List of journalists killed and missing in the Vietnam War

This article is a partial list of journalists killed and missing during the Vietnam War. The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders tallied 63 journalists who died over a 20-year period ending in 1975 while covering the Vietnam War with the caveat that media workers were not typically counted at the time.[1][2]

List

Year and date killed/missing	Surname, First name(s)	Nationality	Agency	Operation/Battle Name	Location	Circumstances of loss	Burial
1965	Tran, Pham	North Vietnamese	Nhân Dân		Vietnam	Killed when his unit engaged US and ARVN forces[3]
1965, May 27	Van Thiel, Pieter	American	Freelancer		Vietnam, Mekong Delta	Captured by the Vietcong during an ARVN attack, he was tortured then executed[4]
1965, September 16	Rose, Jerry	American	Freelancer		Vietnam	Killed when the plane he was travelling in crashed[5]
1965, October 2	Kolenberg, Bernard	American	Associated Press		Vietnam	Killed when the A-1 he was travelling in collided with another A-1 and crashed[6]
1965, October 10	Huynh, Thanh My	South Vietnamese	Associated Press		Vietnam, Can Tho	Wounded while photographing an engagement between the Vietcong and Vietnamese Rangers, he was awaiting evacuation when the Vietcong overran the landing zone and killed all the wounded[7]
1965, November 4	Chapelle, Dickey	American		Operation Black Ferret	Vietnam, Quang Ngai Province	Killed while on patrol with a United States Marine Corps unit when a landmine fragment severed her carotid artery.[8]
1966, February 14	Chellappah, Charles	Singaporean	Associated Press		Vietnam,	Killed by a claymore mine while on patrol with US forces.[9][10]
1966, May 21	Castan, Sam	American	Look magazine		Vietnam, Landing Zone Hereford	Killed by mortar fire with a unit of the 1st Cavalry Division.[11]
1967, February 21	Fall, Bernard	American		Operation Chinook II	Vietnam, Street Without Joy	Killed when he stepped on a Bouncing Betty mine while on patrol with the 1st Battalion 9th Marines.[12]
1967, February 21	Highland, Byron	American	Headquarters Company, 3rd Marine Division	Operation Chinook II	Vietnam, Street Without Joy	Killed by a Bouncing Betty mine while on patrol with the 1st Battalion 9th Marines.[12][13]
1967, March 11	Gallagher, Ronald	American	Freelancer		Vietnam,	Killed by friendly artillery fire[14]
1967, May 9	Schuyler, Philippa	American	Manchester Union Leader		Vietnam, Danang	Killed when the UH-1 helicopter she was travelling in crashed in the sea near Danang, she survived the crash but drowned before she could be rescued
1968, March 4	Ellison, Robert	American	Newsweek	Battle of Khe Sanh	Vietnam, Khe Sanh	One of 44 passengers and crew killed when the C-123 #54-0590 he was travelling in was shot down by People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) anti-aircraft fire.[15][16]
1968, March 5	Mine, Hiromishi	Japanese	UPI		Vietnam	Killed when the armored personnel carrier he was travelling in hit a land mine[17]
1968, May 5	Birch, Michael	Australian	Australian Associated Press	May Offensive	Vietnam, Cholon	Killed when the Mini Moke he was travelling in was ambushed by Vietcong forces.[18]
1968, May 5	Cantwell, John	Australian	Time magazine	May Offensive	Vietnam, Cholon	Killed when the Mini Moke he was travelling in was ambushed by Vietcong forces.[18]
1968, May 5	Laramy, Ronald	English	Reuters	May Offensive	Vietnam, Cholon	Killed when the Mini Moke he was travelling in was ambushed by Vietcong forces.[18]
1968, May 5	Piggott, Bruce	Australian	Reuters	May Offensive	Vietnam, Cholon	Killed when the Mini Moke he was travelling in was ambushed by Vietcong forces.[18]
1968, May 6	Eggleston, Charles	American	UPI	May Offensive	Vietnam, Tan Son Nhut	Killed by Vietcong fire.[19]
1968, May 8	Ezcurra, Ignacio	Argentinian	La Nacion	May Offensive	Vietnam, Saigon	Killed by Vietcong fire[20]
1968, August 22	Sakai, Tatsuo	Japanese	Nihon Keizai Shimbun		Vietnam, Saigon	Killed when his apartment was hit in a Vietcong rocket attack[21]
