One of the most unusual sights in a city overflowing with strange sights is the slight figure of a 12 year old Vietnamese boy darting into the street battles, scrambling across the rubble, deliberately heading for trouble.
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| 18 Feb 1968, Saigon; Vietnam - Young Lo Manh Hung wanders among a group of refugees in Saigon February 18th looking for picture possibilities. At the age of 12, he’s probably the youngest photo journalist in South Vietnam. For two years now he has been helping his father, a veteran freelance photographer, cover the dramatic and sometimes violent events of this war torn city. (Bettmann/CORBIS) |
While other youngsters flee danger, he looks for it. He is a professional photographer and he has a thick stack of published pictures to prove it.
Not much taller than four feet and only a smidgin over 60 pounds, bright eyed Lo Manh Hung wears his cameras like a badge.
He has been taking pictures professionally more than two years, since his locally well known father, Lo Vinh, was injured covering street rioting and needed help in his work.
With the father, who is 58 years old, the pair form a team boasting Saigon’s oldest and youngest working photographers. The father, a cameraman for 44 years, was born in North Vietnam, studied art and literature at a French university, but turned to his hobby of photography for income when times got tough.
For years he traveled, taking pictures throughout Indochina, and didn’t marry until he was 43. A few months later he and his bride fled the Communists in the North and came to Saigon.
Lo Manh Hung and his father arise everyday at 5am. To be early on the job and usually don’t finish until after 9pm.That’s 365 days a year, the father sighs.
In less hectic times, the pair scoot about the city on a motorbike to cover official government affairs, weddings, airport arrivals, parties, fires, whatever may make news.
Lo Manh Hung helps with the film processing and printing, then turns messenger salesman, pedding fresh prints to local newspapers and foreign news agencies.