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29m ago

Vietnam Hosts Largest Ever Parade to Mark 50 Years Since War's End

The commemoration emphasizes reconciliation, features foreign troops, and highlights unresolved war legacies and diplomatic challenges with the U.S.

FILE- Victorious North Vietnamese troops aboard a tank take a position outside Independence Palace in Saigon, April 30, 1975, the day the South Vietnamese government surrendered, ending the Vietnam War. Communist flags fly from the palace and the tank. (AP Photo/Yves Billy, File)
Page 1 of 25 of The Associated Press Short Guide to News Coverage in Vietnam for staffers and stringers covering the Vietnam War, composed in January 1963 by AP Saigon Bureau Chief Malcolm Browne (1931-2012). The 25-page primer, originally written for Horst Faas and Peter Arnett, provides detailed guidance on all aspects of war coverage, including how to move with troops, how to discern accurate information from propaganda and, most importantly, how to stay safe. After Browne left AP, the manual followed him to the ABC bureau in Saigon. (AP Photo/AP Corporate Archives)
The cover (page i of 25) of The Associated Press Short Guide to News Coverage in Vietnam for staffers and stringers covering the Vietnam War, composed in January 1963 by AP Saigon Bureau Chief Malcolm Browne (1931-2012). The 25-page primer, originally written for Horst Faas and Peter Arnett, provides detailed guidance on all aspects of war coverage, including how to move with troops, how to discern accurate information from propaganda and, most importantly, how to stay safe. After Browne left AP, the manual followed him to the ABC bureau in Saigon. (AP Photo/AP Corporate Archives)
A spice vendor waits for customers at the Cholon market in the Cholon district of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 ahead of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnamese War. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Overview

  • Vietnam's 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon includes its largest military parade, with 13,000 participants and the first-ever inclusion of troops from China, Laos, and Cambodia.
  • Leaders, including Communist Party General Secretary To Lam, focus on reconciliation and unity, calling for tolerance and respect for differing perspectives to build a prosperous future.
  • Unexploded ordnance and Agent Orange continue to impact communities, with only 40% of contaminated land cleared and U.S.-funded demining programs facing funding uncertainty.
  • U.S.–Vietnam relations, strengthened since 1995, face strain due to proposed 46% tariffs on Vietnamese goods and cuts to USAID programs addressing war legacies.
  • The celebrations, held in Ho Chi Minh City, reflect Vietnam's transformation into a rising economic power while balancing ties between Beijing and Washington.