Vo Dong Minh and his pledge to Uncle Ho

Vo Dong Minh, whose real name is Nguyen Van Lam, was born in 1942 in Long An. In 1950, he followed his parents to Tay Ninh to start his career. Because he has talent and passion for drawing, he began to study it from an artist in Hoa Thanh district. Later, he passed the entrance exam to the Saigon College of Fine Arts and studied for about a year. He then returned to Tay Ninh to follow revolutionary soldiers to draw paintings about the resistance war.

In 1964, Vo Dong Minh was sent by the Tay Ninh provincial communication committee to the R zone to attend the first "Liberation Fine Arts Class". He gained a better understanding of the people's just struggle, the Party's line, direction, and strategy. After finishing the course, Vo Dong Minh used his skills to draw more paintings, print campaigning materials for the resistance war, encourage and inspire the fighting spirit of the soldiers, and fight against the enemy's distorted propaganda.

For decades, he had always thought of Uncle Ho and had been eager to complete the wish for "79 Springs portraits of Uncle Ho". He shared, in 1969, on the day Uncle Ho passed away, he and artist Tam Bach were assigned by the Tay Ninh Provincial Party Committee to draw Uncle Ho's portrait for the ceremony of mourning, which was scheduled to be held simultaneously with the national one at Ba Dinh Square (5/9/1969). Therefore, drawing Uncle Ho's portrait was in urgency. Dozens of portrait sketches were selected based on Uncle Ho's images published in newspapers. And one work was finally selected after careful review and revise. That night, Dong Minh got both happy and indescribably emotional. At the ceremony of morning on Uncle Ho, he pledged in his heart before Uncle Ho's portrait: "If the war ends and I am still alive, I will spend my whole life drawing 79 portraits of Uncle Ho". Until now, the artist has been rushing to complete this task set by himself.

Le Duy Ung and the blood portrait of Uncle Ho 

 Le Duy Ung has built his vast artistic and historical legacy with over 3,000 paintings and sculptures of President Ho Chi Minh. The portrait of Uncle Ho painted with blood from his injured eyes is considered a symbol of the confidence in victory and the fierce vitality of Vietnamese revolutionary soldiers.

Talking about this portrait, Le Duy Ung said: "I painted the portrait of Uncle Ho with blood when I was severely injured in battle and lost both eyes in a fierce battle at the Saigon gate. When I was on the brink of life and death, I had to become more resilient in the fight for the country, Uncle Ho, and in my belief in victory".

Le Duy Ung loves and respects the Party's ideals and sees Uncle Ho as the guide for his life. He cannot remember how many portraits of Uncle Ho he has painted. Until now, he has produced thousands of art works on Uncle Ho, including paintings and sculptures. And one of them has won many awards both domestically and internationally. Le Duy Ung has been awarded the title “Hero of People's Armed Forces” by the State, and many other prestigious honors. Now, his name is listed as one of the leading figures in the Vietnamese revolutionary artist community.

 Pham Thanh Lam - a young artist passionate about painting Uncle Ho's portraits

In Pleiku mountain town (Gia Lai), many people know artist Pham Thanh Lam, a soldier who has just been demobbed from the army for a few years, is very passionate and quite successful in painting portraits, especially portraits of Uncle Ho.

 Pham Thanh Lam shared, "I used to be a soldier in the reconnaissance platoon of the Gia Lai province military command. I always felt very honored and proud because I was named after Uncle Ho's soldiers. Before, I had painted Uncle Ho's portrait many times, sometimes for up to a month, but failed. The paintings were still immature in terms of art. However, because of my great love for Uncle Ho, I decided to search for materials related to Uncle Ho in books, and his images on the internet, study each line of his portrait, especially his eyes. Then I would choose his beautiful and miraculous moments to paint, making the work the most beautiful and vivid".

Now, after nearly 5 years of creation, Pham Thanh Lam has painted over 700 works of art. He is most satisfied with the portraits of President Ho Chi Minh. To achieve this success, Pham Thanh Lam invested seriously in time and effort. This young artist said about his aspirations, "As a soldier, I will keep drawing more beautiful portraits of Uncle Ho. His painting "Uncle Ho is marching with us" was presented to the Gia Lai Military Forces Museum, and many other paintings of his were used to raise funds for charity to support mountain children and Agent Orange/Dioxin victims throughout the country".

Many artists of different generations show their love for Ho Chi Minh, Father of our Nation, and see the painting of his portraits as their mandate. Still, by learning from and following his morality and exemplary lifestyle, they can perfect themselves in both art and life.

Uyen Nhi 

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