Fall Of Saigon Photographer Hugh Van Es Dies

“Hugh Van Es, the Dutch photographer whose iconic picture of the fall of Saigon in 1975 became a symbol of America’s failure in Vietnam, has died aged 67.

Van Es suffered a brain hemorrhage last week at his home in Hong Kong, and never regained consciousness, his wife Annie said. He died this morning in Queen Mary hospital in the city that had been his home for 35 years.

He was one of the best of an outstanding generation of journalists who covered the war in Vietnam. His photograph of a helicopter rescuing people from a Saigon rooftop became one of the most enduring images of the conflict and a metaphor for America’s humiliating withdrawal from Vietnam.

His former colleagues paid tribute today to a man of fearless courage and humour.”