--- title: The Vietnam War: Behind the Photos of the War's Beginning description: LIFE photographer Howard Sochurek witnessed the moment when Hanoi was given over to communist control. This is what he saw. canonical: https://time.com/4923701/the-vietnam-war-and-the-story-behind-the-pictures-of-hanois-communist-takeover/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-09-18T14:00:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:08.766Z og:title: 'The Vietnam War' and the Story Behind the Pictures of Hanoi's Communist Takeover og:description: LIFE photographer Howard Sochurek witnessed the moment when Hanoi was given over to communist control og:url: https://time.com/4923701/the-vietnam-war-and-the-story-behind-the-pictures-of-hanois-communist-takeover/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf562e4c985229bce/6988dc0b8fd2ee1189358ab6/ken-burns-vietnam-hanoi-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: Ken Burns Vietnam og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'The Vietnam War' and the Story Behind the Pictures of Hanoi's Communist Takeover twitter:description: LIFE photographer Howard Sochurek witnessed the moment when Hanoi was given over to communist control twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf562e4c985229bce/6988dc0b8fd2ee1189358ab6/ken-burns-vietnam-hanoi-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _The Vietnam War_ and the Story Behind the Pictures of Hanoi's Communist Takeover > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: the Influencers: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sebastian Junger [Watch (HLS stream): the Influencers: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sebastian Junger](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ApkZjOyL.m3u8) (6:16)  _Published 2017-09-26. Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sebastian Junger on war and human nature_ by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Sep 18, 2017 2:00 PM UTC  Boy walking past wall with writing that urges people to flee south from the Communists in Hanoi, Vietnam, 1954. Boy walking past wall with writing that urges people to flee south from the Communists in Hanoi, Vietnam, 1954. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/) and [Liz Ronk](https://time.com/author/liz-ronk/) Sep 18, 2017 2:00 PM UTC For the people who had fought for years to keep communist forces out of power in Vietnam, what happened in Hanoi was a bitter defeat. And yet, in hindsight, that moment might be viewed with a certain wistfulness by all sides involved. The moment in October 1954, in which Vietnam’s colonial French rulers vacated the city to make way for communist forces, was the product of about a decade of fighting but the conflict in question was much older than that. The French had been in what was then called Indochina for nearly a century, but the uproar of World War II had offered occasion for many in Vietnam to decide to take up arms — especially in a group known as the Viet Minh — against Japanese and Vichy French aggression. When the World War ended, Vietnam’s fight did not. As the French struggled to regain control of their colony, the seeds of a new war were planted. By 1954, after sustained fighting wore down opposition, it was [decided](http://time.com/vault/issue/1954-08-02/page/19/) at peace talks in Geneva that the nation would be split along the 17th parallel, with the Communist forces taking the north half and French Union forces in the south. Thus, at least in theory, would end the years of fighting between French colonial forces and those who rebelled against their rule. The idea was that, by two years later, general elections would decide on one single government to reunite the two sides. Of course, that is not what happened. But in that moment, before the Vietnam War as Americans know it, there still seemed to be a possibility of peaceful resolution. LIFE photographer Howard Sochurek was there to [photograph the Communist takeover of Hanoi](https://books.google.com/books?id=oFIEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA22#v=twopage&q&f=true) for the magazine, and several of his images (those seen below) appear in Sunday night’s premiere episode of the new series [_The Vietnam War_](http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/home/), from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.  A soldier stands beside a line of packs in the rain, Hanoi, Vietnam, October 1954. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images And what Sochurek saw, as evidenced by his notes, which are preserved in LIFE’s archives, was a relatively smooth transition. An early wave of Viet Minh soldiers and civil servants came to town to overlap with the French, to avoid an interruption in public services. “Many of the Viet Minh carry little note pads with them on which they assiduously take notes when being briefed on their new jobs,” Sochurek noted for his editors.  Boy walking past wall with writing that urges people to flee south from the Communists in Hanoi, Vietnam, 1954. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images And yet, even then, it was clear that any idea of an entirely seamless change was mere illusion. For example, the agreement gave civilians a period to choose which side of the DMZ they would rather live in, and nearly a year to go to the society of their choice. Of course, even a choice like that is not much of a choice, as families might find themselves (and their homes and livelihoods) on opposite sides of the line.  