Vietnam marks 50 years since war’s end and focuses on reconciliation during a period of new tensions

HO CHI MINH CITY – Vietnam connected Wednesday marked the 50th day of the extremity of the warfare with the United States and the enactment of the modern federation done the merger of North and South Vietnam.

Thousands had flocked to Ho Chi Minh City — erstwhile known arsenic Saigon — to witnesser the subject parade adjacent the Independence Palace, wherever the warfare ended erstwhile a North Vietnamese vessel smashed done its gates. The celebrations — performances by artists, speeches by leaders and erstwhile soldiers, and a squadron of jets — focused not conscionable connected the past but connected the future.

“National reconciliation does not mean forgetting the past oregon erasing differences, but accepting antithetic perspectives successful tolerance and respect, to enactment towards a greater goal: gathering a peaceful, unified, powerful, civilized and prosperous Vietnam,” Communist Party wide caput To Lam said successful an nonfiction published connected a authorities website.

He said that the warfare had humanities roots and had resulted successful divisions successful the country, but present Vietnam was equipped with “lessons of its past.”

A alteration successful emphasis

The accent connected reconciliation and not, similar erstwhile years, connected subject triumph reflected however Vietnam was approaching the changing tides of the planetary system and geopolitics today, said Nguyen Khac Giang, an expert astatine Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. He added that the Vietnam War remains cardinal to however the Communist Party framed its legitimacy, not conscionable arsenic a subject triumph but besides arsenic a awesome of nationalist unity. But To Lam’s comments underlined that the reconciliation remains unfinished.

“The warfare inactive defines Vietnam’s unity, and its unresolved divides,” Giang said.

A clip for peace

Pham Ngoc Son is simply a 69-year-old seasoned who was an service motortruck operator bringing troops and supplies from the northbound to the southbound done the Ho Chi Minh way — the concealed way utilized by North Vietnam. He's connected a weeklong circuit of the city, which helium remembers entering arsenic a portion of the bluish troops that took over.

He said helium cherished those memories and couldn't picture the joyousness helium felt astatine that moment. But present determination was ”only abstraction for bid and friendship" betwixt the U.S. and Vietnam.

“The warfare is implicit a agelong clip ago," helium said.

Nguyen Thi Hue, a nonmigratory of Ho Chi Minh city, agreed.

“The warfare has ended and we shingle hands (with the erstwhile enemy) for development. Now it’s clip for peace. Peace is the imagination that everyone successful the satellite wants,” Hue said.

A caller relationship

This twelvemonth besides marks the 30-year day of diplomatic ties betwixt Vietnam and the United States. In 2023, Vietnam upgraded its relations with the U.S. to that of a broad strategical partner, the highest diplomatic presumption it gives to immoderate state and the aforesaid level of relations arsenic China and Russia.

Vietnamese officials importune that this narration has been built connected a bedrock of spot intrinsically linked to U.S. efforts to code warfare legacies specified arsenic Agent Orange and unexploded bombs successful the countryside that inactive endanger lives. The aboriginal of those projects is present astatine hazard due to the fact that of the Trump administration’s wide cuts to USAID. Moreover, the export-dependent state is susceptible successful a planetary system made fragile by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans.

Who's took portion successful the parade?

About 13,000 people, including troops, militias, veterans and section citizens, were expected to instrumentality portion successful the parade. And, isolated from China, troops from Laos and Cambodia besides were owed to be the parade, which volition march connected the main boulevard starring to the Independence Palace earlier branching retired done the streets successful the city. The way volition besides walk the U.S. Consulate successful the city.

Meanwhile, a video of Chinese troops singing the iconic “As If Uncle Ho Were With Us connected Victory Day” during an earlier rehearsal was shared wide connected societal media. Chinese person Xi Jinping had visited Vietnam earlier successful the month successful a bid to contiguous the state arsenic a unit for stableness successful opposition with Trump.

Close ties with Washington helped Vietnam equilibrium its relations with its overmuch larger and much almighty neighbour China, said Huong Le-Thu of the International Crisis Group deliberation tank. Vietnam is among the countries progressive successful maritime disputes related to the South China Sea.

Tariffs airs questions

But the Trump administration’s absorption connected tariffs — Vietnam was slammed with reciprocal tariffs of 46%, 1 of the highest — puts a “big question mark” connected what the U.S. wants to execute successful Asia, she said. Focus connected economical and not strategical contention whitethorn mean that Vietnam and different countries successful Southeast Asia go little important for the U.S.

“It truly volition beryllium shaping up (on) however the caller medication sees the strategical representation successful the Indo-Pacific and wherever countries similar Vietnam would acceptable in,” she said.

___

Hau Dinh contributed to this report.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.