Thousands of Vietnamese people celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and the country's Communist Party leaders said it was "justice over tyranny."

The celebration ended in a grand parade in Ho Chi Minh City, where thousands of parade troops and an air show featuring Russian-made fighter jets and helicopters, the Vietnamese waved red flags and sang patriotic songs.

According to state media reports, warm ties with Beijing are expected, with 118 Chinese troops to march with Vietnamese soldiers and police “to mark the international support Vietnam has received during its struggle for independence.”

The historic anniversary commemorates the first act of the country's unification on April 30, 1975, when the Communist-run North Vietnam occupied Saigon, the capital of the United States, which supported the southern capital. Shortly after the war, the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honor of the founding leader of North Korea.

"This is a victory for justice over tyranny," said Lim, chief of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the country's top leader. The Vietnamese are one. Rivers may dry up, mountains may erode, but the facts will change forever. ”

About two years after Washington withdrew its last combat force in the country, Saigon's fall marked the end of a 20-year conflict, killing about three million Vietnamese and nearly 60,000 Americans, many of whom were drafted.

"The Communist army has hardly opposed entering the South Vietnamese capital, which is a huge relief to the population, and it is a last-minute battle," said a cable from a Reuters reporter in the city that day.

The cable describes the victorious army as a "strongly armed" force composed of jungle green fatigue and barefoot teenagers.

When North Vietnam tanks were closed, U.S. helicopters evacuated about 7,000 people, many of whom evacuated about 7,000, many of whom burned many memories. The final flight took off from the rooftop at 7.53am on April 30.

A year after the formal unification of Vietnam was completed, the country was split by the two for 22 years after the end of French colonial rule.

Vietnam and the United States standardized diplomatic relations in 1995 and deepened their ties in 2023 when former U.S. President Joe Biden visited Hanoi.

“The United States and Vietnam have strong bilateral relations and we are committed to deepening and expanding,” a U.S. spokesman in Vietnam said Wednesday.

Now, however, the bond is threatened by a 46% tariff on Vietnamese goods announced by Biden’s successor Donald Trump in April.

Tariffs were largely suspended until July and negotiations were underway. But if confirmed, they could undermine the growth of Vietnam's export leadership, which attracted a lot of foreign investment.

Washington sent its Consul General Susan Burns in Ho Chi Minh City to represent the country in the parade.

Despite Hanoi's ties with the United States, it maintains close ties with Russia, which is its top supplier of weapons.

Despite several conflicts and controversial South China Sea competition, Vietnam has also fostered closer ties with its northern neighbor China.

China is now a major investor in its economy and a source of many components used in products exported to the United States at the time.