Vietnam celebrates 50 years since war’s end with focus on peace and unity

Vietnam has 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 US-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 ate picnics while waiting for drone and fireworks shows scheduled for the evening.

“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 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 those 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.

Sitting next to Vietnam’s leader were Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen and Laotian Communist Party general secretary Thongloun Sisoulith.

To Lam said beyond a victory over the US 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 US, 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.

But To Lam’s comments underlined that the reconciliation remains unfinished.

“The war still defines Vietnam’s unity, and its unresolved divides,” Mr Giang said.

For Pham Ngoc Son, a veteran who fought for the communists, today there is “only space for peace and friendship” between the US 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 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.

Vietnamese officials say the relationship with the US is anchored in American efforts to address war legacies such as Agent Orange contamination and unexploded ordnance in the countryside that still threaten lives.

The future of those projects is now at risk because of the Trump administration’s broad cuts to USAID.

Moreover, the export-dependent country is vulnerable in a global economy made fragile amid Mr Trump’s tariff plans.

Vietnam was hit with reciprocal tariffs of 46%, one of the highest.

This puts a “big question mark” on what the US wants to achieve in Asia, said Huong Le-Thu, of the International Crisis Group think tank.

Previously, close ties with Washington have helped Vietnam balance its relations with its much larger and more powerful neighbour China, she said.

Vietnam is one of the countries, along with the Philippines, that has been involved in direct confrontations with China over conflicting maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Focus on economic and not strategic competition may mean that Vietnam and other countries in South East Asia become less important for the US.

“It really will be shaping up (on) how the new administration sees the strategic picture in the Indo-Pacific and where countries like Vietnam would fit in,” she said.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce on Tuesday refused to comment on reports that the Trump administration had discouraged diplomats from attending anniversary events.

“I’m not going to discuss what has been suggested or not suggested,” she said.

The embassy in Hanoi said US consul general in Ho Chi Minh City Susan Burns had attended the event.

US ambassador Marc E Knapper did not attend.

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 also passed the US consulate.

A video of Chinese troops singing the famous 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 Mr Trump.