Ho Chi Min (TDI): Celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Reunification Day kickstarted early morning as the country marks golden jubilee this year. Troops of Laos, Cambodia and China are also taking part in the parades.
Early morning, a formation of ten helicopters arrived over Ho Chi Minh City as part of the anniversary parade and airshow, followed by Yak-130 and Su-30MK2 fighter jet squadrons roaring through the city skies.
Spectators below cheered the fighter jets and chanted slogans, as the countdown leading up to the National Day had kept Vietnamese restlessly waiting for cannon firing, airplane performances, fireworks, and an impressive drone show.
On this day, in 1975, army of the former North Vietnam entered the Independence Palace in Saigon (now Ho Chi Min) and got an unconditional surrender from the President of then South Vietnam, Duong Van Minh.
This event marked the merger of South Vietnam into the North, forming a single unified country. The storming of the Palace was part of the Ho Chi Min campaign and this became the reason why, every year, the country holds National Day Parades in Ho Chi Min, and not the capital city Hanoi.
The day is also known as Liberation Day in Vietnam, and honoring the history and significance of this day, Vietnamese put their country’s flags in front of their homes.
More than 13,000 people are taking part in this year’s grand parade event. According to the guest list, US officials remain absent from this grand celebration.
Nuzhat Rana is the Managing Editor (website) at The Diplomatic Insight.
