Vietnam celebrated the end of the war with the United States and the formation of its modern nation 50 years ago Wednesday with a military parade and a focus on a future of peace. Thousands camped overnight on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City once known as Saigon to watch the parade, drinking strong black coffee and their faces painted with the Vietnamese flag. The parade included a float that carried the Lac Bird, Vietnam's emblem, another carrying a portrait of Ho Chi Minh and finally one that represented 50 years of reunification between North and South Vietnam. Chinese, Laotian and Cambodian troops marched behind Vietnamese army formations, including some wearing uniforms similar to what was worn by northern Vietnamese troops during the war. Helicopters carrying the national flag and jets flew over the parade near Independence Palace, where the war ended when a North Vietnamese tank smashed through its gates. Sitting next to Vietnam's leader were Cambodia's former leader Hun
Russian President Vladmir Putin arrived in Vietnam on Thursday, Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported, for a state visit to strengthen ties with a longtime partner at a time when Moscow is facing growing international isolation because of its war in Ukraine. Putin landed in the Southeast Asian country after concluding his first trip to North Korea in 24 years. There, he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that pledges mutual aid if either country faces aggression, a strategic pact that comes as both face escalating standoffs with the West. Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but it could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War. In Hanoi, the Russian leader is scheduled to meet Vietnam's most powerful politician, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the new President To Lam and other politicians. The trip has resulted in a sharp rebuke from the United States Embassy in Hanoi.
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