Southern Liberation Day, National Reunification Day in the memories of overseas Vietnamese in France

During the long resistance war against French colonialism and American imperialism, generations of overseas Vietnamese in France contributed wholeheartedly to the independence, freedom and unification of the Fatherland. After many years of waiting, on the historic day of April 30, 1975, when hearing the news that the South was liberated, the children of Vietnam living far away from home burst into joy and tears of joy.

On that historic day, in Paris and many other places in France, there were cheers of joy: Saigon was liberated, Vietnam was unified, the war was over, long live President Ho Chi Minh ...

After 50 years, the feeling of the day the country was reunited is once again surging in the hearts of patriotic overseas Vietnamese in France.

On April 30, 1975, overseas Vietnamese paraded on the streets of Paris, holding high the banner "Vietnam Victory".

Mr. Nguyen Van Bon, former President of the Association of Vietnamese in France:

At 11:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, Vietnam time, the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam officially flew on the roof of the Independence Palace. It was 5:30 a.m. in Paris, and I and many people here shared the same indescribable joy, bursting into tears after many hours of anxiously following the situation on French radio.

At 6am, people were calling each other to make an appointment to go to the Assembly Hall as soon as the sun rose in the sky of Paris. It is impossible to describe the emotions choking our hearts. We were happy but tears welled up. It was because the dream of peace and national unity had come true. There was nothing more joyful.

From now on, we will no longer have to wait for the good-willed powers to implement the Paris Agreement. The Vietnamese people have completely regained the right to decide their own destiny. That is the sacred right of self-determination of every nation as Uncle Ho stated in the "Demand of the People of Annam" more than 50 years ago before international public opinion.

On May 6, 1975, overseas Vietnamese paraded to celebrate the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country on the streets of Paris amid the applause of French friends.

The common dream has come true, history has recorded it. The personal dream is something that only the children far from home at that time can fully understand. Those are the tears, the joy, the sobs of those who have been far from their country for so many years, and now see the way back to their homeland.

The great victory in the spring of 1975 was the final victory of the Vietnamese people in the extremely arduous and heroic long-term resistance war. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of this great victory, we are very happy to see that our country has never had the foundation, potential, position and international prestige as today to enter a new era of development.

Celebrating this great victory is an opportunity for the young generation of Vietnamese people abroad to preserve and promote the heroic traditions and cultural identity of the nation and actively contribute to the sustainable development of the Fatherland of Vietnam.

Mr. Can Van Kiet, former Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese in France:

One year after coming to France to study, in 1965, I joined the Student Union. In 1970, I was entrusted with the task of Deputy Secretary General in charge of students and intellectuals of the Marseille Branch.

During the period from 1970 to 1976, I continuously gathered Vietnamese students and intellectuals in France, helping them better understand the situation of the country and together contributing to the movement for national independence.

Not only me, but also the entire Vietnamese community in Marseille always closely follows the developments of the country. Every day, I have the task of updating information about my homeland, especially through direct contact with revolutionary delegations.

Therefore, when Hue and Da Nang were liberated in the last days of March 1975, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam quickly disintegrated, and I and the Vietnamese people in Marseille burst into indescribable joy.

That was also the common sentiment of most Vietnamese people throughout France during the period when the South was gradually liberated. That historical event further strengthened the belief in the final victory of the resistance war.

On April 30, 1975, when I heard the news of tanks entering the Independence Palace and the flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government flying on the roof of the building, I and many people burst into joy. It was an intense emotion, a surge of joy, both happy and emotional, knowing that our country was completely unified, the war had ended after many years of pain.

As soon as the news of the victory spread, local chapters quickly prepared activities to celebrate this historic victory. The atmosphere was bustling and joyful everywhere, everyone wanted to contribute to mark this important moment.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tong, former Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese in France:

For me, the memory of the Liberation Day of the South is still like a dream: I clearly remember, on the night of April 29, 1975, through following the war situation, I was very happy and excited to know that our troops had entered Saigon. Waking up at 7am on April 30, I heard the radio saying that tanks had entered the Independence Palace.

I thought I was dreaming because everything happened so quickly. I sat up and burst into tears. When a friend called to inform me that there was going to be a victory parade, I left the house and went to Gobelins Street in the 13th arrondissement, where Uncle Ho lived during his time in France. At that moment, I felt a surge of pride and gratitude towards President Ho Chi Minh.

We have followed his instructions, living, studying and fighting for peace and national unification. The call "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom" of the great leader of Vietnam is the motivation and strength for generations of patriotic overseas Vietnamese in France to do everything possible for their beloved homeland.

When I reached the banks of the Seine, I was so moved that I stood there and cried silently for a long time because I missed my family and was happy for the victory. Choking up, I wanted to shout: The country is independent, our people are free. On the way, I had the feeling that everyone was smiling and sharing the great happiness with the Vietnamese people: the South was liberated.

This year, the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South is an opportunity for us to look back at the glorious past of the nation and pay tribute to those who sacrificed for the independence, freedom and reunification of the country. It is very touching to recall the glorious historical moment of the nation and also believe that Vietnam will go further and become stronger as the beloved President Ho Chi Minh wished.

Mr. Luu Thanh Dung, former Vice President of the Vietnamese Association in France:

I cannot forget that moment of overwhelming joy. On May 1, 1975, during the holiday, I drove from Paris to the province to meet my college friends. On the way, I listened to the radio and suddenly heard the news "Americans evacuated from Saigon..., the Saigon government collapsed...".

Mr. Luu Thanh Dung (middle) beats the drum for overseas Vietnamese and French friends to chant: "Vietnam...Victory...Win", "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh" in the parade on May 1, 1975.

The good news came so suddenly, my heart was filled with the thought that the war was over, the endless bombs and bullets raining down on my country were gone, there were no more scenes of villages burning because of the sweeps, there were no more images of mothers crying for their children, wives crying for their husbands, children crying for their fathers because of the disaster of war. Surely right now in Vietnam, everyone is filled with happiness, rushing out into the streets even though the pain of war is still there...

I was so happy that I cried, and then I thought that my fellow comrades in the patriotic movement under the common roof of the "Overseas Vietnamese Union", which in 1976 changed its name to the Association of Vietnamese in France, must be preparing something to celebrate the victory. So I hurriedly drove my old car back to Paris, contacted and coordinated with the brothers and sisters in charge of the movement to go together to Bastille Square.

At that time, the French workers marched in the parade on International Workers' Day, and we joined the crowd to express our joy as musician Xuan Hong wrote in the song "Spring in Ho Chi Minh City": ...and this joy came unexpectedly, the day passed like a dream at night...

Around me, everyone, whether Vietnamese or not, had bright faces and talked animatedly about the topic of "liberating South Vietnam". On the way to the République square, two female friends played drums, while I held drumsticks to beat the rhythm so that everyone could shout: "Vietnam...Vietnam...Victory...Profit", "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh". Half a century has passed, the Great Victory of Spring 1975 has always been the pride of many generations of Vietnamese people in France.

Generations of overseas Vietnamese in France are preparing to organize activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day. The great victory in the spring of 1975 will forever be a source of pride for many generations of Vietnamese in France and will continue to be a source of encouragement for the Vietnamese community in France to promote solidarity, preserve identity and make positive contributions to the homeland in the new era of development.

nhandan.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/ngay-giai-phong-mien-nam-thong-nhat-dat-nuoc-trong-ky-uc-cua-kieu-bao-tai-phap-post400874.html