On Wednesday, Vietnam had a special party to celebrate 50 years since the war with the United States finished and their country became modern.

When Saigon fell on April 30, 1975, the war in Vietnam ended. The country was no longer in two parts, North (communist) and South (helped by the U.S.). The main leader of the country said that in the past years, Vietnam had become more and more united.

To Lam, the leader of the Communist Party, said, "All Vietnamese people come from Vietnam. They can live and work there, and they should be free to find happiness and love in the country."

He said, "We want to forget the past, respect different ideas, and plan for the future. Everyone in the party, the country, and the army promises to make Vietnam a peaceful, united, successful, and developing country."

Thousands of people slept outside in Ho Chi Minh City to find a good place to watch the parade. Later, many people stayed in the streets, had picnics, and waited for shows with drones and fireworks in the evening.

The city was filled with the red and yellow colors of Vietnam's flag. You could see the flag on buildings, painted on people's faces, and printed on T-shirts.

"Now is the time for peace," said Nguyen Thi Hue, a resident of the city. "Peace is the dream that everyone in the world desires."

One float had a picture of the Lac bird, a special bird from Vietnam, and another float had a picture of Ho Chi Minh.

Soldiers from China, Laos, and Cambodia walked behind Vietnamese soldiers. Some of them wore clothes like the soldiers from North Vietnam wore during the war. Above the parade near Independence Palace, helicopters with the flag and planes flew. This is where a tank broke through the gates on the last day of the war.

People watched the event from outside the fences and on streets with big screens. They held up their phones and watched as the soldiers marched by, waving and cheering. People at home watched on their televisions.

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

To Lam described the fall of Saigon as more than just a victory against the U.S. and South Vietnam. He called it a significant event that marked the end of a 30-year struggle for independence, which had begun with the effort to remove French colonial forces.

He said Vietnam is strong today because of help from the Soviet Union, China, Laos, and Cambodia, and also from people around the world, even in the U.S.

Vietnam wanted peace instead of war because the world was changing, said expert Nguyen Khac Giang.

Giang said the war is still important for Vietnam to be united, but it also shows the problems they still have.

Pham Ngoc Son fought in the war for the communists. Now, he believes the U.S. and Vietnam should only have peace and friendship.

"The war ended many years ago," said the old man. He was a truck driver in the army during the war. He moved soldiers and supplies from the north to the south on the Ho Chi Minh trail. This trail was a secret way for North Vietnam to send supplies.

This year is also 30 years since Vietnam and the U.S. became friends officially.

In 2023, Vietnam and the U.S. became very close friends. This is the best relationship Vietnam has with other countries, like China and Russia.

However, there are new problems in the relationship with Washington. President Donald Trump put on high taxes and stopped a lot of help to other countries. This has made it harder to help clean up after the war in Vietnam.

Officials in Vietnam say their relationship with the US is strong because America helps with problems from the war, like Agent Orange and bombs that didn't explode, which still put people in danger in the country.

These projects might stop because the Trump government cut money for USAID.

Also, the country sells a lot to other countries, so it can be easily hurt when the world economy is not strong. This is happening now because of Trump's plans for taxes on goods from other countries.

Vietnam had to pay high taxes of 46%. This makes people wonder what the US wants to do in Asia, said Huong Le-Thu from a research group.

She said that being friends with the United States helped Vietnam have a good relationship with China, which is bigger and stronger.

Vietnam and the Philippines have had strong disagreements with China about who owns parts of the sea.

If the U.S. thinks more about money than power, countries like Vietnam in Southeast Asia might not be as important to them.

She said it will depend on how the new government understands the important situation in the Indo-Pacific area and the role of countries like Vietnam.

In Washington, a government spokeswoman did not want to talk about news that the Trump government told diplomats not to go to special events. She said, "I will not talk about what was suggested or not suggested."

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said a U.S. official from Ho Chi Minh City, Susan Burns, was at the event. The U.S. ambassador, Marc E. Knapper, was not there.

Approximately 13,000 individuals participated in the parade, including military personnel, police forces, and local residents. The procession followed the primary avenue towards the Independence Palace before turning onto various city streets and passing the U.S. Consulate.

People shared a video online of Chinese soldiers singing a famous song. This happened after China's leader visited Vietnam to show his country was peaceful.