Party like it's 1975
Vietnam marks the 30th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam (or American) war on Saturday the 30th April. The streets are already lined with the red and gold of the national flag and Saigon is awash with foreign journalists. I'm told there'll be tanks driving down Le Duan Boulevard at 7am tomorrow morning and non-stop party action until May 2nd. I'll be doing my best to avoid the high volume painful singing that normally accompanies these kind of events. I've started a Flickr photo pool: 30 years on. Join in and upload your snaps. Hope I can get up early and catch the tanks. Details of the four day long activities at Vietnam News and again here.
Just wanted to check - is this images of Vietnam 30 years on or images of the 30 years on celebration.
Got lots of the former but not much of the latter right now.
Posted by: omih | April 29, 2005 at 09:48 AM
I really meant the latter, but IMO anything goes. Personally, I do intend to see some of the celebrations and take and upload pics, but as you know it's gonna be the usual madness which is never a lot of fun and very NOT family friendly. So daily life non-celebration shots too, why not? But maybe taken during the four day period would make the most sense. Hmm?
Posted by: pieman | April 29, 2005 at 09:53 AM
That's what I thought - will keep my camera at my side over the weekend and upload pictures as and when I have them.
Posted by: omih | April 29, 2005 at 09:56 AM
I've just uploaded a few pics I took over the last few days with flags flapping and humongous balloon arches floating.
Posted by: Lei/cottontimer | April 29, 2005 at 04:44 PM
Brialliant - more the merrier Lei.
Posted by: pieman | April 29, 2005 at 05:00 PM
Uploading now but its not half slow on dial up.
Hanoi is very quiet right now - I am sure it'll hot up this evening but as ever my camera doesn't like the dark
Posted by: omih | April 30, 2005 at 10:22 AM
Houston had a protest about the 30th anniversary. I found it odd that so many people who don't really care who is power in Vietnam came to protest anyway.
Posted by: Huan | May 02, 2005 at 09:32 AM
A volunteer from Australia just joined us today and apparently the same thing happened there. The kids of fleeing South Vietnamese who have never stepped foot in Vietnam complaining about the government.
As a former tour group leader, where many of the other leaders were returning Vietnamese, she has also seen how many of these people, when they return, realise that Vietnam is not under the frightening regime that they thought it did.
Vietnam is not entirely free but not too far away. I'm not sure you can call anywhere entirely free and freedom and democracy are not always the same thing (regardless of what Bush would tell you).
Posted by: OMIH | May 02, 2005 at 09:37 AM
It's probably not that odd Huan, parents stories and mainstream media, especailly US, don't always have their finger on the overseas pulse. Things are FAR from perfect in Vietnam, but it's not a total hell hole either. Don't really want to get into a political debate here, so... hmmm.... I won't.
Posted by: pieman | May 03, 2005 at 04:54 AM
Pieman, I was born in HCM in 1976 and left with my parents in 1980. In the past few years, I've been back a few times, and the whole country seems more alive with enthusiasm than the U.S. When I went back the first time, some of my parents friends thought it very inappropriate to support the current regime. I didn't see the point. When the Vietnamese prosper, I cheer my heritage on! I agree, the public perception of Vietnam in the US probably needs to see some change.
Posted by: Huan | May 04, 2005 at 04:26 AM