I've known Dao Quang Minh since 1986. From our first meeting, I felt a special connection: Minh was intelligent, kind, witty, and sharp-witted. We easily bonded because we were both "war veterans." Minh enlisted in February 1965, joining the artillery reconnaissance unit E208F351 under the Artillery Command of the Vietnam People's Army.
In June 1967, he and his unit fought and destroyed a US warship off the coast of Quang Cu - Sam Son - Thanh Hoa . On November 13, 1967, Dao Quang Minh joined the Party, and to date, he has been a Party member for 57 years. Afterward, he went to the "B" (South Vietnam), fighting in the Southern battlefield at La Dut, A Luoi, and A Sau (Quang Da) - places that American soldiers often called "the Viet Cong's meat grinder" for American soldiers.
In February 1970, Dao Quang Minh was wounded and transferred to the North, where he was assigned to work at the "Thong Nhat" passenger transport company in Hanoi .
Dao Quang Minh's path to photography was quite simple: If he only worked at the "Thong Nhat" passenger transport company until retirement, it would be a waste of time, while his passion for painting and photography had existed since childhood, but he didn't have the opportunity to pursue that dream.
In January 1978, the Hanoi Trade Union Federation announced a photography course. Minh immediately applied. He graduated with honors and began using a camera, applying what he had learned.
In November 1981, the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, in collaboration with the Hanoi Trade Union Federation, organized a photography workshop. Dao Quang Minh registered to participate. With his innate aesthetic talent, Minh absorbed the best of what his esteemed teachers such as Vo An Ninh, Dinh Dang Dinh, Do Huan, and Do Quoc An had taught him. At the end of the workshop, an exhibition of the first works of these "future photographers" was held. Viewing Dao Quang Minh's photos, the teachers all shared the same opinion: "Dao Quang Minh's photos show the potential and promise to become a creative artist in art photography rather than a photojournalist."
A year later, learning from experience while taking photos, Minh had works that attracted viewers' attention such as "Morning Mist on Ho Guom Lake" (1982) which was as smooth as silk paintings; "Sunset on Tay Ho Lake" (1983) and "Summer Afternoon" (1983) which were as beautiful as lacquer paintings.
In December 1986, Dao Quang Minh was hired as a photojournalist for the "Nguoi Ha Noi" (Hanoi People) Arts Weekly and worked directly at the Hanoi Art Photography Association. This was a very opportune moment for his artistic vision to open up on the path of artistic photography. Using black and white film with a deep orange filter, he successfully captured the shimmering image of "Chuong Duong Waterfront," as if gilded with silver. Initially, Dao Quang Minh often focused his lens on subjects and landmarks such as: the To Lich River, West Lake, Hoan Kiem Lake, Truc Bach Lake, the Red River, Hanoi Old Quarter, markets, ports, suburban rice fields, Thầy Pagoda, Tram Gian Pagoda, Tay Phuong Pagoda, and the ancient capital of Hoa Lu ( Ninh Binh )... At that time, he was assigned the role of Chairman of the Photography Club of the Hanoi Arts Association.
In late 1992, the writer, playwright, and People's Artist Tao Mat fell seriously ill. I took Dao Quang Minh to visit him and invited him to see some photographs. He really liked Dao Quang Minh's black-and-white photograph of "Ho Guom Lake," with a bare-branched banyan tree in the foreground. Lying in his sickbed, he smiled contentedly: "The foreground is very evocative, like a dragon soaring! I'll give you the photograph with four characters: 'Thien Tai Long Phi' (meaning 'Thang Long, the Dragon Flies'), okay?" Dao Quang Minh and I exclaimed: Wonderful! What a priceless, inspired moment!
Despite being quite tired and in pain (because his cancer was in its final stage), he managed to get up and use a black marker to write the four words "A Thousand Years of Dragon Flight" on the photograph. The photograph "A Thousand Years of Dragon Flight" was later selected as one of the ten black-and-white works from Vietnam to participate in the 1993 FIAP International Photographic Congress. That year, the ten Vietnamese works won a Bronze Medal. For the first time, Vietnamese photography made its mark on the international stage when it joined the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP).
Through continuous learning and experimentation, Dao Quang Minh has had the opportunity to delve deeper into the study of both black and white and color photography. It can be said that in any field of photography, he is willing to explore, discovering both the strengths and weaknesses. He is proficient and self-sufficient in all stages: shooting, printing, developing film, enlarging, and retouching photos using manual methods, and today he is on the path to mastering Photoshop techniques.
Driven by economic needs and the principle of "short-term gains to support long-term growth" in art, Dao Quang Minh began painting in 1994 and established a silk painting workshop at home. His silk paintings and wall calendars sell very well in the tourism market, attracting domestic tourists, overseas Vietnamese, and foreign visitors.
In the field of art photography, he has also achieved consistent success with award-winning works from the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, such as: "Legend of Sapa" (1996); "Message of Peace" (2000); "Cua Ong Coal Mine in the Renovation Era" (2005); "Together" - Bronze Medal in the "50th Anniversary of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists" exhibition, along with many other photos participating in domestic and international exhibitions and awards.
In 1998, Dao Quang Minh tried his hand at oil painting again, delving deeper into the field of oil painting. Just two years later, he opened a rather impressive oil painting gallery at his home. He painted to sell his work, following the principle of "using short-term gains to support long-term growth" in art, and he succeeded in doing so.
The path forward in art has been established:
+ On November 15, 1999, he was awarded the title of A.Vapa (artist with many works).
+ On December 27, 2001, he was awarded the title of E.Vapa (artist with many outstanding works).
+ On April 14, 2000, he was awarded the title of A.FIAP (International Photographic Artist).
+ On August 14, 2002, he was awarded the title of E.FIAP (International Photographer of Excellence).
+ On January 25, 2008, he was awarded the title E.Vapa/G (Artist with exceptionally outstanding works from Vietnam).
Dao Quang Minh consistently takes excellent photographs, quickly achieving high artistic results, yet remains humble. Thanks to his communication skills, he earned the trust of the members and was elected to the Executive Committee, then Vice President, and finally Chairman of the Art Council of the Hanoi Art Photography Association.
When the Chairman of the Hanoi Art Photography Association, Dang Dinh An, passed away, he succeeded Dang Dinh An as Acting Chairman of the Association.
Artist Dao Quang Minh is also a multi-talented artist with a natural gift: he is a good photographer and a talented painter. Dao Quang Minh is also a musician and a member of the Hanoi Music Association, with dozens of lyrical musical works. Some of his musical works have been featured on the airwaves of the Central and Hanoi Television stations.
Entering the crowded auditorium, Dao Quang Minh, who was also a singer and magician, captivated the audience, drawing a thunderous applause. When the results were revealed—no one knew how he did it—the entire hall erupted in cheers. Dao Quang Minh also had the ability to guess the names of the parents of strangers, the names of their lovers, and whether they were beautiful or ugly. Even the veteran historian Le Van Lan was astonished when Dao Quang Minh correctly guessed what he was thinking. He acknowledged this with a look and a firm handshake, as if to say: "Dao Quang Minh is truly amazing! Thank you, thank you!"
Dao Quang Minh was greatly admired. He was born in the year of the Pig – 1947.
On December 15, 2024 (corresponding to November 15, Year of the Dragon), at the age of 77, he passed away. He took his talent and career with him to the afterlife, leaving behind immeasurable grief and sorrow for his family, wife, children, relatives, members of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, and photography enthusiasts nationwide.
Hoang Kim Dang
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