The 45th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (1975 – 2020) was celebrated in Ho Chi Minh City on April 30, highlighting the Great 1975 Spring Victory as one of the Vietnamese army’s brilliant successes which was achieved through the Party’s clear-sighted leadership.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Deputy Prime Minister
Truong Hoa Binh at the anniversary event

Those present to celebrate the anniversary included National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, along with municipal Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan, and many among others.

During his speech, Politburo member and Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan described the 1975 Spring Victory as a glorious success and a turning point for the entire nation as it moved into a new era of being a prosperous, fair, and independent country whilst simultaneously advancing the cause of socialism.

During the various wars of resistance against French colonial forces and American imperialists between 1945 and 1975, the Party Committee always stood side by side with citizens to promote their strength in the struggle for national liberation.

With national reunification officially occurring on July 2, 1976, the municipal Party Committee, various departments, and Ho Chi Minh City’s people have spent the subsequent decades striving for development by utilising a range of dynamic and creative methods.

Ho Chi Minh City's Party Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan delivers a speech praising
the outstanding achievements the southern city has recorded over the past 45 years

As a result, the southern metropolis has recorded tremendous achievements and enjoys the highest rate of economic growth nationwide. Indeed, the city has always retained its position as the leading driving force for the country’s economy, making significant contributions to overall gross domestic product as well as to the state budget. Most notably, the quality of growth enjoys constant improvements with labour productivity being 2.7 times higher than the rest of the nation, the municipal leader noted.

At present, there is growth occurring in the fields of culture, education, training, and health care with local people increasingly enjoying improved living quality in terms of social security.

Despite these improvements, Party Secretary Thien Nhan emphasised the difficulties facing the city amid the complicated developments relating to the novel coronavirus epidemic. In the face of such challenges, Ho Chi Minh City has been proactive and creative to implement a range of measures aimed at preventing and fighting the disease, whilst also offering support to the poor, the disadvantaged, and those who have lost their jobs.

The municipal leader also praised the southern city as a force in implementing a new growth model aimed at adapting itself to a new normal in order to keep up with the rapid and sustainable development through use of scientific and technological applications as a means of becoming the largest innovation startup centre nationwide.

War veterans at the ceremony

Also during the ceremony, speaking on behalf of generations of veterans, Major General Nguyen Van Chuong, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Veterans Association said, "The spirit of the April 30 victory encourages us to utilise our creative capacity to eliminate poverty and spur on stronger economic development as a way of contributing to building the southern metropolis into a more civilized, modern, and prosperous city in the future.”