May 01, 2015
The article below, and the headline, reflect the mostly subdued approach taken by Vietnamese officials as they commemorated Liberation Day on April 30th (or, as some Americans including Vietnamese in the U.S. call the anniversary, "the Fall of Saigon"). The headline in the next message, picked up from Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's speech and used in a number of foreign publications, was the only notable reference to the devastation and huge losses to the Vietnamese caused by the war.
During this week representatives of more than 40 nations and territories, along with organizations and institutions, were in Ho Chi Minh City to participate in the main event and other activities. American visitors included former anti-war activists and U.S. veterans of the war who pushed to end the embargo and normalize relations between the U.S. and Vietnam, which occurred in 1995. In meetings with their Vietnamese hosts, International visitors emphasized the need to continue efforts to deal with the legacies of unexploded ordnance and the tragic consequences of Agent Orange, for which the U.S. bears responsibility. Journalists who were on assignment here during the war also gathered on this occasion, well-known writers, correspondents, and photographers who have stayed in touch in recent years as part of a loose network known as the "Old Hacks." Our Veterans For Peace delegation, hosted by VFP Chapter 160, included veterans who had never returned to Vietnam until this trip, some of whom were able to visit old battle sites and base camps where they served during the war.
Grand Ceremony Marks 40 years since South’s Liberation
CHUCK