Vietnamese celebrate 50 years ‘victory of faith

Thousands of Vietnamese celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on Wednesday, in what the country's communist leader said was a “victory of faith.”

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Celebrations culminated in a grand parade in Ho Chi Minh City with thousands of marching troops and an air show featuring Russian-made fighter jets and helicopters, as Vietnamese waved red flags and sang patriotic songs.

The historic anniversary commemorates the first act of the country's reunification on April 30, 1975 when Communist-run North Vietnam seized Saigon, the capital of the U.S.-backed South, renamed Ho Chi Minh City shortly after the war in honour of the North's founding leader.