"Not only confined to wartime, through images of today’s pilots embodying the warrior genes, from which we observe a profound legacy of love for the skies. We acknowledge in them a sense of pride – the enduring resilience symbolized by the silver-winged birds on their timeless blue uniform…"
Unveiled in the historic month of April – in celebration of Vietnam’s Day of Books and Reading Culture, the 50th anniversary of the Quyet Thang (Victory-minded) Squadron’s audacious mission to bomb Tan Son Nhat Airbase using captured enemy aircraft, and the national reunification – 108 Vietnamese Air Warriors is proudly presented by chief editor Tu Phuong Thao and renowned photographer Ngo Nhat Hoang.
At the heart of this work beats a profound gratitude and reverence for the intrepid warriors who once ruled Vietnam’s skies.
After 9 years of work, 108 Vietnamese Air Warriors was completed – featuring more than 600 archival images, spanning nearly 300 pages, and presented bilingually, with invaluable input from a distinguished advisory board: Colonel Ha Quang Hung (MiG-21 pilot and historian), Colonel Le Ngoc Son (MiG-17 pilot and combat tactics expert), Colonel Tu De (MiG-17 pilot and training specialist), and Captain Nguyễn Nam Liên (aviation historian).
Over 600 archival photographs capture generations of Vietnamese Air Force pilots – from legendary heroes to the young aviators who today stand sentinel over the nation. These portraits, tenderly captured in the pilots’ own homes, form an unbreakable bridge between past and present.
"When visiting the veterans’ homes and poring over their albums it felt as though we were touching their memories. Some pilots, having long retreated from public life, hesitated to appear – preferring to preserve the heroic image of their youth, or bearing silent scars from incidents faced in the line of duty. It took much persuasion to bring them back into the light," recalls Tu Phuong Thao.
Beyond the familiar names often celebrated in the media, the book also immortalizes many unsung heroes: fighter pilots, fighter-bomber pilots, bomber pilots, helicopter gunners, transport aviators, flight instructors, reconnaissance pilots, and test pilots. Some shine with dazzling records; others quieter, less known – but their heroism was written in quiet determination. Each pilot, nonetheless, shaped history.
"Choosing the number 108 was deeply symbolic," Thao explains. "It was a delicate balance, honouring different facets of this noble profession."
108 Vietnamese Air Warriors is not a dry listing of biographies or achievements. Rather, it captures the soul of each hero through humorous recollections by comrades, and heartfelt anecdotes – breathing life into the calm, unassuming demeanor of these sky warriors. To them, becoming a fighter pilot was simply another profession, approached with humbleness and grace.
To ease the reader's journey, the pilots are arranged alphabetically. Their portraits offer a tender flashback between the vibrancy of their youth during wartime and their present-day selves in peacetime. Some heroes remain eternally young, fallen at twenty or thirty years of age. Some heroes carry on, navigating the quiet battles of daily life. Yet a common thread runs through them all – optimism, simplicity, and compassion.
Thus, though officially 108 heroes are profiled, in truth, the spirit of many more circles and enriches this work. It is a living portrait of Vietnam’s Air Force – a tribute painted in light and memory.
Beyond portraits, the authors excerpt key passages from pilots’ memoirs – clarifying concepts like “night flying”, “dogfighting”, “electronic warfare” – and provide concise notes about aircraft models that clashed with the U.S. Air Force, as well as pivotal historical milestones of Air Force victories…
"Proud to be a daughter of an Air Force officer, I was blessed with both an understanding of their world and an artist’s instinct. Through worn epaulettes, tattered helmets, and heavy medals pressed against ageing uniforms, we glimpsed their undying spirit. Their eyes, forever searching distant skies, would brighten anew when recounting flights of daring, of joy, of sorrow. In their stories lay not just victories, but the tender humanity of men who soared, suffered, triumphed, and returned home – to fields, to old homes, to waiting grandchildren," confides Thao.
108 Vietnamese Air Warriors stands as a rare, comprehensive, vivid, and meticulously crafted photographic record of Vietnam’s Air Force – in wartime, and in the quiet rigour of peacetime training.
Captain Nguyen Nam Lien (former Principal of Vietnam’s Flight School) offers his praise: "The author, Tu Phuong Thao, is the daughter of Vietnam People’s Armed Forces Hero, Colonel, Pilot Tu De – a member of the historic Quyet Thang Squadron, who flew the final combat mission before national reunification. A little girl who grew up following her father through frontline airbases and airports, living daily amidst the thunder of jet engines, witnessing firsthand the lives and missions of combat pilots, the majestic image of roaring fighter jets launching into the skies… That little girl has now grown up to create a loving, heartfelt chronicle of the mighty eagles and fearless sky warriors, seen through the dearest lens of all: that of a daughter’s devotion."
Alongside the book launch is an exhibition featuring 12 legendary Air Force heroes and Aces (pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircrafts): Ace Nguyen Van Bay, Ace Vu Ngoc Dinh, Ace Nguyen Dang Kinh, Ace Nguyen Duc Soat, Ace Mai Van Cuong, Ace Le Hai, Ace Le Thanh Dao, Ace Nguyen Van Coc, Ace Pham Thanh Ngan, Vietnam People’s Armed Forces Hero Tran Hanh, Hero Ho Van Quy, and Hero Pham Tuan.
Visit this page for more detailed information, images and to get your copy of the book. The page includes:
- An introduction to the project.
- Photographs and information on the regiments, pilots and aces.
- "Chronicles of the Skies" - memoirs and historical air battles.
- Book purchasing details.