Historic photos by photographer Minh Loc

Photo 'Quang Binh female self-defense force shoots back at American aircraft' by photographer Minh Loc

"Northern Women in the Resistance War" and "Female Self-Defense Forces Ready to Fight" are two of the photos by photographer Minh Loc (aka Nguyen Huu Loc, former photojournalist of Vietnam News Agency) that have just been considered for the Ho Chi Minh Prize and the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2022.

"This is a great honor throughout my career as a journalist. To receive this award, I think many people have worked hard their whole lives but still cannot reach it because sometimes it is also the context, fate and many other factors..." shared photographer Minh Loc.

Recalling the process of working during an extremely difficult period under "bombs and bullets," photographer Minh Loc said that in order to have a vivid photo, he had to go ahead, go early to choose the location and angle, then lie down in a position ready to press the shutter to capture the fierce moments of the war, the resilient and indomitable fighting spirit of our army and people.

Perhaps that is why he took many photos that were "hotter than fire" such as "Vinh Linh fire line, the battle to liberate Dong Ha" (Quang Tri) or the war in Quang Ninh, Quang Binh, Ha Tinh and the Southeast region later.

According to photographer Minh Loc, the most memorable moment in his life as a photographer was the 12 days and nights of “Dien Bien Phu in the air” with images of American B52s bombing Hanoi. He still remembers that at around 4 p.m. on December 24, 1972, while sitting on the roof of the Vietnam News Agency, he saw planes bombing Hang Co station.

Photo of Hanoi female self-defense force on duty by author Minh Loc

“I took several photos in a row and then quickly got off my bike and went to the station, thanks to that I had many news photos. At that time, we were not afraid of anything. We often joked with each other that a B52 might not hit us, that a hit might not kill us, and that if we died, we might not be able to pick up our bodies, so we often chose high angles like rooftops to take photos," he recalled.

Similarly, the Red River battle protecting Long Bien Bridge or the Ba Dinh battle… wherever the fiercest place was, he was there. Many times, to get a photo of an airplane in the net of artillery fire, he had to "endure the battle," standing in the middle of an empty space and panning the camera right above his head.

Photojournalist Minh Loc’s heroic years also included 10 years of working in the Quang Ninh mining area. He captured precious moments of life, production, and fighting in many coal mines. He still rushed with his camera amidst the smoke and fire, in the middle of the deserted streets of Hon Gai town…

It is his courage, diligence in research and creativity that make his works not only journalistic but also artistic, conveying emotions to viewers.

Thanks to that dedication, his photos truly reflect the fierce war, the historical moments marking people, sky, land, and at the same time his love for his profession and his affection for his homeland and country.

"Each photo is a memory from battlefields from North to South; each battlefield leaves me with an unforgettable memory. Particularly in the mining land of Quang Ninh, my courage was forged and the poetic beauty of Ha Long Bay contributed to shaping my artistic qualities," photographer Minh Loc added.

One afternoon in May, at his home on Dien Bien Phu Street (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), he introduced us to his valuable assets, including a set of Canon cameras with different lens sizes, a computer system, and many data drives.

In the room of about 30 square meters, there are thousands of color and black and white photos taken by him from 1955 to the present, including many photo collections recording the fiercest years of the resistance war against the US to save the country on different battlefields, many works were selected for consideration for the recent State Prize.

Photographer Minh Loc talks to reporters about his photos

At the age of 85, photographer Minh Loc still arranges long trips across Vietnam to capture photos of nature, landscapes, country, and people.

With diligence and creativity, photographer Minh Loc has been and is continuing to collect for himself photos and photo albums with his own identity, artistic and current events.

He has held more than 60 exhibitions across the country and won many awards in major photography competitions in Switzerland, the former Soviet Union, the Silver Medal in Iraq, the "Red Crescent" Award, and the Gold Medal in Russia...

According to VNA