Reunification Day, 30 April

On 27 January 1973 the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam was signed in Paris after almost five years of negotiation. Under the accords the United States pledged to respect Vietnam's independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and to withdraw all its troops from the South. The last US military units left Vietnam on 29 March 1973, yet fighting between the two sides in the South went on.

In late 1974 and early 1975 the Politburo of the Party Central Committee held a series of sessions in Hà Nội, weighed the balance of forces and set out a plan to liberate the whole of the South over 1975 and 1976. The meetings also prepared an important alternative: should the opportunity arise early or late in 1975, the South would be liberated within that year, without waiting for the next.

On 10 March 1975 the Central Highlands Campaign opened with an attack on the town of Buôn Ma Thuột, the strategic hub of the plateau. After little more than a day of fighting the town was liberated. Forces of the Republic of Vietnam withdrew from the highlands along Route 7, and the retreat turned into a collapse that changed the whole southern battlefield within a few weeks.

Seizing the moment, the Politburo ordered the campaign for Huế and Đà Nẵng. Huế was liberated on 26 March, and on 29 March Đà Nẵng, the second largest city in the South, also fell to the liberation forces. With that momentum the central coastal provinces were freed one after another, while at Xuân Lộc, the eastern gateway to Sài Gòn, a fierce battle raged from 9 to 21 April.

On 14 April 1975 the Politburo approved naming the decisive strategic offensive to liberate Sài Gòn the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign. General Văn Tiến Dũng was commander and Phạm Hùng political commissar. Five army wings closed in on the city from every direction. At exactly 5 pm on 26 April the campaign opened fire, and the forces took the outer ring of defensive bases one after another.

On the morning of 30 April the attacking columns pushed into the city centre together. Shortly before noon tank 843 rammed a side gate of Independence Palace and tank 390 broke down the main gate as troops entered the grounds. At 11.30 am the liberation flag was raised on the palace roof. President Dương Văn Minh, sworn in only two days earlier, announced an unconditional surrender on the radio.

That afternoon the remaining provinces of the south were freed in turn, and by 2 May the whole of the South was liberated. In 2012 tanks 390 and 843 were recognised as National Treasures. Tank 390 is now on display at the Vietnam Military History Museum in Hà Nội and tank 843 at the Armour Museum, recalling the moment the war came to an end.

After 30 April the country moved to reunite as a single state. On 25 April 1976 voters in both halves of the country elected a common National Assembly for the first time. On 2 July 1976 the Sixth National Assembly named the country the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, chose Hà Nội as the capital and Tiến quân ca as the anthem, and renamed Sài Gòn - Gia Định as Hồ Chí Minh City.

President Hồ Chí Minh had written that hope into his Testament as early as 1965, when the war was at its fiercest. He did not live to see the country reunited, so the final campaign bore his name. For many families, 30 April 1975 was also the day relatives separated for more than twenty years finally met again, North and South gathered under one roof.

Our Fatherland will surely be reunified. Our compatriots in the North and the South will surely be reunited under one roof.

President Hồ Chí Minh's Testament

Under the 2019 Labour Code, 30 April is a fully paid public holiday, followed directly by International Labour Day on 1 May. In many years the Government swaps working days so that workers get a four to five day break. It is the most anticipated long holiday after Tết, peak season for beach trips, journeys home and family gatherings.

In round-number years Hồ Chí Minh City holds military and civilian parades in front of Independence Palace, now Reunification Hall. In 2025, for the 50th anniversary, tens of thousands of people stayed up all night on Lê Duẩn street to watch the columns pass, the streets covered in red flags. Fireworks light up many provinces on the evening of 30 April, and museums and historic sites welcome record crowds.

For working people, 30 April is both a time to remember the generation who fell for reunification and a break to recharge for the second half of the year. Employers often give a small bonus, organise a company trip or set a fair on-duty roster, and anyone working on the holiday is paid at least 300% of their wage, as the law requires.