Vietnam celebrated 50 years since the war with the US ended. They had a military parade and talked about a peaceful future.

Saigon fell on April 30, 1975. This was the end of Vietnam being split into North and South. The North was communist and the South was friends with the U.S. The country's leader told people that the past years had made them more and more together.

To Lam, the leader of the Communist Party in Vietnam, said that all Vietnamese people come from Vietnam. He also said they can live and work freely in Vietnam and look for happiness and love.

He also said, "We want to forget the past and respect our differences. We look to the future. The party, the people, and the army promise to make Vietnam a peaceful, united, successful, and growing country."

Thousands of people slept outside on the streets of the old capital city, which is now called Ho Chi Minh City. They wanted to have the best place to watch the parade. Later, many people stayed in the streets and had picnics while they waited for drone and firework shows at night.

The city was full of the red and yellow colors of Vietnam's flag. You could see them on buildings, on young people's faces, and on the T-shirts of people who came from all over the country.

"Now is the time for peace," said Nguyen Thi Hue, a resident of the city. "Peace is the dream that people all over the world hope for."

One float had a picture of the special Lac bird from Vietnam, which is Vietnam's symbol. Another float had a picture of Ho Chi Minh.

Soldiers from China, Laos, and Cambodia walked after the Vietnamese soldiers. Some of the Vietnamese soldiers wore uniforms like the ones from the war. Helicopters with the national flag and airplanes flew over the parade near Independence Palace. A North Vietnamese tank broke through the gates there on the last day of the war.

People watched the show from outside the fences and on some streets where big screens were. They held up their phones and watched the soldiers marching. People at home watched on TV.

Next to the leader of Vietnam were Hun Sen, who used to be the leader of Cambodia, and Thongloun Sisoulith, the leader of the Communist Party in Laos.

To Lam said that winning against the U.S. and South Vietnam was a very important time. It finished a 30-year fight for freedom that began when they fought to make the French soldiers leave.

He said Vietnam is important in the world today because the Soviet Union, China, Laos, Cambodia, and helpful people everywhere, including in the U.S., helped it.

Vietnam is now focusing on making peace, not just winning wars. An expert named Nguyen Khac Giang said this shows how Vietnam is changing with the world. He said the Vietnam War is still very important to the government. They see it as a win and a sign that the country is united. But To Lam's words show that peace is not yet finished.

Giang said the war still shows how Vietnam is united and how it is divided.

Pham Ngoc Son fought in the war. He believes the U.S. and Vietnam should now only be friends and have peace.

"The war ended a long time ago," said the 69-year-old man. He explained that during the war, he worked as an army truck driver, transporting soldiers and supplies from the north to the south along the Ho Chi Minh trail, which was a secret route used for moving supplies.

This year is also 30 years since Vietnam and the U.S. started having official relations.

In 2023, Vietnam and the U.S. became very good friends. This is the best relationship Vietnam has with any country, just like its relationships with China and Russia.

But there are new problems in the relationship with Washington because President Donald Trump put high taxes on goods and stopped much of the money that helped Vietnam after the war.

Vietnamese officials say their relationship with the U.S. is good because the U.S. is helping with problems from the war, like the effects of Agent Orange and bombs that are still in the ground and can hurt people.

Those projects might stop now because the Trump government took away a lot of money from USAID.

Also, the country sells many things to other countries, so it can easily have problems when the world economy is not strong. This is partly because of Trump's plans for taxes on goods from other countries.

Vietnam had to pay 46% extra taxes, which was very high.

She said that being friends with the US helped Vietnam have a better relationship with its big and strong neighbor, China.

Vietnam and the Philippines have disagreements with China about who controls parts of the sea.

If the U.S. focuses more on money and less on power, countries like Vietnam in Southeast Asia might not be as important to them.

It will depend on how the new leaders see the important situation in the Indo-Pacific area and where countries like Vietnam will be.

In Washington, a spokesperson said she would not talk about reports that the Trump government told diplomats not to go to celebration parties.

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said Susan Burns went to the event. She is the U.S. consul in Ho Chi Minh City. The U.S. ambassador, Marc E. Knapper, did not go.

Around 13,000 people, including soldiers and people from the city, were in the parade. The parade went along the main road to the Independence Palace. Then, it turned into city streets and went past the American Consulate.

A video of Chinese soldiers singing a famous Vietnamese song during practice was shared a lot online. The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, visited Vietnam earlier that month. He wanted to show that China is a country that brings stability, which was different from what Trump did.