This image captures a stark reality of daily life in Hanoi, North Vietnam, in 1967 during the Vietnam War. The photo shows residents sheltering in narrow, chest-deep individual air-raid bunkers (often called “turtle-shell” shelters) dug directly into the sidewalks. These bunkers were a critical part of the city’s civil defense strategy during the U.S. bombing campaign known as Operation Rolling Thunder. The photograph was taken by Lee Lockwood, an American photojournalist for Life magazine. He was the first American reporter permitted to document daily life in North Vietnam since 1954.
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| (Photo by Lee Lockwood/Getty Images) |
These pits were prefabricated concrete cylinders just large enough for one person. Every 20 meters, they were staggered on both sides of major streets so that anyone caught in the open during an alert could find safety within seconds. Each bunker had a lid, made of concrete, thick bamboo, or straw, which users would pull over themselves once inside to protect against shrapnel and debris.
By 1967, air-raid sirens were a frequent occurrence, often sounding multiple times a day. Residents would wait in these cramped spaces until the “all-clear” signal was given.
Hanoi’s sidewalk bunkers became an enduring symbol of the city’s civilian resilience and adaptation to the constant threat of aerial warfare. Most of these shelters were filled in and removed shortly after the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973.
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