Beyond the Photograph: Vietnam War’s 'Napalm Girl' Gets Final Skin Treatment

Phan Thi Kim Phuc's photo during the 1972 Vietnam War became a symbol of atrocities of war.

During the final laser treatment she was accompanied by Nick Ut, the photographer who took the Pulitzer-winning photo in 1972.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Phan Thi Kim Phuc, whose photo during the 1972 Vietnam War became a symbol of atrocities of war, has received her final skin treatment, 50 years after her village was attacked by napalm.

During the final laser treatment she was accompanied by Nick Ut, the photographer who took the Pulitzer-winning photo in 1972. He was also the one to take her to find medical treatment.

Phuc was 9 years old when her village in South Vietnam was struck by napalm bomb. She survived the attack and a photo of hers, running naked with third degree burns, was captured.

After the attack, she was hospitalised for more than a year and underwent several surgeries.

Phuc wanted to become a doctor but she was removed from her university by the communist government of Vietnam, that also used her as a propaganda symbol. She then moved to Cuba, where she was allowed to continue her studies. She also got married there.

In 1992, Phuc was granted political asylum by Canada and now lives in Toronto.

“Now 50 years later, I am no longer a victim of war, I am not the Napalm girl, now I am a friend, a helper, a grandmother, and now I am a survivor calling out for peace.” Phuc told CBC in an interview.