Whenever Marc visits Ho Chi Minh City, he returns to Palace because here, more than anywhere else, the final moments of the long-running war comes into sharp focus. Marc first arrived in Vietnam in 1974 as a photojournalist. Over the course of 5 months, he sent many photos documenting the American war in Vietnam to several foreign news agencies. Since then, Vietnam has become a source of inspiration for Marc, and he returns time and again to the theme of April 30th 1975. However, it is not easy for Marc to gather material for his news reports. For instance, for his 14 page article to mark the 30th anniversary, Marc spent 8 months seeking the authorities’ permission.
"Every year, the theme of my news report for April 30th is different. For the 30th anniversary of South liberation and reunification, I did a report about the reunion of 3 Vietnamese tank operators who smashed the gate of the Independence Palace in Saigon in 1975. On the 20th anniversary, I did a report about the Southern regime under Former President Thiệu. People may have different feelings and opinions about April 30th 1975. However, we should see this day as a reunification day, and look forward to the future - to Vietnam’s development", said Marc Charuel.
Marc’s theme for his report this year is the generational variance in opinions regarding the impact of April 30th, 40 years on. Besides his reports about April 30th, Marc has also produces many reports about economics, culture and tourism in Vietnam.
Marc Charuel has worked as a war correspondent in many places around the world. Currently, he is the director of the photography section in the French Current Affairs magazine. Marc travels the world producing news reports on a wide range of international issues, and has also published many books about the consequences of war.
