'You're all very young!" exclaimed Nick Ut after we introduced ourselves to each other. "I remember -- me too! I started when I was very young."
Ut was only 16 when he joined the Associated Press (AP) in 1966 amid the Vietnam War. He was 17 when he became a combat photographer, and his job was to show people what was happening in his home country. At 21, his iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning-photograph Napalm Girl bespoke the power of photography and changed the world's perception of the war.
Taken on June 8, 1972, in Trang Bang, Vietnam, Napalm Girl is the jaw-dropping black-and-white photograph of a young, naked girl fleeing her village in terror after being bombed by a South Vietnamese Air Force Skyraider. In the photo, four other terrified children are seen running with her, but it's the severely burnt girl -- Kim Phuc -- who became the face of all that was wrong in Vietnam.
Appearing on the front cover of every newspaper around the world and winning every photo award imaginable, Ut's photograph sparked global outcry. It was one of the catalysts that urged people to realise the war had to end.
It's been 46 years since the photograph was taken, and ever since, Ut has taken tens of thousands of photographs in his five decades with AP, including red carpet events and famous celebrity trials (think O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson). But Napalm Girl, which is officially titled The Terror Of War, remains one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century, reminding us every day of the faces of the innocent trapped in the terrible act of war.
Last week, the energetic 66-year-old visited Bangkok to launch his exhibition "My Story By Nick Ut" at Gaysorn Village's newest art venue, Leica Gallery Bangkok. The exhibition, which lasts until April 30, features 25 remarkable black-and-white images from the Vietnam War, including the searing and iconic Napalm Girl. And for almost an hour, Ut talked to us about his hell-to-Hollywood life, and that fated day that would change his and Kim Phuc's life forever.
Nick Ut. Photos: Anthony Ky
You looked up to your brother Huynh Thanh My as your hero. Could you describe how much he influenced your life and career?
He was a Vietnamese movie star. He was very famous and worked for CBS as a cameraman before he joined AP. They hired my brother, I think, in 1963, and in two years he died in the Mekong Delta, shot by the Viet Cong. At the time he died, I was 15. I cried all the time. I loved my brother. I learned so much about photography from him. When he came home he always showed me the camera and how to take pictures.
After his death, did you know you wanted to be a photographer right away?
I remember it was Jan 1, 1966, that I joined AP. I remember before I called the company and they told me, 'Too young! Go home! We don't want you!'. They were worried that I would die like my brother. Then I tried weeks later. I said, 'Can I work in AP?'. And they said, 'OK'. But I wasn't a photographer. They wanted me to work in the darkroom. I loved the darkroom so much. Everyday I developed pictures and learned so much from the pictures and photographers. Because in AP Vietnam, it was all famous photographers. I learned from every picture and they had every camera. I held every camera, I played with the cameras. I loved cameras and I wanted to work with them.
How did you become a war photographer only a year later?
One day, the Viet Cong attacked Saigon, where I stayed. Then I took my motorbike and took photos of all the dead bodies, the fighting. The company said, 'Nicky, you're a good photographer'. And I said, 'I don't want to be in the darkroom anymore, I want to be a photographer'. I covered almost 10 years of war.
How many close calls did you have?
I had too many. I got shot three times -- in my stomach, my leg, and arm. My helicopter got shot down. Too many times I thought I'd die. One time, a rocket swooped over my head and gave me a haircut. My hair was burning. I jumped inside a bunker right away and my friend said my hair was all burnt. I remember they said if I was a little taller I'd be gone. Because I'm Buddhist, I pray to Buddha and I pray to my brother.
Your photo of the so-called Napalm Girl in Trang Bang -- what happened that day?
The war in Trang Bang lasted three days. It started on June 7. My friend from ABC News called me and said, 'Nicky, Highway 1 has been blocked by the Viet Cong'. I couldn't go then. I had to go on June 8 in the morning.
