On his second visit to Vietnam , Argentine photographer Jorge Monacosought to launch a project with Vietnamese veterans – something that hashaunted him for years.
Since the first time he set foot in Vietnam 13 years ago, he hadgreat respect for the brave country, with its tradition of fighting offinvaders and protecting its soil.
He came back to thecountry to take photographs of the veterans, all from different militaryranks and different missions from different places, who contributed inthe successes of the resistances known throughout the nation. They areall witnesses of the glorious history of Vietnam .
"Theidea to carry out the photo essay flashed in my mind from a previoustrip in 1997," he confessed. "It is an outstanding project for mycareer, and I'm very satisfied with it."
The wars belongto the past, but as time goes by, the veterans, all of them valuableheritage to Vietnam and the world, will pass away. That's why hewants to capture their images for the next generations.
"My intention was to produce this photo series as a tribute to all whoparticipated in the fight for the liberation of Vietnam , but with amore humane approach," he added.
The images will tell muchmore about the lives of the ex-combatants and Vietnamese customsthrough the simple moments in their ordinary days, at home or at work.
Monaco photographed victims of Agent Orange, the toxic chemical usedby US troops during their war of aggression against Vietnam , whichstill causes damage to the children and grandchildren of those soldiers.
This represents the first approach to the issue ofvictims of Agent Orange, said Monaco , who has accumulated numerousawards in national and international photo contests.
Monaco , who was born in Buenos Aires in 1957, won first place inthe national ranking of photography in the years from 1985-89.
He was part of a selection of 10 authors who represented Argentina inthe FIAP (International Federation for Photographic Artists) World Cup,specialising in monochrome in 1989 in Belgium .
Alsoin 1989 he was selected among the 27 best photographers in the world toshow their works in Germany to commemorate the 150th anniversary ofthe invention of photography.
After his first trip toVietnam in 1999, he organised an exhibition entitled Vietnam – ElGran Dragon Dorado ( Vietnam – The Great Golden Dragon), showcasinghis impressions of the country as a peaceful and friendly place.
It was the first photo exhibition on Vietnam in Argentina and alsothe first exhibition to take place at the national parliament, theAuditorium of the Chamber of Deputies, in Buenos Aires .
Monaco , who serves as Director of the National School of Photographyin Buenos Aires , plans to return to Vietnam to take more photos,to enrich his collection and with the intention of publishing a book,which, he said, would be a beautiful end to this artistic andphotographic research.
"This time Vietnam impressed meonce again thanks to its achievements in socio-economic development,"he said. "I will come back because I still find inspiration in thecountry."
Monaco has come home after a three-week tripto Vietnam . He is preparing to display the fruits of his labour inArgentina . All of the photos will be given captions and stories abouttheir characters to help visitors understand the Vietnamese soldiers.The work is not easy and has taken up much of Monaco 's time. He saysthe collection will be released on a special occasion.
The Vietnam News Agency Bureau in Argentina will follow up and bring news about the significant exposure./.
Since the first time he set foot in Vietnam 13 years ago, he hadgreat respect for the brave country, with its tradition of fighting offinvaders and protecting its soil.
He came back to thecountry to take photographs of the veterans, all from different militaryranks and different missions from different places, who contributed inthe successes of the resistances known throughout the nation. They areall witnesses of the glorious history of Vietnam .
"Theidea to carry out the photo essay flashed in my mind from a previoustrip in 1997," he confessed. "It is an outstanding project for mycareer, and I'm very satisfied with it."
The wars belongto the past, but as time goes by, the veterans, all of them valuableheritage to Vietnam and the world, will pass away. That's why hewants to capture their images for the next generations.
"My intention was to produce this photo series as a tribute to all whoparticipated in the fight for the liberation of Vietnam , but with amore humane approach," he added.
The images will tell muchmore about the lives of the ex-combatants and Vietnamese customsthrough the simple moments in their ordinary days, at home or at work.
Monaco photographed victims of Agent Orange, the toxic chemical usedby US troops during their war of aggression against Vietnam , whichstill causes damage to the children and grandchildren of those soldiers.
This represents the first approach to the issue ofvictims of Agent Orange, said Monaco , who has accumulated numerousawards in national and international photo contests.
Monaco , who was born in Buenos Aires in 1957, won first place inthe national ranking of photography in the years from 1985-89.
He was part of a selection of 10 authors who represented Argentina inthe FIAP (International Federation for Photographic Artists) World Cup,specialising in monochrome in 1989 in Belgium .
Alsoin 1989 he was selected among the 27 best photographers in the world toshow their works in Germany to commemorate the 150th anniversary ofthe invention of photography.
After his first trip toVietnam in 1999, he organised an exhibition entitled Vietnam – ElGran Dragon Dorado ( Vietnam – The Great Golden Dragon), showcasinghis impressions of the country as a peaceful and friendly place.
It was the first photo exhibition on Vietnam in Argentina and alsothe first exhibition to take place at the national parliament, theAuditorium of the Chamber of Deputies, in Buenos Aires .
Monaco , who serves as Director of the National School of Photographyin Buenos Aires , plans to return to Vietnam to take more photos,to enrich his collection and with the intention of publishing a book,which, he said, would be a beautiful end to this artistic andphotographic research.
"This time Vietnam impressed meonce again thanks to its achievements in socio-economic development,"he said. "I will come back because I still find inspiration in thecountry."
Monaco has come home after a three-week tripto Vietnam . He is preparing to display the fruits of his labour inArgentina . All of the photos will be given captions and stories abouttheir characters to help visitors understand the Vietnamese soldiers.The work is not easy and has taken up much of Monaco 's time. He saysthe collection will be released on a special occasion.
The Vietnam News Agency Bureau in Argentina will follow up and bring news about the significant exposure./.
