Please join David Hume Kennerly and his family on this exclusive private journey
Kennerly Backroads Trip to Vietnam and Cambodia
January 2-9, 2018
David Hume Kennerly won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for Feature Photography. His eleven-image portfolio that won the prestigious award documented events and individuals engaged in the bloody conflict in Vietnam. The signal image of that portfolio depicted an American soldier traversing a landscape devastated by intense fighting was cited by the Pulitzer Committee as depicting the “loneliness and desolation of war”. Kennerly was 24 years old.
He has returned to Vietnam several times since the war, including documenting President Bill Clinton’s first presidential visit to the country since the end of the war for Newsweek. And in 1994, Kennerly again returned to shoot for the book, Passage to Vietnam, where he documented beer smuggling on the Vietnam-China border. He and his wife of 23 years, Rebecca Soladay Kennerly, also chose to be married on this trip, in the then derelict Hanoi Grand Opera House.
Kennerly recently celebrated two very important milestones; the 50th anniversary of his career as a photojournalist and his 70th birthday. To celebrate, Kennerly will realize a dream he has had for decades; to show his three sons the country that meant so much to him when he was just about their ages.
To make this dream a reality, David and Rebecca turned to their favorite travel partner, BACKROADS, which has crafted a trip that will take travelers through the vibrant and dynamic countries that Vietnam and Cambodia are today while touching on three locations that were important in Kennerly’s past. And you are invited to join them on this journey of a lifetime.
As he has done throughout his life, Kennerly will be on a constant lookout for the best photographic opportunities and will provide fellow-travelers with hands-on tips and photo tutorials along the way. In addition to the superb Backroads travel experience marked by their expert leaders, stunning hotels and dining experiences, customizable programs and small groups, this trip will explore some Kennerly-specific locations.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
HANOI
“The Zoo” POW Camp - Kennerly photographed the release of the last American POWs from “The Zoo” camp outside of Hanoi. The trip includes a visit to the Hanoi Hilton prison museum, and provides an option to travel with Kennerly as he returns to the Zoo site. While the prison is no longer standing, search with Kennerly to see what relics might remain.
Hanoi Grand Opera House - This glorious example of 1913 French Colonial architecture was in disrepair and shuttered in 1994 when the Kennerlys were married there. However, they gained entry to the dusty relic for the wedding where some of the world’s great photographers lit and photographed the event. The Opera House has since been restored and recently opened to the public for visits.
The Metropole Hotel – Backroads guests will stay in the hotel as part of the trip. Coincidentally, David and Rebecca spent their honeymoon night there when fellow photographers chipped in to pay for the luxurious stay. Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard also honeymooned there in 1930 - and Kennerly had previously visited the hotel during the 1973 POW release.
A SHAU VALLEY
Some of the heaviest combat of the war took place in the A Shau Valley in the middle of Vietnam. High up on a hilltop looking down into the valley, Kennerly created the signal image of his 11-photograph Pulitzer Prize-winning portfolio, “The Lone Soldier”. An optional shuttle trip out of Hué, will take travelers into the valley and through some areas that Kennerly photographed during the war and other that were too devastated by warfare to enter.
ANGKOR WAT
Having traveled around the world many times, visiting more than 100 countries, Kennerly has few places left on earth that he is eager to visit. Angkor Wat is one of them. Occupied by the Khmer Rouge during the years that he lived in Vietnam, Angkor Wat was always too dangerous to visit. Kennerly is thrilled to travel to this spectacular monument for the first time with Backroads, his family and his friends. This will be a major photo op!
DETAILS
Backroads has customized its wonderful nine-day journey to Vietnam and Cambodia to feature elements of Kennerly’s Vietnam experience and the Kennerlys would like to invite you to join the journey. Of course, Kennerly is eager to create memorable and important photographs of the experience and will provide photo tutorials for fellow-travelers along the way.
This will be a small, intimate group. Space is extremely limited, so register soon! All registrations should be received by June 30.
Join us!
For more information or to sign up contact: Katie Medina - Backroads Trip Consultant, 800.462.2848 ext. 192, katiem@backroads.com