I saw thousands of people -- Saigon refugees -- and I took photos of the refugees. I got back to the highway and stood outside Trang Bang at noon. I looked to the pagoda and saw a Vietnamese soldier throw a grenade, and yellow smoke came out. The first one, the A37 jet, dropped two bombs. Boom! And then the A1 jet came very low. Low means napalm. I saw the bomb coming down and I took my long lens to take pictures and I followed the bomb and it exploded. I put my hands to my heart and hoped no one died, because I thought they had evacuated already.
Then I saw more people running out from the smoke. And the children. The photo of the old lady carrying the baby -- she stopped in front of all the media, and I was holding my camera, my Leica, and I clicked. And the boy died in my camera. You could see his skin -- his arms and legs -- all burning.
As I took the picture of the boy, my eye looked to the pagoda. I saw a girl with other children. She was running. I thought, 'Why wasn't she wearing any clothes? She should have clothes!'. As she got closer, I saw her arms and her back burning so badly. I had water, so I put it on her right away. When I put water on her skin, steam came up because it was so hot.
I saw her naked, so I borrowed an army raincoat. I carried her into my van and she sat on the floor because her back was burned. She was screaming, 'I'm dying, I'm dying'. When we got to the hospital I called the Vietnamese nurses and doctors and asked for help. They said, 'I'm very sorry, we have no more medicine because so many soldiers are wounded already'. There was no way they'd help me, so I held up my AP media pass and said, 'If she dies, the picture is on the front page tomorrow'. When they heard that, they all picked her up and went inside right away.
Napalm Girl was taken on June 8, 1972, after a napalm attack by South Vietnamese forces on suspected Viet Cong positions. (Photo by Nick Ut/AP images) Photos: Anthony Ky
What was it like developing the film yourself?
My picture of the Napalm Girl -- I prayed to my brother, 'Please help me, I need a good picture'. There are 36 pictures in the roll, and that picture was number seven. My brother is the seventh child in the family. My brother hated the war. He wanted the war to stop. I told my brother I have the picture to stop the war. I have it.
And the photograph did eventually help stop the war.
When we printed it all over the world, there were anti-war protests everywhere. A lot of people were angry about the Vietnam War because they bombed children. I got a lot of mail saying, 'Thank you, Nick'. I had many people, women and men -- they hugged me crying. Some soldiers came home early and said, 'I'm so happy to be home. If not, I'd be dead in Vietnam'. I'm so happy when people say that.
The photograph was so shocking that President Nixon thought it was fixed. What was your reaction?
[Shakes head.] I remember. Richard Nixon said if it were Napalm, she'd be dead. There's no way she's alive. He said Kim Phuc was burned by cooking oil. I was so angry, because that day, so many people were with me. But many photographers didn't take photos because they were out of film. I said, you know, 'I did my job. Kim Phuc is still alive. She's not dead yet. If you want to ask, ask her'.
Though you've been living in America now for 40 years, how did you mentally deal with what you saw in the war?
I saw people die every day. Every day. Not just one person, sometimes a hundred bodies. Children. People. They're not Viet Cong. They're people in the village. It's very sad. When I was a young man I'd get cheques from AP. I never used the money because everywhere I went, people would take care of me. I had money so I gave it to people. I always brought a lot of medicine and I gave it to people. They called me doctor and I said, 'No, I'm not a doctor, but I'm gonna help you'. My life is better for saving Kim Phuc's life. She lives in Toronto now. I call her once a week to make sure she's OK.
Do you go back to Trang Bang as well?
I go back all the time. The little girl in the picture next to Kim -- that's her cousin. Now she's opened a coffee shop and every time I go there I stop by the village and see Kim's family, almost every year.
You retired from AP seven months ago, but you seem to be busier than ever. What's that about?
People keep inviting me everywhere! I keep going back to my AP office in New York and they say, 'Nicky's coming back!'. They want me to come back. So I say, 'OK, I'll work freelance for AP'. I enjoy taking pictures and I don't want to stay home. I miss covering news stories because I know all the news people in Los Angeles.
So you're never going to stop taking photos?
No. It's so boring. I miss people!
My Story By Nick Ut At Leica Gallery Bangkok
From today until April 30, 2nd floor, Gaysorn Village Open every day from 10am-10pm
