Truong Hieu
Trương Hiếu (b. 1939, Vietnam) began studying painting at 15 years old with the support of his father. In 1955, he began attending the Vietnam Fine Art College, but left prior to graduation in 1958. In 1965, Hiếu volunteered to join the People’s Army of Vietnam, and was immediately sent south to Saigon down the Ho Chi Minh trail. His main role was in building roads and bridges for combat units that followed behind. From 1968 he was based in Saigon, to the west of the city from where communist troops ran their network of underground tunnels. He created much of his artworks during this time, even sketching overhead helicopters from his position hiding in the grass. Hiếu was already in Saigon in April 1975 when northern Vietnamese troops overran the city. His sketches during this time capture the last days of the war. After the war, in 1977, he returned to school, this time studying at the Hanoi Fine Art University and graduating in 1982.