Nguyen Ngoc Hanh, the Vietnam Photographer

Nguyen Ngoc Hanh was the official war photographer for the Republic of
Viet Nam until his country was invaded by North Vietnam on April 30,
1975. Mr. Hanh was sent to a re-education camp for eight years, during
which time he was specifically tortured by the Communist regime. He
was released due to international pressure, and escaped from the
country as a Boat Person in 1987.

This award-winning artist -- portraiture is his special talent -- earned the
Photographer of the Year for the USA in 1968 because of his images of
the Tet Offensive and the seige of Khe Sanh. His book (shown here), in
Vietnamese (Khoi Lua) and English (Vietnam in Flames) editions, was
published by South Vietnam in 1969 with photos also by Nguyen Manh
Dan.

New biography of Nguyen Ngoc Hanh in pdf

left, De Anza College VSA student
leader Alphonse Pham

above, with Mr. Loc Van Vu at the
Oakland Museum of California,
2004

photos of Mr. Hanh by Jean Libby

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hanh is still a
working photographer at over the
age of eighty.

He exhibits regularly in festivals
around the country, and teaches
master classes in his home in
San Jose, California.

In June 2007 Mr. Hanh has a
retrospective exhibit at the
community room of Nguoi Viet
newspaper in Westminster.

Exhibit in January 2009 in San Jose
with his limited edition art book
Nguyen Ngoc Hanh va Than Huu
(Among Friends)

Mr. Hanh at the television
interview telling his primary
source story of the Tet Offensive
of 1968 for The History Channel.

Even though Mr. Hanh was
selected among the Top Ten PSA
Photographers of 1968 for his war
coverage of the Tet Offensive, his
taped interview was not shown in
the final production.

After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Mr.
Hanh was imprisoned by the
Communists who invaded his
country in violation of the Paris
Peace Accords.