Vietnam's Gen-Z captivated by 50-year-old military victory

Spectators waiting overnight sit along a road to reserve their spot in Ho Chi Minh City in the early hours of on April 30, 2025, ahead of a parade marking the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War.[AFP]

The Vietnam War ended before most of the current population was born, but like many young people Hoang Ha Linh was swept up in the excitement of the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.

Along with thousands of others, teenager Linh camped out overnight to watch Wednesday's military parade marking 50 years since the metropolis, now called Ho Chi Minh City, fell to communist forces to end two decades of conflict.