Address by General Secretary To Lam at national celebration of 50th anniversary of liberation of the South and national reunification

 Dear leaders, former leaders of the Party, State, Viet Nam Fatherland Front,

Dear revolutionary veterans, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, Heroes of Labor, generals, officers, veterans, families with meritorious service to the nation,

Dear international guests,

Dear delegates, comrades, compatriots, soldiers nationwide and the Vietnamese community abroad.

Today, in the heroic atmosphere of the historic April 30, in the heroic city named after beloved President Ho Chi Minh, with great excitement and pride, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, the National Assembly, the State President, the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front solemnly organise a ceremony to celebrate the "50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification" - the most brilliant milestone in the history of building and defending the country; marking the glorious end of the 30-year resilient struggle for independence, freedom, and reunification of the Fatherland; putting an end to the more-than-a-century domination of old and new colonialism; and bringing the country into a new era - the era of national independence and socialism.

On behalf of leaders of the Party, the State and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee, I warmly welcome and would like to extend my respectful greetings, warm regards, and best wishes to leaders, former leaders of the Party, the State, and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, revolutionary veterans, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, and Heroes of Labor; generals, officers, soldiers, veterans, militiamen, guerrillas, youth volunteers, frontline workers, families with meritorious service to the country, international guests, all compatriots and comrades nationwide, overseas Vietnamese, and the Party Organisation, administration, and people of Ho Chi Minh City.

In this sacred moment, we respectfully remember and express our boundless gratitude for the great contributions of beloved President Ho Chi Minh - the genius Leader of our Party and nation, the great teacher of the Vietnamese revolution, a hero of national liberation, a great man of culture, an outstanding soldier of the international communist and workers' movements - with the burning desire to liberate the South and reunify the nation, with the faith in victory that "No matter how difficult or arduous, our people will definitely win. Our Fatherland will definitely be reunified. Compatriots of the North and the South will definitely be reunited under one roof".

We will forever remember and be grateful for the great contributions of revolutionary leaders, martyrs, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, generations of cadres, generals, officers, soldiers, militiamen, guerrillas, youth volunteers, frontline workers, wounded and sick soldiers, families of martyrs, families with meritorious service to the revolution, veterans, and the entire people's armed forces and people across the country as well as overseas Vietnamese, who devoted and sacrificed their lives for the cause of completely liberating the South and reunifying the country.

We sincerely thank our brothers, comrades and international friends, progressive forces and peace-loving people around the world for their great, valuable, wholehearted, loyal, and steadfast support and assistance to the Vietnamese people's cause of national liberation and reunification.

Dear comrades, compatriots and delegates,

Immediately after the success of the August Revolution in 1945 and the birth of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam, our people had to enter two long resistance wars to protect the country's independence and unification. The resistance war against the French colonialists ended, and like many nations around the world, the Vietnamese people wished for a peaceful, independent and free life. However, the U.S. imperialists quickly replaced the French colonialists, intervening in Viet Nam, carrying out the plot to divide our country, and turning the South of our country into a new type of colony and an outpost to prevent communism in Southeast Asia and other progressive forces in the world. During the war of aggression against Viet Nam, the U.S. imperialists deployed a large number of soldiers with the most modern and sophisticated weapons, implemented many dangerous war strategies; carried out two brutal destructive wars against the North, causing a lot of pains and losses to the people in both regions of the country; and the consequences of the war still linger today.

In the face of countless difficulties, challenges, hardships and fierceness, we inherited and promoted our ancestors' glorious tradition in fighting against foreign invaders, summarised valuable lessons in the prolonged resistance war against the French colonialists, with the mettle and clear-sighted brainpower, and by harnessing the strength of the people and the great national unity bloc, while maximising the support and assistance of international friends, progressive forces and peace-loving people in the world. Our Party and President Ho Chi Minh led our army and people to simultaneously carry out two strategic tasks: The socialist revolution in the North and the people's national democratic revolution in the South, resolutely driving away the invaders. 

