Refugee Ships
Once the communist North Vietnamese army took over Saigon and marked the end of a 20-year war, there were millions of Vietnamese citizens that were left homeless. Photographed below is the hold of a ship crowded with refugees in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang in 1975.
Many South Vietnamese refugees escaped to the United States in search of a new life and flee government persecution back in Vietnam. As one can clearly see in the photo, Vietnamese refugees had to endure terrible conditions as they were forced to leave their homes and survive a long journey to a foreign land.
A Gathering of Soldiers of the ARVN
From its creation in 1955 to the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was the ground troop of the South Vietnamese army. The photograph below shows a gathering of soldiers of the ARVN in April of 1967. There is something beautiful about this image; it shows that despite facing terrible atrocities every day during the battle, at the end of the day, these were just ordinary men that enjoyed being amongst friends.
Even though it is probable they were discussing an attack strategy or topics about the war in general, some of these men look quite happy and entertained. Sadly, it is estimated that the ARVN suffered over 1,394,000 casualties during the war.
Keeping Watch
A creepy photograph of a human skull keeping watch over a camp of American soldiers deep within in the Vietnam jungle. The expression on this particular soldier's face is one of indifference, almost as if he has become unphased by the atrocities of war, including not being bothered by having a human skull perched next to him.
Some soldiers believed a human skull served as a silent guardian to watch over the troops, inciting fear in any enemy armies that tried to approach.
The Power of Humanity
This beautiful photograph captures the moment when Staff Sergeant Edgar D. Bledsoe comforts a critically-ill baby in his arms. The sergeant can't hold his endearment towards the child, looking at it with such innocence and kindness.
The image is part of the collection of photos taken by Charles Haughey, a Vietnam War veteran that was assigned the job of battalion photographer. Haughey was tasked with keeping the camera out of the battlefield since the purpose of these photos was to boost the soldiers' morale.
A Woman Pleads for Mercy
One of the most gut-wrenching photographs on this list, the image below shows a Vietnamese woman by the name of Cong-Hoa begging an American soldier to spare her son's life, who was arrested after being mistaken for a Viet Cong militant. There were many cases of wrongfully arrested civilians that were suspected of belonging to the savage Viet Cong army.
The look on this woman's face is just devastating, a mother's worst nightmare. As if the war itself wasn't enough to contend with, she also had to plead for her son's life, as an American soldier walks around with a gun, just waiting for a chance to use it.