In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of the liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30), Kolotov said the victory proved that Vietnam could win over powerful opponents like the US and France in the struggle for national independence national reunification.
The professor also commended the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in the past struggle, stressing that a nation with a strong will can earn the victory.
He added that President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology is being carried forward in Vietnam at present.
Ann Byong-chan, a former reporter of the Hankook Ilbo ― a sister paper of The Korea Times, still remembered the final chaotic days of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) 48 years ago.
Ann, who reported news of Vietnam for three years, said he was the last Korean reporter in Vietnam at that time, and he felt lucky for that.
The former report said he hopes that his articles and documents on Saigon will be preserved at a library.
Meanwhile, Former Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Fredesmán Turró González, who first arrived in Vietnam in 1968, told the VNA’s correspondent in Havana that April 30, 1975 was an extraordinary landmark.
At that time, the staff of the Cuban Embassy in Hanoi also poured out onto the streets to celebrate with the Vietnamese people, embracing anyone they met like brothers and sisters, he recounted.
He lauded Vietnam’s impressive achievements in socio-economic development, especially after the 6th National Party Congress adopted the reform policy in December 1986.
Vietnam has been an active member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and has maintained diplomatic ties with more than 190 countries worldwide, he said, noting that the country is playing an important role in the international arena.
National reunification, peace and stability have brought about more cooperation opportunities to Vietnam, he said.
