Lâm Tấn Tài (1935 - 2001) was a documentary photographer during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Early life

Lâm was born in the

Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu ) is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the coast of the country's Southeast region. It also includes the Côn Đảo islands, located some distance off Vietnam's southeastern coast. From 1954 to 1975, under South ...

and moved to the North in 1946 to join the revolution.

Career

After studying photography at the

Lomonosov Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

and Archaeology in

Hanoi University Hanoi University (HANU; vi, Đại học Hà Nội) (formerly Hanoi University of Foreign Studies), established in 1959 in Hanoi, is an institution for foreign language training and research. Hanoi University offers bachelor's degrees in 10 ...

, Lâm was drafted and sent south to photograph the Ho Chi Minh trail in 1965. Lâm notably also photographed the Cu Chi tunnels and the

Tet Offensive The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) against the forces o ...

, where he was blinded by M-79 grenade. Lâm critiques the wartime photography (or Ảnh Chiến Tranh) during this era as "having missed its golden moment" by glossing over the violence of the conflict to record beautiful sights and subjects." Lâm was appointed the first general chairman of the Việt Nam Photographers Association.

Technique

Lâm used a small East German-made camera, that he purchased while studying in Moscow. He would develop his film at night, using any nearby stream to wash his negatives and prints.

Death

Lâm died of cancer of the tongue in 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tai, Lam Tan 1935 births 2001 deaths Hanoi University of Mining and Geology alumni Moscow State University alumni