The job of a war correspondent, as reporter Tim Page shared in an interview on VTV4's Talk Vietnam program in 2015, is "a job not for anyone, don't choose it unless you think you can ".
Danger is always near every second of every minute in the working process of field reporters. Some reporters only survived for a few weeks. Those who live long enough become legends. Young reporters who are just starting to work often say to each other that “Hold on to them…” - referring to these legends - “They are lucky. They will keep you alive.” Of course everyone knows this isn't realistic. But when it has to roll in the dangerous battlefield, it is believed by many people unconsciously. Also, surviving a war isn't just about luck. Those who survive are mostly wise, superstitious, and cautious, though sometimes these are not enough.
Henri Huet has two French and Vietnamese bloodlines in his body. He began studying photography in the French army. At the age of 22, he returned to Vietnam and began his career as a war photojournalist there, a process that took more than two decades that very few of his contemporaries were able to do. In 1967, he won the prestigious Robert Capa Gold Medal award. Contemporaries often joked that Henri Huet spent more time reporting details of the war in the rice fields than most other reporters in Vietnam. A colleague once wittily commented: "Henri goes to battles as often as anyone else goes to work every day!".
On the battlefield, Henri Huet was knowledgeable, self-reliant and skilled - the most elite part of the ranks of war correspondents in Vietnam. Henri Huet's Leica M2s and Nikon Fs cameras capture not only the challenges and dangers soldiers face, but also their personalities. He also fills his frame with idyllic Vietnamese people, what one editor has called “a professional love for the country scene”. Among Henri Huet's fervent admirers was Larry Burrows. Larry Burrows in 1966 enthusiastically persuaded the editors of his LIFE magazine to use the collections of photographs taken by this talented AP reporter during the bloody wars in their publications.
When returning from the battlefield, Henri Huet's fatigue was quickly dispelled by his passion for Vietnam. He would immediately go back to the film reel he had taken during his day, then sit down at his typewriter and diligently compile his notes for the newsletter pages. No other reporter has been as careful in naming and addressing as Henry Huet. At the same time, no other reporter has as many front-page articles as Henri Huet.
Outwardly Henry Huet seems like a friendly and cheerful person. But the truth is that Henri Huet was a reserved man who saw no need to express himself. On a rare occasion, Henri Huet sincerely confided that he had deeper emotional connections to Vietnam than the French looks he inherited from his father. He always spent his spare time throughout his life telling stories of Vietnam.
Henry Huet is also respected by other colleagues because of his skills and personality. Henri Huet enthusiastically guides the young generation to enter the profession. Reporters Tim Page or Huynh Cong Ut, famous war correspondents during the Vietnam War, were two of them. For example, Tim Page. When he came to Vietnam to work, Tim Page was very young and very immature in his profession. It was Henri Huet who taught Tim Page everything about the field of photography: the skills to use the camera to take professional photos, how to wash the photos, ... After a short time Tim Page had become the leading photojournalist on the Vietnam battlefield, who is often sought by famous news agencies to get the most outstanding images and news about Vietnam. So Tim Page sees him as a father in his profession.
As for Huynh Cong Ut, the name Nick Ut was given to him by Henri Huet. Furthermore, Henri Huet replaced Nick Ut, who happened to be ill, on a helicopter that was shot down in Laos shortly afterwards, killing all the crew. This seems to have been his premonition when some time ago, after years of facing mortal danger and a serious leg injury, Henri Huet admitted he had one of his greatest fears: helicopter. That accident was really a shock to the international media in Vietnam at that time. Henri Huet devoted himself to the job until the very end.
