April 30: Reunification Day in Vietnam
Prayer Idea
Pray for the people and government of Vietnam.
History Note
Vietnam is a country in southeast Asia that borders China, Laos, and Cambodia. For centuries in ancient times, Chinese rulers controlled territory in what became Vietnam. In the 900s, the Vietnamese established their independence from China. However, Vietnam again fell under Chinese control in the 1400s during the Ming dynasty.
French soldiers provided aid to a Vietnamese leader, Nguyen Anh, in establishing control of the area in the late 1700s and early 1800s. This helped set the stage for the French taking control of large parts of southeast Asia later in the 19th century. Vietnam was part of an area known as French Indochina.
Japan occupied French Indochina during World War II. After the war, France tried to regain control. Ho Chi Minh was a prominent leader of the Vietnamese resistance against the Japanese and the French. Vietnam gained independence in 1954, but it split into two sections. A Communist government controlled the northern part. The government of the southern part was anti-Communist, but it was dysfunctional and repressive.
North Vietnam and South Vietnam fought a brutal war that lasted twenty years. The United States and its allies sent soldiers to support the South Vietnamese army. The Soviet Union and China supported North Vietnam.
On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam (now called Ho Chi Minh City). This paved the way for the reunification of North and South Vietnam under a Communist government.
The modern country of Vietnam is one of the world’s few Communist nation states. It has a population 105 million. Vietnam celebrates April 30 as a holiday called Day of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification.
These Vietnamese flags decorate Ho Chi Minh City as the country prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Reunification Day in 2025. Photo by Ray Kuschert / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
Ho Chi Minh City launched a series of cultural and sporting events in April 2025 in the lead up to the 50th anniversary of April 30, 1975.
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