Man sewing new flag for Communist regime in Hanoi, Vietnam in 1954. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images About 900,000 refugees fled South, by Burns and Novick’s count. Many were Catholics who feared for their ability to practice their religion in a Communist nation; others merely sought the political system of their choice. But many who might have otherwise wanted to move stayed put, for the reasons anyone would do the same, and prepared to weather the consequences — consequences that, at that point, they could not have foreseen. “This is my home,” one man in Hanoi told Sochurek. “I will never leave it.”  Caption from LIFE. In front of the Governor's office Vietminh troops follow the platoon leader's orders (foreground), happily wave their sun helmets. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Residents dutifully bearing Vietminh flag watch reds enter Hanoi. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Advance force of Vietminh soldiers comes into Hanoi, a cyclist with pack strapped to his bike and sneakered foot soldiers in monsoon season ponchos. This contingent went on to take over Bach Mai airport. As arranged by the Supervisory Commission, small cadres of Vietminh police and civil administrators entered over four-day period before the main force arrived to complete the occupation. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Vietminh soldier in Hanoi, 1954. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Vietminh soldiers in Hanoi, Vietnam, 1954. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  People standing on the side of a city street watching as Vietminh soldiers enter Hanoi. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Residents dutifully bearing Vietminh flag watch reds enter Hanoi. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Residents dutifully bearing Vietminh flag watch reds enter Hanoi. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Slogan in French advised: "To Leave Is to Choose Freedom." Many wanted freedom but could not bring themselves to leave homes and businesses which had been in their families for generations. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Red posters of Vietminh leader Ho Chi Minh and Malenkov went on sale as Reds began arriving. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Empty street was the result of a special daytime curfew ordered throughout Hanoi during the evacuation of the French troops. Transfer of city to the Communists was completed without incident. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Children playing at the Institution Saint Marie, a Catholic school in Hanoi, Vietnam. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Everyday life in Hanoi as the Vietminh take over, 1954. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Everyday life in Hanoi as the Vietminh take over, 1954. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A Taoist shrine in Hanoi, Vietnam. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  At the Hanoi rail station, Vietnamese families leaving for Haiphong by train. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Eager evacuees who had escaped into Hanoi from Red-held delta, scramble through window of train headed for Haiphong. Devout Catholics, they feared religious persecution under the Reds. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  A Vietnamese boy named Minh holding onto a cross as he departs on a train leaving Hanoi. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  French troops paying last respects to fallen comrades prior to leaving city. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. In final french parade, held at Gia Lam airport, members of the fifth Moroccan regiment are mirrored in puddle as they pass in review. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. In fading light French salute tricolor, lowered at Hanoi headquarters for last time. Howard Sochurek—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Hanoi's Red Masters Take Over from the Oct. 25, 1954 issue of LIFE magazine. All photos by Howard Sochurek. LIFE Magazine  Hanoi's Red Masters Take Over from the Oct. 25, 1954 issue of LIFE magazine. All photos by Howard Sochurek. LIFE Magazine  Hanoi's Red Masters Take Over from the Oct. 25, 1954 issue of LIFE magazine. All photos by Howard Sochurek. LIFE Magazine ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] We study war because we know, obviously, it brings out the worst. But we study war because it also brings out the very, very best. [ MUSIC ] The demonstrators resisted when police attempted to arrest a young man who tried to rip down an American flag. We spent ten years working on the Vietnam war. We wake up, and our films about mass demonstrations taking place all across the United States against the current administration. About a White House obsessed with leaks, in total disarray. About a president who thinks the press is lying and making stuff up about him. About asymmetrical warfare, about huge document drops of stolen classified material into the public sphere. And about accusations that a political campaign reached out during the time of