A military parade held in Ho Chi Minh City concludes celebration of 50th anniversary since the fall of Saigon.
Thousands of Vietnamese have waved red flags and sang patriotic songs as a grand military parade held in Ho Chi Minh City concluded Vietnam’s 50th anniversary celebrations of the end of war with the United States.
Wednesday’s event commemorated the first act of the country’s reunification on April 30, 1975, when communist-run North Vietnam seized Saigon, the capital of the US-backed South, renamed Ho Chi Minh City shortly after the war in honour of the North’s founding leader.
A lotus-shaped float carrying a portrait of Ho Chi Minh was near the front of the parade as fighter jets and helicopters carrying red flags flew overhead.
Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from the city, said thousands of people stayed in the streets overnight to get the best vantage point for the parade, which was “a day of sombre reflection but also a day of celebration”.
“I am proud of having contributed to liberating the south,” said 75-year-old veteran Tran Van Truong who had travelled – dressed in full military uniform – from the capital, Hanoi, to see the parade.
“But what’s gone is gone, I have no hatred for those from the other side of the battle,” Truong told the AFP news agency. “We should join hands to celebrate the end of the war.”
For the first time, more than 300 soldiers from China, Laos and Cambodia also took part in the spectacle.
More than 300,000 Chinese soldiers were involved in the bloody conflict, according to state media, providing crucial anti-aircraft defence support and helping with logistics and supplies.
“I think Hanoi is signalling to China that they recognise China’s historical contribution,” said Zach Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington who focuses on Southeast Asian politics. “It’s also another way for them to signal: ‘Don’t think our foreign policy is lurching towards the Americans.’”
Strain in US ties
This year marks the 30-year anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the US.
In 2023, Vietnam upgraded its relations with the US 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.
There are new signs of strain in the relationship with Washington, however, with President Donald Trump’s imposition of heavy tariffs and the cancellation of much foreign aid, which has affected war remediation efforts in Vietnam.
Agent Orange contamination and unexploded ordnance in the countryside still threaten lives. The future of those projects is now at risk because of the Trump administration’s broad cuts to USAID.
