PhotographerHoang Hiep: Live every moment to the fullest

Fatherland seen from the sea

"A thousand years ago, I followed my father to the sea/ My mother went to the forest, missing Truong Sa forever/ The Fatherland when the enemy's shadow was flickering/ My children lay awake on the Truong Son side/ The Fatherland's sea has never been peaceful/ The sea of ​​hard work is like my mother's worn-out shirt...". The verses from "The Fatherland seen from the sea" by poet Nguyen Viet Chien were read by Hoang Hiep at the opening ceremony of the "Peaceful Truong Sa" art photography exhibition, making the whole audience silent.

Hundreds of people in the auditorium that day, many of whom had never set foot on the outpost islands of the Fatherland, felt as if they were at Da Nam, Da Thi, Da Tay, Sinh Ton, An Bang, Truong Sa Lon... when viewing all 100 photos at the exhibition "Peaceful Truong Sa".

100 large-sized photos were carefully selected by Hoang Hiep from thousands of photos of Truong Sa during his trip with the Navy Command delegation to visit the islands and DK1/19 Platform. The first time coming to the sky and sea of ​​Truong Sa - a sacred part of the Fatherland, for Hoang Hiep - a photographer who is always passionate about his profession, those were very special emotions.

"Ship alarm. Ship alarm. Ship alarm. Ship alarm. Ship alarm" - the familiar, repetitive sounds on the Truong Sa voyage rang out every morning. Hoang Hiep woke up, he reached for his camera as usual and climbed onto the deck. In front of him was the vast sky and water. Dawn was rising, the sea surface was covered in shimmering gold. In the distance, Da Thi island with two solid blocks of houses, also covered in a golden color as if it had just emerged from the sea. On the waves, the rubber boat of the navy soldiers from Da Thi, flying the bright red national flag, flapped its way to the big ship to welcome visitors. Suddenly, he raised his camera to capture that moment. The photo "Peaceful Truong Sa", which is also the name of the exhibition, was born.

That photo captured all eyes at the exhibition, because of the artist's hidden meaning, because of the artistic colors and above all, Truong Sa is so peaceful. Although Da Thi is many days away from the mainland, everyone clearly sees that "The island is home, the ocean is homeland".

I still remember the day we arrived at Da Tay, it was dark. The sky and sea were pitch black, but Da Tay was sparkling, shining brightly. Hoang Hiep said, the young, dark and strong soldiers smiled, showing off their sparkling white teeth to welcome visitors from the mainland, which made his eyes sting. The soldiers were the same age as his children and grandchildren, living thousands of nautical miles from the mainland, willing to sacrifice their personal feelings and sometimes even their teenage love to hold their guns together to firmly protect the sky and sea. "That was the image that impressed me the most and the strongest emotion, not only during the whole trip, but forever after," artist Hoang Hiep told me.

Moments that make up "Peaceful Truong Sa"

Hoang Hiep did not pay too much attention to naming the 100 photos at the exhibition, because the vivid, realistic, and impressive frames of the sea and sky scenery, the majesty and perseverance of the Truong Sa soldiers in them were more than the title.

"Continuing" is one of the photos that captures the hearts of viewers. An old soldier wearing the rank of general shakes the hand of a young soldier. His left hand is placed on the soldier's shoulder, his eyes looking straight ahead like a commander giving a mission, but as caring as a grandfather instructing his children. This photo was taken by Hoang Hiep at Da Nam without any arrangement. For Hoang Hiep, in photography, the moment captures all that is wanted to be said, just a hundredth of a second can make a good photo.

At the exhibition, Major General Luu Xuan Cai - the prototype in the photo "Continuation" told me:

- I didn't know Hoang Hiep took this photo. When we got on the train, he took out his camera and showed it to me, then I knew. And I didn't know that Hoang Hiep hung that photo in the exhibition in the first booth.

As a senior officer of the Vietnam People's Army, Major General Luu Xuan Cai was formerly Deputy Chief of Staff of Military Region 3, and is now Chairman of the Hai Phong City Veterans Association. Although he was a seasoned soldier, this was the first time he had come to Truong Sa since the archipelago was liberated on April 29, 1975. He said that he had also been to the Truong Sa sea area, but during the anti-American period. Now Truong Sa has retained the image of a strong and brave young man. Through Hoang Hiep's photos, we can see that. He continued:

- I don't know the name of the "little boy" in that photo. I waved him over, and he came closer and said "hello sir". He must have been scared to see me wearing a general's rank!

