VietNamNet Bridge – Legendary war photographer Nick Ut put up five of his famous photos for auction, and sold them for VND540 million (US$26,000) last Monday night.

During the two-hour auction, five photos by legendary war photographer Nick Ut were sold for $26,000, with Napalm Girl being sold for the highest amount.

All the proceeds from the auction will be donated to "Hieu Ve Trai Tim" (Understanding the Heart) Fund.

The five photos are entitled Tre Em Chan Trau Tam Song (Buffalo Tending Children Swim in the River), Hai Cu Gia O Bao Loc (Two Elderly in Bao Loc City), Mat Trang Khong Lo (Giant Moon) and Chay Tron Chien Tranh Trong Mua He Do Lua 1972 (Running Away from the War in the Blazing Summer 1972), as well as Co Gai Napalm (Napalm Girl), which brought worldwide fame to its author.

Napalm Girl was sold for the highest price, VND250 million ($12,000). Carrying the signatures of both Ut and the girl in the photo, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, the photo was bought by Nguyen Van Hoa, chairman of the board of directors of Thien Hoa Electronics Centre, who also purchased the Buffalo Tending Children Swim in the River photo.

Hoa said he had seen the war during his childhood, and had purchased the photo as a remainder of that unforgettable experience.

Huynh Cong Ut, known professionally as Nick Ut (born on March 29, 1951), works for the Associated Press (AP). He is among six AP photographers and also the first Vietnamese ever to win the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography for his Napalm Girl photo.

VNS