Lâm Tấn Tài (1935 - 2001) was a

documentary photographer Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle events or environments both significant and relevant to history and historical events as well as everyday life. It is typically undertaken as professional ph ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Early life

Lâm was born in the

Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu (abbreviated BRVT) was formerly a province of Vietnam. It was located on the coast of the country's Southeast region. It bordered Đồng Nai to the north, Bình Thuận to the northeast and Ho Chi Minh City metropolit ...

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

Career

After studying photography at the

Lomonosov Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, and six branches. Al ...

and Archaeology in

Hanoi University Hanoi University (HANU; ) (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 languages including Englis ...

, Lâm was drafted and sent south to photograph the

Ho Chi Minh trail The Ho Chi Minh Trail (), also called Annamite Range Trail () was a Military logistics, logistical network of roads and trails that ran from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through the kingdoms of Kingdom of Laos, Laos and Cambodia (1953–1970), ...

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. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on 30 January 1968 against the forces of ...

, 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