With a burning desire to safeguard national independence and reunification, and with the spirit of "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom", the entire Vietnamese people, from Nam Quan Pass to Ca Mau Cape, united to repel the invaders and everywhere marked the bravery, sacrifices and glorious feats of our army and people. With the iron will to “liberate the South, we are determined to move forward", our army and people secured successive victories, dismantled the enemy step by step, and moved towards complete victory with the climax being the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, reuniting the country. 

Time will pass, but the victory of our people in the resistance war against the U.S. for national salvation will forever be recorded in the nation’s history as a shining symbol of revolutionary heroism, a victory of justice, a victory of Vietnamese mettle, spirit and intelligence; a victory of ardent patriotism and the aspiration for independence, freedom and national reunification, with the truth “Vietnam is one, the Vietnamese people are one”, a milestone affirming that our entire Party, people and army had realised the most earnest wishes and instructions of Uncle Ho, completing the cause of completely liberating the South, reunifying the country, and bringing the North and the South together as one family. 

The victory of the resistance war against the US for national salvation stemmed from the correct and creative leadership of the Party; from the people’s war policy, carried out through the strength of great national unity and international solidarity; from the combination of military, political and, diplomatic struggles and the art of seizing the right moment to concentrate forces for a general offensive and uprising; from the strength of the great rear base in the North supporting the major frontlines in the South, with the spirit: No a grain of rice is lacking, no soldier is absent; cutting through Truong Son to save the nation; from the great, righteous, sincere and effective support and assistance of the Soviet Union, China and fraternal socialist countries; from the Viet Nam - Laos - Cambodia special solidarity; from peace-loving, progressive people and forces worldwide, including the progressive Americans. In particular, the Great Spring 1975 Victory strongly encouraged the national liberation movement of the world's people for peace, national independence, democracy, and social progress, opening the way for the collapse of neo-colonialism all over the world and marking a pivotal turning point in human history in the 20th century.

Along with its epochal significance, the Great Spring 1975 Victory left behind valuable lessons in both theory and practice for the revolutionary cause of our Party and nation. These are (1) The lesson of promoting the strength of the people and the great national unity bloc, skillfully combining national strength with the strength of the times; (2) The lesson of promoting to the highest degree the spirit of patriotism, national pride and self-esteem; the spirit of independence, self-reliance, bravery and resilience; the determination to fight and win of our entire Party, people and army; (3) The lesson of holding high the banner of national independence and socialism, determining the correct path, suitable to the conditions and characteristics of the Vietnamese revolution; (4) The lesson of creatively applying and developing revolutionary struggle methods and methods of carrying out all-people and all-out war; developing unique and creative theories of people's war and military art; “using the few to fight the many”, “using benevolence to replace violence” (5) The lesson of firmly grasping, seizing opportunities and attacking rapidly, boldly, proactively, sensitively, flexibly, creatively and resolutely to carry out the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising to achieve complete victory. (6) The lesson of benevolence, national reconciliation, putting the past behind and looking to the future after victory. (7) But the greatest lesson, at the same time, the leading factor deciding the victory of the 1975 Spring Great Victory was to maintain the absolute leadership of the Party; to build a strong Party in all aspects; to enhance the leadership capacity and combat strength of the Party throughout the process of fighting for national liberation, national reunification and protecting the achievements of socialism.

Dear comrades, compatriots, and distinguished delegates, 

Upholding the valuable lessons from the victory of the resistance war against the U.S. for national salvation, under the leadership of the Party, our entire people and army joined forces to recover, rebuild, construct and develop the country in accordance with Uncle Ho’s final wishes: “My ultimate desire is that our entire Party and people to unite and strive to build a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic, and prosperous Viet Nam, and make worthy contributions to the world revolutionary cause.” After 50 years of national reunification and nearly 40 years of implementing the Doi moi (renewal) policy, our country have overcome numerous difficulties and challenges to achieve monumental accomplishments of historical significance, creating the foundation, potential, position and international prestige as today. 

