The Fall of Da Nang – South Vietnamese Marines Evacuating from China Beach – Original Associated Press Radiophoto – 1975

Description

An exceptionally powerful original Associated Press radiophoto documenting the chaotic evacuation of Da Nang during the final North Vietnamese offensive of the Vietnam War. Transmitted from Hong Kong and London on 1 April 1975, the photograph looks down from a South Vietnamese Navy landing ship tank, or LST, towards China Beach as thousands of South Vietnamese Marines attempted to escape the collapsing northern port.

The scene is densely packed with historical detail. Marines can be seen swimming and clinging to inner tubes as they try to reach the evacuation vessel, while others remain gathered around military vehicles in the shallows and on the beach. The contemporary caption identifies an armoured personnel carrier sinking into the sand and records abandoned armoured vehicles, tanks, trucks and a helicopter along the shoreline. Smoke is visible in the distance following rocket fire, adding to the sense of disorder surrounding the fall of the city.

Da Nang, South Vietnam’s second-largest city and the principal military centre of the northern I Corps region, fell to North Vietnamese forces on 29 March 1975. The intended military withdrawal rapidly disintegrated as soldiers and civilians converged on the coast in an attempt to board naval vessels. Contemporary accounts record that many people drowned while trying to swim out to ships unable to approach the shore, while much of the South Vietnamese military equipment in and around the city was abandoned. The collapse of Da Nang was a decisive stage in the 1975 Spring Offensive and occurred only one month before the fall of Saigon and the end of the war.

The transmitted caption printed beneath the image reads substantially:

“DANANG, APRIL 1—CHINA BEACH SCENE—The view from a S. Vietnamese LST as some 5,000 S. Viet marines evacuate the northern port city of Danang from China Beach last Saturday. Some marines cling to inner tubes trying to reach the boat. Left background, marines atop armoured personnel carrier slowly sinking into the sand. Along the beach is the litter of abandoned APCs, tanks, trucks, a helicopter and more Marines. Smoke rises from Viet Cong-fired rockets…”

The transmission line across the upper margin identifies the photograph as an AP Radiophoto, routed through Hong Kong and London. Radiophotos were electronically transmitted to newspaper offices, allowing photographs of rapidly developing international events to appear in the press within hours or days. This example survives from the photographic archive of the Shields Gazette and is an authentic working press print rather than a later reproduction.

Although the caption was transmitted on 1 April, its reference to “last Saturday” indicates that the scene was photographed during the evacuation of 29 March 1975, the day Da Nang fell. A related Associated Press photograph from the same evacuation sequence records South Vietnamese Marines being transferred from an LST in Da Nang harbour on 1 April.

Condition

Good condition for an original working press photograph. There is general handling wear, light surface marking and creasing, including a pronounced diagonal crease across the upper-right corner. Further minor creasing and small edge faults are present around the margins, with slight wear and softening to the corners. Contemporary black editorial crop lines run along the left, upper-right and lower margins. The transmitted caption remains clearly legible beneath the image, and the principal photographic content retains good contrast and definition.

Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.

Agency: Associated Press
Photographer: Uncredited
Date photographed: 29 March 1975
Transmission date: 1 April 1975
Location: China Beach, Da Nang, South Vietnam
Subject: Fall of Da Nang; evacuation of South Vietnamese Marines
Provenance: Photographic archive of the Shields Gazette
Size: 28.2 × 21.5 cm
Process: Original black-and-white AP radiophoto press print
Caption: Contemporary transmitted Associated Press caption incorporated beneath the image

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