My friend - Martyr, painter Vu Quang Long

The photo, letter and postcard of painter Vu Quang Long, kept by painter Tran Cong Phu.

My friend - painter Vu Quang Long was born in 1946 in Hon Gai town. Long's house is at 6 Doc Hoc street. Long and I grew up together. It was even happier when in 1960, we were both selected to join the 7-year junior high school class, course 1, of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts. This was the class that we coordinated with the Soviet Union to train artists for the country. At that time, only 5 people were selected in the entire Quang Ninh mining area. Long and I were among them. Long was also honored to participate in the international children's painting competition in the years 1960-1964.

In my memory, Vu Quang Long was an active person, fond of literature, sports , and showed a talent for painting from a young age. From a young age, Long drew many children's paintings to participate in domestic and international exhibitions, some of which were published in books and newspapers. Vu Quang Long's paintings depict mines, miners, Ha Long landscapes... Many of Vu Quang Long's sketches and study notes showed that his talent was beginning to blossom.

On August 5, 1964, Vu Quang Long and I were helping sculptor Tran Tia sculpt a statue of a miner when American planes came and bombed Hon Gai town. Seeing his hometown destroyed, many miners killed, and his father's factory destroyed, Vu Quang Long was extremely indignant and determined to join the army to fight to protect his homeland. At this time, Long also painted many pictures of soldiers. Unfortunately, due to bombs and bullets from the war, Long's family was unable to keep these pictures.

A sketch by Vu Quang Long sent back from the battlefield.

At the end of 1966, Vu Quang Long decided to put his studies aside and volunteered to join the army. He was assigned to a special forces unit fighting on the Binh-Tri-Thien front. Later, I heard Long's comrades say that, in the middle of the battlefield, he fought very bravely, was awarded the title " Brave American Destroyer " and was awarded the First Class Medal of Glorious Soldier.

In an unequal battle, Vu Quang Long was seriously injured and was transferred to the rear for treatment, but due to the severity of his injuries, he breathed his last and died on February 12, 1971. It was not until 1972, while fighting in the Southern battlefield, through news from my comrades, that I learned that my friend was no longer with me.

Comrades and friends of artists in Quang Ninh burn incense to commemorate painter Vu Quang Long at his home.

The country was unified, but due to bombs and bullets of war, documents were lost, and many years later, people learned the real name and grave of martyr Vu Quang Long. The martyr's family brought the remains back to be buried at the Ha Tu Martyrs' Cemetery (Ha Long City). In fact, at that time, due to the special nature of the unit, no one knew each other's real names and addresses. Each person had two or three names. All personal belongings were light and compact, and documents were kept very secretly. Even when people brought the death certificate, martyr Vu Quang Long's family did not accept it because the paper sometimes wrote the deceased as Cuong and sometimes Viet.

Relatives and friends at the grave of martyr Vu Quang Long.

Unfortunately, most of the artist Vu Quang Long's remains have been lost. Currently, only a few of his paintings have been found. One is still kept by his family, another is printed in a photo book, but most of Vu Quang Long's paintings have been destroyed by bombs, weather, and storms. In particular, I still keep a letter Long sent me, which is also a souvenir that I have kept. It includes a postcard that Vu Quang Long drew for me. One page of the letter was written on student paper, dated October 24, 1966. The letter has the following passages: " Long cannot forget the exciting summer days, the journey back to his homeland. We were together through so many events in six years" ... Readers recognize his passionate love for his homeland: " War has broken out. Our homeland is engulfed in fire and bullets. Love, pain and even hatred live strongly in our hearts. The heroic mine is waiting, urging us to do something to avenge our homeland, for everyone ".

A painting by artist Vu Quang Long.

In the letter, my friend did not forget to say: “ Don’t bring shame to Phu’s homeland. Promise Phu, Long will stand straight on the front line, shoot the American invaders to pieces so that our homeland is closer, so that the day we meet is not far away… ” Along with that was a 1-hao bill with a message, each person kept one so that when we meet again in peace, we can use it to recognize each other. I still keep that money as a treasure until now. But in the end, I will never have the chance to combine it with the other bill to recognize my friend.

My friend - painter Vu Quang Long put down his brushes and went to war and died at a very young age, before he could create his masterpieces. I believe that if he were still alive, Long would have created a masterpiece. I realized that in him, his artistic talent was very promising.

Tran Cong Phu

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/vung-mo-va-chien-tranh-qua-di-cao-cua-mot-liet-si-3350011.html