1969	Saint-Paul, Alain	French	Agence France-Presse		Vietnam, Duc Lap	Killed during a PAVN rocket attack[22]
1969, April 18	Savanuck, Paul	American	Stars and Stripes		Vietnam	Killed during an engagement between PAVN forces and an American armored unit[23]
1969, August 16	Noonan, Oliver	American	Associated Press		Vietnam, Quảng Nam Province	Killed when the UH-1H #66-16303 he was travelling in was hit by enemy fire and crashed killing all on board[24]
1970, April 5	Caron, Gilles	French	Gamma	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured by the PAVN while driving down Highway One.[25]	Missing.
1970, April 6	Arpin, Claude	French	Newsweek	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured by the PAVN while driving down Highway One.[25][26]	Missing.
1970, April 6	Hannoteaux, Guy	French	L'Express	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured by the PAVN while driving down Highway One.[25]	Missing.
1970, April 6	Kusaka, Akira	Japanese	Fuji Television	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured by the PAVN while driving down Highway One.[25]	Missing.
1970, April 6	Takagi, Yujiro	Japanese	Fuji Television	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured by the PAVN while driving down Highway One.[25]	Missing.
1970, April 6	Flynn, Sean	American	Time magazine	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured while motorcycling down Highway One, believed to have been executed by the Khmer Rouge in 1971[27][28]	Missing.
1970, April 6	Stone, Dana	American	CBS News	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured while motorcycling down Highway One, believed to have been executed by the Khmer Rouge in 1971[27][28]	Missing.
1970, April 8	Bellendorf, Dieter	German	NBC	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured by the PAVN while driving down Highway One.[25]	Missing.
1970, April 8	Gensluckner, George	Austrian	Freelance	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Svay Rieng Province	Captured by the PAVN while driving down Highway One.[25]	Missing.
1970, April 16	Mettler, Willy	Swiss	Freelance	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Kampot Province	Captured by the PAVN.[25]	Missing.
1970, May 10	Yanagisawa, Takeshi	Japanese	Nippon Denpa	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Kampot Province	Captured by the PAVN.[25]	Missing.
1970, May 29	Nakajima, Terro	Japanese	Omori Research	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia	Captured by the PAVN.[25]	Missing.
1970, May 31	Colne, Roger	French	NBC	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Takéo Province	Captured by the PAVN and believed to have been executed the following day.[25]	Missing.
1970, May 31	Hangen, Welles	American	NBC	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Takéo Province	Captured by the PAVN and believed to have been executed the following day.[25]	Missing.
1970, May 31	Waku, Yoshiniko	Japanese	NBC	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Takéo Province	Captured by the PAVN and believed to have been executed the following day.[25]	Missing.
1970, May 31	Ishii, Tomoharo	Japanese	CBS	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Takéo Province	Captured by the PAVN and believed to have been executed the following day.[25]	Missing.
1970, May 31	Lekhi, Ramnik	Indian	CBS	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Takéo Province	Believed to have been killed by a PAVN RPG[25]	Missing.
1970, May 31	Miller, Gerry	American	CBS	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Takéo Province	Believed to have been killed by a PAVN RPG[25]	Missing.
1970, May 31	Sakai, Kojiro	Japanese	CBS	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Takéo Province	Captured by the PAVN and believed to have been executed the following day.[25]	Missing.
1970, May 31	Syvertsen, George	American	CBS	Cambodian Campaign	Cambodia, Takéo Province	Believed to have been killed by a PAVN RPG[25]	Missing.