a national election to influence that campaign And we kinda go wait a second, history doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes. A quote that's attributed to Mark Twain. This is all Vietnam and hundreds of other things rhyme, and I'm thinking what you're doing and the kind of stuff you're trying to grapple with seems almost exactly the same thing we're trying to grapple with. But specifically about who these people are that we make Do the fighting that we ask to put their lives on the line. Well, you know I'm anthropologist and I look at all my journalism and film making through that lens. We're a dominant species because we're capable of organized aggression against enemies, we are mean. [ FOREIGN ] [ SOUND ] And I think you have this dynamic tension in human society which is why you keep getting these stories repeated over and over and over again You have the sort of the collective will of the people and there's a certain sense of egalitarianism and fairness. And then you have a very necessary sort of hierarchical structure that keeps order in society. And people in power then resort to a kind of top- down hierarchy and abuse it. If war is human behavior, human nature on steroids, then Also it shows the exaggerated positiveness of our species because in these moments of our worst behaviour we also see this empathetic tendencies, the love. The lost soldiers that I know of [ UNKNOWN ]. Right. A lot of people that I know who look through catastrophes. [ INAUDIBLE ] I know a woman who [ INAUDIBLE ] my first [ INAUDIBLE ] early 90's Right . >> Now decades later, I interviewed her and she said a lot of people in [ UNKNOWN ] missed the war - >> Yes, right . >> Because it brought everyone together [ MUSIC ] You know, from the Vietnam era as you were talking I'm thinking it's not just soldiers who feel that way, it's people who protested the war. They were part of something that was deeply meaningful to them and they thought they sacrificed. Some of them went to jail, went to Canada. You know, really committed themselves in a deep way to something they though was right. It didn't involve aggression in the way that Going to wars but there was a sense of life being higher, more powerful, more [ UNKNOWN ] like I was saying. [ UNKNOWN ] primarily two things a sense of meeting within our community and closeness and the closer you get to a catastrophe, to a disaster, to a war. The more people depend on you and vice versa. And that's what humans are evolved for. You clearly have studied this. I wanna know stuff to do. I don't mean no more wars. We know that's never gonna happen because, as you suggest, people are kind of excited about that stuff. But what is it that we and do? I mean we remember that sense of collective solidarity in a Few weeks post 9 / 11 that got squandered by the hierarchy that said go shopping, rather than please pay 50 cents more a gallon per gas. Right. Please don't do this. Please do this All of which every single American would have done. Done with glee but now we just got a kind of political sense in which we don't ask anything of Americans, we want to cut their taxes even more we want to do all this stuff and have the same smoke and mirrors. I'm not suggesting a political answer from you but there's a social and human set of actions, perhaps is the way to say it, that might help This. Psychologists will tell you the more you sacrifice for something the more you value it and the problem in modern America one says very lucky that we're such a wealthy safe nation that we don't require individual sacrifice of anyone. In some sense that's very lucky. But in other sense is actually not very good for us. I'm against the draft, I think it's [ UNKNOWN ] for someone to fight a war that they don't believe in but I would be completely for national service. Yeah, we agree completely. Yes. [ CROSSTALK ] And if you do that, because people are sacrificing a year or two of their lives towards this collective goal of having this nation You raise the value of the nation in people's hearts and that's when you start to feel a real part of something. I mean, just thinking about Vietnam and we've been thinking about it for so long that the lack of [ UNKNOWN ] was usually traumatic for soldiers and for the people on the other side, too. That the country didn't know there was such incredible. Profound cognitive dissonance That's right. About what we were doing. And it was on every level. Modern society is easy on the body and hard on the mind. Most of the country, Democrat or Republican, either way, I think most people want a kind of collective good for country Yes, I agree. Right? The country has to come up with norms of behavior that confront and contradict what has happened in our political world. In a crisis obviously, we've seen in Texas, people do that immediately. Right. Right, no black, white, rich, poor, no one cares. Right. That's humans at their best. But can we achieve that without the hurricane, without the war, without the fight, can we do it? I think we can, but we have to espouse it in a proactive way. Well, it seems like counting on the politicians to beat in the lead on that is probably unlikely, but it can bubble up through the way people tell stories and the way human experiences [ CROSSTALK ]. [ CROSSTALK ]. 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