Saigon in the 60s: a black and white portrayal

François Sully, himself a war veteran who'd fought against the Nazis, achieved legendary status as a journalist covering Vietnam's wars against France and the United States. His photographs of Saigon in the sixties captured everyday life for posterity.

Rex theater in March 1964.

A suburb street of Saigon in the summer.

On a rainy day in 1964.

Vietnamese New Year in January 1966, on Nguyen Hue Street.

Flower market in the city center.

People line up at the ticket counter of Air Vietnam, the only commercial airline of Vietnam from 1951 to 1975, in District 1.

Xa Loi Pagoda in District 3, March 1964.

A group of people on their way to a village festival, June 1968.

Women and children at a construction site. 

Clare Hollingworth (R), Daily Telegraph military correspondent, and Life photographer Tim Page in Saigon in June 1968.

In 1971, Sully jumped from a height of 75 feet from a helicopter in flames. He was the lone survivor, but succumbed to his injuries the same year. He was 44. He is buried at the Mac Dinh Chi cemetery in Saigon. Sully left his insurance money to Vietnamese orphans.