William Crawford
William Crawford (b. 1949, US) studied photography at Yale University and was one of the first foreign photographers to gain access to postwar Vietnam in 1985. He continued to return at regular intervals for a period of thirty years. As an American witnessing the devastation and sorrow of war he was compelled to show the humanity that coexists with deep suffering. Sensitive to the subtle nuances of everyday life and the customs of the people in this land, he documented the life of the Vietnamese as it evolved alongside the country’s rapid modernization. Through his powerful photographs of specific neighborhoods and families, especially in Northern Vietnam, he shows the changes of this beautiful country and its people, as they worked hard to forget the years of turmoil and embrace economic liberalization.