1 / 10In the early hours before dawn, thousands of people gathered along the main boulevards of Ho Chi Minh City, many camping overnight to secure a view of the military parade commemorating 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War and the country’s reunification, the PTI reported. (Image: AP)
2 / 10Vietnamese troops marched past the historic Independence Palace, where a North Vietnamese tank famously crashed through the gates on April 30, 1975, marking the fall of Saigon and the end of the war. Around 13,000 people, including troops, veterans, militias, and citizens, took part in the procession. (Image: AP)
3 / 10Helicopters and jets, including Russian-made aircraft, flew overhead in a powerful aerial display, carrying the national flag and trailing smoke, as thousands below waved red banners and sang patriotic songs. (Image: AP)
4 / 10A colorful float featuring the Lac bird—Vietnam’s national emblem—rolled down the streets, symbolising strength, culture, and the nation’s peaceful aspirations for the future. (Image: AP)
5 / 10Marching behind Vietnamese formations, troops from China, Laos, and Cambodia participated in the parade. A 118-member Chinese contingent joined to honour the international support Vietnam received during its war for independence. (Image: AP)
6 / 10A giant portrait of Ho Chi Minh was paraded through the streets, commemorating the leader of North Vietnam and the namesake of the former South Vietnamese capital, renamed Ho Chi Minh City after its fall in 1975. (Image: AP)
7 / 10Veterans in uniform took part in the commemorations, evoking memories of the 1975 fall of Saigon. A Reuters cable from that day described communist troops as “formidably armed” yet including “barefoot teenagers” entering the city virtually unopposed. (Image: AP)
8 / 10Families shared meals and relaxed on sidewalks as the sun set, enjoying a festive atmosphere that reflected not just on war, but on reconciliation and a focus on the country’s peaceful path forward. (Image: Reuters)
9 / 10Vietnam’s top leader, Communist Party chief To Lam, addressed the crowd, calling the end of the war a “victory of faith” and “justice over tyranny.” He quoted Ho Chi Minh: “Vietnam is one, the Vietnamese people are one. Rivers may dry up, mountains may erode, but that truth will never change.” (Image: AP)
10 / 10Diplomatic guests, including Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen and Laos’ Party General Secretary Thongloun Sisoulith, joined Vietnamese officials at the parade. The US was represented by Susan Burns, Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City. (Image: AP)
