It could certainly have gone on for longer in this form. It’s true what people are saying that it’s incomplete as reportage, but there is something very different going on here which, when presented this way, makes for a forceful, specific vision. The lack of other people in the shots, the repetition of the edit, the faces often surrounded by empty space, the run down post-colonial feel of the surroundings, all add up to a consciousness of the isolation of the victims. It is isolation in the sense that they’ll never fully realise their human capacity for fellowship, and also that their welfare is a low priority for the powerful. You say that you just want to make portraits in normal everyday circumstances, but I think perhaps this isolation, or removal, could be a major connection between subject – how their lives are different – and style.

Or perhaps you’d disagree entirely :)

The last one of the chalkboard is a moving echo of the famous shot of the young girl by David Seymour, is it not? A reminder that the aftermath of the Vietnam conflict will be as long or much longer than WW2 for those involved.

I’d like to offer congratulations and encouragement to continue developing this story. You’ve seen Kelly and Eva’s comments – your work is important and needs to fully occupy the public gaze. Yes, please give us some more context, it’s a tight edit and can easily take a few more pictures – and my favorite? No 12 – just for the fun and exuberance of it!!!

Steve

Not only the US, Italian military personel that were in the ex Yugoslavia war have cancer due to depleted uranium, just to mention ONE scenario, there are many more. How many of the cilvilians might have cancer as well in those (ex) warzones?

I strongly agree with Gordon Lafleur. Look. And ask. Don’t hide.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by extrajection: Good #photography essay by Aaron Joel Santos on care centre for children affected by Agent Orange, Vietnam (Burn Mag) http://j.mp/8Q0R96…

Aaron, it was nice to meet you briefly at the EAW this year. I hope you got over your stomach bug!

On a basic level, I agree this is an important story, and thank you, Aaron for tackling it. It would be good to see more in the future, as the project evolves.

i agree with everyone who has commented so far….everyone has said something a bit different, but all are right on…such an important issue, and since you live in Hanoi i think you should go in , dig deeper, and really give this visual justice…i published you here on Burn because i felt your efforts were heartfelt, important, and this story just cannot be told too many times…i did cut your edit way down because i felt the other pictures were repetitious of the ones we have here and not as strong visually as the ones we show…i think you would agree that the ones cut did not really add to the story to be told…yes, we mostly have portraits, which is not a problem for me at all, but perhaps there may be more to add in terms of just the way you see it and how powerful the portraits must be…remember please your work is always going to be judged against the strongest work we have seen on particular subjects….so yes you ARE going to be compared to Philip Jones Griffiths, James Nachtwey and Paul Fusco when you do a story like this…unfair?? NO…how else can we compare? come to a “middle ground”?? i do not think so….please use this comment as impetus to really go for it..all the way..this is good, but go for great….

most stories here on Burn are in fact works in progress….which is the whole point of our comment system…i commend you for your efforts to bring light to a subject that many of us often forget…the stories to be told after the news is “hot” are stories of great import no matter how many years pass…many thanks for your interest in Burn and please stay in touch with me… please present any new work you produce in Vietnam on this or any other relevant story…

cheers, david

I see a lot of respect in this work on the part of the photographer and feeling this when looking at the images is more important to me about the styling or number of pictures. Maybe there are more….

Back to image 6… Aaron, you really gave those two kids something special by photographing them. Its very touching. Also…. no.8 is lovely too.

Thankyou and congratulations. Congratulations for being published, and for getting this story out there.

These children represent the tip of the iceburg and effectivly point out the suffering which is still being inflicted by the money loving war mongers of our world.

I can’t for the life of me understand some of the reaction here, except that I know from 23 years of personal experience as a parent of a mentally handicapped son, that people are uncomfortable confronting people with physical and mental dis-abilities. I experience this every time I go out in public with him, most recently an hour ago getting groceries. People stare, then look away embarassed if you catch them (if we catch you, just smile).

Aaron, the straight ahead full frontal portraits are perfect. It is important, and powerful, to look people in the eye, wether they are handicapped or not. It is what I miss in most essays…direct confrontation, eye contact, the most powerful of human connections, and one of the most magical things that photographs are capable of doing. Eye contact with a piece of paper, or a computer screen.

Yes, the essay could be longer, there could be stuff of the care-givers, the programs, etc etc, blah blah, but you have made your point elequently and powerfully. LOOK WHAT THEY HAVE DONE……..no more explanation needed.

Working with subject who have deformities, developmental disabilities or retardation is no easy task. If this is truly meaningful for you, I think we will eventually see another iteration of this in the future on BURN or at least I hope so.

My own brother-in-law died at a young age from a rare bone cancer I’m certain he contracted because of the Agent Orange he came in contact with during his two tours as a marine in Vietnam. His two sons became “orphans of Agent Orange” too.

And yet, even today, the US military and government leaders continue to use terribly toxic and carcinogenic substances in many of the bombs they drop on civilians in their declared and undeclared wars around the world. And the American people turn a blind eye to it. So photo-documentary work like yours, Aaron, is essential. If we don’t see it, we don’t think about it. Even if we do see it, we can still close our eyes, but it’s harder to close down our hearts.

Thank you for your work, Aaron. I hope you will continue working on this project and then find ways to get it out into the larger world. What you have to say about the multigenerational costs of war is important.

Patricia