THE HANOI TIMES — War inflicts immeasurable loss and suffering, yet no pain cuts deeper than that of mothers whose children never returned home.
During those tumultuous years, young students across Vietnam set aside their books, packed their bags, bid farewell to loved ones, and marched to the front lines. Many never came back.
Portrait of Colonel Tran Hong, journalist and photographer. Photo: QDND
Left behind were mothers who spent their remaining years in silent vigil, hearts heavy with longing, grief etched into every passing day—a pain time could never heal.
Through over 2,000 photographs, Colonel Tran Hong, a journalist and photographer, has captured the spirit and sorrow of Vietnamese women. His images, in their simplicity, reflect the profound suffering etched on the faces of mothers who gave everything.
“They say losing a child is losing the future. But in this country, these women gave their children to the nation,” said Col. Tran Hong.
A Lifelong Quest to Portray Motherhood
Portraits of Vietnamese heroic mothers by Colonel Tran Hong. Photo: Jenna Duong
Born in Duc Tho District, Ha Tinh Province, Tran Hong enlisted in the army at 19. Throughout his career, he pursued beauty in all its forms, until his mother’s grief moved him profoundly.
For Hong, portraying Vietnamese mothers is not a hobby but a passion that burns within him.
“I aim to capture sorrow through my lens, but there’s a vast gap between reality and what the camera can convey,” he reflects on photographing heroic mothers.
Hong realized that the inner feelings of mothers, especially those who lost children in battle, are not easily captured. “Their joys are fleeting; behind them lies an imprinted sadness, an immense void,” he observed.
Tran Hong at the opening of “Memories and Legends” exhibition, Ho Guom Cultural Information Center, Hanoi.
His passion for portraying heroic Vietnamese mothers emerged naturally. After leaving the battlefield in 1969, Colonel Hong studied journalism at the Central School of Propaganda and Education (now the Academy of Journalism and Communication). He later worked for the Vietnam People’s Army Newspaper.
Pain That Never Fades
According to Tran Hong, each heroic mother he met had a unique story, yet all shared one truth: extraordinary endurance and unimaginable pain. “It’s a pain beyond words. No mother wishes her child to die just to be called a ‘hero.'”
Colonel Tran Hong’s photos are not just his legacy but the nation’s sacred treasures, truthfully depicting war’s pain. This pain is not distant but present, reminding us of a nation born from war. Tens of thousands sacrificed their youth or lives for the Fatherland. Those left behind were the enduring mothers.
One of Hong’s most impactful photos is of heroic mother Nguyen Thi Thu, born in 1904 in Dien Ban Town, Quang Nam Province.
Vietnamese Heroic Mother Nguyen Thi Thu. Photo: Tran Hong
She sits before a bamboo tray with nine empty bowls and chopsticks around an incense burner. On her bed lies a portrait of her youngest son. A family reunion still awaits her nine missing children.
Mother Thu lost 12 family members, including nine sons, two grandchildren, and a son-in-law—the most during Vietnam’s nearly 30-year wars against colonial and imperial forces.
One unforgettable memory for Colonel Hong was photographing Nguyen Thi Khanh in Hon Dat District, Kien Giang Province. “The 4th Corps had built her a beautiful house. When I arrived, she saw my uniform and ran out, crying, ‘My child is back!’ I couldn’t take a photo then; I just greeted her and left…
Portraits of Heroic Vietnamese Mothers touch visitors’ hearts.
“On my fourth visit, I came quietly. She sat by a bronze pot and a sad tabby cat. Before raising my camera, I wished one of her seven children had returned. Then that rice pot wouldn’t have been so small, and that tray wouldn’t have held just one bowl…”
As years passed, these mothers’ youth faded, consumed by the endless wait for their children. Silent in their grief, they endured. Yet, at the sight of a military uniform, hope flickered—a fleeting dream of their child’s return.
This profound anguish, captured by Tran Hong, is deeply ingrained in each portrait, conveying the silent struggle in their hearts.
Viewing these photos, one feels the weight of their unending pain. His photographs speak to the mothers’ hearts, a silent yet powerful testament to their sacrifice. This, Hong believes, is his true success.
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Recently, 50 precious photos by Tran Hong were showcased at the “Memories and Legends” exhibition, running through May 25 at Hanoi’s Ho Guom Cultural Information Center. These images, taken from 1976-2020, reflect his journey as a journalist, photographer, and former soldier of Battalion 2, Group 559, Truong Son Corps. |
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