A photograph showing lightning striking the top of Landmark 81, Vietnam’s tallest building, has attracted widespread attention on social media.
The image shows a giant bolt illuminating the night sky in a blaze of light, creating a striking scene that has astonished viewers.
The photographer, Le Dinh Chuong, 46, is an amateur who spent six years waiting to capture the moment.
Speaking to Dantri/Dtinews, Chuong said he took the photograph at 8.30 pm on October 8. As dark clouds gathered, he went to the rooftop of the 10-storey VP Long Ma building on Cong Hoa Street, Tan Binh Ward, to take pictures.
The rooftop offers a sweeping view of almost the entire city.
After photographing several lightning strikes near Dam Sen Park, Chuong turned his camera towards Landmark 81 and set it to capture the action. About 10 minutes later, a brilliant bolt lit up the dark sky and struck towards the top of the skyscraper.
For most people, the image might look like a lucky shot. For Chuong, it was the result of years of persistence, careful observation and a hobby that demands patience, along with a little luck.
He uses a camera equipped with a Live Composite function to photograph lightning. Beyond luck, he said, successful lightning photography requires monitoring weather conditions, tracking the movement of storm clouds, predicting where lightning might strike and choosing a suitable vantage point.
“I adjust the shutter speed, aperture and focal length, press the shutter and wait. It took about 10 minutes to get the shot,” he said.
From photographing aircraft to chasing lightning
Chuong bought his first camera in 2018 and initially focused on photographing aircraft. He later decided to try capturing lightning during thunderstorms.
Since then, every rainy season he has taken his camera to familiar vantage points in search of extraordinary moments in the sky.
For Chuong, the appeal lies in lightning’s unpredictability. Every bolt has a different shape, direction and timing, making it impossible to stage or reproduce a particular moment at will.
“Human beings are very small in the face of nature. Lightning is both beautiful and ferocious. Every bolt and every lightning strike is a moment that will never happen in exactly the same way again,” he said.
The photographer added, however, that safety must always come first.
His photographs continue to attract interest from photography enthusiasts, encouraging him to keep searching for unusual and beautiful moments to share with the public.
Landmark 81, located in Thanh My Tay Ward in Ho Chi Minh City, is currently Vietnam’s tallest building. The 81-storey skyscraper stands 461.2 metres tall and was completed in July 2018.
High-rise buildings are equipped with standard lightning protection systems, so a lightning strike on a building’s summit does not usually pose a danger to people inside.