Devoted Documentaries

Patriotism is not only manifested in wartime; it is also prevalent even in the simple acts of peacetime,” he says.

The 47-year-old documentary filmmaker is currently working on Di tim dau tich ba vua (Tracing the Roots of Three Kings), a historical journal exalting three Nguyen kings – Ham Nghi, Thanh Thai and Duy Tan – for their resistance to French colonialism.

The Nguyen Dynasty was Vietnam’s last feudal regime, ruling from 1802 to 1945.

King Ham Nghi, who ruled from 1884 to 1885, refused to let the French manipulate Vietnam as had several “puppet” kings installed and propped up by the colonists.

In 1885, King Ham Nghi renounced the throne and moved to a resistance outpost in the countryside.

He initiated the Can Vuong (Aid the King) movement, the country’s first nationwide anti-French campaign.


“Film is a good way to pay tribute to our predecessors whose patriotism and sacrifice are still greatly admired”: Director Dao Anh Dung

The king was apprehended by the French in 1888 and exiled to Algeria, where he lived until his death at the age of 71 in 1943.

King Thanh Thai, who reigned from 1889 to 1907, also worked for the liberation of his country and feigned insanity to escape the constant scrutiny of French spies.

The king was captured by French forces while traveling to support a resistance movement.

He was declared insane and forced to abdicate.

But his son, King Duy Tan, proved difficult to control for the French and he outdid his father’s work in the anti-French movement during his years on the throne, from 1907 to 1916.

The French sent both father and son to colonial authorities on Reunion Island, near Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, in 1916 – where several of Vietnam’s revolutionary heroes were jailed at one time or another.

“Film is a good way to pay tribute to our predecessors whose patriotism and sacrifice are still greatly admired,” said Dung, whose great grandfather was a war martyr in the Can Vuong uprising.

The 60-episode series is scheduled to begin airing on HTV in October.

Dung’s film Nguoi ho xung phong giua thoi binh (One Who Shouts “Attack!” in Peacetime) has received high critical acclaim.

The documentary centers on Le Dinh Toan, a poor veteran afflicted with war-related post-traumatic stress problems.

He would scurry about “charging” at imaginary enemies during his sleepless nights.

His mother, an old woman widowed by the war and also tormented by violent memories, was his only comrade during his nightly fights.

Toan died shortly after the documentary was released.

“For Toan, his mother and many others like them, war wounds never actually heal,” Dung said.

He has recently dedicated much of his time to making documentaries about overseas Vietnamese, beginning with Ky su Tan Dao (Journal of the New Islands.)

The documentary traces the history of Vietnamese who settled on the Vanuatu and New Caledonia islands in the South Pacific, when they were French-British colonies in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The film explores the lives of today’s Vietnamese on the islands and their deep affection for their home country.

“Due to historical upheavals, a number of people had to migrate to other countries,” he said.

“But I strongly believe wherever they are, expatriate Vietnamese always hold their homeland close to their hearts,” the director said.

Ky su Tan Dao is also the first in a series on expatriate Vietnamese produced by HCMC Television.

Making of an auteur

Dung was born in Hanoi in 1961 and finished high school there.

He graduated in history from the University of Education in Ho Chi Minh City and worked as a history teacher at a military school in neighboring Dong Nai Province as well as at his alma mater.

His life changed dramatically when he decided to be a filmmaker.

Dung then returned to Hanoi to study film directing before finding work with HCMC Television in 1990.

A cameraman for 15 years, he worked on many documentaries including Qua nhung dong kenh den (Polluted Canals) and Nguoi Cham An Giang (The Cham People of An Giang), both of which won awards given by the Vietnam Motion Picture Association.

As a director, his other notable documentaries include Da thuc (Waking Rock) and Do doc song Thu (The Skiff on the Thu River).

“A practiced cameraman himself, Dung’s films always have outstanding camerawork,” said Nguyen Viet Hung, director of the HCMC Television Series company (TFS).

He added that Dung’s history teaching background coupled with his proficiency in math enabled him to structure his films seamlessly.

“Above all, it’s his great dedication and hard work that have guaranteed his success,” Hung added.

Dung believes that documentaries must be unique.

“With a fresh perspective, the director can add originality to an old tale,” he said, citing Di tim dau tich ba vua as an example.

The director added that succinctness and simplicity also give a documentary lasting appeal.

Trained by his father, Dao Anh Kha – a distinguished linguist and Vietnam’s first attendee of the International Esperanto Academy – since he was a child, Dung also has remarkable language skills and writes all the commentary in his films.

Reported by Vinh Nguyen