled alone in a motorbike from Mui Ne (Binh Thuan) to Da Lat, along the coastal provinces of Vietnam such as Phan Thiet, Khanh Hoa, Da Nang to the northern provinces such as Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, Cao Bang, Son La, Lao Cai.
In about three months, he drove to even the most remote northern mountains and filled Google Maps with markers, about 7,000 kilometers in total.
He can take pictures, record videos and often record documents on the road. However, Ivan never thought he could draw. Three months ago, he painted his first picture of Hanoi in a cafe near his rented hotel. From then on, Ivan realized that he had "a bit of a gift" for painting and began to draw more. "I like to sit in a cafe to draw pictures. Ancient architecture is a topic that always attracts me," he said.


 
Ivan said that Vietnam's scenery helped him showcase "the talent of an artist". After living here for eight years, Ivan gained a better understanding of cultural diversity and cuisine and witnessed Vietnam's "astonishing" pace of development. "It reminds me of interesting moments in life in this place."
However, Ivan is uninterested in technology and wants to 'return to nature'. Painting helps him find peaceful moments in his busy life and brings emotions. It isn't easy to convey with technical equipment.
There are many art genres, but Ivan likes simplicity. He has several pieces of drawing paper, pens, and watercolor paintings, all of which are in his pockets so he can draw anywhere.

 
Ivan's paintings are drawn in a sketching style. Some of them were drawn on-site, while the rest were photos taken by Ivan. So far, Ivan has painted 30 paintings about Vietnam, mainly about places such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hoi An.

See more: 
20+ spots included: Top best things to do in Ha Giang Province, Vietnam
Preparation for a tour to Bac Ha Market in Sapa Vietnam
James Booth's 48 hours discovering Hanoi and Ninh Binh Vietnam

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