Vietnam celebrates reunification
Annual holiday coincides with 60th anniversary of victory at Dien Bien Phu
An exhibition at Da Nang’s Fine Arts Museum marks the 39th anniversary of Vietnam’s reunification with 96 sculptures and paintings. The landscapes and portraits by artists from Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City were made during a workshop in Hoi An and at My Son Sanctuary.
Continuing through Saturday, the exhibition commemorates the day the National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese Army captured Saigon – April 30, 1975 – ending the War of Resistance Against America.
The date became the start of a transition toward unification, which finally occurred on July 2, 1976, when the Socialist Republic of Vietnam was officially inaugurated.
April 30 is Victory Day, also called Liberation Day and Ngay Thong Bhat in Vietnamese, and widely recalled as “the day Saigon fell”. Among the many activities organised for the anniversary are public discussions among witnesses to the actual events and art performances in the former Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City.
Quang Tri has meanwhile earned recognition for the historical “relic” significance of Hien Luong Wharf, Ben Hai Bridge and Quang Tri ancient citadel.
Dinh The Huynh, chief of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communications and Education, said the party, state and people are deeply grateful to the soldiers who fought in the war.
“The Party Committee, administration and people of Quang Tri should continue to develop its tradition to boost socio-economic strength and tourism in association with relic preservation,” Dinh said. “The province should promote its image to more people inside and outside the country and implement the project to restore and preserve local cultural values.”
In Da Nang, more than 200 cyclists toured the Son Tra peninsula in a caravan, and Thua Thien Hue province opened its Tam Giang Lagoon Festival with boat and junk races and kite flying. Other events took place in in Binh Duong, Hau Giang and Vinh Long.
Today through Sunday, eight classic Vietnamese movies will be screened in Laos – in Vientiane and Savannakhet – all about North Vietnam’s military victory over the French in Dien Bien Phu.
They include five dramas: “Vo Chong A Phu” (“A Phu Couple”), “La Co Chuan” (“Signal Flag”), “Hai Nguoi Me” (“Two Mothers”), “Dien Bien Phu” and “Hoa Ban Do” (“Red Ban Flower”). The others are documentaries: “Dien Bien Phu”, “Chien Thang Dien Bien Phu” (“Dien Bien Phu Victory”) and “Cot Moc Vang Dien Bien Phu” (“The Golden Milestone of Dien Bien Phu”).
Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the triumph at Dien Bien Phu, after which the French withdrew from Vietnam. The week of movie screenings is aimed at teaching younger Vietnamese living in Laos – and their Lao hosts – about the historic victory and the tradition of solidarity and friendship between the two countries.
All eight movies will later be broadcast on Lao national TV.
