Vietnam shines forever with the aspiration for peace, unity and confidently enters the era of growth.

April 30, 1975 has entered the history of the nation as a brilliant milestone that brought our country into a new era, the era of national independence and socialism. The glorious achievements in the past 50 years are the driving force for Vietnam to complete its historical mission in the new era - the era of national development.

Dr. Vo Toan Trung and many overseas Vietnamese happily welcomed General Secretary and President To Lam's official visit to the French Republic on October 3, 2024.

The great victory of Spring 1975 is a testament to the strength of national spirit, patriotism and solidarity. But above all, the healing of the Vietnamese people after so much pain and loss to become a solid national unity bloc, no matter where they live in the world , is the most complete unity.

The unity originating from the humane nature of the Vietnamese people, together with the consistent correct policies of the Communist Party of Vietnam since the day of liberation, has contributed to bringing our country to great successes over the past 50 years.

When the war to liberate the South took place, I was still young and only witnessed the B52 bombing in the sky of Hanoi. The only memories of the battles to liberate the South were through the Voice of Vietnam radio.

I always remember Uncle Ho's New Year wishes in 1969:

Last year was a glorious victory

This year the frontline will surely win even bigger.

For independence, for freedom

Fight to drive out the Americans, fight to topple the puppets

Forward! Soldiers and compatriots.

North - South reunion, what spring is happier.

Then, in the early days of April 1975, there was continuous news: we fought the enemy in Buon Me Thuot and the enemy began to abandon the highlands to retreat and regroup around Saigon. The Party and the army decided to launch a general offensive to liberate the South and unify the country. News of victory kept pouring in on the Liberation Radio. Every day there was news that we had liberated the provinces. The joy of victory made everyone happy, everyone's face was radiant.

Then one day, Liberation Radio announced that we had completely liberated the South, our country was completely unified, our mountains and rivers had returned to one realm. The wish of the entire nation had come true. After 30 years of arduous fighting with so many sacrifices and losses, we had now won. Boundless joy filled the air. Everyone was excited and elated. We stood under the electric poles listening to the radio talk about the victory without getting bored. The song "As if Uncle Ho were here on the day of great victory" resounded everywhere. On the day of victory, the day of joyful reunion, why did tears flow? That was true.

That year, I had just passed the entrance exam to Hanoi Medical University and my father, a cadre from the South who had regrouped in the North, took me back to my hometown in Quang Ngai. The trip still left a lot of emotions in me.

Taking the train from Hang Co station to Vinh, getting off the train, then taking a bus from there to Ha Tinh, Ngang Pass, Quang Binh. Crossing Hien Luong bridge, at that time I kept imagining the time when the country was still divided into two ends of the bridge. And the movie "17th Parallel Day and Night" came back to my memory with its endless struggles and sacrifices. Crossing Hien Luong bridge to the other side is Quang Tri.

What I cannot forget is the image of bomb craters everywhere. From Ngang Pass, where no place is left intact, to Dong Hoi and Quang Tri. All are vast fields, full of bomb scars. Returning to Hue and Da Nang, going north, there are convoys of trucks full of soldiers. Everyone is happy because they are probably going to see their families again after many days apart. They look so ordinary and simple, with only a backpack and a gun. They are the people who have contributed to the heroic history of Vietnam.

Arriving in Quang Ngai, looking at the road from Duc Pho town to my hometown, it is a 7km long dirt road. That is the road where I saw with my own eyes the fierceness of the war because all around were only bushes and ulcers from bomb craters. My father told me that this place, before when he was still in school, was a forest and people were even afraid of tigers. Only then did I understand how fierce the war in Vietnam was. The number of bombs that the US army dropped on Quang Tri in 81 days of fighting alone was equal to 7 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. Thus, up to 14.35 million tons of bombs were used in the war in Vietnam, a huge number with a terrible level of destruction.

Arriving at the village, where there used to be beautiful wooden houses, now there is only dirt and my uncle's son has managed to build a simple thatched house with mud walls. Only the ancient mango tree remains, somehow it has withstood all the bombs and bullets. The mango tree is so tall that you can still see it from Highway 1. Maybe it was luck but no one can explain it.

My father met my aunt, who was my biological sister but called her Aunt Seven (my father was the eighth). The joy of reunion was indescribable. Hand in hand, everyone's eyes were filled with tears. My aunt hugged me tightly, her voice filled with surprise: Oh my god, you're so grown up. If only my grandparents were still alive to see their children and grandchildren return, they would be so happy. But unfortunately, they have all passed away. She said: relatives were lost in the American sweep. Grandma was shot and injured by an American helicopter and lost a lot of blood. There was no one to bandage her so she died from blood loss. Grandpa was sent to a concentration camp, with no one to take care of him so he also died, partly from illness and partly from sadness.

After liberation, I met many Vietnamese people living in Europe and America. There were people who still had prejudices about Vietnam and were worried about returning home. I still said: Come back home to visit. The country has been unified and within the country, the Party and the State called for building a great national unity bloc, no matter where you are, you are all descendants of Lac Hong. When you come back, you will see that our country has changed a lot, everyone is free to invest, do business, live, buy houses...

A Korean friend told me: you are so lucky to have unified the country. We have not had that luck. I think that the determination to unify the country with the enormous sacrifices of many generations of Vietnamese people was great. But when they won, the victors put their guns aside, started to rebuild the country, and above all, strengthened national unity. A unified Vietnam is the country of all Vietnamese people, no matter where they live in the world.

The greatness of the Vietnamese people and character is also reflected in the fact that Vietnam is a friend to everyone in the world. When Vietnam and the US signed a comprehensive strategic partnership and the visits to Vietnam by US Presidents as well as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the US or the recent direct phone calls between the General Secretary and the US President are a testament to Vietnam's unity and the world's recognition of an independent and prosperous Vietnam.

The humanitarian spirit of Vietnam has been a thread running through it since ancient times. Remember Nguyen Trai: after defeating the enemy, we spared his life and provided him with food, horses and carriages to return home. King Quang Trung won and then came to make peace. It is thanks to the policies reflecting the humanitarian spirit of Vietnam from our ancestors' time until today that our country has always maintained its independence, its mountains and rivers are stable, and its country is increasingly rich and powerful. The respect and position of the country is increasingly growing in the international arena.

Proud of the victory of liberating the South and unifying the country, we do not forget the days of hardship and sacrifice of many generations for national independence. We are determined to unite and mobilize all Vietnamese intelligence around the world to build a strong Vietnam.

Entering the era of becoming a developed country with the goal of building Vietnamese science and technology, Vietnamese intellectuals abroad are determined to bring their intelligence and experience to contribute to the sustainable development of Vietnam.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/viet-nam-sang-mai-voi-khat-vong-hoa-binh-thong-nhat-va-tu-tin-buoc-vao-ky-nguyen-vuon-minh-post875958.html