Ho Chi Minh City organises a series of activities to celebrate 50 Years of National Reunification

ABO/NDO- Ho Chi Minh City is launching a series of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Southern Liberation and National Reunification (30/4/1975 – 30/4/2025) from March 20 to April 30. 

According to the Department of Culture and Sports, events will include city-level activities as well as those organised by departments, sectors, Thu Duc City, and other districts.

Among them, city-level activities will include the organisation of "The Photography Road of Ho Chi Minh City", a space for photo exhibitions featuring current affairs, events, and ceremonies which will be held along Dong Khoi Street from April 15 to May 20, 2025. The city will also hold the Olympic Run Day for Public Health 2025 and mass physical fitness and sports performances to celebrate the anniversary.

A series of events titled “Colours of Uncle Ho’s City” will take place from 19:30 to 21:30 on April 19, 26, 29, and 30 at various locations including in front of the City People’s Council and People’s Committee Headquarters, Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street, the City Theatre, Bach Dang Wharf Park area, and Thu Duc City.

The 50th anniversary ceremony of Southern Liberation and National Reunification will be brief, solemn, and of national significance.

Ho Chi Minh City will hold high-altitude fireworks displays over three days to celebrate Southern Liberation and National Reunification Day (April 30). (Photo by The Anh).

In front of the headquarters of the City People's Council and People's Committee, the organising committee will stage a 3D mapping art performance, as well as symphony-choral and contemporary folk music shows. On Nguyen Hue – Le Loi Pedestrian Street, there will be performances of singing, dancing, traditional music, and classical Vietnamese opera, alongside impressive displays of national cultural heritage such as unicorn-lion-dragon dances, traditional Vietnamese musical-dance performances, and martial arts-music demonstrations.

At the Nguyen Hue – Mac Thi Buoi pedestrian area, contemporary art performances will include puppetry, circus acts, street entertainment, and traditional arts such as hat boi, cai luong (reformed theatre), folk singing and dancing, and sports demonstrations combined with traditional martial arts-music shows.

At the Nguyen Hue – Ngo Duc Ke pedestrian area, the city will host cultural exchange performances between Ho Chi Minh City and various provinces and cities, while also encouraging socialised involvement from agencies, organisations, and businesses to produce art programmes such as “Colours of the City”, “Rhythm of Youth”, and “Journey to the Future”. There will also be a floral boat parade and tourist boat event on the Saigon River featuring southern folk music performances.

Additionally, the programme “Reunification Day Festival” within the “Colours of Uncle Ho’s City” event series will be held from 19:30 to 21:30 on April 30 along Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street and its performance spaces, extending to the Saigon River area.

Artistic fireworks displays will take place from 21:00 to 21:15 on April 19, 26, and 30. Other highlights include a drone show involving 10,500 unmanned aerial vehicles; a 3D mapping art performance; a showcase of parade floats; a programme introducing and discussing music copyright under the theme “Intellectual Property and Music: Feeling the Rhythm of IP”; and a seminar on mechanisms and policies to promote the development of cultural industries in the music sector, titled “Dialogue on mechanisms and policies to promote the development of the cultural industry in music”.

There will also be exhibitions and film screenings on this occasion.

Furthermore, other celebratory activities include: a ceremony honouring 50 outstanding enterprises in the city with leading brands and core products; and a ceremony recognising the contributions of 50 outstanding individuals to the construction, defence, and development of Ho Chi Minh City; and the announcement and recognition of 50 exemplary construction projects, 50 prominent events and activities, and 50 notable literary and artistic works in celebration of the 50th anniversary.

In addition, the city plans to promote 50 exemplary literary and artistic works, hold the 4th Ho Chi Minh City Creative Awards in 2025, host the 4th Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day in 2025, and organise an installation art exhibition under the theme “From the Victory of Bach Dang to the Great Victory of 30 April 1975”.

(Source: NDO)