Vietnam through time in the photos of Thomas Billhardt

Thomas Billhardt, German photographer, and author of valuable documentary photos of Hanoi during the American war in Vietnam (1954-1975) will give a photo lecture about his latest photo book entitled "Vietnam 1967 to 2020".

In the photo: Thomas captured a man with his baby on a bicycle in Hanoi during the 1970s.

Previously, his photo exhibition and a book entitled "Hanoi 1967 - 1975" was presented to the Hanoi public in 2020. Thanks to his great contributions to Hanoi, Thomas won the prestigious "Bui Xuan Phai - For Love of Hanoi" award in 2021 in the category "Works - For Love of Hanoi".

Thomas was a renowned war photographer. His photographs of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s of the last century made him famous throughout the world.

Thomas Billhardt traveled to Vietnam six times between 1962 and 1975, and six more times since then. During his journeys, he captured Hanoi in its wartime ordeal, as the city faced tremendous shortages, lacking food and water, yet smiles still lit up the faces of the people in its beautiful, simple, and quiet streets.

His photos of old Hanoi were candid, showing women lining up to get the last drop of water from the public tap, children playing with building blocks on the slide next to the garden, open-air painting classes, Hang Day stadium full of people in soldier's caps and conical hats.

Hanoi was in difficult wartime in the 1970s, however, it can be seen in the smiles on the faces of people. The photo was taken by Thomas during one of his visits to the city over the years.

According to photography critics, Thomas is also considered one of the most extraordinary photographers in the era of the German Democratic Republic before 1990. He was a freelance photojournalist and became known through publications in magazines and exhibitions in numerous countries.

As a reportage photographer, Thomas Billhardt traveled to a total of 49 countries - the images he took there were published worldwide. The immeasurable achievement of Thomas Billhardt, to enlighten the public about war and the resulting suffering with his photographs from the war and crisis regions of this world, weighs above all else. He became world famous with his photographs from the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. His pictures documented the horrors of the Vietnam War for the first time, especially in the faces of the children he photographed.

Numerous international exhibitions honor Thomas Billhardt's successful endeavors. In London, Moscow, Beirut, Hanoi, Florence, Paris, and many other cities, Thomas Billhardt's photographs have been and are being exhibited as contemporary testimonies and as an important part of German photographic history.

In a photo lecture at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, Thomas Billhardt will present his most important international photographic works, including photos from his latest publication “Vietnam 1967 to 2020”.

The event opens for the public at 6P.M on March 12 at Goethe Institut, No. 56-58-60 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.