Although 50 years has passed, emotions about the reunification day still surge deeply in the hearts of patriotic overseas Vietnamese in France.
According to Nguyen Van Bon, former Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in France, it was 5:30 AM in Paris when it was 11:30 AM on April 30, 1975, Vietnam time, the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam officially flew over the Independence Palace. At that time, he and his friends shared indescribable joy and burst into celebration after many hours of anxiously following the situation via French radio.
“It is impossible to describe the overwhelming emotions inside us. We were joyful, yet tears welled up. This was because the dream of peace and national reunification had come true. Nothing could be more joyful,” he recalled.
It is impossible to describe the overwhelming emotions inside us. We were joyful, yet tears welled up. This was because the dream of peace and national reunification had come true.
Nguyen Van Bon, former Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in France
“From then on, the Vietnamese people had completely regained the right to decide their own destiny,” he claimed.
He stressed that the Great Victory of Spring 1975 was the glorious victory of the Vietnamese people following a long, arduous, and heroic resistance war.
“On the 50th anniversary of this great victory, we are very happy to see our country has never had such prestige, potential, position, and international reputation as it does today,” he proudly noted.
This great victory anniversary is an occasion for the young generation of overseas Vietnamese to preserve and promote the heroic tradition and cultural identity of the nation and actively contribute to the sustainable development of Vietnam, he stated.
Can Van Kiet, former Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in France, recalled that one year after coming to France to study in 1965, he joined the Student Union, and by 1970 he was trusted with the position of Deputy Secretary General in charge of students and intellectuals at the Marseille branch.
From 1970 to 1976, he actively gathered Vietnamese students and intellectuals in France, helping them better understand the situation in Vietnam and call for their contributions to the struggle for national independence of Vietnamese people.
He still remembers the indescribable joy upon hearing the news that Hue and Da Nang had been liberated in late March 1975 and that the Republic of Vietnam’s army disintegrated.
“This was the common feeling of most Vietnamese people throughout France during the gradual liberation of the South. This historic event strongly reinforced the belief in the final victory of the resistance war,” he said.
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| On May 6, 1975, overseas Vietnamese paraded to celebrate the liberation of the South and national reunification on the streets of Paris, amid applause from French friends. (Photo: Le Tan Xuan) |
On April 30, 1975, when hearing the news about the tank entering the Independence Palace and the flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government flying on the roof, he burst into joy.
“It was a powerful emotion, a surge of happiness and emotion, knowing that the country was completely unified and the war had ended after many years of suffering,” he recalled.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thanh Tong, former Vice Chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in France, admitted that the memory of the Southern Liberation Day still feels like a dream for him.
On night of April 29, 1975, following the battle situation, he was very happy and anxious knowing Vietnamese troops had entered Saigon.
“Waking up at 7 AM on April 30, I heard on the radio that tanks had entered the Independence Palace. I thought I was dreaming because I did not expect things to happen so quickly. I sat up and cried,” he shared.
When a friend called to inform him that there would soon be a victory march, he went out to Gobelins Street in the 13th district, where President Ho Chi Minh once lived while working in France. “At that moment, feelings of pride and gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh surged into my heart,” he said.
The 50th anniversary of Southern Liberation Day is an occasion to look back on the heroic past of the nation and honour those who laid down their lives for independence, freedom, and national reunification.
President Ho’s call “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” is the motivation and strength for generations of patriotic overseas Vietnamese in France to do all they can for their beloved homeland.
“When I reached the banks of the Seine River, overwhelmed, I stood there and silently cried for a long time, celebrating the victory. Choked with emotion, I wanted to shout: The country is independent, our people are free. On the way, I felt that everyone was smiling and sharing great happiness with the Vietnamese: the South had been liberated,” Tong said.
He emphasised that the 50th anniversary of Southern Liberation Day is an occasion to look back on the heroic past of the nation and honour those who laid down their lives for independence, freedom, and national reunification.
Sharing the same emotion, Luu Thanh Dung, former Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in France, said he would never forget that moment of overwhelming joy on the historic day.
On May 1, 1975, I drove from Paris to the province to meet friends from university. On the way, I listened to the radio and suddenly heard the news: “The Americans evacuated Saigon..., the Saigon government has collapsed...”
The good news came unexpectedly, his heart was thrilled with the thought that the war was over, no more endless bombings on my country, no more villages burning from raids, no more images of mothers crying for their children, wives for their husbands, or children for their fathers because of the disastrous war.
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| Luu Thanh Dung (C) beats the drum for everyone to shout loudly: “Vietnam...Victory”, “Ho Chi Minh” in a street celebration of April 30 Victory in Paris on May 1, 1975. |
“I was so happy, tears fell, and I hurried back to Paris in my old car, and joined my friends to go to Bastille Square.”
“At that time, French workers were marching for International Workers' Day, and we joined the crowd to sing out loud: “The joy came unexpectedly, the day went like a dream night” — which are lyrics from musician Xuan Hong’s song “Spring in Ho Chi Minh City”.
Around him, everyone, Vietnamese or not, had radiant faces, chatting excitedly about the topic of the “liberation of South Vietnam”.
On the way to République Square, two female friends held drums, and Dung beat the rhythm so everyone could shout loudly: “Vietnam...Victory”, “Ho Chi Minh”.
Half a century has passed, and the Great Victory of Spring 1975 will forever be a source of pride for many generations of Vietnamese in France and continue to inspire and motivate them to promote solidarity, and actively contribute to the homeland in the new development era.
