Show of courage: A photo by Doan Cong Tinh depicts the violence of war and the bravery of Vietnamese liberation fighters. The photo is on display at the 26th International Festival of Photojournalism in France. — Photo vietnamplus

PERPIGNAN, France (VNS) — Long after the Vietnamese resistance against France and the US, the subject of war in Viet Nam remains a great concern.

Eight photographs from Vietnamese photographers featuring the American War in Viet Nam have drawn a huge crowd consisting of international media workers, professionals and the public at an exhibit in southern France.

The exhibit, which will run from August 30 to September 14, forms part of the ongoing International Festival of Photojournalism called Visa Pour L'Image in this city.

Vietnamese war photojournalists Doan Cong Tinh, Chu Chi Thanh, Hua Kiem and Mai Nam took the photographs covering the years 1966 to 1973.

They depict the violence of war and the bravery of President Ho Chi Minh's soldiers, the decisive factor that helped Viet Nam win in the tough but glorious struggles of the entire nation against the US.

Veteran French photojournalist Patrick Chauvel, who faced death so many times during bloody battles in the hills and forests of Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands), showed his respect for his Vietnamese colleagues who, he recalled, nearly forgot about themselves while at work when B-52 bombers of the US bombarded the Ho Chi Minh Trail and other battlefields.

"They are both reporters and soldiers. We feel proud and happy to have a chance to narrate their stories today," Chauvel told a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in France.

According to Chauvel, a great number of Western reporters arrived in Viet Nam to report about the war, and many of them were world renowned, such as Larry Burrow, Duncan Burnett, Don McCullin and Philip Jones Griffiths, as well as Henri Huet.

On this occasion, Chauvel released a book entitled Photojournalists of North Viet Nam. The book, published by Arenes Publisher, is a collection of 140 photographs by numerous photojournalists, including those earlier mentioned.

Also included in the book is a special section introducing the Vietnam News Agency and its considerable contribution to the wars of resistance against France and the US. More than 260 of the agency's staff lost their lives in the wars.

The annual Visa Pour L'Image aims to reinforce the importance and value of press photography and create a platform for showcasing in-depth reports and stories which have not been published.

The festival features a series of activities, including photo exhibitions, screenings, meetings and awards. The photo exhibit presents stories or anthologies of a photographer's work on subjects such as wars, nature, people and the environment, as well as religious issues, social phenomena and the great scourges of the present time. — VNS