WHERE WAS THE INFAMOUS "SAIGON EXECUTION" TAKEN?

Saigon Execution is the name of a photograph taken in 1968 by Eddie Adams, a reporter of the Associated Press. It is difficult to say how influential the photograph was, that it was recognized as something that completely changed the Vietnam War. In 2007, the photo was voted by Mental Floss magazine as one of 12 photos that changed the face of the world.

However, most people are only interested in the impact of the photo and little about the details about it. Like some famous figures in history, because of different circumstances, details about them seem to be buried, and only their influence is of interest. The same goes for the Saigon Execution photo, when and where the photo was taken, that information is never unified when different sources give different information.

Above is the different angle of the execution, filmed by Australian ABC reporter Neil Davis.

But first, let's learn about the circumstances of the birth of this photo which changed the war in Vietnam.

On the night of January 30 and January 31, 1968, forces of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, also known as the Viet Cong (VC), opened the largest military campaign in the Vietnam War – the Tet Offensive. VC forces attacked most of the major cities and rural areas in South Vietnam at that time. In Saigon alone, they attacked many headquarters of the United States and the Republic of Vietnam, temporarily paralyzing many facilities and taking the troops of the United States and the Republic of Vietnam by surprise.

Saigon during the battle

During the battle in Saigon, a person in the forces of VC was arrested. The timing of the arrest has yet to be agreed upon. According to the BBC and many other newspapers, it was February 1^st, 1968; another source from the Associated Press, it was February 5^th. Currently, most media companies, as well as newspapers, agree on February 1^st. Even the name of the person who was shot in the photo is controversial, but as with the time the photo was taken, most people agree that his name was Nguyen Van Lem.

Regarding the location where the photo was taken, a lot of different information is given as well, because in the war situation, it is not possible to save complete information for the photo, so it can only be speculated from the clues in the photo itself.

If we only look at the original photo, it is difficult to find any points that can be used as clues. In the center, we can see a white high-rise, but from that angle, it's hard to tell which building it is.

However, a few minutes before the famous photo was taken, there was another similar photo showing the arrest as well, which gives us a closer look at the mysterious white building.

And with this photo, it's not too difficult to realize that this place is the intersection of Ngo Gia Tu - Su Van Hanh - Vinh Vien located in Ward 3, District 10. This place is today a rental house, and right in front of the building is a memorial plaque. And once we have information about this location, we can advance a few hundred meters. And that exact location is house number 197 Ngo Gia Tu, and we're going to compare the Saigon Execution photo with a photo taken in 2016 by an American living in Vietnam – Paul Blizard, and we can see many similarities.

Inside this modern photo, there is a house that has remained intact since 1968, a low gray house whose balcony is split in half by a small pillar. In the 1968 photo, it is directly above the head of Nguyen Van Lem - who was shot.

If you want exact coordinates, click here.