June 22, 2025
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam on Wednesday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the war with the United States and the formation of its modern nation with a military parade and a focus on a peaceful future.
The fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, marked the end of a Vietnam divided into the communist North and U.S.-allied South, and the country's top official told crowds the past decades had led to ever increasing unity.
“All the Vietnamese are the descendants of Vietnam. They have the rights to live and work, to have freedom to pursue happiness and love in this country," said To Lam, the Vietnam Communist Party's general secretary.
"In a spirit of closing the past, respecting differences, aiming for the future, the whole party, the people, and the army vow to make Vietnam become a country of peace, unity, prosperity, and development,” he added.
Thousands camped overnight on the streets of the former South Vietnamese capital, which was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after it fell to North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, to get the best vantage point for the parade. Many lingered on the streets later in the afternoon and had picnics while waiting for drone and fireworks shows scheduled for the evening.
The red and yellow of Vietnam's national flag was everywhere in the city — fluttering from buildings, painted on the faces of eager teenagers, and on the T-shirts of those who had traveled to the city from all over the country.
“Now it’s time for peace," said spectator Nguyen Thi Hue, a city resident. "Peace is the dream that everyone in the world wants.”
One float carried the mythical Lac bird, Vietnam’s emblem, another a portrait of Ho Chi Minh.
Chinese, Laotian, and Cambodian troops marched behind Vietnamese army formations, including some wearing uniforms similar to what was worn by northern Vietnamese troops during the war. Helicopters carrying the national flag and jets flew over the parade near Independence Palace, where a North Vietnamese tank smashed through the gates on the final day of the war.
And all the while, the crowds soaked it in. They had gathered outside the barricades and at some street corners where giant screens had been set up. Those at home huddled over their television sets. Phones raised and eyes wide, they waved and cheered at the marching soldiers.
Sitting next to Vietnam's leader were Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen and Laotian Communist Party General Secretary Thongloun Sisoulith.
To Lam said that beyond a victory over the U.S. and South Vietnam, the fall of Saigon was a “glorious landmark" that ended a 30-year fight for independence that began with the fight to oust French colonial troops.
He said Vietnam owes its position in the world today to support from the Soviet Union, China, and solidarity from Laos and Cambodia, as well as “progressive” people all over the world, including the U.S., he said.
The emphasis on reconciliation and not, like previous years, on military victory reflected how Vietnam was approaching the changing tides of the global economy and geopolitics today, said Nguyen Khac Giang, an analyst at Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. He added that the Vietnam War remains central to how the Communist Party framed its legitimacy, not just as a military triumph but also as a symbol of national unity. To Lam’s comments underlined that the reconciliation remains unfinished.
“The war still defines Vietnam’s unity, and its unresolved divides,” Giang said.
For Pham Ngoc Son, a veteran who fought for the communists, today there is “only space for peace and friendship” between the U.S. and Vietnam.
“The war is over a long time ago,” said the 69-year-old who, during the war, served as an army truck driver bringing troops and supplies from the north to the south along the Ho Chi Minh trail — the secret supply route used by North Vietnam.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the U.S.
In 2023, Vietnam upgraded its relations with the U.S. to that of a comprehensive strategic partner, the highest diplomatic status it gives to any country, and the same level of relations as China and Russia.
About 13,000 people, including troops, militias, veterans, and local citizens, took part in the parade. The route followed the main boulevard leading to the Independence Palace before branching into city streets and passed the U.S. Consulate.
A video of Chinese troops singing the iconic song “As If Uncle Ho Were With Us on Victory Day” during a rehearsal was shared widely on social media. Chinese leader Xi Jinping had visited Vietnam earlier in the month in a bid to present the country as a force for stability in contrast with Trump.
