“Vietnam is a country, not a war”

Ted Engelmann - war photographer, American veteran in Vietnam. He is an active participant in activities to heal war wounds among American and Vietnamese veterans. In addition, with his expertise, he directly trains many photography courses for reporters of some newspapers organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in Hanoi.

Ted Engelmann joined the US Air Force and fought in Vietnam when he was only 21 years old. He was passionate about photography and often took pictures of Vietnam during that time. Becoming a freelance photographer, he showed interest in images during wars, so later he participated in taking pictures in countries that had experienced wars such as Iraq, Afghanistan...

Speaking to the students of the Institute of Journalism and Communication, Ted did not choose an academic approach but gently shared about his life, career and outlook on life through personal photos or photos he took in Vietnam and many places around the world. He clearly explained the context, story and message of the photos. The photos show the author's sincere sharing and self-expression.

Ted showed pictures he had taken from an airplane of the jungles of Vietnam disfigured by Agent Orange. Other pictures showed him in combat uniform or as a handsome but sad-faced young man. He explained that he was “so sad” and “angry” at the time because he realized how bad what he was doing in Vietnam was.

“I regret dropping bombs in Vietnam, because I participated in the war,” Ted said. “That is a feeling of guilt that has haunted me over the years.” In fact, many American veterans who fought in other countries also suffered from serious psychological crises, and many even committed suicide because they could not overcome this pressure.

Students from many majors such as Journalism, Public Relations, Religious Studies, Vietnamese Studies, Sociology, Psychology, History, Philosophy... participated in the talk by the American photographer.

Ted’s experiences in the Vietnam War at a young age changed him forever. He made no secret of his trauma and “his desire to do something to make up for what he had done.”

The reason for choosing photography as his job and passion, he said: “I take photos to tell the story of life, as a way to solve my own psychological problems. I came to Vietnam and wanted to help you, but actually it was also a way to help myself.”

Later, Ted continued to take war photos in Iraq and Afghanistan with photos of people facing the war, contrasting perspectives between local people and American soldiers, and images of a little girl sitting and coloring under the shadow of an iron fence with the message "children should not be near wars"...

Ted Engelmann shared that he wanted to do everything to make up for what he had done in Vietnam.

Ted was one of the first American veterans to return to Vietnam after the war as a teacher at the United Nations high school in Hanoi. He was also the one who went to the trouble of finding and handing over to the family of martyr Dang Thuy Tram the CD recording the "fiery" diary of the female doctor - the diary that veteran Federic Withurs had not burned but kept for many years. In 1989, the first time he returned to Vietnam, the American veteran felt nervous and worried about how he would be treated by the Vietnamese people and government. But that fear soon disappeared when Ted received friendly, gentle and hateful treatment from the country and people of Vietnam. "I have told my friends many times that I was treated better in Vietnam than in America" ​​- Ted shared with emotion.

Regarding the opportunity to be the one to personally return the diary to the family of martyr Dang Thuy Tram, the American photographer said it was “a miracle and an honor”. He respects the emotions of young people like Dang Thuy Tram and wants to be the connecting thread to bring those memories and emotions back to the family of the female martyr as well as bring them to the public.

Ted also shared the photos he took in many places in Vietnam to reflect the rapid development of this country after the losses. The photos help Americans understand Vietnam better, providing new perspectives to reshape their thoughts and feelings about Vietnam. “Vietnam is a country, not a war” - the message on the photos was even written by Ted on his own name card as an affirmation and sincere wish of an American veteran.

From a very early age, Ted actively participated in activities to heal the war wounds of American and Vietnamese veterans. In addition, with his expertise, he directly trained many photography courses for reporters of some newspapers organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in Hanoi.

The American photographer ended his talk with advice for young people on how to take beautiful photos: although technology has made photography very different between my time and yours, to be successful we always need to work and study hard, invest in our work and develop our skills. “Love your own photos, then you can make others love them” - the photographer emphasized.