1970, July 7	Puissesseau, René	French	ORTF		Cambodia, Siem Reap Province	Killed by the PAVN[25]	Killed
1970, July 7	Meyer, Raymond	French	ORTF		Cambodia, Siem Reap Province	Killed by the PAVN[25]	Missing.
1970, September 18	Duynisveld, Johannes	Dutch	Freelance		Cambodia	Captured by the Khmer Rouge.[25]	Missing.
1970, October 28	Frosch, Frank	American	UPI		Cambodia, Takéo Province	Killed by the Khmer Rouge/PAVN[29]	Killed
1970, October 28	Sawada, Kyoichi	Japanese	UPI		Cambodia, Takéo Province	Killed by the Khmer Rouge/PAVN[30][31]	Killed
1971, February 10	Burrows, Larry	British	Life magazine	Operation Lam Son 719	Laos, Xépôn	Passenger on ARVN UH-1H helicopter shot down by PAVN anti-aircraft fire over the Ho Chi Minh Trail[32]	Remains identified in 2002 and interred at the Newseum on 3 April 2008.
1971, February 10	Huet, Henri	French/Vietnamese	Associated Press	Operation Lam Son 719	Laos, Xépôn	Passenger on ARVN UH-1H helicopter shot down by PAVN anti-aircraft fire over the Ho Chi Minh Trail[32]	Remains identified in 2002 and interred at the Newseum on 3 April 2008.
1971, February 10	Potter, Kent	American	UPI	Operation Lam Son 719	Laos, Xépôn	Passenger on ARVN UH-1H helicopter shot down by PAVN anti-aircraft fire over the Ho Chi Minh Trail[32]	Remains identified in 2002 and interred at the Newseum on 3 April 2008.
1971, February 10	Shimamoto, Keizaburo	Japanese	Newsweek	Operation Lam Son 719	Laos, Xépôn	Passenger on ARVN UH-1H helicopter shot down by PAVN anti-aircraft fire over the Ho Chi Minh Trail[32]	Remains identified in 2002 and interred at the Newseum on 3 April 2008.
1971, February	Sully, François	French	Newsweek	Operation Lam Son 719	Laos, Xépôn	Passenger on ARVN UH-1H command helicopter of General Do Cao Tri shot down by PAVN anti-aircraft fire, he leapt from the burning wreckage but later died of injuries sustained in the fall[33]	Buried at Mạc Đĩnh Chi Cemetery
1972, July 12	Shimkin, Alexander	American	Newsweek	Battle of Quang Tri City	Vietnam, Quảng Trị	Killed by a grenade during an ambush by PAVN forces[34]	Body not recovered
1972, July 21	Kai Faye, Sam	Singaporean	ABC	Battle of Quang Tri City	Vietnam, Quang Tri	Killed by PAVN forces when he strayed into the frontline area[10][35]
1972, July 21	Khoo, Terry	Singaporean	ABC	Battle of Quang Tri City	Vietnam, Quang Tri	Killed by PAVN forces when he strayed into the frontline area[10][36]
1972, July 22	Hebert, Gerard		UPI	Battle of Quang Tri City	Vietnam, Quang Tri	Killed by a stray artillery round[37]
1972, July	Gill, James		The Daily Telegraph	Easter Offensive	Vietnam, near Danang	Captured and executed by PAVN forces[38]
1973, March 19	Wakabayashi, Hiroo	Japanese	Freelancer		Vietnam, Buôn Ma Thuột	[39]
1973, December 10	Trinh, Dinh, Hy	North Vietnamese	Vietnam News Agency		Vietnam, Danang	[40]
1974	Nguyen, Man Hieu	South Vietnamese	Freelancer		Vietnam	[41]
1974	Vu, Van Giang	South Vietnamese	Freelancer		Vietnam, Quang Ngai Province	Killed while photographing an ARVN attack[42]
1974	Vu, Hung Dung	North Vietnamese	Liberation News Agency		Vietnam, Can Tho	Killed when his unit was ambushed[43]
1974, circa April 14	Filloux, Marc	French	Agence France-Presse	Cambodian War	Cambodia, Stung Treng Province	Captured after crossing border from Laos in attempt to interview Khmer Rouge, executed by Khmer Rouge	Missing [44]
1974, circa April 14	Manivanh	Laotian	Agence France-Presse	Cambodian War	Cambodia, Stung Treng Province	Captured after crossing border from Laos in attempt to interview Khmer Rouge, executed by Khmer Rouge	Missing [45]
Do, Van Vu | South Vietnamese | Associated Press | Vietnam, Chuong Thien Province | Killed while covering combat in the Mekong Delta[46]
1975, March 13	Leandri, Paul	French	Agence France-Presse	Fall of Saigon	Vietnam, Saigon	Killed by Saigon police[47]
1975, April 17	Vichith, Sou	Cambodian	Gamma		Cambodia, Phnom Penh	Died in the Killing Fields[48]
1975, April 28	Laurent, Michel	French	Gamma	Fall of Saigon	Vietnam, Saigon	Killed while trying to rescue another correspondent[49]

