National strength makes Reunification Day

Liberation Army’s tank storms Independence Palace April 30, 1975 (Photo: Tran Mai Huong)

The 1975 victory opened a new era of independence, reunification, and socialism for Vietnam and demonstrated the strength of Vietnamese revolutionary heroism and wisdom in the Ho Chi Minh era. The victory’s most decisive factors were the great strength of the people and the creative leadership the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Just struggle

Nguyen Trong Xuat, former Secretary General of the Editorial Board of History of the Southern Resistance, called Vietnam’s American Resistance War is a just struggle for national independence and freedom.

That’s why it rallied people’s participation, Mr. Xuat said “The leaders inherited tactical talent and wisdom from their predecessors for thousands of years. The Party taught us that if you know how to rally the masses, the revolution is by the people, not by the cadre. People are the revolution.”

The southern people played an important role in this struggle. Patriots took to the streets to stage demonstrations in the heart of Sai Gon, now Ho Chi Minh City. Mothers, sisters, students, intellectuals, and monks joined pro-revolution movements.

Musician Ton That Lap, a member of the “Singing for my compatriots” movement, still remembers clearly what happened more than 40 years ago “The singing voices of the students were the voices of compatriots. So what they said was interpreted as an appeal to ignite the fighting spirit for national defense, human rights protection, and peace. Their singings were weapons that frightened the enemy.”

People make things possible

General Pham Van Tra, former Minister of National Defense, said there would be no Reunification Day without the people’s support: “Without the people we would have never succeeded. Only people can make things possible. It was the southern people’s patriotism and loyalty to President Ho Chi Minh that helped us win.”

Memories of Reunification Day on April 30, 1975, remain fresh in the minds of Ho Chi Minh City residents.

Architecture Nguyen Huu Thai said “Many people contributed to the liberation of the south. I was impressed by the statement of General Tran Van Tra, commander of the troops that seized Sai Gon on May 2, 1975, who released the captured Duong Van Minh administration at Independence Palace. Mr. Tra said that in this war, there were no losers, that all Vietnamese were winners. Mr. Minh replied: “You played a decisive role in liberating the south.”

National strength made a historic day on April 30, 1975. 44 years later, Ho Chi Minh City is an innovative urban area and the economic locomotive of Vietnam.