Vietnam News Agency: Proud of 4 Ho Chi Minh Awards for Photography

Vietnam News Agency has a team of talented and experienced photographers, who play an important role in recording historical moments, political , cultural and social events of the country through the ages. Their photos not only have documentary value but also have artistic value, conveying strong emotions, contributing to promoting the image of Vietnam at home and abroad.

After 6 award rounds from 1996 to 2022, Vietnam News Agency is honored to have 19 authors honored, with 4 Ho Chi Minh Awards and 18 State Awards in literature, arts, and photography.

Below are people who are both journalists and photographers of Vietnam News Agency who have been awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize for literature, art and photography.

1. Lam Hong Long (1926-1997)

He was born in 1926 in Phuoc Loc commune, La Gi town, Ham Tan district, Binh Thuan province. He is the son of Mr. Lam Tho Vinh and Mrs. Nguyen Thi My, owner of Lien Hoa herbal medicine shop on Nguyen Hue street. Growing up, he studied photography in Hoa Quang, Phan Thiet. In 1944, he participated in a photojournalism contest, which was published in the newspaper Tieng Vang (L'Echo) in Saigon.

On August 24, 1945, he participated in the uprising to seize power in Phan Thiet. During the resistance war, he was active in the Chinese movement against the French. In 1951, he was arrested by the French, imprisoned in the GI prison in Phan Thiet, then transferred to Nha Trang prison. After his prison term ended, he was returned to Phan Thiet and then continued to be imprisoned in the Da Nang concentration camp. After the Geneva Accords, he was released in 1954.

After regrouping in the North, he became a news photographer for the Vietnam News Agency, in charge of industry, agriculture, and handicrafts. He was also assigned to take photos of President Ho Chi Minh.

His famous photos on the subject of Uncle Ho were created such as "Uncle Ho with children," "Uncle Ho with the heroes of the South," "Uncle Ho giving flowers to Mother Suot," "Uncle Ho planting a banyan tree in Vat Lai-Ba Vi" ... and especially the photo "Uncle Ho leading the song of Solidarity."

This famous photo captures the image of President Ho standing on the podium, holding a baton, singing the song "Solidarity" at the mass gala at Bach Thao Park to celebrate the success of the 3rd National Party Congress (September 1960).

The work "Uncle Ho leads the song of Solidarity."

In 1961, he was sent to join a Vietnamese expert delegation to help the Ministry of Information of the Government of the Kingdom of Laos train staff and build a photography department for the Lao News Agency. In 1964, returning to the country, he continued his work with Uncle Ho, the Party leaders and the people of the North to fight against the US's destructive war.

In early 1973, he was assigned to the group of reporters to photograph the activities of the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the Paris Conference.

In 1975, he participated in the Ho Chi Minh campaign, taking photos at the fronts of Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Bien Hoa and the Independence Palace (Saigon).

The famous photo "Mother and Son on the Day of Reunion" (also known as Reunion Day) captured the image of a mother and son of a prisoner on death row in Con Dao after the reunification day at Rach Dua wharf, Vung Tau. The photo helped him receive a Certificate of Honor (Mencin Honor) at the 21st Congress of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) held in Spain in 1991.

Along with "Uncle Ho leading the song of Solidarity," this photo helped him win the first Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Arts (1996).

The famous photo "Mother and child meeting day."

In addition, with his Rolleiflex camera, he recorded many works about political, military, and diplomatic events of great historical significance and high artistic value. Many of his news photography works appeared in books and newspapers and won many awards such as "B52 burning in the sky of Hanoi" (1972); "Liberation of Bien Hoa" (1975); "New economic zone in Lam Dong" (1978); "Ha Long landscape;" "Economic pig farming" ...

In 1981, he retired and lived in Ho Chi Minh City. He fell ill and died on March 21, 1997, at the age of 72.

2. Luong Nghia Dung

Journalist-martyr Luong Nghia Dung was born in 1934 in Phu Nhieu village, Quang Trung commune, Phu Xuyen district. He heroically sacrificed his life on the Quang Tri front in the summer of 1972, at the age of 38.

As a child, his parents sent him to Hanoi to study, then to learn a trade at the Indochina Technical School. In 1954, following his friends, Luong Nghia Dung went to Nho Quan district, Ninh Binh province and enlisted in the army there.

After the peace, he was sent by the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army to study to become a Physics teacher. In 1965, he was sent to attend a photojournalist training class of the Vietnam News Agency (now Vietnam News Agency) for the Southern battlefield. After graduating, he enthusiastically traveled to many battlefields and became a key photojournalist.

From here, many of his famous war photographs were born, recording the heroic moments of our army and people, such as "Artillery battle at Doc Mieu," "Fire surrounding American planes," "Ngu Thuy female artillerymen," "Capturing base 365," "Bringing tanks into the battlefield," "Charging forward" ...

After 6 years working as a war photographer until his death, journalist-martyr Luong Nghia Dung left behind a huge legacy of more than 2,000 photos. That is enough to show his shining example of the heart and vision of a journalist in bravely recording history with photos to record the fierce and glorious moments of our army and people in the war to protect the Fatherland. What journalist-martyr Luong Nghia Dung contributed to Vietnam's revolutionary journalism is truly a source of pride for the press team.