From a poor, backward nation devastated by the war and subjected to blockade and embargo, Viet Nam has transformed into a developing country with near upper-middle income status, deeply integrated into the world politics, global economy, and human civilisation, taking on many international responsibilities and playing an active and positive role in various international organisations and important multilateral forums. The country's independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity have been firmly maintained while national interests have been secured. The size of the economy in 2024 ranked 32nd in the world and stood among the top 20 economies in terms of trade and foreign investment attraction. The people’s living standards have significantly improved, with the poverty rate sharply declining to just 1.93% (according to multidimensional standards) compared to more than 60% in 1986. Economic, political, cultural, social, scientific-technological, national defence and security potential has been increasingly consolidated. Foreign relations have been expanded while the country’s position and prestige have been constantly enhanced. Today, Viet Nam has established diplomatic ties with 194 countries which are members of the United Nations, and built cooperative relations, strategic partnerships, and comprehensive strategic partnerships with all major powers in the world, including the US, with 2025 marking the 30th founding anniversary of Viet Nam-U.S. diplomatic relations.

Dear comrades, compatriots, and distinguished delegates, 

Half a century has passed and with the obtained great achievements, we are now standing at a new historical starting point to help the country to rise up, take off, and “stand shoulder to shoulder with powers across the five continents.” To realise the aspiration to build a Vietnam “ten times better than today,” we must liberate all productive forces, unleash all resources, and leverage all potential and strengths to strongly promote socio-economic development. In 2025, we strive to achieve economic growth of at least 8% and double-digit growth in the 2026-2030 period, are determined to successfully implement the strategic goals of becoming a developing country with upper-middle-income and modern industry by 2030 and a developed, socialist-oriented nation with high income by 2045. The focus must be placed on resolving institutional development bottlenecks; adjusting the economic space, expanding the development space, increasing decentralisation and delegation of authority, allocating and combining economic resources; establishing a new growth model, with science-technology, innovation, and digital transformation as the main driving forces, to create dramatic transformations in productivity, quality, efficiency, and competitiveness of the economy, identifying the private sector as the most important driving force of the national economy. Besides, we must continue making breakthroughs in mindset and methods to create new productivity, new productive forces, and new quality. 

Being proud of the nation's glorious historical traditions, with infinite gratitude for the great contributions and sacrifice of soldiers and compatriots across the country, we are increasingly aware of our responsibility to fulfill Uncle Ho's final instructions before he passed away: "The Party must have a good plan to develop the economy and culture, aiming to continuously improve the people's lives." Caring for the people and increasingly meeting their material and spiritual needs, especially for those in remote areas, border regions, islands, revolutionary base areas, and former resistance zones, have been the Party's goals. We must focus on effectively implementing the policies of fairness, social progress, social security and social welfare as well as those for people who rendered service to the nation; implement the tuition exemption policy for all levels of general education; strive to complete the programme on eliminating temporary and dilapidated houses, accelerate the construction of social housing for low-income earners; and pay due attention to healthcare development and public health care, moving towards exempting hospital fees so that every Vietnamese citizen could truly have a secure, safe, free, prosperous and happy life.

Deeply aware of the incomparable great strength of the people and the great national solidarity bloc of Viet Nam, we thoroughly grasp and consistently implement the viewpoint that "people are the root", people are the centre, the subject, the purpose of the process of national construction, development and protection. It is necessary to strongly implement the policy of national harmony and reconciliation with the spirit that we all have the blood of Lac Hong, are all brothers and sisters, "like trees of the same root, like children of the same family". All Vietnamese people are citizens of Vietnam, all have the right to live, work, the right to freely pursue happiness and love in the homeland, all have the right and responsibility to contribute to building the Fatherland. With the policy of closing the past, respecting differences, looking towards the future, our entire Party, people and army together strive to build a peaceful, unified, happy, prosperous and developed Viet Nam.

