Released in 1971, Vietnam Inc. by Philip Jones Griffiths was a career-defining work for the Welsh photographer, whose candid, sympathetic images of Vietnam during the American War showed a much different side of the country to a global audience.
Griffiths didn’t have formal photography training, as he studied pharmacy. His part-time job as a photographer for the Manchester Guardian introduced him to the craft, which became his life-long passion. In 1961, Griffiths freelanced for the London-based Observer, covering the Algerian War and then the conflict in Vietnam from 1966 to 1971.
This selection of pictures, however, took place nearly a decade after the publishing of the book, in 1980. Five years after the war ended, life in Vietnam was returning to some semblance of normalcy, though the ramifications of violence were pronounced, from physical deformities on veterans to villages devoid of adults.
Have a look at some standout shots below:
Inside a general store in central Hanoi.
A rural school in northern Vietnam, whose yard is still filled with drenches once used as shelters during bombings.
Farmers dig irrigation canals together in a field.
Residents in Huế section off an area of the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace to rear fish.
Youths in Saigon during an illegal bike race at night.
Homeless people outside Hanoi's St. Joseph's Cathedral.
A public tenement in Hải Phòng.
The Mekong Delta.
Young queer people in Saigon on a night out.
Visitors listen to a presentation at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi.
Children in Sơn Mỹ Village, where the Mỹ Lai Massacre took place.
Xuân Lộc, Đồng Nai Province.
A street vendor selling magazines and novels.
Knick-knacks for sale on the streets of Saigon after local families escaped overseas.
A class in rural Vietnam in a half-open classroom after the school was bombed.
A rare drinks stall.
Inside a kindergarten.
War veterans watch a football match at a rehabilitation center in Hanoi.
An arts and crafts class inside a center for former sex workers.
[Photos by Philip Jones Griffiths via Redsvn]
