Napalm Girl, the Vietnam war and her life story

Napalm Girl, the Vietnam war and the little-known story of her life after the War.

Vietnam, officially known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is the innermost country on the Southeast Asian Indochinese peninsula. Vietnam is a very green and beautiful country but was subject to many wars and brutality. These wars also took a great toll on the people living there.

One such example is the story of the Napalm Girl. She was one of the victims of the tragic napalm bomb attack in Vietnam during the Vietnam war. The Vietnam War, is also known as the Second Indochina War. In Vietnam it is called the Resistance War against America or simply the American War. This conflict took place in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam.

The Napalm Bomb

The napalm bomb was dropped on June 8, 1972, by South Vietnamese planes on Trảng Bàng. Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a telling agent and a volatile petrochemical. It can cause severe burns, asphyxiation, unconsciousness and even death. Napalm fires can create an atmosphere of greater than 20% carbon monoxide. it also brings on firestorms with self-perpetuating winds of up to 70 miles per hour.

The Napalm Girl

Phan Thi Kim Phúc is the name of “the Napalm Girl”. She has a very gruesome and close connection with the napalm bombing that took place in Vietnam. Phan Thi Kim Phúc is a south Vietnamese born woman. She is the nine-year-old naked girl depicted in the photograph taken at Trảng Bàng during the napalm bomb explosion.

The picture shows the napalm bomb exploding in the background with kids as well as soldiers running away from the explosion. The main aspect of the picture that draws everyone’s attention is, however, Kim Phúc. She has her clothes burnt off, running away with severe burns on her back after the explosion. You cannot forget her horrified expression easily. It literally screams out the pain that Kim Phúc experienced. The pain captured in this picture encapsulates the pain imposed by war on innocent citizens of a country. The photograph even won the Pulitzer Prize. War was romanticized then. People believed that harsh means were the only way to sort disputes. And bring about peace or freedom. The nine-year-old girl in the picture tells a different story.

Most of the people reading this article, would have definitely heard of this Napalm Girl. Many would also have seen the famous picture. But do you know what happened to her post-war?

The story of the Napalm Girl’s life after the War

Kim Phúc suffered several serious injuries to her back due to the explosion. Plastic surgery fixed these. However, she was unconscious for a long time. During this time, she had a dream of her becoming a doctor. So, after recovery, off she went to medical school. Kim Phúc lived in peace for a while in anonynimity. But soon, the Vietnamese government rediscovered her. This created a huge buzz. Journalists from all over the world wanted to interview her.

She couldn’t attend school. She had to do publicity instead. Kim Phúc hated this as she now had no freedom to do what she wanted. She was constantly being interviewed by the press and journalists. The Vietnamese government sent her away to Cuba to study. Here she fell in love with a Vietnamese student who she eventually married. When they were off to their honeymoon, they had a layover at Newfoundland. They defected and started a new life in Toronto. Kim Phúc and her husband found freedom in Canada.

The Napalm Girl now

As I write this blog, they are happily married with two beautiful children. Kim Phúc even founded the Kim Foundation International which helps child victims of war.

Kim Phúc has nightmares about the war even to date. The marks may fade but the memories will always be part of her. Many speak of the glories and righteousness of war. We should never forget that the ones that are the most affected in the end are the common folk. They probably don’t deserve what they get pulled into.

The Tragedies of War

Everyone sympathised with Kim Phúc when the picture created a buzz. However, nobody cared about how much it affected her whole life. But for the war, Kim Phúc and many, many others like her would’ve had a chance at a regular life. The pen is always mightier than the sword, they say. I, for one, strongly believe that this is what we should live by.

In case you are interested in the effects of war on a country and people, try reading about my slow travel experience in Laos.

And in case you wish to get some ideas on experiential travel to Vietnam or Laos, you could visit Beyonder Travel.

(Stories by Anand Parameswaran compiled by Nikitha CV)