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Revellers watch a parade marking the 50th anniversary of reunification in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday. Photo: Kyod
Episode 3040 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the status of U.S, – Vietnam relations fifty years after reunification of the southeastern nation. The featured story is titled Vietnam’s wary friendship with US shows signs of strain again, 50 years after war’s end. It came from This Week in Asia and was submitted by Huw Watkin.
Most Vietnam Veterans retain a lasting interest in the country where they fought decades ago. That is why this story is featured in this podcast episode. The story begins with a description of the celebration of the 50th year anniversary or the reunification of Vietnam.
It was the biggest party Saigon had ever seen – a grand celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s reunification, and a showcase of its emergence as a rising economic and diplomatic power in Asia.
On Wednesday, some 15,000 military, police and civil defense personnel marched through what is now known as Ho Chi Minh City, cheered by hundreds of thousands lining the streets. Millions more watched the parade live on state television and social media.
Dignitaries from around the world were in attendance. But notably absent was a high-level delegation from the United States – a curious omission given Washington’s long-running efforts to strengthen ties with Hanoi amid rising tensions with Beijing.
The muted American turnout came at a delicate moment in bilateral ties – with Washington suspending Vietnam war-era aid programs, threatening sweeping new tariffs on Vietnamese goods, and just weeks after a high-profile visit to Hanoi by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Vietnam war – or “American war”, as it is known locally – was rooted in Cold War geopolitics and colonial-era divisions. The Geneva Accords of 1954 temporarily split the country, but elections meant to reunify it never took place. Instead, it became one of the 20th century’s deadliest proxy conflicts, with millions of lives lost before the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Listen to Episode 3040 and discover more about the current status of relations between the U.S. and Vietnam.
