Vietnam celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the war with the United States on Wednesday. They marked the creation of their modern country with a military parade and showed their commitment to a peaceful future.

When Saigon fell on April 30, 1975, it ended the division of Vietnam into the communist North and the South, which was supported by the U.S. The country's leader told the crowds that the past years had brought more and more unity.

To Lam, the leader of the Vietnam Communist Party, said that all Vietnamese people come from Vietnam. He said they have the right to live and work freely, and to find happiness and love in their country.

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

Thousands of people camped on the streets overnight in the former capital of South Vietnam, now called Ho Chi Minh City, to get the best view of the parade. Many stayed on the streets later to have picnics and wait for the drone and fireworks shows in the evening.

The city was full of Vietnam's red and yellow flag. You could see it on buildings, painted on the faces of young people, and on the shirts of people who came from all over the country.

"It is now time for peace," stated spectator Nguyen Thi Hue, a city resident. "Peace represents the aspiration shared by people globally."

One parade float showed the legendary Lac bird, the symbol of Vietnam, and another had a picture of Ho Chi Minh.

Soldiers from China, Laos, and Cambodia marched after the Vietnamese army. Some of them wore uniforms similar to those worn by North Vietnamese soldiers during the war. Helicopters with the national flag and jets flew over the parade near Independence Palace. This is where a North Vietnamese tank broke through the gates on the last day of the war.

Large numbers of people watched the event from behind barriers and on streets with big screens. They held up their phones, watched with interest, and waved and shouted excitedly at the soldiers walking past. People at home watched closely on their TVs.

Sitting next to Vietnam's leader were Cambodia's former leader, Hun Sen, and the leader of the Laotian Communist Party, Thongloun Sisoulith.

To Lam said that taking control of Saigon was a big success. He said it finished a 30-year war for freedom that began with fighting against French soldiers.

He said Vietnam is strong today because of help from the Soviet Union, China, Laos, and Cambodia. He also said that people who supported progress around the world, including in the U.S., helped them.

Instead of focusing on winning the war, Vietnam now focuses on bringing people together. An analyst named Nguyen Khac Giang said this shows how Vietnam is reacting to changes in the world's economy and politics. He added that the Vietnam War is still very important to the Communist Party's power. It shows not just a military win but also that the country is united. But To Lam's comments suggest that bringing people together is not yet complete.

Giang said the war still affects how united Vietnam is and the disagreements that are not yet settled.

Pham Ngoc Son, an old soldier who fought for the communists, says that today it is important to have peace and friendship between the U.S. and Vietnam.

"The war finished many years ago," said the 69-year-old. He was an army truck driver during the war. He drove soldiers and materials from the north to the south on the Ho Chi Minh trail, which was a secret route North Vietnam used to move supplies.

This year is also the 30th anniversary of the start of official relations between Vietnam and the U.S.

In 2023, Vietnam made its relationship with the U.S. the most important kind, like its relationships with China and Russia.

However, the relationship with Washington is facing new difficulties. President Donald Trump has put high taxes on goods from other countries and stopped a lot of foreign aid, which has made it harder to help Vietnam recover from the war.

Officials in Vietnam say their relationship with the U.S. is strong because of American work to deal with problems from the war. This includes cleaning up Agent Orange and removing bombs from the countryside that still put people's lives in danger.

The future of those projects is now uncertain because the Trump government greatly reduced funding for USAID.

Also, the country that depends on exports is easily affected by the global economy, which is weak because of Trump's plans for taxes on imports.

Vietnam faced high taxes of 46% on its goods from the US, which was one of the highest rates.

She said that Vietnam's close relationship with the United States had helped it have a more balanced relationship with its much bigger and stronger neighbour, China.

Vietnam and the Philippines have had direct disagreements with China about who owns parts of the sea in the South China Sea.

If the US focuses more on economic competition than on military or political competition, Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia might become less important to them.

"It will really show how the new government sees the important situation in the Indo-Pacific area and where countries like Vietnam fit in," she said.

In Washington, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce would not comment on reports that the government had asked diplomats not to attend anniversary events. She said, "I'm not going to talk about what has been suggested or not suggested."

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said that Susan Burns, the U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, went to the event. However, the U.S. Ambassador, Marc E. Knapper, did not go.

Around 13,000 people marched in the parade, including soldiers, volunteer fighters, former soldiers, and local residents. The parade started on the main road to the Independence Palace, then turned into city streets and went past the U.S. Consulate.

A video of Chinese soldiers singing the famous song "As If Uncle Ho Were With Us on Victory Day" during practice was shared a lot online. China's leader, Xi Jinping, had visited Vietnam earlier that month. He wanted to show that China was a country that brought peace, which was different from Trump.