'On Healing Land, Birds Perch' examines Vietnam War trauma

By Leslie Thatcher,

Published January 30, 2025 at 1:46 PM MST

Hovering U.S. Army helicopters pour machine gun fire into tree line to cover the advance of Vietnamese ground troops in an attack on a Viet Cong camp 18 miles north of Tay Ninh on March 29, 1965, which is northwest of Saigon near the Cambodian border. Combined assault routed Viet Cong guerrilla force.

Local filmmaker Naja Pham Lockwood’s short documentary "On Healing Land, Birds Perch" examines the trauma of the Vietnam War through the lens of Eddie Adams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph "Saigon Execution." Lockwood shares her personal connection to the photo, its profound impact on her understanding of the war and the challenges of exploring intergenerational trauma within the Vietnamese community.

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Filmmaker Naja Pham Lockwood’s short documentary "On Healing Land, Birds Perch" examines the trauma of the Vietnam War.

Matt Sampson / KPCW

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Filmmaker Naja Pham Lockwood’s short documentary "On Healing Land, Birds Perch" examines the trauma of the Vietnam War.

Matt Sampson / KPCW

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Filmmaker Naja Pham Lockwood’s short documentary "On Healing Land, Birds Perch" examines the trauma of the Vietnam War.

Matt Sampson / KPCW