Through her talent and perseverance, she has strived to become a renowned artist, recognized by 16 international museums, spreading Vietnam's message of peace across five continents.
Artist Van Duong Thanh. Photo: Bao Lam
Steadfast revolutionary fighter
“Every time I think of my father, my heart is filled with emotion. My father's name was Van Goi, born in 1919 in Phu Yen. During the French colonial period, my father worked at the Tuy Hoa railway station, a position many people dreamed of. But my father, a well-educated young man full of ideals, gave it all up to follow the revolution,” Mrs. Thanh began her story about her father.
Mr. Van Goi's name is recorded in the former History of the Tuy Hoa District Party Committee. He was formerly the Political Commissar of the Da Rang Front during the anti-French resistance. In the 1950s, the enemy authorities in Hoa Dong (Tuy Hoa) carried out a brutal "denounce communism, eliminate communists" campaign. Faced with this savage repression that nearly shattered secret revolutionary organizations, Mr. Van Goi - then a Provincial Party Committee member and District Party Secretary - was assigned the task of directly going to Hoa Dong to consolidate the Party branch.
During his time stationed in that perilous area, he was captured by the French. The harsh prison conditions did not break his spirit; he continued his activities as the Party Branch Secretary. In 1954, facing the enemy's plot to eliminate prisoners, the organization arranged for him to successfully escape. When he was brought to Hanoi , the soldier was just skin and bones, weighing only a little over 35 kg. Parallel to his father's escape was the spectacular "rescue" by his family.
“In 1955, the women who contacted us came to our house, carried my siblings and me in a basket, and told us to say, ‘Mom is taking us to a memorial feast,’ if anyone asked. Only later, when I grew up, did I understand that it was a way to prevent my family from being wiped out by the enemy,” Mrs. Thanh recalled with emotion.
A few months later, the government organized a family reunion. Her mother brought the children from the temporary shelter to visit their father, who was being treated at the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Hospital. The moment of reunion, the image of her frail father with eyes full of love, was deeply etched in Ms. Thanh's mind. Even though she was only 4 years old at the time, that memory remains vivid. After recovering, Mr. Van Goi worked at the Ministry of Commerce. Those were the shortest but most beautiful days when Ms. Thanh's family was reunited, escaping the pain of separation.
In his daughter's memory, her father was a talented man, fluent in three foreign languages, and a lover of classical music and painting. When working, he dressed elegantly to receive intellectuals and international guests. "But when not receiving guests, he dressed very simply, saying he was following the example of President Ho Chi Minh. He only owned two sets of khaki pants and a pair of rubber sandals his whole life," she recounted.
In 1957, he transferred to the Nguyen Ai Quoc Advanced Party School. When the battlefield in the South was raging, he volunteered to return to the South to establish a secret base. To prepare for the trip, every night he carried a backpack weighing over 30kg, practicing climbing slopes, walking on his toes and heels, learning first aid, and identifying edible forest plants. This meticulous preparation lasted for three months. "Father promised that the family would be reunited in just two years. But he never kept that promise," Mrs. Thanh's voice choked with emotion.
In 1960, Mr. Van Goi was killed in an enemy ambush. But it wasn't until two years later that the tragic news reached his family. “That year, a senior official from the Central Committee came to visit and stayed for a few days. My mother had a premonition that something bad would happen. When she heard the news, she fainted. That year she was only 39 years old, a widow with eight young children to raise,” Mrs. Thanh continued.
Overcoming immense grief, the widow of a fallen soldier displayed extraordinary strength. Starting from a third-grade education, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Xich – Mrs. Thanh's mother – self-taught herself, attended supplementary education classes, and became the head nurse at the Ministry of Foreign Trade Hospital. She rejected all marriage proposals, remained a widow, and fulfilled her husband's last wish: to raise her children to be successful.
Not betraying the immense debt of gratitude they owe to their father, all eight children of martyr Van Goi have grown up and achieved academic success. The eldest son, Van Anh, became Vietnam's first Associate Doctor of Probability Mathematics after studying in Russia. His sisters graduated as engineers in the former Czechoslovakia and Germany. This is a source of pride and comfort for their deceased father.
In recognition of Mr. Van Goi's contributions, in 1965, President Ho Chi Minh awarded him the Second Class Resistance Medal. In 2011, he was posthumously awarded the Second Class Independence Medal by the President of Vietnam. Ms. Nguyen Thi Xich also had the honor of receiving the Second Class Resistance Medal in 1986.
Artist Van Duong Thanh introduces a work of art. Photo: Thanh Giang
Gratitude to our roots and the mission of peace.
In her tranquil villa nestled on the west side of West Lake, Van Duong Thanh's art space is always brimming with color, creating a unique and unmistakable style. With over 60 years of painting experience, a collection of approximately 2,000 paintings, and more than 100 solo exhibitions across five continents, she humbly shares: "For me, each painting is a story, an emotion, a moment in life."
Inheriting the unwavering loyalty and intelligence of their parents, each child of martyr Van Goi chose their own way to contribute to the country. While her siblings achieved brilliant success in science and technology, Mrs. Thanh chose a different path.
Growing up in a family of revolutionary intellectuals where no one pursued art, young Thanh was captivated by painting from the age of seven. Her early innate talent allowed her to enroll in a vocational art school at the tender age of 11, where she studied under leading painters such as Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, and Nguyen Sang… Thanks to this guidance and her natural talent, at the young age of 20, Van Duong Thanh's works were honored with the first collection of the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts.
After 12 years of dedicated study at the Indochina School of Art and the Hanoi University of Fine Arts, Ms. Thanh graduated with honors in 1980 with a master's degree. Then, a rare opportunity arose: she was sent to study in Sweden. There, she became the first Asian lecturer to teach fine arts. For 25 years, she not only painted but also inspired her Western students with her passion for Eastern art.
Van Duong Thanh is also known as one of the talented female painters of Vietnam and Asia. To date, her paintings are featured in 16 national art museums around the world and have been diplomatic gifts sent to many heads of state such as US President Barack Obama, President Jimmy Carter, etc.
"Every time one of my paintings is presented to a head of state, I think: This is Vietnam's message of peace. My father's generation sacrificed themselves in the war, but our generation is luckier, able to use art to connect peoples," her eyes lit up as she spoke about this.
Although originally from Phu Yen, artist Van Duong Thanh grew up in Hanoi and has always held a deep love for the capital city. She confided, "From the bottom of my heart, I always consider myself a Hanoian and deeply love this city." This love is reflected in approximately 300 paintings of Hanoi, with 50 of them dedicated to the O Quan Chuong Gate alone. But among thousands of works, what she is most proud of are her portraits of General Vo Nguyen Giap. More than just art, it is a profound tribute to the heroes of her father's generation, those who dedicated their lives to the independence of the nation.
Despite her resounding success, artist Van Duong Thanh always believes that it is thanks to being born into a family with a rich tradition and to the support and opportunities provided by the State to develop her talent. Imbued with her mother's teaching, "You must live a useful life," she has donated over 30 valuable paintings to be auctioned off to raise funds for scholarships for poor students, support orphanages and centers for disabled children, and build charitable houses. "Each painting takes a lot of effort, but when I see it help a child go to school, or an orphan find a place to live, that is the greatest value," she shared.
At over 70 years old, artist Van Duong Thanh continues to create tirelessly. To this day, the image of her martyred father remains a great source of inspiration, helping her to persevere tirelessly on her artistic journey. Through the skillful hands of his daughter, her father's spirit of dedication continues to live on, spreading messages of peace and compassion far and wide.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nhung-buc-hoa-tiep-noi-su-menh-hoa-binh-724245.html
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