Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Vietnam on Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the war with the United States and the formation of the modern nation through the fusion of North and South Vietnam.
Thousands had come to Ho Chi Minh City – Once known as Saigon, to witness the military parade near the Palace of Independence, where the war ended when a Norvietnamese tank crashed through its doors. The celebrations, performances of artists, speeches of leaders and former soldiers, and a squad of airplanes, focused not only on the past but on the future.
“National reconciliation does not mean forgetting history or eraseing differences, but accepting different perspectives in tolerance and respect, working towards a major objective: building a peaceful, unified, powerful, civilized and prosperous Vietnam,” said the general secretary of the Communist Party of LAM in an article published on a government website.
He said the war had historical roots and had resulted in divisions in the country, but now Vietnam was armed with “lessons of his past.”
The emphasis on reconciliation and not, as the previous years, in military victory reflected how Vietnam was addressing the changing tides of the global economy and geopolitics today, said Nguyen Khac Giang, an analyst at the Iseas Institute – Yusof Ishak of Singapore. He added that the Vietnam War is still essential for how the Communist Party framed its legitimacy, not only as a military triumph but also as a symbol of national unity. But Lam’s comments stressed that reconciliation still does not finish.
“The war still defines the Vietnam Unit and its unresolved divisions,” Giang said.
Pham Ngoc’s son is a 69 -year -old veteran who was an army truck driver who brought troops and supplies from north to the south through the Ho Chi Minh path, the secret route used by Northern Vietnam. He is on a one -week tour of the city, which he remembers having entered as part of the northern troops that took over.
He said he appreciated those memories and could not describe the joy he felt at that time. But now there was “only space for peace and friendship” between the United States and Vietnam.
“The war is a long time ago,” he said.
Nguyen Thi Hue, resident of the city of Ho Chi Minh, agreed.
“The war is over and we shake hands (with the former enemy) for development. Now it is the moment of peace. Peace is the dream that everyone in the world wants,” Hue said.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the United States. In 2023, Vietnam updated their relationships With the United States to that of an integral strategic couple, the highest diplomatic status that gives any country and the same level of relations as China and Russia.
Vietnamese officials insist that this relationship has been built on an intrinsically linked basis of confidence to the efforts of the United States to address war legacies as Orange agent and without exploiting in the field that still threaten lives. The future of these projects is now at risk due to the wide Trump administration Cortes to USAID. In addition, the country dependent on export is vulnerable in a global economy that is fragile by the president of the United States, Donald Trump, Rate plans.
It was expected that around 13,000 people, including troops, militias, veterans and local citizens, participate in the parade. And, apart from China, Laos and Cambodia troops would also attend the parade, which will march on the main boulevard that leads to the Palace of Independence before brancing through the streets of the city. The route will also pass the United States Consulate in the city.
Meanwhile, a video of the Chinese troops that sing “as if Uncle Ho were with us on Victory Day” During a previous essay it was widely shared on social networks. Chinese leader Xi Jinping had visited Vietnam At the beginning of the month in an attempt to present the country as a force for stability in contrast to Trump.
The nearby links with Washington helped Vietnam balance their relations with their neighboring China much larger and more powerful, said Huong Le-Tu, of the International Crisis Expert Group. Vietnam is among the countries involved in maritime disputes related to the southern China Sea.
But the Trump administration approach in rates (Vietnam was criticized with reciprocal 46%tariffs, one of the highest, puts a “large question sign” about what the United States wants to achieve in Asia, he said. The approach to economic and non -strategic competition can mean that Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia become less important for the United States.
“It will really be in form (in) how the new administration sees the strategic image in the Indo-Pacific and where countries like Vietnam would fit,” he said.
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Hau Dinh contributed to this report.
