On Wednesday, Vietnam celebrated 50 years since the end of the war with the United States. They marked the start of their modern country with a military parade and showed they want a peaceful future.

When Saigon fell on April 30, 1975, Vietnam was no longer divided into the communist North and the South, which was supported by the U.S. The country's leader told the people that the past few decades had brought the country closer together.

To Lam, the leader of Vietnam's 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 want to leave the past behind, respect our differences, and plan for the future. The party, the people, and the army all promise to help Vietnam become a country that is peaceful, united, rich, and growing."

Thousands of people slept outside on the streets of the city formerly called Saigon. They did this to get the best view of the parade. The city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the war. Later in the day, many stayed on the streets and ate picnics while waiting for the drone and firework shows at night.

The city was full of red and yellow, the colours of Vietnam's flag. You could see it on buildings, on the faces of excited teenagers, and on the shirts of people who had come from all parts of the country.

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

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

Soldiers from China, Laos, and Cambodia marched behind the Vietnamese soldiers. Some of them wore uniforms that looked like the ones worn by soldiers from North Vietnam during the war. Helicopters carrying the national flag and planes 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.

People watched the event from outside the barriers and at some street corners with large screens. They held up their phones, their eyes wide, waving and cheering at the soldiers marching past. People at home watched on their televisions.

Next to Vietnam’s leader were Cambodia’s former leader, Hun Sen, and the leader of the Communist Party in Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith.

To Lam said that the taking of Saigon was not just a win against the U.S. and South Vietnam. He called it a "wonderful event" that finished a 30-year fight for freedom. This fight started with the effort to remove the French soldiers who controlled the country.

He said Vietnam's success today is due to support from the Soviet Union, China, Laos, and Cambodia, as well as from people around the world who supported progress, including in the U.S.

Nguyen Khac Giang, an expert, said that Vietnam was changing with the global economy and politics. He explained that the focus on bringing people together, instead of winning wars, showed this change. Giang added that the Vietnam War is still important for the government to show it is strong and right. They see it not just as a military win but also a sign of the country being united. However, comments from To Lam showed that bringing people together is still not finished.

The war still affects how united Vietnam is and the problems that haven't been solved, Giang said.

Pham Ngoc Son, an old soldier who fought for the communists, believes that today there is only room for peace and friendship between the U.S. and Vietnam.

“The war ended a long time ago,” said the 69-year-old man. He was an army truck driver during the war, transporting soldiers and materials from the north to the south on the Ho Chi Minh trail, which was a secret supply route used by North Vietnam.

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

In 2023, Vietnam made its relationship with the U.S. much stronger. They gave the U.S. their highest level of diplomatic status, called a "comprehensive strategic partner." This is the same high level of relationship Vietnam has with countries like China and Russia.

However, there are new problems in the relationship with Washington. President Donald Trump has introduced high taxes on imports and stopped a lot of foreign help, which has harmed work to fix problems caused by the war in Vietnam.

Vietnamese officials say their relationship with the U.S. is strong because the U.S. is helping with problems from the war, like the effects of Agent Orange and bombs that didn't explode and are still dangerous in the countryside.

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

Also, the country that depends on exports is easily affected in a weak global economy because of Trump's plans for import taxes.

Vietnam had to pay high taxes of 46% on its goods. This makes people wonder what the U.S. is trying to do in Asia.

She said that having a good relationship with the United States has helped Vietnam manage its relationship with its much larger and stronger neighbour, China.

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

If the U.S. focuses more on economic competition than on strategic 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 and where countries like Vietnam fit in," she said.

In Washington on Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce would not comment on news reports that the Trump administration had told diplomats not to attend anniversary events.

The Embassy in Hanoi reported that the U.S. consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, Susan Burns, was present at the event. However, the U.S. ambassador, Marc E. Knapper, did not attend.

Around 13,000 people, such as soldiers, armed groups, former military personnel, and local people, were in the parade. The parade went along the main road towards the Independence Palace, then turned onto other city streets and went past the U.S. Consulate building.

A video of Chinese soldiers singing the famous song "As If Uncle Ho Were With Us on Victory Day" during practice was shared online. This happened after China's leader, Xi Jinping, visited Vietnam earlier that month. He wanted to show that China is a stable country, unlike Trump.