AP Combat Photographer Dang Van Phuoc Dies at 91, Leaving a Legacy of War Coverage and Community Service

Dang Van Phuoc, a former Associated Press combat photographer who covered the Vietnam War for ten years, died on May 27 2026 in Southern California after a sudden collapse, his nephew Van Nguyen reported. He was 91 and later became a noted portrait photographer in Orange County.

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Born in 1935 near Quang Ngai, south of Da Nang, Phuoc was the youngest of many. His father was killed by Viet Cong members when Phuoc was about ten; his mother died a few years later, leaving him homeless. He later volunteered at a Saigon film studio, where he first handled a camera and taught himself photography.

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AP photo chief Horst Faas hired Phuoc in 1965 to replace a photographer killed on assignment. In his decade with AP he was wounded five times. Five months after his hire a grenade exploded, lodging shrapnel in his chest and leg; he returned to duty soon. In 1968 he suffered a concussion from a rocket strike while covering Saigon street fighting and earned a commendation from the Ninth U.S. Army Infantry Division for rescuing a wounded U.S. soldier under sniper fire. In 1969 a grenade blast while patrolling with a Ranger battalion south of Da Nang cost him his right eye. He relearned to shoot with one eye, kept capturing frontline action, noting the difficulty of framing shots while watching soldiers’ silent gestures.

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After Saigon fell in 1975 Phuoc fled with his family. They were rescued from a Guam refugee camp by AP reporter Linda Deutsch and taken to Camp Pendleton. He briefly worked for AP in Hong Kong before settling permanently in Southern California. There he built a career as a portrait photographer in Orange County’s Little Saigon, co-founded The Artistic Photography Association, and trained emerging photographers. Phuoc also volunteered for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, earning the county’s Volunteer of the Year award in 1994. His work has been displayed in a museum in Vietnam, and his great-nephew Kim Nguyen recalls seeing his infant portraits there.

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Van Nguyen described Phuoc as an extraordinary man who overcame severe childhood hardship. AP colleague Huynh Công “Nick” Út said Phuoc was fearless and resourceful in the field and expressed personal grief at his passing. AP archives note his emphasis on photographing civilians caught in crossfire, reflecting his belief that images could convey their stories worldwide.

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• “He was a really very extraordinary man who grew up from very bad treatment when he was a boy,” — Van Nguyen, nephew

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• “Everyone loved him so much,” — Huynh Công “Nick” Út, AP Saigon bureau colleague

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• “When I heard, I cried, ‘My brother, he’s gone.’” — Huynh Công “Nick” Út

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