International press writes about Vietnam's April 30th parade

Images at the parade celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (Photo: AFP).

The US news agency NPR reported that a large number of local people as well as people from other provinces and cities of Vietnam flocked to the center of Ho Chi Minh City to witness the parade and march to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day.

According to the British newspaper Guardian, at the celebration, in addition to the performances of the parade blocks, there was also an air show of jet fighters and military helicopters.

The French newspaper AFP wrote that Vietnam held the largest celebration ever for the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Saigon.

State television footage showed fighter jets and helicopters carrying flags flying overhead, along with a motorcade carrying a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh in a parade in the city named after the national leader.

Thousands of people, from children to adults, stayed up all night on the streets, sharing food and waiting for the parade on the morning of April 30.

According to AFP, about 13,000 people, including veterans, soldiers and civilians, marched down Le Duan Street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), a main road leading to the Independence Palace. For the first time, more than 300 soldiers from China, Laos and Cambodia participated in the event.

AFP commented that the majority of Vietnam's current population was born after the war, but many young people appear extremely eager for commemorative activities and are proud of their fathers' generation.

"I will tell my future children about this event. I am very proud and my family is also very proud," AFP quoted a university student in Ho Chi Minh City who participated in the parade as saying.

AP also reported: "Vietnam celebrated the liberation of the South and national reunification with a military parade and march with a message focusing on reconciliation and a peaceful future."

Pham Ngoc Son, a 69-year-old veteran who used to be an army truck driver transporting troops and supplies from the North to the South via the Ho Chi Minh Trail, recalls a difficult period of struggle decades ago.

He said he cherished those memories and could not express his joy at the country's reunification. But for him, now "there is only room for peace and friendship" between Vietnam and the United States. "The war ended a long time ago," he said.

Nguyen Thi Hue, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, agreed. "The war has ended and we have joined hands to develop. Now is the time for peace. Peace is the dream that everyone in the world desires," she shared.

According to AFP, NPR

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/bao-chi-quoc-te-viet-ve-le-dieu-binh-ngay-304-cua-viet-nam-20250430125719591.htm