Victory April 30, 1975: For eternal peace

The war has been over for 40 years, but the historical lessons of the war against America to save the country are always mentioned by Vietnamese people and international friends.

Forty years ago, with the great victory of the General Offensive and Uprising in the spring of 1975, culminating in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, the resistance war against the US to save the country by our army and people achieved complete victory. That glorious victory is a brilliant golden page in the history of the Vietnamese people's resistance against foreign invaders and has entered world history as a political-military event of epochal significance.

People from all walks of life in Saigon attend a rally to celebrate the victory (Photo: Archive)

The 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising

Referring to the Great Victory of the Spring of 1975 of our army and people, Major General Tran Ngoc Tho, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, is still very emotional. During the Spring General Offensive and Uprising of 1975, he was assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff of the 5th Wing Operations Department to fight the enemy from the South.

During the days when smoke and bullets covered the South, he and his comrades went through many hardships and losses, only to be rewarded with the glorious victory of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. Recalling those heroic years, Major General Tran Ngoc Tho proudly said: “The Southern battlefield against the Americans was extremely arduous and fierce, it was different from all other wars. The Vietnamese People's Army, with only rudimentary guns and weapons, together with the working people, stood up against an empire. That was the pinnacle of military art.”

The 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising lasted 55 days and nights at a miraculous speed of “one day equals 20 years”. The war ended in the astonishment of the US when a powerful army with modern weapons had to retreat before the Vietnamese people, who were weak in power but rich in solidarity and determination. The solidarity and unity within the entire Party, the entire people and international solidarity were among the important factors contributing to the victory of the resistance war against the US to save the country.

Colonel, Associate Professor, Doctor Tran Ngoc Long, former Deputy Director of the Vietnam Military History Institute emphasized: “If we consider economic and military potential, Vietnam is clearly weaker. However, in terms of overall strength, Vietnam is far superior. With that strength, with that ability, the Vietnamese people knew how to win step by step, defeat the enemy in each war strategy and then move towards a strategic general offensive to both drive the US out and overthrow the Republic of Vietnam government, and reunite the country.”

After winning victories in many localities, at the end of April 1975, our army and people were filled with fighting spirit and advanced to Saigon, the enemy's last stronghold. At exactly 11:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, the victory flag flew on the roof of the Independence Palace. With this strategic decisive battle, we completely defeated 1 million puppet troops that the US had painstakingly organized, nurtured and trained for a long time, forcing them to surrender unconditionally.

For a lasting peace

Despite suffering many losses in the 21-year long war, according to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha, Director of the Institute of Party History, this sacrifice was worthy of the resounding victory of our nation.

“Our ancestors said, “War for eternal peace.” The Vietnamese people are a peace-loving people, but they always have to fight against invading forces to regain peace and unify the country. War certainly means loss and sacrifice. The losses and sacrifices in our fight against the US to save the country were enormous, but we accepted them in order to regain independence, unity and peace for the country,” said Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha.

The war has receded into memory, but the valuable historical lessons in the war against the US to save the country are always mentioned by the Vietnamese people and international friends. Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Trong Phuc, former Director of the Institute of Party History, said that there were many good things that our army and people successfully applied to the Great Victory in the spring of 1975, which until now are still considered the truth.

“The greatest lesson is still patriotism, upholding the spirit of great national unity. In addition, there is the leadership role of the Party from the war policy to the practical organization and direction method. Finally, we must talk about the lesson of mobilizing national strength, combining national strength with the strength of the times, domestic strength with external strength, and gaining the support of progressive people around the world to gain independence,” Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Trong Phuc emphasized.

The entire course of the resistance war against the US to save the country has eloquently demonstrated the correctness of the strategic offensive ideology, revolutionary methods, strategic guidelines, methods of conducting war and military art of the Vietnamese army under the wise and talented leadership of our Party. Those ideas and spirits have been, are and will be applied by generations of our country's leaders in the cause of national construction and innovation so that in the near future, Vietnam will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the great powers of the five continents as President Ho Chi Minh wished.

According to VOV