Legendary photographer "still haunted by the war"

Nick Ut, famous for the photo "Vietnam Napalm Girl", shares his thoughts about the war, his job as a photojournalist and his current life.

"Although the war is far behind us, I'm still haunted by images of the war that circulate around in my head. I have been a familiar face to Hollywood's limelight for many years now. People know me as one of the first photographers to have captured images of Michael Jackson at the moment of his death," Nick Ut shared with a DTiNews reporter.

Nick Ut's famous "Vietnam Napalm Girl" photo.

"I've chosen to reside in America because the AP is one of the biggest and most influential news agency in the world." (Photo: Nick Ut in his earlier days during the Vietnam War)

Nick Ut today. (Photo: Viet Hung)

Nick Ut among Vietnamese photojournalists in a discussion on photojournalism held in Vietnam. (Photo: Viet Hung)

Nick Ut beside French actress Catherine Deneuve.

The whole world knew about the horror of war through your images. In your opinion, does the value of those photos lie in the horror of war itself, or in the moment it was being captured, or is it in the photographer who captured it?

I personally think it is the photographer who captured it. Simply considering the situation that I was in when I captured the "Vietnam Napalm Girl", I was right in the middle of the battefield when the napalm bomb was dropped and the fire caught on the village and its villagers. If I had been afraid, I would have gone hiding somewhere and not been able to capture this very special image. We photojournalists, to capture these history-marking moments, we had to have courage, had to be among the first to be present on battlefields."

Your "Vietnam Napalm Girl" has recently been voted the most impressive photo of all time by the New Statesman. It was reported however, that you were not the only photographer to be present in the Tay Ninh battle during that period. All the photojournalists present at the scene ran out of film for their cameras, except for you. Is it possible to say that "Vietnam Napalm Girl" was also a bit of luck?

Before Kim Phuc ran out screaming on the street, Phuc's grandmother had gone ahead of her, holding a badly burned child, about one year old, whose skin was peeled off in patches. Seeing this horrible image, the photojournalists who were present at the scene started taking pictures non-stop. However, the child died almost immediately after the first few photos were taken. Film was running out for the other photojournalists and it took them time to replace the old film with new film. Meanwhile, I had all 4 cameras ready to be used, all hanging around my body, and I still had lots of film left. The moment when Kim Phuc ran naked towards our cameras along with other children, I was lucky to be the only one who captured that unforgettable image. It was a moment that later had allowed the world to witness the most horrific and obvious brutality of the Vietnam War.

Looking at your war photos, people can't help but come to tears. What happens to you when you look at these photos?

My eyes are still brimmed with tears everytime I look at those photos. I still feel deeply painful for all the things that happened.

There has been some ideas suggesting that photojournalists are people with a very cold head. How could anyone possibly stand before the brutality of war witnessing children being burned to death by napalm bomb? Normal people would fall to their knees and be unable to look up, but photojournalists were always steady with their cameras in their hands, ready to shoot. Were you one of them?

Immediately after I took the photograph of Kim Phuc, I couldn't take any more photos. Looking at Kim Phuc screaming in pain and agony, no one could help but feeling wretched at the sight. Myself and another person poured some water over her tiny, burned body, hoping that it would ease her pain a little. I went and borrowed a raincoat from one of the Vietnamese soldiers at the scene to cover Phuc's naked body. I then held her in my arms to put her into the car and I took her to Cu Chi Hospital.

Soon after the incident, the "Vietnam Napalm Girl" was published on the cover of many newspapers worldwide. The whole world was stunned by the photo from the Vietnam War and almost immediately after that, many anti-Vietnam War protests took place in America and other countries around the world. Those strong and horrifying images of war had left a deep impact among those who saw it.

Until now, from time to time, I still get invitations to come and speak to students at many universities across America. The younger generations of America have been able to grasp a lot more understanding of the war in Vietnam. They admire the people of Vietnam for fighting and overcoming the war with undefeated spirit and tremendous determination. These war images will always remind us of a horrible conflict that we will never be able to forget. Many Americans held me and cried.

The war is now far behind us, and most newspapers in America are living with the limelight of Hollywood, actors and celebrities. You have taken photos of many stars such as model Heidi Klum, King of Pop Michael Jackson, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and many others. Has the Hollywood limelight taken you away from your sad memories of the old war?

After the war, my job required me to transfer to America. I didn't know what to do when I first arrived. I was asked to take sports photos and capture images at hocky games, despite the fact that I understood nothing about hockey. I said to them that there was nothing for me to take photographs of when every hockey player was running back and forth in the field! After a while, I came to realise that the other photographers simply understood better than me about the nature of our job. A photograph can only be truly beautiful, when we know what it is that we are capturing.

My haunting memories of the war have never subsided in me, and I know it's the same for everyone who has been through war. However, I have to get familiar with Hollywood, with the actors and the celebrities because it is my life now.

Different themes evoke different feelings for every journalist. To Nick Ut, is there any difference in the way that you see war and in the way that you see Hollywood?

For the most part of my life, I had lived with war more. I was injured 3 times during the war, and the emotional pain from it, I still carry in my heart and mind until now. The life of celebrities is not always full of chaos as it is often portrayed in the media. Many of them have invited me out for a coffee, confided in and shared with me many of their personal stories.

In the case of Robert Blake murdering his wife, he was on the verge of receiving a death sentence. I was present at his trial. However, with the help of his lawyer, Robert's sentence was reduced to a life sentence. I was then be able to capture images of Robert Blake dropping his face to the table after the final verdict and when he tightly embraced his lawyer. Those special moments will always be held in my memory.

The most recent case that circulated huge speculations all around the world was the death of Michael Jackson. I was among the first photojournalists to capture images of Michael Jackson the day that he died. Currently, I am still following closely with the suspicion around Michael Jackson's private doctor.

The war is over and life continues.