Celebrating 49th anniversary of Liberation of South Liberation and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - 2024)

Saigon people parade to celebrate the city's liberation (Source: Internet).

The 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising with the Central Highlands Campaign, the Hue-Da Nang and the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaigns failed the war of invasion and the new colonial rule of the US imperialists, completely liberating the South and gloriously ending the longest, most difficult, and greatest war to save the country in the history of the Vietnamese people against foreign invasion.

The victory of our army and people is a typical victory of the world's revolutionary forces, a lever to promote the liberation struggle of the world's people for the goals of national independence, peace, democracy, and social progress, cheering and encouraging those who are carrying out the work of national liberation and anti-imperialism around the world.

In late 1974 and early 1975, the revolutionary situation in the South made significant progress. The Phuoc Long victory (December 13, 1974 - January 6, 1975) strengthened the fighting spirit of our army and people, opening up new opportunities for our Party to advocate a plan to completely liberate the South in 1975 - 1976.

At exactly 5:00 p.m. on April 26, 1975, our troops opened fire to open the campaign. On the morning of April 30, our troops attacked the Independence Palace as planned. At 10:45 a.m. on the same day, the Type 59 tank number 390 rushed forward and rammed open the main gate. Company commander Bui Quang Than jumped out of the vehicle and ran to the roof of the Independence Palace to plant the flag of the National Liberation Front in southern Vietnam. At 11:30 a.m., President Duong Van Minh announced his unconditional surrender. The Ho Chi Minh campaign was a complete victory. By May 2, 1975, our army and people had completely liberated the South.

The victory on April 30, 1975 was a great achievement in the cause of national and social liberation led by our Party and President Ho Chi Minh, is a heroic and brilliant page in the nation's thousands-year history of building and defending the country. Our army and people defeated the most powerful and ferocious enemy of progressive humanity, resoundingly ended the 30-year fight for independence, freedom, and unification for the Fatherland as well as ending the rule of more than a century of old and new colonialism in our country. It is also a typical victory of the world's revolutionary forces, contributing to strongly promoting the struggle of the world's people for the goals of national independence, peace, democracy and social progress.

Celebrating the 49th anniversary of the South Liberation and National Reunification is an opportunity for us to review the heroic history of the nation, look back at the journey of striving to build and develop the country.