Director Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong: Fate with the film "Mr. Nam Yersin"

At the age of 95, female director and writer Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong still returns to the coastal city of Nha Trang to talk and share her feelings for the land and people here. Through that, we partly know her love and admiration for Doctor A. Yersin - an honorary citizen of Vietnam.

Director and writer Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong in a sharing session about the film "Mr. Nam Yersin".

From love with doctor A.Yersin

On the afternoon of March 21, at a workshop held at Yersin General Hospital in Nha Trang, we met for the first time the famous female director and writer Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong. Her name has long been known to the public through famous documentaries such as: Parallel 17 - People's War; Vietnam and the Bicycle; I Write a Song of Resurrection; When the Gunfire Just Stopped; When the Smiles Return; Two Voices of the Homeland; On a Section of the Truong Son Road; Drops of Water from the Highlands; The War in the Lao Forest; Portrait of a Political Leader: Ho Chi Minh; The World of Little Khoa... In the role of a writer, in 2020, she created a great resonance in the hearts of the literature-loving public in the country when she published the memoir " Carrying... Carrying..." . The book received an award from the Vietnam Writers' Association, an award from the Ho Chi Minh City Writers' Association and was reprinted in 2022.

Born into a noble family in Huong Tra district (Thua Thien - Hue province), but in 1945, when she was only 16 years old, she decided to join the revolution. She worked in many jobs such as: explosives technician, nurse, reporter, interpreter, doctor, translator and narrator of French films, director of battlefield documentaries... In 1967, while working as a doctor taking care of the health of foreigners at the Committee for Cultural Liaison with Foreign Countries, because she was very good at French, she was assigned by President Ho Chi Minh to be an interpreter and take care of the health of the director couple Joris Ivens - Marceline Loridan when they were making films in Vinh Linh ( Quang Tri province). From here, the opportunity to make documentary films came to director Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong. In 2011, the French Government awarded her the Legion of Honor for her contributions to a deeper understanding between Vietnam and France.

To TP. This time in Nha Trang, director and writer Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong spent a lot of time talking with people who love Dr. A. Yersin, young people about the art documentary "Mr. Nam Yersin" that she and her colleagues made in 1992. "32 years ago, the conditions for making films were not like now, all means and techniques were lacking and difficult. At that time, the biggest obstacle for us was the limited thoughts and views about Dr. A. Yersin of some leaders. When I proposed the idea of making this film, there were opinions saying, why are there so many other topics that we don't do but make a film about a Westerner? However, with the love, respect, and affection for Dr. A. Yersin as a savior of humanity 50 years ago and still mentioned 100 years later, we see why we can make films about Mr. Louis Pasteur, Alexandre de Rhodes... "Why can't I make a film about Mr. A. Yersin? So, I met many people in authority to present, persuade and finally got permission to make this film with my colleagues, artist Truong Qua and cameraman Do Binh," she shared.

Inspirational footage

The film “Mr. Nam Yersin” is one of the first works to mention the life, career, dedication, and affection of Dr. A. Yersin - a scientist of human stature. Although only lasting nearly 30 minutes, the film successfully portrayed the portrait of Dr. A. Yersin with outstanding achievements, and special affection for the land and people of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa. The film begins with the image of the Cultural Attaché of the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City searching for traces of Dr. A. Yersin. And so, the film story takes the audience to Suoi Dau, Hon Ba, Nha Trang, Da Lat, with relics closely associated with the life and career of Dr. A. Yersin, with the people who know him. “When I started making this film, as a director, I discussed with my colleagues that we had to answer the question: Why, even during the time when the country was under French colonial rule, the Vietnamese people were rising up to fight against the French to gain national independence, the people of Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa worshiped Dr. A. Yersin as a Bodhisattva in the temple? Why did the people love a person from a colonial country and why did this great man wish to stay in Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa forever?”, said director Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong.

Staff of Yersin Nha Trang General Hospital watch behind-the-scenes footage of the film “Mr. Nam Yersin” introduced on the hospital grounds.

Yersin Nha Trang General Hospital staff watch behind-the-scenes footage of the film “Mr. Nam Yersin”
introduced in the hospital grounds.

Reviewing the film “Mr. Nam Yersin” , we see the image of Doctor A. Yersin as beautiful and lovely. His beauty and loveliness bring faith and inspiration to each person to live a life worth living. Those ideals are expressed through realistic cinematic techniques, without exaggeration, without using techniques or effects with scenes and people, forests and seas, past and present in a simple way. Perhaps that is why, after being released, the film won a special prize at the 16th National Television Festival in 1993 in Da Lat City and was bought by television stations of many countries such as France, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, etc. to broadcast for audiences to watch. “This is a very valuable and emotional film about Dr. A. Yersin. Although the film was made 32 years ago, its content still brings positive meanings to viewers today and in the future. We are very happy to receive this film from director and writer Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong to introduce and promote the spirit of Dr. A. Yersin to the people, especially the young generation,” said Mr. Dong Luong Son - Chairman of the Association of Dr. A. Yersin Admirers in Khanh Hoa province.

From the story 32 years ago about the film "Mr. Nam Yersin" , we understand and appreciate more the feelings of director Nguyen Thi Xuan Phuong for doctor A. Yersin, as well as the courage of a filmmaker who dares to protect and pursue to the end the right things.

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