He said and smiled gently, but his eyes were filled with tears. He used the word "boy" as a grandfather would call his beloved grandchild.

- That "boy" is gentle, but his eyes are bright. And you have to be bright from the eyes to the courage to stay here. I say he is gentle because when he saw a woman in the group, he came up to her and said, "Miss, let me hug you so I don't miss my mother!"

Truong Sa is better now, but it is still very difficult. Difficult, but why did Hoang Hiep name the exhibition "Peaceful Truong Sa"? Is it because the artist wants the sky and sea of ​​the Fatherland to always be peaceful in the face of all storms?

Back to Hoang Hiep, with a cup of coffee, he told me that from the time of registration to the time of going to Truong Sa was about a month. Going to Truong Sa is the dream of many people, especially for a photographer like him. Therefore, he had to prepare carefully in terms of physical strength and equipment. However, after the trip, when he returned home, his wife asked him to stand on the scale and he lost 3.5 kg. But it was okay, the photo collection of Truong Sa and the recent exhibition were the results that he was willing to trade anything for.This was also the most difficult work in his creative life.

To have photos depicting the unique sea and sky of the Fatherland and the image of soldiers holding guns day and night, eyes focused on the sea, in the rain, in the sun, Hoang Hiep had many unique perspectives to bring the public the most realistic views. The photo "Engraved the words of our ancestors" hanging in the exhibition, he said, is a photo he is satisfied with. The photo captures a large stone slab engraved with the divine poem of Ly Thuong Kiet in Truong Sa Lon. "The mountains and rivers of the Southern country belong to the Southern king/ Clearly determined in the book of heaven/ Why did the bandits come to invade/ You will be defeated". Hoang Hiep said, standing in Truong Sa Lon, reading the poems he had memorized since childhood, he felt the overwhelming spirit of the historic Chi Lang and Bach Dang in the past that reigned in this strip of land between the sea and sky. After the trip, "Remembering the words of our ancestors" was one of 50 large-sized photos presented to the Navy by the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, in a series of photos about the sea and islands created during the period 2018 - 2023.

An uneducated artist

Hoang Hiep (born in 1964) considers himself a latecomer in the field of photography, because he first picked up a camera at the age of 22. He was also born into a family in Ngoc Son (Hai Duong City) where no one was in the arts.

Since he first learned about photography, owning a camera has been his constant obsession. It wasn’t until 1986 that he first owned an old Praktica worth 2 taels of gold - a huge asset when the country had just passed the subsidy period. Self-studying and asking his predecessors, Hoang Hiep gradually mastered the techniques of developing, composing, lighting and delved deeper into the path of art.

At that time, Hoang Hiep worked at Hoang Thach Cement Factory, and could only hold a camera after work. At first, his photos only revolved around the work of workers on the production line, farmers in the green fields, or old street vendors carrying their goods through the alleys every morning... However, those everyday photos created a Hoang Hiep with compositions close to daily life.

His first known photo is "On Minh Tan Field", third prize in the "King Mon Land and People" photo exhibition. In the photo is a farmer plowing. In the distance is Hoang Thach Cement Factory with its chimney like a strong arm reaching up to the sky in the early morning mist.

That first small award was an encouragement for him to pursue his passion for photography. Up to now, Hoang Hiep has had thousands of known works and many prestigious awards. But there are still many works that Hoang Hiep is still "holding". Hoang Hiep revealed that, in addition to "Binh Yen Truong Sa", he certainly has other solo exhibitions. The first one could be "Dao Co" with hundreds of photos he has accumulated over the years.

- Stork Island is like a treasure, not just belonging to Chi Lang Nam commune, not just Thanh Mien, but to the whole of Hai Duong. In those hundreds of photos, there are photos of ragged storks hanging on bamboo branches, very heartbreaking. Therefore, Stork Island must be preserved at all costs. The exhibition will carry that idea, not just talk about the beauty of nature - Hoang Hiep said.

Not only his works about Hai Duong, Hoang Hiep has also reached out and been recognized by the domestic photography community. In 2018, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, he and two Japanese and French photographers had an exhibition about the land and people of Japan and Vietnam. To have the photos displayed at that exhibition, Hoang Hiep went to Japan twice to capture the moments of yellow leaves and brilliant cherry blossoms. His photos were also printed in the book of Suwon (Korea) - a sister city of Hai Duong province.

For Hoang Hiep, photography is like a walk!