Source: United Press International
“Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday to revel in a massive military parade marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. Some 13,000 marchers, including troops from Cold War allies China, Cambodia and Laos, made their way past cheering throngs toward Reunification Palace — the site where a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates of the then-presidential residence on April 30, 1975, ending nearly two decades of fighting. … A festive spirit swept through the city formerly known as Saigon during the lead-up to the parade, driven in part by social media and heavy youth turnout at nightly events such as fireworks shows. … Uniformed veterans who fought in the war against U.S. troops and South Vietnamese forces, now in their 70s and 80s, were treated like celebrities by younger Vietnamese who surrounded them to pose for photos.” (04/30/25)