I visited the famous Vietnam War photo site: Helicopter on the Rooftop---This is what I learned

Introduction

I went to see the location of the most iconic image of the Vietnam War.

The photograph was taken on April 30, 1975.

You have probably seen it.

Taken by Associated Press (AP) Dutchman photographer Hubert Van Es, the photo captures a helicopter seemingly defying all possibility, parked on a small, flimsy rooftop where the pilot reaches down to assist Vietnamese clamouring up a ladder as communist North Vietnam converges on the city. Dubbed Operation Frequent Wind, it was the largest air lift operation of its kind, helping Americans and South Vietnamese evacuate during the fall of Saigon.

I visited the very site where that event took place while I was living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 2019-2023.

This famous photo, Helicopter on the Rooftop, taken by Hubert Van Es on April 30, 1975 was one of the most iconic Vietnam War photos.

Living in Vietnam

I first moved to Ho Chi Minh City in 2019 as a digital nomad, working on my online businesses. 

Fed up with the ridgid corporate life, I arrived in Asia keen to explore, to experience, and to learn.

One evening, I attended a presentation on the history of Saigon by Tim Doling, author of a book of the same name.

Tim’s talk mesmerized me as he pointed out key, historic sites in Saigon most people have never heard of.

At the conclusion of his talk, I quickly purchased his book and got him to sign it.

The Plan

Weeks and months would go by as I immersed myself learning about Saigon history.

Finally, I came across the chapter on Helicopter on the Rooftop, highlighted the address, which back those days, was 22 Gia Long Street and made plans to go see where the chaotic event took place. 

One day, after doing a quick search on Google Maps, I was able to pinpoint the exact location and call a Grab moto scooter ride downtown.

Present day location

Located at present-day 22 Ly Tu Trong in downtown Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), the building was formerly called the Pittman apartments where it housed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and United States Aid and International Development (USAID) personnel, family and staff.

The current site is located on a busy commercial road in the center of the city nestled between shops, cafes, and restaurants. Right across the street is a brand new towering, modern shopping mall.

The Pittman apartments on present-day 22 Ly Tu Trong, downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The Pittmanis a bit unsightly, the facade made up of a mix of glass windows, porches, and brightly colored advertising signs which hasn’t changed since the famous event and photograph fifty years ago.

Entrance to the building is just under the Vinaincon sign. Photo credit: James Clark of Nomadic Notes.

As I entered the 22 Ly Tu Trong entrance, to my right I noticed a line of several moto scooters randomly parked at the ground level.

Then I veered to my left, looked up, and my heart sank.

A middle-aged Vietnamese man in a blue security shirt and black pants sprang up as if I were trespassing.

In my limited Vietnamese, I tried telling him, “This building ... .it's famous for a helicopter,” making a circular motion with my hand and fingers.

I was relieved as he seemed to nod and know exactly what I was talking about.

Without any indication, he led me to a door leading up a stairway.

Photo credit: Namwartravel.com

As I followed him up the stairs, I couldn’t help but imagine the countless families, in desperation, clinging onto their children scurrying up the steps and clenching onto their few belongings as the helicopter thundered above. 

As I made it up the eighth or ninth floor, I opened the metal door that leads onto the rooftop. It was like opening a window going back in time, listening to the beat of the chopper, the warm breeze smacking my  face, and desperate voices shouting instructions in the background. 

The famous photograph that shook the world

A young Hubert Van Es was perched a few blocks away but within sight of the Pittman.

It was rumored that, as Van Es saw the hovering helicopter surrounded by smoke in the distance, he scrambled for his longest camera lens and waited patiently to take the iconic photo that would remain in America and the world’s consciousness.  

A similar view Van Es would have had without the modern, glass high-rise obtructing the Pittman.

The controversy

Despite the event occurring at the Pittman, the photograph is often incorrectly cited as occurring on another, more famous US building.

In interviews years after taking the photograph, Van Es explained that in rush to get the photo out to the major newsrooms, an assistant inadvertently mislabeled the photograph as “United States embassy.” 

From that time, the photograph has been falsely associated with the US embassy rooftop where a couple of dozen Marines oversaw the last and final evacuation, occurring on the same day.

US embassy rooftop during the fall of Saigon, April 30, 1975.

Conclusion

The Helicopter on the Rooftop is one of the most iconic Vietnam War photographs.

As Ho Chi Minh City and the rest of Vietnam races toward modernization, there is no doubt that the Pittman apartments will be torn down for prime development someday soon.

Exploring that location where the event occurred on April 30, 1975 was like freezing a moment in time while fifty years went by.

Among the chaos, I can still hear the helicopter blades and urgent pleas in the Saigon heat as the sun sets.