Hubert van Es
Encyclopedia
Hubert van Es was a Dutch photographer and photojournalist who took the well-known photo on 29 April 1975, which shows South Vietnamese civilians scrambling to board a CIA Air America helicopter
during the U.S. evacuation of Saigon. The picture was taken a day before the Fall of Saigon
.
Born in Hilversum
, Netherlands
, Van Es was variously known in his working life as "Hu", the anglicized "Hugh" and the nickname "Vanes," to rhyme with "planes".
On 15 May 2009, Van Es died in Queen Mary Hospital
, Hong Kong
, at the age of 67 from a haemorrhagic stroke. He had lived in Hong Kong since the end of the Vietnam War
.
. He remained in the city for as long as possible before its occupation by North Vietnamese troops. On 29 April 1975 he had taken pictures of Saigonese burning documents that could associate them with the United States
as well as a picture of a Marine confronting a Vietnamese mother and her little boy. Later that day he took his famous picture:
When North Vietnamese troops arrived, Van Es wore a camouflage
hat bearing a small plastic Dutch flag printed with the Vietnamese words Bao Chi Ha Lan ("Dutch Press").
The building in the photo, which has been incorrectly identified as the US Embassy, Saigon since the 1970s, was not labeled as such by Van Es. He has stated that he wrote, for the caption of his photograph, that the helicopter was taking evacuees off the roof of a CIA building in downtown Saigon (22 Gia Long Street
). The current address is 22 Lý Tự Trọng Street, and visitors are not allowed access to the roof.
and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He attempted to return to Vietnam
but was not able to do so until 1990. Upon his return to Vietnam, while visiting the countryside, he was quoted as remarking: "It [Vietnam] hasn't really changed since I was last here; but our photos changed the views of those who were lucky enough not to witness this terrible war."
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
during the U.S. evacuation of Saigon. The picture was taken a day before the Fall of Saigon
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People's Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front on April 30, 1975...
.
Born in Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Van Es was variously known in his working life as "Hu", the anglicized "Hugh" and the nickname "Vanes," to rhyme with "planes".
On 15 May 2009, Van Es died in Queen Mary Hospital
Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong
Queen Mary Hospital , located in Pok Fu Lam on Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong, is the flagship teaching hospital of the Faculty of Dentistry and Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, at the age of 67 from a haemorrhagic stroke. He had lived in Hong Kong since the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Career in Vietnam
In 1975 Hubert Van Es was working in Saigon for United Press InternationalUnited Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
. He remained in the city for as long as possible before its occupation by North Vietnamese troops. On 29 April 1975 he had taken pictures of Saigonese burning documents that could associate them with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as well as a picture of a Marine confronting a Vietnamese mother and her little boy. Later that day he took his famous picture:
When North Vietnamese troops arrived, Van Es wore a camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
hat bearing a small plastic Dutch flag printed with the Vietnamese words Bao Chi Ha Lan ("Dutch Press").
The building in the photo, which has been incorrectly identified as the US Embassy, Saigon since the 1970s, was not labeled as such by Van Es. He has stated that he wrote, for the caption of his photograph, that the helicopter was taking evacuees off the roof of a CIA building in downtown Saigon (22 Gia Long Street
22 Gia Long Street
22 Gia Long Street , now 22 Lý Tự Trọng Street, is a building in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, made famous during the Fall of Saigon in 1975. A Dutch photographer, Hubert van Es, working for UPI, captured the last chaotic days of the Vietnam War, and most people believed that it showed desperate...
). The current address is 22 Lý Tự Trọng Street, and visitors are not allowed access to the roof.
Later career
Van Es covered the Insurgency in the Philippines in the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He attempted to return to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
but was not able to do so until 1990. Upon his return to Vietnam, while visiting the countryside, he was quoted as remarking: "It [Vietnam] hasn't really changed since I was last here; but our photos changed the views of those who were lucky enough not to witness this terrible war."