Kyōichi Sawada: The Daring Eye of Vietnam, and a Mysterious Death in Cambodia

Kyōichi Sawada, a bold Japanese photographer, immortalized the horrors of the Vietnam War, earning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1966. His life ended tragically in Cambodia in 1970, in an ambush that remains shrouded in mystery. This account explores his journey, his iconic images, and the shadows surrounding his brutal end.

The First Steps of a Passionate Soul

Born on February 22, 1936, in Aomori in northern Japan, Kyōichi Sawada grew up an orphan and earned his first camera at the age of 13 by delivering newspapers. After graduating from Aomori High School, he worked in a photography shop on the U.S. Misawa Air Base, where he refined his craft alongside American servicemen.

In 1961, a recommendation from an officer took him to Tokyo to join United Press International (UPI), initially as a photographer and picture editor, already dreaming of distant battlefields.

The Irresistible Call of Vietnam

Refusing to confine himself to domestic assignments, Sawada relentlessly pressed UPI for a posting to Indochina, then considered an “American conflict.” In February 1965, he took his vacation, flew to Saigon at his own expense, secured his credentials, and plunged into the turmoil. His early images so impressed his editors that they officially assigned him to the Saigon bureau in July, marking the start of a meteoric career as a combat photojournalist.

Images That Mark History

On September 6, 1965, near Binh Dinh, Sawada captured “Flee to Safety”: two Vietnamese mothers crossing a raging river with their children, fleeing American bombs. The photograph won the 1965 World Press Photo of the Year, the 1966 Pulitzer Prize, and numerous other major awards, generating worldwide sympathy for civilians trapped by the war.

The following year, on February 24, 1966, during the Battle of Suoi Bong Trang, he photographed American soldiers dragging the body of a dead Viet Cong fighter behind an M113 armored vehicle—an image so shocking it was named World Press Photo of the Year 1966, freezing the raw brutality of the conflict in time. In 1968, in Hué during the Tet Offensive, he captured Corporal Don Hammons in his final moments; the soldier died minutes later, underscoring the intimate horror of urban warfare.

Sawada even shared his Pulitzer Prize money with the families from “Flee to Safety,” whom he later tracked down—a testament to a humanity that extended beyond the lens.

A Fearless and Calculating Witness

Nicknamed “the most daring” by Time magazine, Sawada hitchhiked on helicopters in the midst of battle and crossed minefields for unique shots, earning reprimands as often as acclaim. Captured for eight hours by Cambodian communists in 1969 along with a colleague, he reportedly challenged them: “I would rather die than remain a prisoner,” securing their immediate release. Always wearing his helmet, he nonetheless calculated his risks carefully, blending audacity with caution.

In 1968, UPI reassigned him to Hong Kong as an editor, yet he repeatedly returned to the front lines, covering the spread of chaos into Laos and Cambodia.

The Fatal Journey in Cambodia

After the Cambodian coup of 1970, Sawada documented the upheaval in Phnom Penh for UPI. On October 26, he suggested taking the new bureau chief, Frank Frosch—an intrepid reporter like himself—along Route 2 toward Chambak, a southern outpost. Around 5:30 p.m., gunfire erupted; their blue car, riddled with bullets, crashed into a tree, with no visible blood inside.

The bodies, discovered the next day in a rice field near Takeo, 32 kilometers from Phnom Penh, bore severe blows to the neck and head, followed by bursts of gunfire to the chest—clear signs of a summary execution.

Investigation into an Unpunished Murder

There was no doubt about the victims’ identity: a civilian vehicle, conspicuous civilian clothing, far removed from any military uniforms. Time magazine spoke of an “execution after the crash,” suggesting a deliberate hunt.

Cambodia under Lon Nol, reeling from post-coup instability, saw Khmer Rouge fighters, rival factions, and bandits roaming this dangerous road. Decades later, the case remains unresolved, like so many war crimes in Indochina. Posthumously, Sawada was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal.