Vietnam welcomed me with eyes sparkling with national pride.

This is my first time setting foot in Vietnam – a land that has been present in my mind for many years, as a symbol of courage, unwavering faith, and cultural beauty that has spanned a long history.

Editor-in-Chief Mohammed Rasooldeen poses for a photo with the Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Trinh Thi Tam. (Source: Colombo Times)

The moment I stepped off the plane, I not only felt the warm, friendly atmosphere but also as if I had returned to a place that was once familiar in my mind.

Before my departure, I had the opportunity to meet the Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Trinh Thi Tam, at the Embassy. She introduced me to some of the highlights of Vietnam and arranged the necessary things to ensure a smooth stay in the country.

Vietnam welcomed me not with flowery words, but with the genuine smiles of its ordinary people, with eyes sparkling with national pride, and with warm handshakes that seemed to say: "Welcome to this resilient land."

I was also deeply impressed by how Vietnam preserves its traditional values ​​amidst the modern era. Hanoi, with its moss-covered tiled roofs hidden in the early morning mist, its street vendors, and the simple sounds of everyday life, gave me the feeling of stepping into a vivid documentary film.

Ho Chi Minh City – the city named after the great leader of our country, with its youthful, vibrant, and ever-evolving pace of life – inspires in me the belief in a bright future unfolding before this beloved nation.

But what moved me most, perhaps, was the Vietnamese people. I met them on the streets, in restaurants, at gatherings – each person possessing a unique spirit but sharing a common quality: optimism, resilience, and kindness. I saw in them not just vitality, but a depth of history, as if every smile today was kindled from years of unwavering struggle against war, natural disasters, and hardship.

Everyday moments of Mohammed Rasooldeen's life in Vietnam. (Source: Colombo Times)

Fortunately, my trip coincided with the April 30th holiday – a day that I believe holds immense significance not only for the Vietnamese people but also leaves a lasting impression on humanity's collective memory regarding the aspirations for peace , independence, and self-determination of nations.

Like you, for me, a son of a distant South Asian country, April 30th is not simply a celebratory holiday. It is also a reminder of courage, of those who fell on their motherland for the sake of the future, and above all – of unwavering faith in the future.

In the course of modern world history, few nations have had to endure such a long journey to regain their freedom. I truly admire the way the Vietnamese people wrote that chapter of history, not just with guns and bullets, but with willpower, patriotism, and an unwavering desire for peace.

As a journalist, I have read many documents and watched many documentaries about Vietnam's resistance war – with all its brutality, losses, and the controversies that have lasted for generations.

But only when I stood here, when I saw with my own eyes the veterans strolling slowly amidst the eager young people on the brightly decorated street, when I heard revolutionary songs resounding not from a stage but from a militia "choir," did I truly feel the sacred weight of Liberation Day.

I see in the eyes of the Vietnamese people, young and old, a profound pride, gratitude for the past, but always looking towards the future. It is this indomitable spirit, unity, and perseverance in overcoming adversity that has helped a nation plunged into a long night of slavery to triumph in war and move steadily forward in peacetime.

Above all, I think that the April 30th celebration is not only a glorious memory for the Vietnamese people but also one of the most powerful proofs of the people's strength, of their ability to overcome destiny with their own hands and minds. It is a day that the whole world should remember – as an epic poem about the aspiration to live, to live in freedom and peace.

Having been involved in journalism for more than half my life, I have always believed that journalism, in its deepest essence, is not just a means of conveying information, but also a bridge connecting souls, stories, and aspirations between people, and between nations.

In an age where news reaches us every second, amidst the enormous flow of data, sometimes truth, understanding, and compassion are overshadowed. That is when journalism (if honest, humane, and responsible) becomes a guiding light, helping people understand each other better, empathize more, and feel closer to one another, regardless of geographical distance or cultural differences.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/viet-nam-chao-don-toi-bang-nhung-doi-mat-sang-lap-lanh-niem-tu-hao-dan-toc-312696.html