These are common sentiment of many artists, photographers and viewers when watching the photos.
There are many journalists and photographers who have taken photos of Vietnamese sea and islands, but not many have taken these photos from the sky. Gian Thanh Son is one among the few. With 40 years working as a journalist and 20 years taking aerial photos, he has a massive collection of homeland landscapes. His aerial photos have contributed to affirming the national sovereignty over sea and islands.
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A photo of Cua Viet Beach taken by photographer Gian Thanh Son |
An aerial photo could not display details of characters and life, but it could give an overview about the shape of the Fatherland with rivers, coasts, islands, fishing ships, rice fields, or historical sites. When watching the photo, viewers could feel the vitality of an island through the colors of plants and houses surrounded by sea.
These features give Son a special feeling that let he forget all the fear when traveling by helicopter and focus on taking photos.
Familiar places under through his camera lens all become unique. After more than 40 years of taking aerial photos with countless memories, the sea and islands always make his heart beat fast. He still remember the first time he traveled to Truong Sa (Spratly) Island, he was so emotional that he could not take any photos. Fortunately, on the way back to the mainland, the pilots offered him a chance to take photos again. That was a deep memory that he will never forget.
Vu Ngoc Hoang is another aerial photographer. He shared that aerial photos with different angel of views help spread a stronger message to the communities at home and abroad about the Vietnamese people and country. Thanks to aerial photos, the Vietnamese people know more about their homeland. They fall in love with and are proud of their homeland more, thus understanding their responsibilities in safeguarding the beauty of national sea and islands.
For photographer Doan Hoai Trung, aerial photos help show his passionate love for national sea and islands. After five times visiting the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago, Trung organized an exhibition and release a book collection entitled “Truong Sa - DK Platforms through camera lens.”
During 40 years serving the military, Senior Colonel Doan Hoai Trung, who is currently Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh Municipal Photography Association, has taken numerous valuable photos featuring the beauty of national sea and islands, leaving strong impression on viewers, especially the students.
Translated by Trung Thanh