Sweden presents Vietnam with rare documentary about April 30, 1975

Representative of the Swedish Embassy presented the documentary to Vietnam (Photo: Duc Hoang).

On the morning of April 25, the Swedish Embassy in Vietnam presented the documentary "Vietnam's Victory" to the Vietnam Film Institute.

Made exactly 50 years ago, Vietnam's Victory, directed by Swedish director Bo Öhlén, chronicles the historic events of April 30, 1975, when tens of thousands of people from the Nordic country took to the streets of Stockholm to demonstrate their joy when Vietnam liberated the South and reunified the country.

This precious, never-before-seen colour film reflects the solidarity of the Swedish people during the war years, and the joy at the news of Vietnam's victory.

The film documents the marches in the days after Vietnam's reunification, where peace- loving Swedes shared the loss and grief of the Vietnamese, as well as congratulated friends thousands of kilometers away.

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The happiness of Swedish people on Vietnam's historic day (Photo from the film: Duc Hoang).

The flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam flew all over the Swedish capital and the crowd shouted: Long live the Vietnamese people! Long live Ho Chi Minh ! Support the Vietnamese people!

Along with that, the crowd sang famous Vietnamese songs such as Liberation of the South and Marching Song in Swedish, expressing joy and pride in witnessing the historic victory of the Southeast Asian country.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Oscar Staffas Edström, Head of the Trade and Promotion Department of the Swedish Embassy in Vietnam, emphasized the long-standing traditional friendship between the two countries. Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1969, when the war had not yet ended.

"The film takes us back to the vivid and emotional scenes in Stockholm that day when the Swedish people showed solidarity with Vietnam with the message: Your fight is our fight.

We hope the film will become a bridge between the two countries, reminding us of the friendship and lasting friendship between the two countries," Mr. Edström emphasized.

The moment a "sea" of Swedish people celebrated Vietnam's victory 50 years ago (Video: Duc Hoang).

At the ceremony, Ms. Tran Hai Van, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism , said that the film was awarded at a great time when Vietnam is organizing activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification.

"The film shows us the great international sentiment, in which the Swedish people have supported Vietnam deeply, from the heart. Over the past half century, the Vietnam - Sweden relationship has continuously developed, creating a foundation of trust, and constantly growing," she emphasized.

Director Bo Öhlén also sent a video message to Vietnamese audiences.

"April 30, 1975 was a meaningful day for Vietnam, but it was also a particularly important day for tens of thousands of young Swedish people who spent more than a decade supporting the struggle of the Vietnamese people.

In those days, I worked as a cameraman at Swedish Television, and on the day of victory, I brought my camera with me, along with other colleagues, to record the moment when Vietnamese supporters in Stockholm spontaneously took to the streets, filled with joy and excitement," he emphasized.

He said he had lost the film at some point, but last fall the documentary file was found at the Royal Swedish Library.

"I am very pleased to be able to introduce this film once again to Vietnamese audiences, bringing a sense of closeness and emotional connection between the people of our two nations," he said.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/thuy-dien-trao-tang-viet-nam-phim-tai-lieu-hiem-ve-ngay-3041975-20250425112123993.htm