Vietnam celebrates communist victory over U.S. as new threat of tariffs looms

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Vietnam on Wednesday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the communist victory over U.S. forces — but with an eye on ties with America that have blossomed in recent decades but are at risk of fraying under President Donald Trump.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Vietnam on Wednesday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the communist victory over U.S. forces — but with an eye on ties with America that have blossomed in recent decades but are at risk of fraying under President Donald Trump.

Thousands of people, some of whom camped out overnight, lined the streets of what is now called Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, waving red flags and singing patriotic songs as they watched a grand parade down the main boulevard to Independence Palace.

It was there that a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates April 30, 1975, bringing U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War to a dramatic end as Americans evacuated and many of the South Vietnamese they had backed in their war against the communist-run North were left behind.

In the 20 years until the fall of Saigon, the conflict had killed more than 58,000 U.S. service members and about 3 million Vietnamese.

The parade, held every year on what Vietnam calls “Liberation Day,” featured marching troops, as well as an air show with Russian-made fighter jets and helicopters flying over the palace.