As Chinese soldiers were in a parade, the audience cheered on the parade commemorating the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War in Hokhimin City. action Closed subtitles
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Leaders of the Vietnamese ruling Communist Party called for reconciliation and national unity during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on Wednesday.
In addition, the private sector should be the main force of Vietnam's economy, said Lim Lim, secretary-general of the Communist Party of Vietnam. His speech marked a clear shift in his speech compared to previous priorities of central planning and national operations. and the gathering to support the party's economic policies
"We are at the threshold of a new historical era and we need to remove all obstacles and leverage all potential to grow the economy and society quickly," Lin said.
He told the attending crowd, “We are all Vietnamese and we all have the right and responsibility to contribute and build our country.”
Vietnamese U.S. diplomats were reportedly told by the Trump administration ahead of Wednesday's celebrations Don't participate in the paradebut the restrictions seem to be alleviated at the last minute. The U.S. Embassy said at the Hanoi Embassy.
Vietnam and the United States propose normal relations with former U.S. President Joe Biden in 1995 and 2023 Deepened the tie During a visit to Hanoi.
Wednesday's events marked a different war memorial than it was in the Southeast Asian country before.
The one-month preparation for the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War was on Wednesday, April 30, and in 1975, the Communist Party of North Vietnam took over Saigon in southern Vietnam and renamed it Ho Chi Chi Minh City.
Thousands of troops from multiple military branches were rehearsed for weeks under the admiration and applause of local people.
The girl with a selfie stick and a live smartphone looked hysterically screaming in the sight of the shy young soldier like a K-Pop idol. In today's Vietnam, there are internet forums that are specifically designed for good-looking military and service women, and military-style crew cuts have become one of the most popular hairstyles in Vietnamese barber shops.
The excitement of similar carnival amplified by social media reflects respect for the military, and an increasing sense of modern national pride that ruled the Communist Party has been eager to raise.
Participants performed in a parade on April 30, 2025 on the 50th anniversary of the fall of Hokhimin City and the end of the Vietnam War. NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images Closed subtitles
Since the early hours of Wednesday morning, a large number of cheerful flag-waving people have gathered in central Ho Chi Minh City, many of whom camped overnight.
The city turned into a red ocean - the color of the Vietnamese flag.
The most anticipated event after the formal ceremony attended by the country’s top leaders and international guests – the military parade.
For more than an hour, soldiers carrying modern military equipment - domestically made assault rifles replaced Russia's Kalashnikovs - marched into the perfect strata as speakers exploded with revolutionary songs.
In the sky, helicopters and Sukhoi fighter detachments conducted overpass practice.
"It was a grand celebration and I saw a great pride among the Vietnamese. They were proud to defeat France, the Americans and the Chinese." Jim Laurie, an experienced American journalist in the United States, witnessed the fall of Saigon and returned to Vietnam many times this year.
“All of these are manifestations of the strength they can do,” he added.
Vietnamese Communist Party Secretary-General Lam delivered a speech at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the birth of Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City on April 30, 2025. Tran Thi Thi Minh Ha/AFP via Getty Images Closed subtitles
"There is no real sense of history that happens today," Laurie notes.
There is little talk about the former South Vietnamese government, as it remains one of the topics considered “sensitive”.
"It's a celebration of their Vietnamese, not that they become a reality," he said.
Vietnam has come a long way since the war ended 50 years ago. Now, now a middle-income country, his goal is to become a fully developed country by 2045. To achieve this ambitious goal, Lin said the country needs to reach high economic growth rates: 8% or above in 2025.
Communist Party General Secretary Lam, who took office in August last year, once emphasized that the party's current "largest, most important and most urgent goal" is to develop the economy.
However, Vietnam is heavily dependent on exports and faces serious challenges as tensions escalate and tensions between Hanoi’s two largest trading partners, China and the United States.
The party has decades of experience in public mobilization and is working again to gather support for its cause through occasions like this 50-year war anniversary.