In 2017, journalist and martyr Luong Nghia Dung was posthumously awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize for his photo series “Leftover Moments” consisting of 5 photos, including 2 photos from the Northern battlefield and 3 photos from the Quang Tri battlefield.

Photo series "Moments to Remain."

3. Chu Chi Thanh

Journalist-photographer Chu Chi Thanh was born in 1944 in Hung Yen, graduated from Hanoi University of Literature, and is a former war correspondent for Vietnam News Agency since 1968. He is known for his realistic photos of war, especially those that convey a message of peace and the optimistic beauty of people.

Originally a student of the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University of Science, he graduated in 1966. In 1967, he completed the News-Photojournalist training course of the Vietnam News Agency and officially took up his camera and went to war in 1968 - the opening year of the Paris Conference to negotiate the end of the Vietnam War.

Temporarily hanging up the phone in 1974, because he was sent by the Vietnam News Agency to study in the German Democratic Republic, he received a second bachelor's degree, Faculty of Journalism, Karl Marx University, Leipzig in 1980.

As a photojournalist, he directly followed and recorded the complex developments of the "fight and negotiation" period from 1968 to early spring 1973.

In April 1968, when he was only 24 years old, he was sent to work in that "bomb bag" for 3 months. In 1969, he returned to Zone 4 for another 2 months. At that time, Zone 4's fire line was burning with fighting spirit, the victory of our army and people in fighting back against the brutal escalation of the American imperialists. The anti-aircraft artillery troops of the Song Gianh Group, the engineers who opened the Long Dai ferry, the transport troops of the Truong Son Road, and the Ngu Thuy Female Artillery Company.

With the sensitivity of a soldier holding a camera, he has a knack for taking photos that promote peace, expressing optimistic beauty and humanistic values.

He was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Arts in 2022 for his work "Two Soldiers" including four photos "Shaking Hands and Greetings," "Two Soldiers," "Quang Tri Bridge" and "Reluctant Hands."

Even though he is old, he still holds a pen to write for newspapers, holds a camera and enthusiastically recounts memories of his working days.

The work "Two Soldiers" consists of 4 photos.

4. Vo An Khanh (1938-2023)

Vo An Khanh's real name is Vo Nguyen Nhan, born in 1938 in Ninh Quoi commune, Hong Dan district, Bac Lieu province, in a poor family with a rich revolutionary tradition. The whole family participated in the resistance war in Ca Mau, he taught himself photography by working for a photo studio.

After the Geneva Agreement, due to the enemy's intense search and arrest, he went to Saigon to take refuge and worked for a photo studio. After a year, he returned to Ca Mau and opened a photo studio in Ba Keo market, Tran Van Thoi district.

Here, in addition to taking service photos, he also took on the task of taking photos to make ID cards for many revolutionary cadres. At the end of 1959, he returned to Khanh Hung commune to teach and then participated in the work of the commune's Propaganda Department. In June 1961, he was assigned to the Propaganda Department of the Ca Mau Provincial Party Committee, in charge of the photography team, film projectors and festival decorations.

Eight years later, he returned to the Propaganda Department of the Southwest region as Deputy Head of the Photography Department.

For many people, journalist-photographer Vo An Khanh is the one who captures historical moments through his lens with intense emotions from the heart. Photos of wartime; the enemy's crimes; the green of the homeland destroyed by bombs, napalm, and toxic chemicals are all captured by him with overwhelming emotions and clearly expressing his love for his homeland. And then through those photos, through stories of wartime, ordinary people, heroic people are vividly portrayed.

Some of his typical wartime works include "The Grass and Trees Also Hate the Americans"; "Launching Grenades into Enemy Forts - a Unique Invention of People's War"; "Field Medical Station"...

In the exhibition of 180 Vietnam War photos by many authors in Washington DC in 2002, the photo of a flooded medical station in U Minh forest in 1970 - the time when the enemy carried out the campaign of "uprooting U Minh grass" with fierce raids and bombardments - by journalist Vo An Khanh was evaluated by photography commentator Margarett Loke of the New York Timer as one of the most valuable photos by a war correspondent.

After the day the South was completely liberated and the country was reunified, no matter what position he held until his retirement, Mr. Vo An Khanh still kept holding the camera and constantly creating artistic photos.

For his contributions, he was awarded many titles. Notably, the Ho Chi Minh Prize in 2022 was awarded to his photo series "Heroic-Indomitable-Loyal-Capable" (including 10 photos).

Photo series "Heroic-Indomitable-Loyal-Responsible."

This is a work that he distilled from hundreds of photos taken during the war, depicting the image of brave female soldiers, carrying the heroic qualities of Vietnamese women: "When the enemy comes to our home, women also fight."

On February 25, 2023, after a period of fighting many old-age diseases, he passed away at the age of 88./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/thong-tan-xa-viet-nam-tu-hao-voi-4-giai-thuong-ho-chi-minh-ve-nhiep-anh-post1060712.vnp