The death of Dang Van Phuoc, war-photographer extraordinaire.

30 views

Skip to first unread message

Carl Robinson

unread,

May 27, 2026, 1:48:38 AMMay 27

to Vietnam Old Hacks

Folks,

A few notes on the AP obit for Dang Van Phuoc. Vietnam War photographer Dang Van Phuoc dies at 91 in Southern California | AP News I knew DVP well — in Saigon, and later in the U.S. — and some of the published details don’t match the man or the history.

First, the injury. Phuoc didn’t lose his eye in a grenade blast. He took an AK‑47 round point‑blank from a VC in a foxhole. That ended his action photography. He never went back to frontline work after that.

Second, 1975. The Vietnamese staff who reached Guam weren’t the “clothes on their backs” refugees described in the obit. The real issue was AP’s handling of them. All local staff were given $3,000 and dismissed. Only two were kept on — Phuoc, because he’d lost an eye working for AP, and Nick Ut because of the Pulitzer.

AP then sent Phuoc and his family to Hong Kong and Ut to Tokyo, both on local salaries. I was in New York at the time. Phuoc was miserable in Hong Kong. I took him to see AP President Keith Fuller to ask for a transfer to the U.S. Fuller turned him down. Phuoc resigned soon after and moved his family to Southern California.

A personal note. After he lost his eye and married Hoa, my wife Kim-Dung and I became close to them. The one useful thing about that Hong Kong posting was that Phuoc and Hoa could act as a conduit for letters to and from my wife Kim‑Dung’s family in Vietnam. Her father was in a re‑education camp, and with the U.S. embargo even letters were blocked. They kept that line open for us.

Finally, the man. Phuoc was quiet, tough, and allergic to the mythology that grew up around the bureau. He had no time for the post‑war narratives. He also had strong views about who actually took the “Napalm Girl” photo, and he shared those with me years ago, including the stringer's name. When I spoke to him in March, he was pleased the truth had finally surfaced, though he never wanted his name attached to it.

Just adding this for the record, for those who knew him — or thought they did.