Politics

US Diplomat Attends Parade Marking 50th Anniversary of End of Vietnam War

Published MAY 1 2025

Story

Above: People take part in a parade marking the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the reunification of Vietnam on April 30, 2025, in Ho Chi Minh City. Image credit: Thanh Hue/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said that its consul general in Ho Chi Minh City, Susan Burns, represented the country in a grand parade in Ho Chi Minh City to mark the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Vietnam and the end of the Vietnam War on Wednesday.
ap
Reuters
This comes as the New York Times reported that the Trump administration first directed senior diplomats to avoid events for the anniversary of the U.S. defeat in Vietnam — even as Vietnam expected U.S. officials to attend ceremonies — but later decided to ease the ban.
nytimes
Radio Free Asia
The event saw large crowds of Vietnamese waving the country's red flag, an official ceremony attended by Vietnamese leaders and international guests, and thousands of troops marching for more than an hour as fighter jets and helicopters flew overhead.
Al Jazeera
NPR
On April 30, 1975, North Vietnam's communist forces took over Saigon — now Ho Chi Minh City — the capital of U.S.-backed South Vietnam, ending the conflict that killed about 3 million Vietnamese and more than 58,000 American troops in 20 years.
Bloomberg.com
NBC
Vietnam and the U.S. will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them in July, and Consul General Burns highlighted to local media on Tuesday the perspective that the two countries have moved from enemies to partners.
NBC
SGGP English Edition
The U.S.-Vietnam relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023, and trade between them more than tripled over the past decade to $150 billion in 2024 — with negotiations underway to avoid a paused 46% tariff on Vietnamese exports to the U.S.
Al Jazeera
Bloomberg.com

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

While it is not common for U.S. diplomats in Vietnam to be part of the April 30th parades, this anniversary was a special occasion drawing the attention of a number of Americans. The U.S. ambassador — himself a son of a Vietnam veteran — failed to attend the event, which caused unease, but the consul general was there at least. The Trump administration should be more careful in regard to Vietnam as its shortsighted policies and tariffs are undermining decades of reconciliation efforts.

Time

Establishment-critical narrative

That U.S. Consul General Susan Burns attended the April 30th event represents a missed opportunity for Washington to honor Americans who died for the cause of freedom in Vietnam and to deliver a strong message to Hanoi. Because President Trump won the election on an America First platform, his administration should prevent the communist regime in Vietnam from continuing to exploit its relations with the U.S. while promoting anti-American propaganda and deepening its alliance with China.