Farewell to People's Artist Pham Quang Vinh, the leading artist of Vietnamese cinema

People's Artist Pham Quang Vinh - one of the leading set designers of Vietnamese cinema, behind the films Co lau, Chuyen cua Pao, Ben khong chong... - has just passed away at the age of 81.

People's Artist Pham Quang Vinh - Photo: FBNV

Mr. Pham Quang Trung - son of People's Artist Pham Quang Vinh - said that he passed away at 4:47 a.m. on June 12 at the Viet Xo Friendship Hospital ( Hanoi ) after a period of fighting a serious illness.

Pham Quang Vinh is 'the leading painter of Vietnamese cinema'

After studying in the first film design class of the Vietnam Cinema School in the 1962-1964 school year, artist Pham Quang Vinh worked at the Vietnam Feature Film Studio (now the Vietnam Feature Film Studio), working as a film art designer for decades.

As someone with extensive knowledge of many historical and social periods and contexts, the film settings he makes are highly appreciated for their authenticity and richness in Vietnamese culture and people.

He is the man behind many films and television series, with themes ranging from war, history, post-war to contemporary.

Including the films: Fairy tales for seventeen years old, The Wharf without a Husband, Pao's Story , The Brown-shirted Leader , No Horizon, Reeds, Living Forever with the Capital, The Frontline Calls, Waves at the Bottom of the River, The Road to Mother's Hometown, Those Who Have Met...

A scene from Pao's Story

Not only successful with directors of the same generation, Pham Quang Vinh also collaborated with young directors such as Ngo Quang Hai in Pao's Story or Nguyen Hoang Diep in Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere...

He has received many prestigious awards such as the Golden Lotus for the category of feature film art design with two films, The Brown Shirt Leader and Fairy Tales for Seventeen at the National Film Festival in 1988, three art design awards for the films The Fateful Gong and Neighbors in 2005; Hanoi, Hanoi in 2006 and Cold Summer in 2012 at the Golden Kite Awards...

Painter Pham Quang Vinh (3rd from right) takes a photo with the film crew of Reed Grass - Photo: BUI TRUNG HAI

Farewell to the one who gives life to cinema works

When he was alive, artist Pham Quang Vinh once said: "No matter how creative you are, you still have to bring out Vietnamese qualities and Vietnamese soul in each stage or the whole work."

He also believes that the setting is also the character of the film. When receiving a script, he often studies very carefully to find a suitable setting.

Movie poster "The Road to Mother's Home" drawn by artist Pham Quang Vinh - Photo: BUI TRUNG HAI

For example, in the movie Pao's Story, he and his design team had to stay undercover for nearly 2 months to build the set.

In the film, there is an image of Ms. Pao sitting on the second floor looking out the window, out onto the street and waiting.

The crew had to build the second floor of the house, hire a truck to transport wood from Hanoi, then change the doors, chisel out a front door, buy 20 dump trucks of rocks to build a fence around it...

In the movie Cold Summer, all the Gothic columns, arches, etc. were transported by truck every afternoon at 6pm to be assembled into a hotel lobby, and finished at 10pm - 11pm at night. Then filming started until 4am - 5am, then stopped, and the set was dismantled to return the site...

The artist's dedication contributed to the success of many films. His passing left many colleagues and movie lovers in mourning, as Vietnamese cinema lost a talented and dedicated artist.

Director Dang Nhat Minh said: "Farewell to you, the leading artist of Vietnamese cinema, the friend who practiced cinema together in Bulgaria years ago."

People's Artist Pham Quang Vinh (1944 - 2025) was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist in 1993 and People's Artist in 2007.

Artist Pham Quang Vinh is the first film designer to be honored by the Vietnam Film Institute, at the special film screening program "The person who gives soul to cinema works".

The funeral for painter Pham Quang Vinh will be held from 7:30 a.m. on June 16 at the funeral home of the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Hospital, and burial at Van Dien Cemetery, Hanoi.

D.DUNG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vinh-biet-nsnd-pham-quang-vinh-hoa-si-hang-dau-cua-dien-anh-viet-nam-20250613141019812.htm