As a nation that experienced countless pains and losses due to the wars in the past and also a nation that has enjoyed great benefits from peace and friendly cooperation in recent decades, Vietnam earnestly desires to work with the international community to build a future of peace, prosperity, solidarity and development. Let us do all we can today, with the desire to leave to future generations not only a better world, but also the faith and admiration for the sense of responsibility and wisdom of today's generation. We will continue to deepen our friendly and cooperative relations with countries around the world; promote the implementation of the motto "Viet Nam is a friend, a reliable partner and an active, responsible member of the international community"; innovate mechanisms and policies, create all favourable conditions for international friends and the Vietnamese community abroad, those who carry Vietnamese cultural identity, have grown up in developed countries, have expertise and management skills, and have extensive international connections, to participate in activities to promote socio-economic development in Viet Nam. The 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification is also a historic moment for all Vietnamese people, all classes of people, compatriots of all ethnic groups and religions, Party members and all people at home and overseas Vietnamese, millions of people as one, to unite, join hands, and turn towards the Fatherland for the goal of building a strong, prosperous, civilised and happy Vietnam.

In the context of the complicated world situation, as a nation that has suffered many losses and pains due to the wars, deeply understanding the precious values of peace, independence and freedom, we need to continue to strengthen and modernise national defence and security, build all-people national defence for peace and self-defence, firmly safeguard the Fatherland "early", "from afar", and "protect the country when it is not yet in danger". We must build and promote the "people-based position", firmly consolidate the all-people defence position and the people's security position. It is necessary to build the revolutionary, disciplined, elite and modern People's Army and People's Public Security, which are the core forces to firmly protect the Fatherland's independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, making them the "precious sword" and "shield" to protect the Party, State, people and safeguard the regime, always a solid mainstay for the people.

Proud of the glorious Party and the great achievements of our army and people under the Party's leadership, we must strive to build a clean, strong and comprehensive Party so that the Party is truly "moral and civilised", representing the intelligence, honour and conscience of the nation and the era, worthy of the trust, choice and expectations of the people. We must continue to innovate the Party's leadership, governance and combat strength; successfully carry out the revolution in reorganising the apparatus of the political system, reorganising administrative units to make them more streamlined, efficient and effective. We must build and gradually perfect the mechanism of power control, resolutely push back corruption, wastefulness, negative phenomena and bureaucracy; and build a contingent of cadres at all levels, especially strategic cadres and leaders with sufficient qualities, intelligence, dedication and efforts, who dare to think, dare to do, and dare to take responsibility for the interests of the country and the people.

Dear compatriots, comrades, and distinguished delegates,

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification; welcoming International Workers' Day on May 1, the 135th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh, and other important events in 2025, on behalf of the leaders of the Party, the State, and the Vietnam Fatherland Front, I once again sincerely thank all compatriots, comrades, those who have sacrificed themselves for the country; thank the people, peace-loving friends, and progressive forces around the world who have supported and helped the Vietnamese people in the past struggle for national liberation, as well as in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland at present.

Promoting the spirit of the Great 1975 Spring Victory, and the achievements of the four decades of Doi moi (renewal), our entire Party, people, and army are striving with determination to successfully accomplish the five-year socio-economic development plan for the 2021–2025 period, and to achieve further outstanding accomplishments to welcome the upcoming Party Congresses at all levels, in the lead up to the 14th National Party Congress. With the mettle, intelligence, and strength of Viet Nam, we secured the historic Great Spring Victory; and we are firmly confident that we will continue to attain even greater victories and remarkable achievements in the new era of prosperity, civilisation, and national rise, building our country that is “more dignified and beautiful", standing shoulder to shoulder with the powers of the five continents, fulfilling the aspirations of President Ho Chi Minh and of the entire nation.

The spirit of the Great Victory of Spring 1975 is immortal!

Long live the glorious Communist Party of Viet Nam!

Long live the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam!

Eternal glory belongs to the people!

Great President Ho Chi Minh lives forever in our cause!

I respectfully thank you all./.