Photographer Hoàng Mầu Thiết (sitting centre) with his family, friends and representatives from the National Archives Centre IV at the presentation ceremony. — Photo anninhthudo.vn
HÀ NỘI — Veteran photographer Mầu Hoàng Thiết has presented thousands of film negatives that he took over 50 years to the National Archives Centre IV.
The presentation ceremony was held at his house in Đào Nguyên Village, An Thượng Commune, Hoài Đức District in Hà Nội.
Born in 1930, Thiết joined the Việt Nam Volunteer Army in Laos from 1950 to 1961. He later was a photo journalist for Tiền Phong (Vanguard) Newspaper.
Hà Tây Agriculture School's students study in an evacuation area. — Photo Hoàng Mầu Thiết.
"I have tried to keep these films safe, while I don't have preservation equipment like the national archives centre," said Thiết.
"I want the young generation to get to know and learn more about the national resistance and the efforts and sacrifices of Vietnamese soldiers to win national independence through the images."
His pictures of war are not fierce, but focus on the simple life of people behind the front lines. Many feature young Vietnamese people such as a village teacher, a textile worker, a student or a soldier in different areas of the country who were always ready to join the armed forces for national independence and freedom.
He also took photos of the soldiers at the Road 9 battle in the central province of Quảng Trị, the volunteers opening the road and increasing supplies to the southern battlefields in the central province of Quảng Bình and others.
"These photos have great significance and historical value, contributing to inspire patriotism for the younger generation," said Nguyễn Thị Nga, deputy head of State Records and Archives Management Department.
"Keeping the original films more than 50 years is a very respectable thing because not every photographer can do so."
Last year, the centre and photographer Thiết co-held an exhibition to display photos on the north in the American war from 1954-1975.
The photographer decided to present about 2,592 negatives to the centre thanks to the success of the exhibition.
Thiết is one of the Việt Nam Artistic Photographers Association's founders. He received the State Award in Literature and Arts in 2017. — VNS
OVietnam