US, Vietnam mark 50 years since fall of Saigon, end of war

HO CHI MINH CITY Vietnam AP Vietnam on Wednesday celebrated the th anniversary of the end of the war with the United States and the formation of its modern nation with a military parade and a focus on a peaceful future The fall of Saigon on April marked the end of a Vietnam divided into the communist North and U S -allied South and the country s top official communicated crowds the past decades had led to ever increasing unity All the Vietnamese are the descendants of Vietnam They have the rights to live and work to have freedom to pursue happiness and love in this country explained To Lam the Vietnam Communist Party s general secretary In a spirit of closing the past respecting differences aiming for the future the whole party the people and the army vow to make Vietnam become a country of peace unity prosperity and maturation he added Thousands camped overnight on the streets of the former South Vietnamese capital which was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after it fell to North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops to get the best vantage point for the parade A great number of lingered on the streets later in the afternoon and had picnics while waiting for drone and fireworks shows scheduled for the evening The red and yellow of Vietnam s national flag was everywhere in the city fluttering from buildings painted on the faces of eager teenagers and on the T-shirts of those who had traveled to the city from all over the country Now it s time for peace explained spectator Nguyen Thi Hue a city resident Peace is the dream that everyone in the world wants One float carried the mythical Lac bird Vietnam s emblem another a portrait of Ho Chi Minh Chinese Laotian and Cambodian troops marched behind Vietnamese army formations including certain wearing uniforms similar to what was worn by northern Vietnamese troops during the war Helicopters carrying the national flag and jets flew over the parade near Independence Palace where a North Vietnamese tank smashed through the gates on the final day of the war And all the while the crowds soaked it in They had gathered outside the barricades and at specific street corners where giant screens had been set up Those at home huddled over their television sets Phones raised and eyes wide they waved and cheered at the marching soldiers Sitting next to Vietnam s leader were Cambodia s former leader Hun Sen and Laotian Communist Party General Secretary Thongloun Sisoulith To Lam stated beyond a triumph over the U S and South Vietnam the fall of Saigon was a glorious landmark that ended a -year fight for independence that began with the fight to oust French colonial troops He noted Vietnam owes its position in the world the present day to backing from the Soviet Union China and solidarity from Laos and Cambodia as well as progressive people all over the world including the U S he reported Vietnam s changing global approach The emphasis on reconciliation and not like previous years on military win reflected how Vietnam was approaching the changing tides of the global commercial sector and geopolitics in current times declared Nguyen Khac Giang an analyst at Singapore s ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute He added that the Vietnam War remains central to how the Communist Party framed its legitimacy not just as a military triumph but also as a symbol of national unity But To Lam s comments underlined that the reconciliation remains unfinished The war still defines Vietnam s unity and its unresolved divides Giang stated For Pham Ngoc Son a veteran who fought for the communists this day there is only space for peace and friendship between the U S and Vietnam The war is over a long time ago commented the -year-old who during the war served as an army truck driver bringing troops and supplies from the north to the south along the Ho Chi Minh trail the secret supply road used by North Vietnam Passage of time has led to improved relations with U S This year also marks the -year anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the U S In Vietnam upgraded its relations with the U S to that of a comprehensive strategic partner the highest diplomatic status it gives to any country and the same level of relations as China and Russia There are new signs of strain in the relationship with Washington however with President Donald Trump s imposition of heavy tariffs and the cancellation of much foreign aid which has affected war remediation efforts in Vietnam Vietnamese officers say the relationship with the U S is anchored in American efforts to address war legacies such as Agent Orange contamination and unexploded ordnance in the countryside that still threaten lives The future of those projects is now at jeopardy because of the Trump administration s broad cuts to USAID Moreover the export-dependent country is vulnerable in a global market made fragile amid Trump s tariff plans Vietnam was slammed with reciprocal tariffs of one of the highest This puts a big question mark on what the U S wants to achieve in Asia disclosed Huong Le-Thu of the International Predicament Group think tank Previously close ties with Washington have helped Vietnam balance its relations with its much larger and more powerful neighbor China she explained Vietnam is one of the countries along with the Philippines that has been involved in direct confrontations with China over conflicting maritime alleges in the South China Sea Focus on economic and not strategic competition may mean that Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia become less significant for the U S It really will be shaping up on how the new administration sees the strategic picture in the Indo-Pacific and where countries like Vietnam would fit in she commented In Washington State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce on Tuesday refused to comment on reports that the Trump administration had discouraged diplomats from attending anniversary events I m not going to discuss what has been suggested or not suggested she mentioned The Embassy in Hanoi explained U S consul general in Ho Chi Minh City Susan Burns had attended the event U S ambassador Marc E Knapper didn t attend Who took part in the parade About people including troops militias veterans and local citizens took part in the parade The track followed the main boulevard leading to the Independence Palace before branching into city streets and passed the U S Consulate A video of Chinese troops humming the iconic song As If Uncle Ho Were With Us on Supremacy Day during a rehearsal was shared widely on social media Chinese leader Xi Jinping had visited Vietnam earlier in the month in a bid to present the country as a force for stability in contrast with Trump