Viet Cong operative Nguyen Van Lem collapses immediately after being shot and killed by ARVN General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. His execution was captured on camera and seen by millions worldwide. February 1, 1968. Cholon District, Saigon. [1921×1292]
by Iron_Cavalry
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What happened to Lem was common practice in the Vietnam War. All sides routinely summarily executed POWs and civilians on a whim. As this moment was photographed, VC cadres were rounding up and executing thousands of civilians in Hue. ARVN and American forces rarely bothered to distinguish civilians from enemies, and bombed or massacred people indiscriminately. In Quang Ngai Province alone, US-ARVN-ROK forces killed or injured 50,000 civilians before My Lai even happened.
Those that lived ended hardly fared better. Prisoners were always tortured, from being dragged behind vehicles, having pins jammed under their nails, to being electrocuted through their genitals. Dishonorable mentions go to the Con Son “Tiger Cages” where prisoners were lashed to the floor and burned with lime. American pilots captured in North Vietnam, if not immediately lynched by angry locals upon bailing out, were beaten and starved in captivity.
This moment was photographed immediately after police chief Nguyen Ngoc Loan summarily executed a captive Nguyen Van Lem with a [pistol shot to the head](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Saigon_Execution.jpg/1920px-Saigon_Execution.jpg). The scene was photographed by Eddie Adams and [also captured graphically on color film](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Execution_of_Nguy%E1%BB%85n_V%C4%83n_L%C3%A9m_film.webm). Loan justified the shooting by arguing Loan was fighting in civilian clothing as a sapper, had killed a policeman, and spat in the face of his captors.
The moment was then publicized and viewed by tens of millions of people worldwide. It added to the rapidly souring mood of ordinary Americans towards the Vietnam War effort, which the Tet Offensive proved decisive in elevating to the mainstream.
In the 1980s, some claims emerged that Lem had personally murdered the entire family of Tuan, one of Loan’s colleagues, with a knife prior to his execution. Given the inconsistencies of the evidence and unsubstantiated origins, Vietnam War historian Ed Moise has designated this allegation as a postwar myth borne from South Vietnamese propaganda.
Such a shame the photo was taken out of context almost costing him his life while a pycho murderer who just killed an entire family is seen as an innocent boy.
Not even 29 years of war could put Vietnam down. First France, then the US. Absolute respect to the dignity and efforts of their people! ♥️🇻🇳