Nhan Dan – Thai ethnic man Dieu Chinh Dung was assigned to be a cameraman, making documentary films about activities of President Ho Chi Minh at the Presidential Palace. Duc Tuan tells about the man’s memory.

A large-sized black and white photo is hung in the sitting room of Dieu Chinh Dung’s house on stilts in He village, Quynh Nhai district, Son La province. It is a photo of Uncle Ho talking to people by sandalwood trees, with a caption: ‘Bat Bat - Ha Tay, February, 1969.’

“The young man in black, carrying a camera behind Uncle Ho, is me,” said the 76-year-old house owner.

Mr Dung was born to a Thai ethnic family with revolutionary tradition. Two brothers of him fell down during the anti-French resistance war.

Mr Dung joined the revolution in 1953, working at the Communication Division of Lai Chau province and serving the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. He then moved to the Culture Department of the North-west region.

In 1961, as required by his work, he was sent to a training course for cameramen at the Central Feature and Documentary Film Studio at 122 Hoang Hoa Tham street, Hanoi.

In 1964, Mr Dung finished the training course and was admitted to the Party. He was kept to work as a cameraman at the workshop. From then on, he was assigned to shoot documentary films about activities of Uncle Ho at the Presidential Palace.

“I have good memories of those days when I made films about Uncle Ho,” recalled Mr Dung.

“It was in the middle of 1968, when the anti-US resistance war was fierce and a delegation of young valiant fighters from the south paid a visit to Uncle Ho. Ma Cuong and I were assigned to make a documentary film about the event. When we were shooting scenes of Uncle Ho’s talking with the young valiant fighters, Uncle Ho turned to us, asking: “Which film studion do you come from?”

“Very nervous, but I still replied: “We are from the Central Feature and Documentary Film Studio.”

“I have some ideas that when making films, you should make them easy to understand for our workers and farmers. Films should tell about good deeds and role models, and denounce sins of US aggressors,” Uncle Ho said.

Then Vu Ky, secretary of Uncle Ho told me: “You should report Uncle Ho’s teaching to leaders at your studio.”

“We were very moved to receive the teaching. Uncle Ho was too busy of thinking the country’s affairs, but still spent his time teaching us. His teaching was then a guide for me in my career,” said Mr Dung.

“The second time I met Uncle Ho was during the Tet (Lunar New Year) of the Chicken, 1969,” Mr Dung went on.

“We were assigned to make a film about Uncle Ho’s planting trees in Bat Bat commune, Ha Tay province, (now Vat Lai commune, Ba Vi district, Ha Tay province). We travelled from Hanoi to Bat Bat and climbed to Dong Vang hill in Yen Bo village. At 10am, after paying a visit to an anti-air artillery unit, Uncle Ho and leaders from Ha Tay province began the planting of trees.

“After finishing the planting, Uncle Ho asked people to sit down and talked with them. Uncle Ho treated us like a father and his children. We were requested to take their photos with Uncle, and this photo was taken in that situation,” Mr Dung said.

Mr Dung has more good memories of Uncle Ho and the time he worked near him.

In 1971, due to his difficult family situation, Mr Dung returned to his home village to work and take care of his mother. From a Thai ethnic young man, he joined the revolution, then became a cultural activist.

Talking about the photo, Mr Dung: "I have written to the Ho Chi Minh Museum, expressing my wish to present the museum the original film of the photo.”

“It was a souvenir of my family. It is the asset of not only my family, but also ethnic minority people in Quynh Nhai, Son La province and the north-western region,” said Mr Dung.

Duc Tuan