Japanese photojournalist captured tragedy of Vietnam WarーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
This year marks 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War that left an estimated 3 million Vietnamese civilians and soldiers dead. Foreign journalists covering the fighting had a major impact on anti-war movements. One of them was a Japanese whose photograph of a family fleeing to safety is widely considered an iconic image of the war. NHK World’s Gwen Kamui has more. This museum in Ho Chi Min City graphically chronicles the timeline of the Vietnam War. One photograph in particular stands out. It’s titled Flee to Safety. The image shows two women taking their terrified children across the river in the face of artillery fire. A year later in 1966, Sawada Kioi was awarded the Pulizer Prize in photography for the picture. Sawada continued to document the war as the fighting intensified. This is a photo that shows the reality of war. Looking at it, you can see it was more brutal than can be imagined. Binding province where Sawada took the iconic photograph is located in South Central Vietnam. 67year-old Kimlin was one of the children in the picture. Lynn still lives near the river, but Sawada took the photograph. She vividly remembers that day. I was petrified. I thought he was holding a gun. My mother said, “Don’t worry, it’s a camera.” After he took the photo, he took us to the safety of a trench. Shortly after receiving the award, the photojournalist returned to the village where Lyn’s family was living. Lean says he presented them with food and some money as well as a print of the photograph. In 1970, Sawada was killed while reporting in neighboring Cambodia. Lynn is now a grandmother and has a deep appreciation of the peace that surrounds her. She wants her grandchildren to understand the significance of Sawada’s photograph. The photo helped make the world aware of the pain that Vietnamese civilians were suffering. I want our children and grandchildren to live in peace. The past must not be repeated. A photograph taken 60 years ago encapsulated the tragedy of a war that is deeply engraved into the memories of the Vietnamese people. M country and HK word binding province.
A Japanese photographer’s iconic image captured the tragedy of the Vietnam War that is deeply engraved into the memories of the Vietnamese people. #asia #vietnam #vietnamwar #photography #photojournalism #photojournalist
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