He was born in Hà Nam Province into a family with strong ties to the revolution against French colonialism.
[1] After studying the intermediate art course at the Vietnam Fine Arts College, he joined the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in May 1965 during the heightened American bombing campaign of Operation Linebacker.
He was in charge of making banners, decorating meeting halls and drawing propaganda posters for his unit.
His paintings were shown in many divisional exhibitions and published in Quân Đội Nhân Dân (‘People’s Army’ newspaper).
He was able to draw in many famous locations, including the Ho Chi Minh Trail, Highway 9, Khe Sanh, the Second Battle of Quảng Trị and eventually in Saigon in 1975 during and after liberation.