NY Times - obitiuary of a friend
It's an odd feeling as a photographer to have a portrait you took on assignment many years ago for the New York Times later used as an obituary of that person who went on to become a dear friend. What I know is this, Duc would've been proud to have his obituary in the NY Times, he's sitting somewhere at a bar with Anthony Bourdain somewhere casually throwing it out there in his Duc way in his Duc voice "No big deal, just saw the obituary about me in the NYT, whatever. " RIP Duc, my final gift to you, love you my friend. Thank you also to my dear friend Seth Mydans for writing this.
This was my little tribute I posted about Duc on social media, my personal obituary for him I suppose along with a collection of images I took of him through the years.
“RIP to my dear friend Nguyen Qui Duc. I just arrived in HCMC to hear the sad news and I'm in tears as I write this from my hotel room. He was the most beautifully strange person I've ever met and while I could never keep up with him intellectually we bonded on just being silly, and odd, and we were both always cooking up something on the horizon.
He's my oldest friend here in Hanoi, we met in 2008 while I was photographing him on an assignment for The New York Times. We met at his gorgeous mountain retreat in Tam Dao and hit it off immediately with back-and-forth banter. I remember sipping wine with him on his rooftop and he was discussing his plan to open a bar/cafe called Tadioto, the first iteration of his legendary bar.
He went on to have several versions of Tadioto and it became a place where I met so many lifelong friends through the years with Duc connecting the dots. He loved to connect people, he was a bridge for so many of us expatriates both with each other and with Vietnamese nationals.
Like many confused expats trying to navigate their way through life in Vietnam, Duc was always there to help me. Many friends came and went here but he was always here, always my constant when I need to go have a drink, go see Duc. I photographed him for numerous assignments and we had a blast on every shoot he was so patient and generous with his time, allowing me to experiment with my lighting and composition.
He was the celebrant for my wedding and he left his mark on me in so many ways. The reason I love interior design is because Duc taught me so much about style and decor, he has such a tasteful eye for these things.
I did a pretty solid Duc impression that I don't think I ever did in front of him but I looked up to him for so many reasons, too long to list here.
I'll miss you my friend and I love you. The best way I can think of showing my love is to share some of my favorite photos I've taken of you through the years, RIP Duc. “