See also

• List of United States servicemembers and civilians missing in action during the Vietnam War (1961-65)
• List of United States servicemembers and civilians missing in action during the Vietnam War (1966–67)
• List of United States servicemembers and civilians missing in action during the Vietnam War (1968–69)
• List of United States servicemembers and civilians missing in action during the Vietnam War (1970–71)
• List of United States servicemembers and civilians missing in action during the Vietnam War (1972-75)
• Vietnam War POW/MIA issue
• Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
• Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office

References

1. Anderson, Fay; Trembath, Richard (2011). Witnesses To War: The History Of Australian Conflict Reporting. Melbourne: Melbourne University Publishing. pp. 240–241. ISBN 9780522860221. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
2. Ricchiardi, Sherry (December 2005 – January 2006). "Dangerous Assignment". American Journalism Review. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
3. "Tranh Pham". The Journalists Memorial. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
4. "Van Thiel, Pieter". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
5. "Rose, Jerry". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
6. "Kolenberg, Bernard". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
7. "Requiem - Huynh Thanh My". The Digital Journalist. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
8. Johnson, Charles (1978). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Landing and the Buildup, 1965 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series). Marine Corps Association. pp. 93–96. ISBN 978-0-89839-259-3.
9. "Chellappah, Charles". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
10. Toh Yong Chuan (August 10, 2013). "Eye on Singapore: The story of Charles, Terry and Sam". Straits Times. Retrieved 2013-11-06.
11. "Castan, Sam". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
12. Apple, R.W. (February 21, 1967). "Bernard Fall Killed in Vietnam By a Mine while With Marines". The New York Times. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
13. "GYSGT Byron Grant Highland". The Virtual Wall. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
14. "Gallagher, Ronald". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
15. "Ellison, Robert". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
16. "Aircraft accident Fairchild C-123K Provider 54-0590 Khe Sanh". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
17. "Mine, Hiromishi". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
18. Peterson, Chris (16 September 1990). "Australian Journalist Relives the Hell of Fleeing for His Life in a Viet Cong Ambush". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
19. "Requiem - the death of Charles Eggleston". The Digital Journalist. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
20. "Ezcurra, Ignacio". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
21. "Sakai, Tatsuo". Newseum.org. Missing or empty |url= (help)
22. "Saint-Paul, Alain". Newseum.org. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
23. "Savanuck, Paul". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
24. "Noonan, Oliver". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2004. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
25. Volkert, Kurt (2001). A Cambodian Odyssey: and The Deaths of 25 Journalists. iUniverse. p. 187. ISBN 9780595166060.
26. "Arpin, Claude". POW Network. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
27. Bass, Thomas A. (2009). The Spy Who Loved Us: The Vietnam War and Pham Xuan An's Dangerous Game. Public Affairs. p. 187. ISBN 9781586484095.
28. Page, Tim (1999). Derailed in Uncle Ho's Victory Garden: Return to Vietnam and Cambodia. Scribner. p. 171. ISBN 9780684860244.
29. "2 More Newsmen Slain by Reds in Cambodia". The New York Times. 30 October 1970.
30. "Requiem - Kyoichi Sawada". The Digital Journalist. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
31. "2 More Newsmen Slain by Reds in Cambodia". The New York Times. 30 October 1970.
32. Pyle, Richard (March 22, 1998). "Laos 1971 Crash Scene Searched". Associated press. Retrieved 2006-06-04.
33. "Sully, Francois". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
34. "Newspaperman believes service training kept him from being killed". The Star-News (Marine Edition). Retrieved 7 May 2013.
35. "Faye, Sam". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
36. "Khoo, Terry". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
37. "Hebert, Gerard". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
38. Hammond, William (1996). The U.S. Army in Vietnam Public Affairs The Military and the Media 1968-1973. U.S. Army Center of Military History. p. 564. ISBN 978-0160486968. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
39. "Wakabayashi, Hiroo". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
40. "Dinh Hy Trinh". The Journalists Memorial. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
41. "Man Hieu Nguyen". The Journalists Memorial. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
42. "Vu Van Giang". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
43. "Hung Dung Vu". The Journalists Memorial. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
44. https://www.newseum.org/exhibits/online/journalists-memorial/#search/honoreedetails2/5b5f5e3b0d5a000723b2f198/Memorial. Missing or empty |title= (help)
45. {{cite web|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Filloux#/media/File:Memorial_to_journalists_killed_in_the_1970-75_Cambodia_war.jpg/http://dara-duong.blogspot.com/2010/04/flag-this-message-cambodian-war-1970.html
46. "Van Vu Do". The Journalists Memorial. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
47. "Leandri, Paul". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
48. "Vichith, Sou". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
49. "Laurent, Michel". Newseum.org. Archived from the original on 13 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2013.