Photographer Minh Loc: Years go by with history

12 days and nights of perseverance

More than 50 years ago, Hanoi, Hai Phong and many other localities in the North experienced 12 sleepless days and nights during the US's destructive air raid campaign. In Hanoi alone, during the 12 days and nights of fire and smoke (from December 18, 1972 to December 29, 1972), the US carpet-bombed, dropping a huge amount of bombs and ammunition equivalent to the destructive power of the two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima (Japan).

Looking through historical documents about those 12 days and nights of resilience, the black and white photos telling the story of the difficult days recorded by NSNA Minh Loc (former photojournalist of Vietnam News Agency) make people feel admiration, showing through each look, the heroic people shared the desire for peace, national reunification... And it was the victory of "Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air" that created the decisive turning point forcing the US to sign the Paris Agreement on January 27, 1973.

NSNA Minh Loc (cameraman) working in a battlefield

Photos: The US bombed Hanoi station; Female militiamen on duty ready to fight; Female militiamen of a confectionery factory on duty on the roof of a Hanoi street; Female militiamen Nguyen Thi Hoa, a unit hunting low-flying aircraft, shot down an American F4 aircraft in Quang Binh; Female militiamen hunting low-flying aircraft and shooting back at an American aircraft in the sky of Quang Binh... by NSNA Minh Loc were considered for the Ho Chi Minh Prize and the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2022.

Talking about the works that brought home the noble awards, NSNA Minh Loc recalled: “Those 12 days and nights, our forces were really good and fought bravely. I was just a photojournalist for the Vietnam News Agency, with a camera in hand but I also rushed forward without fear. Once, sitting on the roof of the agency, I saw a plane bombing Hang Co station, I jumped down, took my bicycle and rushed to the station, so I had many news photos. Later, the photos that were considered for awards were a great honor for a photojournalist, it was fate, luck that I was able to work during those historic moments”.

Bright day of national reunification

When the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam flew on the roof of the Independence Palace on April 30, 1975, the moment that a heroic nation had been waiting for had come, from then on the country was unified, the country was united... The city of Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City continued its heroic days of reconstruction and construction, after a long resistance war. On May 15, 1975, a rally, parade, and victory parade were held in the Independence Palace area.

The delegation of the Party, State, Government and the Vietnam Fatherland Front led by President Ton Duc Thang and many senior leaders participated. According to historical documents of the city, more than 55,000 people of Saigon - Gia Dinh attended the rally, parade, march and chanted slogans "Long live Ho Chi Minh!", "Long live the Vietnam Labor Party!"...

The photo of Southern artists attending the rally exactly 50 years ago was solemnly placed by People's Artist Kim Cuong in her living room. She shared: "This moment was touching, proud and full of emotions, artists lined up neatly to celebrate the day of national reunification. As an artist, I have many images, but I cherish this black and white photo because it captures the proud moment of the country and is also a proud moment in my life, witnessing a day when the whole country shared the same aspiration and it became a reality."

The author of the radiant photos at the national reunification rally that year, NSNA Minh Loc, still remembers the emotional atmosphere when he held the camera to work on May 15, 1975: “On April 30, 1975, I was still at the Central Office of the South (R) Base, but by the time of the rally, I was in the city. Just after liberation, the city was busy with work, but the atmosphere of reunification day was everywhere, everyone was looking forward to the rally. Many people were eager to celebrate reunification day, moved when they saw President Ton Duc Thang attending the ceremony, I pressed the shutter with pride in my heart”.

Many images of that year's history were also sent by NSNA Minh Loc to the photo contest "Land of a Thousand Flowers" organized by Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA).

He expressed: “Award or honor is something that everyone desires, but for me, it is for my current colleagues who are pursuing photography. I submitted my photos to the contest because the contest aims to mark the image of my city over the past 50 years. I hope that the images I was lucky enough to capture when I was a photojournalist for the Vietnam News Agency will contribute a little bit to the mark of my city and you today and in the future.”

Although black and white photos cannot capture the entire history of the nation, they are a heroic mark to convincingly remind today and tomorrow: peace - independence and complete unity of this country did not come naturally.

NSNA Minh Loc's real name is Nguyen Huu Loc, born in 1937, from Dong Thap. In 1955, he gathered in the North. In 1973, he returned to the South to work, as a photojournalist for the Vietnam News Agency from 1960 to 1994.

During his career as a photographer, he won many awards such as: First Prize - Soviet Newspaper in 1968; Silver Medal - International Journalists Association IOJ in Iraq; Excellent Award - Soviet Red Cross and Red Crescent Journalists Association; Award for Establishing the Vietnam Record "The person who took the most photos of cranes in Vietnam".

HOANG HUNG - THIEN THANH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nghe-si-nhiep-anh-minh-loc-nam-thang-di-cung-lich-su-post789383.html