Welsh photographer portrays AO victims

After travelling around 120 countries across the world, Philip Jones Griffiths has become well-known with his photos of the American war in Vietnam , which contributed to the anti-war movement in the US and the world as a whole.

His collection of 47 pictures on the aftermath of Agent Orange in Vietnam has been handed over to the Museum of War Relics in HCM City .

The Welsh photo journalist has devoted part of his career to Vietnam, from war era issues to the environmental recovery programme, which recently culminated in the inauguration of a fund for Agent Orange victims, named after him, in Ho Chi Minh City .

First arriving in Vietnam in 1966, Philip finished six years covering the war as a correspondent for the Magnum News Agency and published a book on Vietnam in 1971. The book, which focused on the sufferings caused by the war to ordinary Vietnamese people, shocked the world and stirred up the anti-war movement in the US.

The book, called Vietnam Inc, contributed to the lobby in the US demanding an end to the “nonsensical” war. The book was republished in 2001 and has become a classic photographic book which is sought after today.

After Vietnam Inc, Philip published three other books of photos including Agent Orange, which told the world about the aftermath of the toxic chemicals sprayed by the US military on Vietnam and its people.

The other books are called Vietnam at Peace, a post-war book of Vietnam and Dark Odyssey, a collection of his best photos.

Philip Jones Griffiths was awarded the insignia “For Peace and Friendship between Nations” by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations in 2008./.